Crappy weather tents (room to move)

[golfer]

This is what I have. love it

I haven’t run it yet in cooler temps yet with a buddy heater. Have you used one in the tent? If so how’s the condensation?

 

[Irrelevant]

I haven’t run it yet in cooler temps yet with a buddy heater. Have you used one in the tent? If so how’s the condensation?

Yes, I've used it down into the teens with a mr buddy heater. But only ran the heater in the morning and evening. No condensation at all. There's plenty of air movement, and even some moisture builds up, it does so on the fly and not on the tent.

 

[CDARE101]

I'd really like to do a head to head comparison of the Montana Canvas Spike III 12x 12 and the Cabelas Alaknak 12x12. When I recently looked the Alaknak tent was not listed on Cabelas website. That worries me. my 11 year old (AlaknakII)tent and it's carry bag are getting a little worn and threadbare.

Part of me wonders if the additional Fly on the MCS3 alleviates some condensation. I suspect the Relite Material is the same as the Alaknak material. Some one please correct me if I am wrong.

For my style of hunting, I don't see a traditional wall tent adding any ease of setup or less weight to pack for the extra square footage. For packing on horses I gotta count pounds like backpackers count ounces. and I don't think the Tipi style hot tents give me standing room the previous options do.

The new year models have been pulled and stopped sales due to quality issues. Cant find anyone who knows what those issues are. I purchased an Alaknak 12x12 this year and set it up for deer season and has been up for a month and a half. There are some issues. #1 It leaks like a sieve at the stove jack during hard rains with or without wind. The stove jack rolls up to close with only a zipper on each side, the cover tucks up under a flap at the top but during hard rain and rain with wind the cover slides down from under the flap at the top and water rushes in flooding the tent. Also the opening for the stove inside the tent leaks water thru the zipper when closed when water gets under the tent. Also after just 2 uses of the zipper for the electrical cord opening it ripped out of the tent and the pull string broke as well for the front door. The vestibule really is another poor design the way it attaches to the tent. I have to say I do like the tent but these issues cant be resolved with just exchanging it for a tent with the same water leaks. The only thing accomplished with an exchange is the zipper for the cords and the pull string being fixed. For this reason I don't recommend the 12x12, the larger models to my understanding have the stove jack covers are installed rolling down to cover, kind of like a shingle is laid out on a roof. The windows are made correctly rolling down. I don't need the larger tent so I will be returning it for a refund and buying a Kodiak 12x12.

 

[2rocky]

I should add that my Alaknak II was bought in 2009. I have no doubt that the design has been cheapened in the last 11 years. Especially in the last 3...

 

[KB_]

my rustic ridge works pretty good. battle tested in 60mph winds lol Probably not what your looking for

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Nemo Dark Timber tent

NEMO Camping Tents | REI Co-op

Shop for NEMO Camping Tents at REI - FREE SHIPPING With $50 minimum purchase. Curbside Pickup Available NOW! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

www.rei.com

DIY stove jack

DIY Stove Jack for Tents Wood Stove Kit [50% off]

The Luxe Stove Jack kit makes it possible to install a wood stove in almost any 2 to 16 person sized steep walled shelter or outfitter size tents. It's very important to use a stove jack, because the majority of tent fabrics will melt when in direct contact with a red hot chimney pipe. Crucial...

luxe-hiking-gear.com

Stove

Alaskan Deluxe Package

www.kni-co.com

This IMO is one of the best setups! I have the tent and use a small propane heater my goats pack in. Tent is about 17lbs. There is a gap between tent roof and the roof tarp so there is no condensation! It is not free standing thou, I’m pretty sure you could cut timber to use as a frame similar to a wall tent. Good luck on your search.
Matt

 

[Shangobango]

The new year models have been pulled and stopped sales due to quality issues. Cant find anyone who knows what those issues are. I purchased an Alaknak 12x12 this year and set it up for deer season and has been up for a month and a half. There are some issues. #1 It leaks like a sieve at the stove jack during hard rains with or without wind. The stove jack rolls up to close with only a zipper on each side, the cover tucks up under a flap at the top but during hard rain and rain with wind the cover slides down from under the flap at the top and water rushes in flooding the tent. Also the opening for the stove inside the tent leaks water thru the zipper when closed when water gets under the tent. Also after just 2 uses of the zipper for the electrical cord opening it ripped out of the tent and the pull string broke as well for the front door. The vestibule really is another poor design the way it attaches to the tent. I have to say I do like the tent but these issues cant be resolved with just exchanging it for a tent with the same water leaks. The only thing accomplished with an exchange is the zipper for the cords and the pull string being fixed. For this reason I don't recommend the 12x12, the larger models to my understanding have the stove jack covers are installed rolling down to cover, kind of like a shingle is laid out on a roof. The windows are made correctly rolling down. I don't need the larger tent so I will be returning it for a refund and buying a Kodiak 12x12.

I am probably about to jinx myself.

The 12x12 Alaknak I bought earlier this year performed flawlessly on the two week Montana trip I used it on, except as you stated the stove jack flap, cover, thingy, is installed bassackwards. It wasn't an issue as I was using the stove jack anyway, but I can see how it could be an issue. i didn't have any torrential rain while up there just a little rain and a few inches of snow. I also left the tent up in my yard for several weeks to see what I was going to be working with before taking it to Montana.

I bought it relatively early in the year I think so maybe it was a different run?

I hope so.

