Advertisement

6-man tent

We're still rockin' some knock off brand I've never heard of my father-in-law bought 30 years ago.
 
Also agree with Cabela's Alaskan guide 6 man tent. Have a 6 man & have used portable propane heat in AM( when wife is along ) to dress at times & it heats up quickly ! Have used it in CO & MT often for deer & elk. Use it when I don't want to mess with a wall tent .Easy to put up & with vestibule it is compatible. Have used it with dog at times as well ! Use it mostly by myself or with wife. Plenty of room for gear & cots.
 
I have an old Cabela's Alaskan 8 man and it was used last year on my elk hunt. Had it for around 18 years now. It is tall enough for me to stand up in at 6'2" and lots of room. No wind issues and very waterproof still. Easy to set up and take down. They are good tents.
 
I've used the Big Agnes Big House 6 with extended vestibule for a number of years and have been very happy with it. And it has been through a few high wind storms and has performed adequately. Probably not as bomb proof as the cableas Alaska tents, but it will survive the storm and live to see another day.
 
I think Cabela's Alaska Guide tents are pretty much the benchmark. They are a good bit more expensive, but certainly among the best for this class of tent.
 
I was in this boat a few years ago and I landed on the Cable's Alaska Guide Testing with the upgraded aluminum poles. It worked great, had many good nights in this tent, even harvested a couple big horn sheep out of this tent. It WAS a great base camp.DSCF4555.jpg DSCF4598.jpg

But, it has a fundamental flaw in the design. The small triangle that is created at the very top of the tent by the crossing poles is a perfect spot to catch rain and snow. This is what can happen...not very fun to show up to in the middle of the night with loaded packs!
IMG_20161015_203933249.jpg

The next morning after clearing snow/slush off of it and spending an actually pretty comfortable night in it.
IMG_20161016_102216599.jpg IMG_20161016_105648082.jpg
 
I'd be comfortable in a snowdrift if I had a bighorn like that on my pack. :)

That is the only collapsed Alaskan Guide tent I've ever seen or heard of. I wonder if any tent short of an expeditionary mountaineering tent would have held up?
 
I told this story to a few friends and ended up meeting the guy who designed this tent...crazy right? Well, he ended up being my neighbor and had since left cabelas to run his newly purchased company, MT Canvas. He knew about this design flaw and because of it, they developed the Instinct version, and with the inclusion of a small angled ridge pole to get rid of that troublesome triangle at the top of the old version, they fixed the problem and now offer a pretty badass tent. One of my favorite things about working with Cabelas was, based off my story and pictures, they sent me a brand new Instinct to replace the old one. Its been good so far and performed well during a 2 week float hunt in Alaska. I'd recommend this one.

You can see the addition of the little ridge pole in this pic.
z.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'd be comfortable in a snowdrift if I had a bighorn like that on my pack. :)

That is the only collapsed Alaskan Guide tent I've ever seen or heard of. I wonder if any tent short of an expeditionary mountaineering tent would have held up?

It was heavy wet snow, and the tent went through the all day storm and over night without anyone clearing it off since we were out hunting. You're probably right, tough for any tent to handle; however, they have address the issue with the new version.
 
That must of been a wet heavy snow. I know I have had snows during the night in excess of 8 inches just shook it in the morning and it all slid off. I then shoveled around it so it would vent correctly. I am taking it to Alaska this year. I just hope I never bend a pole as they are not sold with aluminum poles any more.
 
I told this story to a few friends and ended up meeting the guy who designed this tent...crazy right? Well, he ended up being my neighbor and had since left cabelas to run his newly purchased company, MT Canvas. He knew about this design flaw and because of it, they developed the Instinct version, and with the inclusion of a small angled ridge pole to get rid of that troublesome triangle at the top of the old version, they fixed the problem and now offer a pretty badass tent. One of my favorite things about working with Cabelas was, based off my story and pictures, they sent me a brand new Instinct to replace the old one. Its been good so far and performed well during a 2 week float hunt in Alaska. I'd recommend this one.

You can see the addition of the little ridge pole in this pic.
View attachment 93487
I've spent many nights in the older version that a friend owned. I had a lesser model that didn't have the alum poles, which were snapped in a WY wind on July 4th. I upgraded to the 6 man Instinct. Was delighted to find there was an undocumented feature -- FOUR BUILT-IN BEER CAN HOLDERS. Fatrack -- I'm assuming you also had some input on this??
 
I've spent many nights in the older version that a friend owned. I had a lesser model that didn't have the alum poles, which were snapped in a WY wind on July 4th. I upgraded to the 6 man Instinct. Was delighted to find there was an undocumented feature -- FOUR BUILT-IN BEER CAN HOLDERS. Fatrack -- I'm assuming you also had some input on this??

Ha ha...yes; the beer holders are a critical feature, brilliant!
 
I gust ordered a 8 man seek outside tee pee. I already have a Sawtooth tooth and Cimmeron. For me floorless is the way to go.
 
https://www.walltentshop.com/collections/spike-tents/products/selkirk-spike-tent-frame-floor-fly

Unless you're averse to a canvas tent - this is a good package. I have it. 12x12. Takes wind, snow, pretty much all that can be thrown at it. Not light weight - but it's built to do a job.
I heat it with a Big Buddy heater, warm down to -15, so far the coldest I've had it out on the prairie. Woodstove compatible, if that's your style.
Use the nylon tents for nylon tent weather, something like this for actual hunting season conditions???
I have 8 tents, 3 canvas & 5 nylon - kind of a junkie......
View attachment 89926
I will second what onpoint stated above
I have the Selkirk too and love it for a hunting tent. It heats easily with the buddy heater and an extended propane hose. The only thing I added was a small battery powered fan that I put towards the top of the ridge pole so it can circulate the heat off the roof and down towards the cots. I have had had it in some windy Wyoming conditions and in some heavy snow. It’s great in warmer weather too since its windows open and it’s easy to get in and out of.
I leave my nylon tents at home if I'm not backpack hunting or trying to go light. I tried the Alakanak but didnt care for the condensation that comes along with the propane heat and nylon.
A close second to that Selkirk would be my Kodiak Canvas Flexbow. Its great when it is just me and I'm truck camping. They also make several larger wall tents that look well made for the price but I cant comment on those since I dont have one... (yet)
 

Attachments

  • IMG_8420.jpeg
    IMG_8420.jpeg
    2.4 MB · Views: 2
Last edited:
Back
Top