Wall Tent necessities and accessories

[sapperJ24]

Just picked up a 12x14 wall tent with stove for myself, wife, and dog. I need to get a two-person cot, so any recommendation on that would be appreciated.

Also any other items I should pick up for inside the tent to be used as a car camping base camp that I might overlook. I have a Coleman propane cook stove, cast iron pans/skillets, 6' folding table, lights/lamps, small rug.

 

[JLS]

Wood stove Cord and carabiners to make a clothesline. Chairs. Beer.

 

[Sytes]

Painters cloth for floor - use the small rug for entry unless your 12x14 has a floor.
5 gallon water container w/ press or knob spout.
A simple hand brush/broom-ish tool is a good means to sweep out the pine, etc that tracks in.
Containers that store camp equipment works great for a center top.

I have a good (worth paying for a bit more quality) 18x24 tarp that covers the tent and overhangs the main entry. 10' or so over the front creates a nice covered outdoor seating area with the firepit able to kick feet if snowing, etc. A good area for an outdoor folding table, extra items I don't necessarily keep in the tent. chainsaw, fuel, coolers, etc...

 

[sapperJ24]

Wood stove Cord and carabiners to make a clothesline. Chairs. Beer.

Painters cloth for floor - use the small rug for entry unless your 12x14 has a floor.
5 gallon water container w/ press or knob spout.
A simple hand brush/broom-ish tool is a good means to sweep out the pine, etc that tracks in.
Containers that store camp equipment works great for a center top.

I have a good (worth paying for a bit more quality) 18x24 tarp that covers the tent and overhangs the main entry. 10' or so over the front creates a nice covered outdoor seating area with the firepit able to kick feet if snowing, etc. A good area for an outdoor folding table, extra items I don't necessarily keep in the tent. chainsaw, fuel, coolers, etc...

Thanks for the suggestions! Good call on the clothesline. Beer (and whiskey) was implied, but a reminder is always good!

I should have mentioned that I will have a full floor, got the aquatainers, but the broom will be key, especially with the dog (there's always so much debris in a 3 person backpacking tent). The overhang with seating, etc sounds like a pretty nice setup too.

Do you generally move your bear attractants into the vehicle (or otherwise secure coolers) at night or have you run an electric fence? Weighing the options, it seems like maybe if you were to stay in one spot for 5 days or longer, the fence might be worth it, over tossing coolers and bins back and forth a couple times a day.

 

[JLS]

I just put coolers in my pickup (canopy)

 

[BuzzH]

Just picked up a 12x14 wall tent with stove for myself, wife, and dog. I need to get a two-person cot, so any recommendation on that would be appreciated.

Also any other items I should pick up for inside the tent to be used as a car camping base camp that I might overlook. I have a Coleman propane cook stove, cast iron pans/skillets, 6' folding table, lights/lamps, small rug.

You'll figure it out after the first couple trips and you'll be buying stuff after you get back from those first couple trips as well.

As to the floor specifically, I like the green fake turf looking stuff. You can buy it at lowe's or home depot and they can cut any size you want.

I would recommend 2 tables minimum, chairs, a couple plastic basins for doing dishes.

Mouse traps, about half a dozen...at least.

 

[elkduds]

Color code frame poles and joints for ease of setup. The 3 lengths are sidewall uprights, poles that run the length of the tent including roof ridge, and roof pitches. Colored tape stays on better than paint or sharpie ink. In cold weather, hang a blanket or quilt right inside the door as an extra draft barrier. Propane or kerosene lanterns will take the chill off mornings and evenings, until a stove becomes necessary. Storage containers that fit under cots are handy. Some kind of shovel for trenching around the perimeter will help w floor dryness. A stout plastic tarp that covers and extends a few inches past the roof pitches will save sun wear on the canvas roof. If you get such a tarp 8ish feet longer than the length of the tent it can be the front "covered porch" per Sytes above. I used mil-surp steel stakes painted safety orange, and kept a hand sledge for faster pounding in the tent kit w frame joints, sack of stakes, extra paracord. My floor was a tarp w carpet scraps of various sizes, easy to take out and shake off, useful for packing, disposable, free to replace.

 

[Big Slick]

I use a generator for lighting the tent. Then I use the aluminum backed clamp on lights that attach to the tent frame.