 

[Ben Lamb]

my rustic ridge works pretty good. battle tested in 60mph winds lol Probably not what your looking for

I bought mine in 19 & it performed flawlessly in an all day soaking rain in the breaks, cold down to around 0 & lots of wind. Did great for pheasant opener this year as well. Sad to hear that the quality has gone downhill. I wasn't impressed with the setup on the vestibule, but it's handy to have. We use a camp chef alpine stove. It does good keeping the tent warm & has probably a 4-6 hour burn time depending on what wood you use. Eager to try it out in the UP next year for grouse & deer.

 

[KB_]

I bought mine in 19 & it performed flawlessly in an all day soaking rain in the breaks, cold down to around 0 & lots of wind. Did great for pheasant opener this year as well. Sad to hear that the quality has gone downhill. I wasn't impressed with the setup on the vestibule, but it's handy to have. We use a camp chef alpine stove. It does good keeping the tent warm & has probably a 4-6 hour burn time depending on what wood you use. Eager to try it out in the UP next year for grouse & deer.

I haven't used a stove in my rustic ridge being its a 2p tent. I usually cold camp an suffer or if its really bad ill boil some water and throw it in a Nalgene and throw it in my bag. I've had mine since 2017 and I think ill get a couple more seasons out of it at least. I didn't know quality kicked the bucket on those but I'm not terribly surprised. The only thing I didn't like was the crappy stakes. I wasn't kidding about the 60mph winds. My buddy's mountain hardware tent went for a freaking ride lol. Good to know I'm not the only cheap skate around here haha.

 

[Ben Lamb]

I haven't used a stove in my rustic ridge being its a 2p tent. I usually cold camp an suffer or if its really bad ill boil some water and throw it in a Nalgene and throw it in my bag. I've had mine since 2017 and I think ill get a couple more seasons out of it at least. I didn't know quality kicked the bucket on those but I'm not terribly surprised. The only thing I didn't like was the crappy stakes. I wasn't kidding about the 60mph winds. My buddy's mountain hardware tent went for a freaking ride lol. Good to know I'm not the only cheap skate around here haha.

That's what I get for late night posting. I was referring to my Alaknak tent. Apologies for the mix up!

 

[MThuntr]

The new year models have been pulled and stopped sales due to quality issues. Cant find anyone who knows what those issues are. I purchased an Alaknak 12x12 this year and set it up for deer season and has been up for a month and a half. There are some issues. #1 It leaks like a sieve at the stove jack during hard rains with or without wind. The stove jack rolls up to close with only a zipper on each side, the cover tucks up under a flap at the top but during hard rain and rain with wind the cover slides down from under the flap at the top and water rushes in flooding the tent. Also the opening for the stove inside the tent leaks water thru the zipper when closed when water gets under the tent. Also after just 2 uses of the zipper for the electrical cord opening it ripped out of the tent and the pull string broke as well for the front door. The vestibule really is another poor design the way it attaches to the tent. I have to say I do like the tent but these issues cant be resolved with just exchanging it for a tent with the same water leaks. The only thing accomplished with an exchange is the zipper for the cords and the pull string being fixed. For this reason I don't recommend the 12x12, the larger models to my understanding have the stove jack covers are installed rolling down to cover, kind of like a shingle is laid out on a roof. The windows are made correctly rolling down. I don't need the larger tent so I will be returning it for a refund and buying a Kodiak 12x12.

I know of seams stitch/construction strength issues...friend of a friend lost 2 Alaknak tent walls to slight breezes in his backyard. Nothing about the wind was out of the norm and he set them up as per instructions. Cabela's eventually took the tents back and gave him a refund.

I got an email from Cabelas stating the exact same QC issues. They pulled all Alaknak, Bighorn, and Instinct tents as they must have been made in the same factory. I see some have made their way back to online but am still waiting for the 8 person Instinct with stove jack.

 

[Bambistew]

Nemo Dark Timber tent

NEMO Camping Tents | REI Co-op

Shop for NEMO Camping Tents at REI - FREE SHIPPING With $50 minimum purchase. Curbside Pickup Available NOW! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee

www.rei.com

DIY stove jack

DIY Stove Jack for Tents Wood Stove Kit [50% off]

The Luxe Stove Jack kit makes it possible to install a wood stove in almost any 2 to 16 person sized steep walled shelter or outfitter size tents. It's very important to use a stove jack, because the majority of tent fabrics will melt when in direct contact with a red hot chimney pipe. Crucial...

luxe-hiking-gear.com

Stove

Alaskan Deluxe Package

www.kni-co.com

This IMO is one of the best setups! I have the tent and use a small propane heater my goats pack in. Tent is about 17lbs. There is a gap between tent roof and the roof tarp so there is no condensation! It is not free standing thou, I’m pretty sure you could cut timber to use as a frame similar to a wall tent. Good luck on your search.
Matt

View attachment 168170View attachment 168171View attachment 168172

Did you install the tent jack? I'm digging this setup, a lot...

 

[Duck-Slayer]

Did you install the tent jack? I'm digging this setup, a lot...

I did not, I decided to just pack a small propane tank and heater. But I am thinking I might in the very near future.
Matt

 

[MThuntr]

Just bumping this one again. This morning I was checking out some sites and noticed the Cabelas Alaknak tents are on their website. I checked to see if they have the 8-person Instinct...nothing. So I shot a message to their Customer Service and got a reply already:

Unfortunately I was unable to locate the larger Instinct Outfitter tent with the stove jack in our system so it may be an item that is not going to be stocked again. About all that can be done right now is to keep watching the website and see if there is an update, but if you are needing a tent I don't think I would rely on the Instinct Outfitter restocking.

I had hoped that 8-person tent was on the roster but I think the BP take over has firmly put a nail in that coffin. At this point I think I'll have 1 more season of car camping in my Seek Outside before I can buy a bigger tent.