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  1. #1
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    VC is offline Calmer then you are Dude
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    Canvas wall tents

    Wondering if anyone has any experience using canvas wall tents or military tents in the winter. Was thinking about getting one for backcountry sled skiing to avoid the crappy ride in day after day. I would be using my sled to bring it in so 150 lb tent wouldn't be an issue. Can heat it easily and would be comfortable for multiple day outings. Any thoughts or experience with them?

  2. #2
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    Cabelas has some real nice ones that outfitters have been using for years.

  3. #3
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    I think it sounds like an awesome time. Unfortunately I have nothing constructive to offer.

  4. #4
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    spent many a night in them. Pretty bomb proof. Hardest part is guying them out in the winter...especially if the snow is deep. glide wax from xcountry skiing helps the snow slide off the the top. they don't breath worth shit though....so if you don't ventilate well you get lots of condensation buildup and then it rains when it gets warm inside. fart on a calm night.....forget it. You're breathing it for hours.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by wrinkledpants View Post
    so if you don't ventilate well you get lots of condensation buildup and then it rains when it gets warm inside. fart on a calm night.....forget it. You're breathing it for hours.
    Quote Originally Posted by birdboatboy View Post
    I think it sounds like an awesome time.
    .agreed.
    Cruise-ships of choice:
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  6. #6
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    Deluxe Wall Tents The problem with military tents is they're labour intensive to set up since there's lots of soldiers standing around.
    If you have a problem & think that someone else is going to solve it for you then you have two problems.

  7. #7
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    I've wintered in a canvas wall tent with a wood stove at 5000' in the Sierra. Not too bad, actually. Not too much trouble with condensation, but my tent was...shall I say...well ventilated.
    I didn't believe in reincarnation when I was your age either.

  8. #8
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    We use a small wall tent for extended winter camping trips if we're basecamping. If we're going to be on the move, e.g. a traverse, we go light, but if it's more of the "get out into the woods for a week" style, the wall tent works well. Having a good stove and being able to heat the place up is very nice for drying wet clothes. To me, that's the best advantage -- drying clothes is a more laudable objective than simply having a warmer place to sleep. You can't warm the tent up that much anyway without melting down the snow you're on; best is to take advantage of rising heat to hang clothes everywhere from the ceiling.

    My family also uses a very large wall tent for Thanksgiving trips in southern Utah. Here, it functions as a warm place where everyone can sit together and eat pie out of the wind; we all sleep in normal (unheated nylon) tents, but use the wall tent as a common space.

    Note that for winter wall-tent sled trips, the sled can be more piggish to haul than you think. Maybe it's easier on a snowed-under Sierra dirt road, but hauling heavy pigs over New England hiking trails through thick woods is especially hard work.

  9. #9
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    They're awesome for hunting. I'd assume they'd work great for what you're thinking. I agree that Cabela's has some nice tents, or you could hit an army surplus store, inspect very carefully, and end up with a beautiful backcountry condo. Go with the wood stove if you do it.

    Good Luck,
    Jay
    Five minutes into the drive and you're already driving me crazy...

  10. #10
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    Bumping this thread as I took the leap and bought a wall tent for spending more time in the mountains. Similar to the OP, will be using sleds and toboggans for access. I figure in the 12 years or so since this thread was created, someone must have some knowledge - maybe the OP is even still around and could impart some wisdom regarding setting up on the snow - no way I'm digging down to ground mid-winter. Got a 10x12 tent from Deluxe Wall Tents (they're about an hr south and Beau seems like a solid guy) with a 4 rafter frame, stove and 5' awning for setting up at Cain. Thinking of using lengths of 4x4 supporting 2 side legs with each length to keep them from sinking into the snow. A fire mat with plywood and sheet metal to reflect heat back up from the stove and reduce it melting down into the ground. Same support for the cots as the tent frame - worst case we just use our mats like regular camping, but cots would be really sweet if that works. Anyone with other ideas/experience regarding the frame or stove to keep it from sinking into the snow?
    "...if you're not doing a double flip cork something, skiing spines in Haines, or doing double flip cork somethings off spines in Haines, you're pretty much just gaping."

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