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Hot tents, packable wood stoves.

Bowtie747

Bowtie747

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2021
Messages
1,818
Location
Ohio
Hey guys, I’m sure there is a thread out here similar but I hope it’s cool to start another.

I’m looking to start winter camping and I don’t prefer to be cold. I also just think the wood stoves are sweet.

So I’m new to this and I see the term “hot tents” besides having a port for the stove what all does this mean? Is the tent constructed differently?

Also which brand of portable wood stoves does everyone like?

Which tents do you guys use?

I have a MSR hubba bubba 2 and it doesn’t have a stove port but does anyone have an idea for me converting this to a hot tent? Thanks

Also am I the only one who doesn’t like the idea of a floor less tent/tipi? Bugs, snakes, the following.
 
Before we go any further what’s your plan are you camping close to a vehicle or should this stuff be ultralight and packable, huge differences obviously, if you think saddle hunting is a rabbit hole wait until you dive down this one, I would be afraid to admit the money I’ve spent on camping stuff, but to me it was all worth it!
 
See that just shows how little I know! Thanks for the help already. Didn’t even know all the questions to ask haha

1-2 people mostly just me. Also the plan would be backpacking. So sadly, ultralight. I say sadly because I camp some already and I know ultralight means ultra expensive. Feel free to share your entire setup and any tips! Or heck if u have more question I need to ask feel free to let me know!
 
Bowtie747 said:
See that just shows how little I know! Thanks for the help already. Didn’t even know all the questions to ask haha

1-2 people mostly just me. Also the plan would be backpacking. So sadly, ultralight. I say sadly because I camp some already and I know ultralight means ultra expensive. Feel free to share your entire setup and any tips! Or heck if u have more question I need to ask feel free to let me know!
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Nope your good that’s exactly how I operate. I collect my stuff more than it gets used but have it all, vtbow on here camps a ton and has made some stuff that is super nice, more of my winter camping experience has been using heavier canvas wall tents, but I recently made the switch to what your needing.
#1 My tent is the Kifaru Sawtooth, after trying a tipi from Seek Outside I ended up buying the Sawtooth instead.
#2 My stove is the LiteOutdoors stove, the biggest one they make.
#3 My sleeping bag is a Western Mountaineering
#4 My pad is a Thermarest xtherm
That’s the basics of what I have, the list goes on and on though, Helinox chairs, MSR shovel, titanium pots, Rokslide has the most info geared towards what your looking for, search over there would be my advice, you can read until your eyes bleed on Rokslide about exactly what your needing. Good luck!
 
Topdog said:
Nope your good that’s exactly how I operate. I collect my stuff more than it gets used but have it all, vtbow on here camps a ton and has made some stuff that is super nice, more of my winter camping experience has been using heavier canvas wall tents, but I recently made the switch to what your needing.
#1 My tent is the Kifaru Sawtooth, after trying a tipi from Seek Outside I ended up buying the Sawtooth instead.
#2 My stove is the LiteOutdoors stove, the biggest one they make.
#3 My sleeping bag is a Western Mountaineering
#4 My pad is a Thermarest xtherm
That’s the basics of what I have, the list goes on and on though, Helinox chairs, MSR shovel, titanium pots, Rokslide has the most info geared towards what your looking for, search over there would be my advice, you can read until your eyes bleed on Rokslide about exactly what your needing. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Well shoot in half way there! I have nice sleeping bag and pad.

What made you go kifaru over the seek outside stuff? The kifaru price hurts me a little to be honest haha
 
I couldn’t find a tent that didn’t make me feel claustrophobic and be light, plus have a stove jack, the Sawtooth was the only one that seemed to fit the bill, take these tent ratings for the number of people and cut them in half unless you work at the Willy Wonka Chocolate Factory, the price on the Sawtooth definitely sucks, I won’t defend it at all in my limited use of it, I hated my regular tipi, I felt like an animal in a cage, I’m going to do some hot tenting this winter just for fun also since I didn’t this deer season like I had planned, I spent 12 deer seasons hunting out of a canvas wall tent, the ultralight stuff is new to me though.
 
I don’t know why you can’t convert a standard tent to a hot tent, my guess, the material is not safe, plus you would need to cut a hole in the floor where the stove would go or carry some sort thing to place under the stove, more than likely it can be done but nobody online will ever recommend it due to liability reasons, I wanted to convert a Hilleberg tent bad and still would. Stove jack kits are all over the place for sale, I mite still do it sometime.
 
I gotcha! Makes sense! Since I’m normally alone I was leaning towards the cimmaron. Plus I can have it and a stove for the price of the sawtooth. I do and have always wanted to get some kifaru stuff though. For my limited use of it though is what is making me lean towards a tough cheaper.

Thanks again! I’m sure I’ll think of another question.

As u mentioned most of what I’ll be using it for it fun. Probably get a few uses out of it a year. I have the bubba bubba for the rest of the year camping.
 
