Wall tent Pros/Cons

[VikingsGuy]

Another perk was cancelling $3500 worth of hotel reservations for our group that we made at the end of last season.

 

[MT_Chad]

I will go with the kodiak as well, I love mine. I sold my wall tent after I quite using it in favor of the kodiak. Paired with the big buddy heater it works great and is low maintenance and hassle free. Wall tents are nice but I will second all the cons above. If you want a wood stove I would look at the spike tents with a single center pole and perimeter poles, much easier for one guy and most of them have a floor with a zip out section for the stove. I really like the one Montana canvas makes, cabelas makes the same thing but the material doesn't breathe worth a shit and they condensate bad, but they are a lot cheaper.

 

[Kracker]

I just picked up a Kodiak flex bow 14X10. First impressions - fast easy setup for one person. Plenty of room for 2 with gear or 3 with gear kept outside. Does not take up too much room to store. I am anxious to put it to the test this fall.

 

[kentuckybow]

i bought a kodiak 10 x 14 deluxe and did a 12 day hunt in colorado last year. it worked great and easy to set up. the tent fits in my 85 quart cooler for transport and storage. the small heater buddy was plenty to warm it up. plenty of room for the two of us that used it with cots and all our gear. glad i bought the tent.

 

[Kracker]

i bought a kodiak 10 x 14 deluxe and did a 12 day hunt in colorado last year. it worked great and easy to set up. the tent fits in my 85 quart cooler for transport and storage. the small heater buddy was plenty to warm it up. plenty of room for the two of us that used it with cots and all our gear. glad i bought the tent.

What kind of temps were you in and did you ever wish for the bigger Buddy heater?

 

[kentuckybow]

What kind of temps were you in and did you ever wish for the bigger Buddy heater?

first half of the hunt it was getting down to about 30 at night and we did not use the heater. last few days it got into the low 20's and we ran the heater in the evening and shut it off at bed time and then turned it on again about 15 mins before we got out of bed in the morning. it did good for low 20's i might take my larger buddy if the forecast was for lower temps but at low 20's or higher the single panel unit, small one, did fine. in the final four or five days i dont think i changed a one pound canister on it so we did not use it much just a few mins in eve and a few mins in morn.

 

[junior88]

I have Montana Canvas 12x17. Perfect for 3 people. I use outdoor carpeting from Home Depot for the floor. If the weather is gonna be bad we even have enough room to move the cooking set up inside. I don't use it on every hunt. I will be using it in December for a late muley hunt. one drawback is it shrunk about four inches. I never store it wet or damp. I store it in my garage. It probably reaches 120 or so in the garage during these Arizona summers. I called Montana Canvas and they advised me to cut the roof poles so I don't lose any height. I've owned it for 9 years

 

[WapitiBob]

We've used a wall tent a cpl times, partners dad has 3 of them. You couldn't give me one.

 

[elkduds]

I've owned 8x10 and 10x12 wall tents, those went to other families. Now I have a Kodiak Canvas 10x10. I also have a camp trailer. When my wife goes, it is all about the camper. For me, the Kodiak is the go-to. It sets up nearly as fast as a nylon dome tent, and I always wind up building camp by myself, even when others join me. My wall tent setup had a nylon tarp over the tent roof, that extended 6" off the front for a cook shack and storage. Nice until December winds blew it off one cold night, ripping the grommets and edges out of an expensive 10x18 heavy poly tarp. The tent stayed put. I had 3 guys on cots in the 10x12 on that 3 day trip, along w a 3x3 folding table. Heat was and is by a single burner tanktop propane heater on a bulk tank. All that fit in the tent but it was cozy.

Impressions: Compared to a 30' mil sup canvas tent, a wall tent is portable and easy to erect. Compared to a Kodiak, it is not.

In CO in Sept, a 2 mantle lantern will heat these smaller tents in the evening.

Canvas tents must be thoroughly dried before storage. That probably means hanging it indoors for a few days. Mildew is the achilles heel of otherwise durable canvas.