 

[squirrel]

sidewall hanging pantry and closet r both handy

 

[Dwreckers]

Definitely some sort of hanging storage! Always forget about that and am kicking myself when I show up without it

 

[Mountainguide]

Mouse traps, about half a dozen...at least.

it’s amazing how many mice find a wall tent in such a short time. Best accessory mentioned so far

 

[1_pointer]

I'd hold out on the 2 person cot, unless snuggling is that important. 2 singles allow for more options in where to put stuff. I have a heavy duty cot from Davis and the EZ cot from Beyers. Any future ones will be Beyers. Just too easy to set up, plenty sturdy and comfortable.

In the past I've been using a lantern for light, but will be getting some rechargable LEDs to take the lantern's place. If you have a full frame (I don't) an organizer that hangs from the wall poles would be very handy to have!

 

[VikingsGuy]

Just picked up a 12x14 wall tent with stove for myself, wife, and dog. I need to get a two-person cot, so any recommendation on that would be appreciated.

Also any other items I should pick up for inside the tent to be used as a car camping base camp that I might overlook. I have a Coleman propane cook stove, cast iron pans/skillets, 6' folding table, lights/lamps, small rug.

A stacking Disc-Go-Bed is heavy and not side by side, but they are bulletproof, comfortable and save a lot of floor space for other uses.

 

[sapperJ24]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, much appreciated! Plenty to look into.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Just picked up a 12x14 wall tent with stove for myself, wife, and dog. I need to get a two-person cot, so any recommendation on that would be appreciated.

Also any other items I should pick up for inside the tent to be used as a car camping base camp that I might overlook. I have a Coleman propane cook stove, cast iron pans/skillets, 6' folding table, lights/lamps, small rug.

A distribution post is handy.

 

[LWC55]

Amazon.com: Etekcity Lantern Camping Lantern Battery Powered Lights for Power Outages, Home Emergency, Camping, Hiking, Hurricane, A Must Have Camping Accessories, Portable & Lightweight, Batteries Included: Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com: Etekcity Lantern Camping Lantern Battery Powered Lights for Power Outages, Home Emergency, Camping, Hiking, Hurricane, A Must Have Camping Accessories, Portable & Lightweight, Batteries Included: Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

These are the bomb for lights in a wall tent. Hang a few around the tent and you just pull down to turn them on. Leave one barely cracked if you want a little light. Usually keep one by the cot for that midnight stroll. 6 bucks a piece and they come with batteries. Had them 4 years and only changed the batteries once.

 

[Elkdog]

All very good suggestions. The tarp porch adds some really great useable space. Mousetraps are a must. Fake grass or thin indoor/outdoor carpet rolls up small and really makes it nice in the tent. Those cloth hanging closet shoe racks are extremely handy for all kinds of storage and cheap. Enjoy! Wall tents are a bunch of fun.

 

[gallagher71]

Have hunted in a wall tent for a couple elk hunts and a couple antelope hunts now. My list in no particular order:
1. A set of rope lights for inside if you have access to a generator
2. A couple small throw rugs for next to the cots
3. Couple tables able to be folded up
4. 8 pound sledge to drive stakes into frozen ground
5. CO detector
6. Fire extinguisher
7. Chairs
8. I use a tarp floor and tuck over the sod cloth. Never had a mice problem.
9. Color code the frame pieces
10. I also have some canvas bags I sort the different frame pieces in
11. Your fire starting solution - rapid fire when it's cold is key to enjoyment
12. I burn oak firewood because it burns longer and means fewer times waking up to put wood in the stove.

 

[Toofdoc]

I use these on the floor. They stack well for transportation, light and are warm to your feet on cold mornings.

 

[Big Sky Guy]

I'd hold out on the 2 person cot, unless snuggling is that important. 2 singles allow for more options in where to put stuff. I have a heavy duty cot from Davis and the EZ cot from Beyers. Any future ones will be Beyers. Just too easy to set up, plenty sturdy and comfortable.

In the past I've been using a lantern for light, but will be getting some rechargable LEDs to take the lantern's place. If you have a full frame (I don't) an organizer that hangs from the wall poles would be very handy to have!

Any issues withy the Byer easycot sagging in the middle? Looking at this cot or one of the Camp Rite Roll a Cot. Coleman makes one similar to the Byer but several reviews of it ripping. Not sure what their warranty is.