I am also making this jump and have been reading a bunch on rokslide. I recently ordered the Argali Absaroka, liner and pole, and am figuring out what stove to get. The tent should ship in January so I've got a bit to figure it out. I went with their 4 person because it's not a huge weight penalty vs the 2 and I was advised that the smaller tents can get overwhelmed by the stoves and become saunas, and a small amount of a pipe dream that my kids will want to adventure with my, hut realistically it's going to be a solo tent with the occasional hunting partner if I visit my brother or something

I also have an idea for my own hot tents stove design that collapses even more than the current flat pack versions, but need to prototype it. Likely that'll never happen lol
 
thedutchtouch said:
I am also making this jump and have been reading a bunch on rokslide. I recently ordered the Argali Absaroka, liner and pole, and am figuring out what stove to get. The tent should ship in January so I've got a bit to figure it out. I went with their 4 person because it's not a huge weight penalty vs the 2 and I was advised that the smaller tents can get overwhelmed by the stoves and become saunas, and a small amount of a pipe dream that my kids will want to adventure with my, hut realistically it's going to be a solo tent with the occasional hunting partner if I visit my brother or something

I also have an idea for my own hot tents stove design that collapses even more than the current flat pack versions, but need to prototype it. Likely that'll never happen lol
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You’re further along than I am! Having a tent coming that is. I’m hoping to maybe order soon. Lemme know how u like that shelter. Yea it sure seems to me that a stove shouldn’t be that hard to make.
 
Did a couple AK float hunts with a Kifaru 4 man teepee. Was perfect for two hunters and toasty warm with the stove. However the stove kit adds considerably to the weight and bulk. Still being able to sleep and dress in the warm tent, dry clothes while you sleep, make toast and heat water, etc was well worth it. That said, you can get by with more modest accommodations too. On those trips we intermittently tarp camped as well just to shave precious setup and tear down time as we floated down stream. Stove is really nice though, if you can manage it..
.eric_at_camp.jpgKifaruInSpruce.TIF.1024x768.jpgSecondGravelBarCamp.TIF.jpg
 
My son is in scouts and up here, there is a special honor called "Zero Hero". This is where scouts sleep outside when the actual temp (not wind chill) drops below zero degrees.

I'm an idiot who likes winter camping and was one of the few adults who always signed up for these camps. After my first zero hero, I swore I'd get a hot tent. Once I swore that, it never got that cold on campouts so I never got one.

They're great if you spend alot of time winter camping. One those one-offs, a sleep system is far cheaper and more packable. Research snow trenches as an example. From personal experience, snow trenches are awesome.
 
Bowtie747 said:
I gotcha! Makes sense! Since I’m normally alone I was leaning towards the cimmaron. Plus I can have it and a stove for the price of the sawtooth. I do and have always wanted to get some kifaru stuff though. For my limited use of it though is what is making me lean towards a tough cheaper.

Thanks again! I’m sure I’ll think of another question.

As u mentioned most of what I’ll be using it for it fun. Probably get a few uses out of it a year. I have the bubba bubba for the rest of the year camping.
Click to expand...
I bought the Cimmaron first for the same reasons as you, I couldnt sell that thing fast enough, how tall are you?
 
As far as stoves, I grew up with only wood heat, I’ve been around wood stoves my whole life, when I ordered the Liteoutdoors stove I said this thing is going to be a complete joke, I was wrong, really wrong, yes it’s a soda can of a stove but let me tell you I’m impressed and would highly recommend it, I can regulate that thing like my super expensive Jotul stove in my house, load that little stove up and just crack the air vent and it sits there and slows right down and keeps a nice steady burn, consistent, if you have a wood stove you can’t regulate you got problems fast, I highly recommend the Liteoutdoors stove.
 
I have a seek outside cimmaron. Needed something for backpacking with 4 kids and myself. Currently we can cram into it, however thats putting that tent over capacity with no moving around. When I took it on a backpacking hunt this fall for myself the thing was a palace with more than enough room. I can’t stand in it, but any other backpack style tent I’d have less room and weight would be similar. The downside is it takes up a much larger footprint than your typical backpacking style tent. Im considering a smaller foot print for when it’s just myself along with needing to add another tent as the kids continue to grow, but we’ll see the space from the Cimmaron was extremely nice.

I purchased a Kifaru box stove a month ago used off rokslide. Buying used is a great option to get into the hot tent style of camping. Typically you can not take a standard tent and convert it to a hot tent due to the floor and the material used for the tent. If your looking at hot tenting a floorless is primarily your only option unless your going to a canvas wall/bell tent but your not carrying those far from your vehicle.
 
If only there was a way to try all these tents in one spot like a saddle hunting get together, it’s like trying to get opinions on boot sizes online, almost impossible, everybody seems to have different opinions, the good thing is they hold their value well!
 
I have a few... @Topdog has a ton of experience as well and has been through a lot of the other designs I haven't. I've settled on a bcs from seek outside which is no longer made and just over 7 feet...but the exact same shape as the saw tooth, and a mountainsmith 8+ tipi(really a kifaru because it was designed by Patrick when he was still part of MS).

Also have a sweet sil-poly alpine basin from jimmy tarps which is super light and slick for one man ultralight....


For stoves I make my own. I really love the design of the old tigoat wifi stoves as they can hold a TON of weight for cooking, bit have also built a fee others and notable an Ed T quick bolt cylinder stove which is amazing...


I'll post some pics for ya tomorrow.

Here's one of my homemade stove in the tipi...yes, that's rhe size of the wood I put in this stove
...its 34ish and spitting snow/pouring rain in this pic. It was 90 plus in the tent with the front door open...
IMG_5468.jpg
 
A tip on buying Seek Outside tents, GOHUNT sells them also and do some research and usually a 10% off code is easily found that works on all their stuff!
 
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