Others have covered the bulk of wall tents for storage and travel. My pole set for the 10x12 was 7' long and heavy, plus a cargo box of joints, mon. The pole set on my Kodiak is 4' long.

Kodiaks have attached floors, wall tents don't. Attached floors get damaged. Wall tent floors can be tarps w carpet strips, or even scattered bales of hay. Or nothing.

I loved the ritual of building camp w a wall tent, and it is like a canvas cabin in bad weather. But a PITA to take down @ the end of a snowy hunt, when I wanted to pack up and hit the road. For me the Kodiak has almost all of the pluses, and just a couple minuses. I'm keeping the Kodiak. Whichever you choose, you'll be hooked.

 

[grantfurness]

I love my wall tent and use it a lot. When you’re out for 1-2 weeks there’s a lot to be said for comfortable night’s sleep. I have a 12x14 Davis and set it up by myself in a little over 20 minutes.

 

[CMDavies0671]

I have Montana Canvas 12x17. Perfect for 3 people. I use outdoor carpeting from Home Depot for the floor. If the weather is gonna be bad we even have enough room to move the cooking set up inside. I don't use it on every hunt. I will be using it in December for a late muley hunt. one drawback is it shrunk about four inches. I never store it wet or damp. I store it in my garage. It probably reaches 120 or so in the garage during these Arizona summers. I called Montana Canvas and they advised me to cut the roof poles so I don't lose any height. I've owned it for 9 years

did it shrink from the heat during storage?

 

[bailey68]

One of the nicest wall rent set ups i have been in was where a used blaze king princess stove was set up in it for heat. Moving the stove wasn't bad as we had a hand truck cart. It would hold a fire most all night. This stove was picked up used for a100 bucks

 

[Salmonchaser]

did it shrink from the heat during storage?

yes.

 

[WyoDoug]

Good wall tents will last you a lifetime. My dad bought one years ago when I was 16 and it was when I was into my 40s before we got rid of it because of mold. Big thing is never put it away wet and thoroughly clean it after each use and you should get a lifetime of use out of a good wall tent.

 

[hossblur]

I have the 10x14 Kodiak for me and my 2 boys. This fall I saw one in a camp that had I stove jack sewed in it. Just a thought

 

[junior88]

did it shrink from the heat during storage?

That’s my best guess. I’ve never put it away wet. I love that tent.

 

[CMDavies0671]

Kinda like a cowboy hat in a hot car. It’s gotta be

 

[jabber]

This is from my sons elk hunt in Arizona last year.

Setup was a little bit of a pain, 14'x16' Davis.


But during the hunt, it was very nice to have. Muddy boots were taken off inside by the stove, wet clothes hung up to dry overnight. A little extra snow did not bother us, temps in the 20's didn't either.





After the hunt, taking it down wasn't a big issue, but when I got home I did have to set it back up in the shop to allow it to dry out.

I second or third or whatever it is up to now about getting a bigger size. I have had three in this tent, with the stove and a table and chairs and gear, it was pretty full. Not crowded but full.

The biggest con that I have on the tent is the size and weight of the internal frame. It takes up a lot of room and when all of the poles are in the wooden case I built to carry them in, it is a two person job.

 

[furness]

I have a 12x14 Davis tent and love it. I set it up in about 20 minutes by myself, longer if the weather sucks. It's the breaking down & putting it all back in the truck or trailer that sucks up time, for me. That's the reason I don't set it up if im going to be moving around a lot. But when I find an area I want to be in, you can't beat having a comfortable camp to call home. I really loved it with the wood stove during elk season when the temp was under 15 at night and the wood stove was just simmering away.

 

[Big Slick]

I have a 12x14 Davis tent that I’ve had for approximately 12years. I love it! Wood heat is nice during the late season. I have a 5x8 enclosed trailer for all of my camping equipment. I store it in the trailer all year long. Trying to put everything in a truck bed is a no go for my set up, it also insured that all my stuff stays dry on the way to the mountains.