Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Guns N Gear Tents?

Looking for a canvas tent for winter camping. Our summer tent was a little chilly last deer season and looking for one that I can have a stove in for heat. Is one brand better than another or are they all about the same? Blow up tents look fun also. A rectangle tent should be fine. I’ve seen the bell tents but they look a little small. 2 adults and one child.

Also need better bedding. Sleeping bags on the ground didn’t cut it. Bought an air mattress but had the cold side up on the coldest night, which was not fun. I bought sheets of insulation to lay under the floor to give some cushion but that didn’t help much. Are cots better or air mattress the way to go?

Kodiak is my recommendation.

I used to deer hunt in Manitoba where it would go down to 0 at night. We would stay 10-15 days at a time in those Cabelas Outfitter tents with 1/2" plywood stood up around the walls and on the ground for a floor. Heated them with wood burning stoves. We stayed pretty snug.

I bet you can still find them on Ebay

^^
That sounds like a heck of a trip

Springbar is a little better than Kodiak. If it ain’t a long trip in rain Kodiak is good. The difference is the way the floor is sewn in. There is also Montana

https://springbar.com/


https://montanacanvas.com/

If you can manage TwinXL futon mattresses on the floor, you never slept so good. After a lifetime of outdoors nothing beats it. The Futon secret, cheap foam center (doesn’t freeze solid🤣😂), wrapped in cotton batting.

I also don’t use camp pillows, blow up crap, nor nylon sleeping bags. My favorite bag is a Cabela Outfitter XL or 44Magnum with a PolarTec blanket inside.

Another tip is to lay out a deck of lumber to put the tent on, attach bailing wire with “U” nails so you can roll it up. You can also use precut treated 3/4 plywood.

I was “Glamping” before they had the term. I’d set up a system and leave it up for years in some of my properties. Airstreams have replaced all but one.

Yes, we have talked about building a floor for the tent to test on. See a lot on YouTube done that way. We leave the tent up most of deer season.

Good times up there, we went 4 years straight in early 2,000's. Killed some big deer and would see elk, moose, bears and wolves. We shot spruce grouse with with our bows for supper. Quit going when we started hunting in the midwest. Wish I hadn't quit going up there..

Sorry about hijacking the thread

I I had a property where I was sleeping in a tent for the whole season (and had permission), I would build a tent platform and floor it with deck boards for drainage. If I didn't have permission for that, I would bring a utility trailer and sleep in that, or bring an open utility trailer and put the tent on it.

I set up my enclosed trailer to be able to add an elevated sleeping area using T-track welded to the frame and brackets to hold 2x4's over the coolers.

We tent camped occasionally for about 20 years, and do not miss it AT ALL.

If you don't own a utility trailer, you can rent a U-Haul for about $35 a day.

You can do that a lot before you pay for a $2500 tent.

Or just buy a utility trailer for a little more than you are planning to spend on a canvas wall tent. Trailer World near you has a 7x14 listed right now for $5400, and several cheaper, down to a 6x12 single axle for $3800 (get dual axle, do NOT get roof vent/skylight).

No tent will ever be as dry as a hard side trailer. Plus, you have the advantage of being able to secure your stuff.

^^ this

coolest mobile camp i’ve seen was a popup camper mounted in a trailer. plenty of room for coolers/gear/atv

there are plenty of videos on yt turning covered trailers into a camper. a member of a club i was in years ago had a horse trailer as a camp. surprisingly nice inside with heat and ac

A converted cargo trailer Trumps a tent every time

I’m camping not RV’ing. Keeps it rustic in a tent.