Shelter/tent for mid October

[DaveZ]

My brother and I will be in SE idaho in mid October and were planning on using our three season tents. The closer we get, the more we are questioning this decision. We will be set with cots and good sleeping bags.

Are we crazy? Should we have some sort of wall/outfitter tent with a stove?

Thanks for your input

 

[Tim McCoy]

How high up are you going to be? Odds are you will be fine, if you have good tents staked properly. I'd have a heat source, and a plan in case of a storm.

 

[DaveZ]

How high up are you going to be? Odds are you will be fine, if you have good tents staked properly. I'd have a heat source, and a plan in case of a storm.

We will be between 6500 AND 7000 ft

 

[taskswap]

It's all going to depend on the weather. You could be warm. Or a front could push down out of Canada and it could be 10 degrees out.

If you can afford it, check out the Mr. Buddy portable tent heater. It's not like a wood stove - it doesn't make the tent "hot". But it runs cleanly on a simple 1lb propane cylinder (we go through one a night, but we refill them ourselves so it's cheap and very clean). We use one in a Jumping Jack, about the size of an 8-man tent, and it'll raise the temp in there about 15-20 degrees overnight.

That doesn't sound like much but it changes things a lot, actually. If it's 15-20 out overnight and you have a 20 degree bag you're actually pretty borderline. With this running you wake up comfy. If you don't want to replace cylinders every day, you can get a hose kit for it and run that plus your cook stove off a single 20lb tank.

It's too bulky for backpacking but you mentioned wall tents so I figured you have transport...

 

[Prerylyon]

Last yr was my 1st diy elk hunt; we went in early Oct in alpine terrain in WY. The area we hunted was at 9k'.

A snowstorm early in the week made things interesting. Our plan all along was to truck camp pulled off of a forest service road; so not quite in a 3 season tent, but no heater either-just basic shelter from weather/critters.

The 1st nite, with a fresh blanket of 10" of snow, under clear skies, the temperatures plummeted to the single digits. Fully layered up with long underwear base layers and a wool sweater, I was barely warm in my zero degree bag; and the condensation from my breath/body heat frosted the truck that nite.

Temps warmed up thru the week and it got better. I never felt like I was in danger of hypothermia; truck camping last yr in those conditions, but made notes that I wanted a better setup next time I hunted in alpine terrain with the threat of heavy snow. The other time I hunted in similar weather/altitude, was with an outfitter; using a wall tent with a woodstove and cot. I was much more comfortable in that setup.

I have not used one; but am very interested in the tipi style tents with the packable woodstoves. Reading about them and seeing the videos; they look like a really good trade off between keeping things light weight, while very practical.

Regards,

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337Z using Tapatalk

 

[Ikeepitcold]

I bet your going to be fine. Although I would have a heat source. A buddy heater and propane tank or the big buddy that you can screw in 2 of the green tanks would work.

 

[mcseal2]

Especially if your truck camping I think you'll be ok. If the truck is there firing it up gives you a heat source. Just be careful and make sure the exhaust is clear of snow and I personally wouldn't fall asleep in it while it's running, just use it to warm up if it gets bad.

If you want to make an investment my buddy I hunt with and I split the cost of a Seek Outside 8 man tipi with a wood stove last year and it's really nice. It's light enough to take in if you have to on your back split between people, but if that was the main plan I'd certainly go to a smaller one. With liners, stove, stakes, all of it we are at about 17.5lbs. Most trips we don't need the liners. We like that it allows us to do a UTV camp if weather threatens and leave the truck and trailer on a good road, take the UTV in to where we want to camp. We had 15" of snow the first night last year and 0 degrees a day later. The tipi worked great. I've used Kifaru and Seek tarps for years, both companies make great products.

Some hunts in the past we did a light backpacking camp. On some other lower elevation antelope or muley hunts we stayed in a hotel, especially the first trip into a unit learning it. The hotel costs add up pretty quick. We figured around 2 hunts of 7-9 days and using the tipi would save enough to offset the purchase cost of it. That isn't even including the fuel we save by not driving from town to where we end up finding game.

 

[kidoggy]

never know, could be hot , could be cold. most likely you will see both.

if you don't like the weather ,wait a minute ,it'll change.

 

[DaveZ]

Thanks for all the responses!! Looks like with a 0-20 degree bag, good tent, and optional propane heater if needed we should be OK. As long as there isn't a snow storm that is.

Good luck to everyone this fall!

 

[kidoggy]

got some snow on the peaks around stanley last week , so it could happen

 

[Kurtr]

it was 6 degrees last year on opening morning. I ran a cimaron with light weight would stove and worked out great