Hey all. I found out this weekend that my family has outgrown our current tent. Looking for input good/bad on Cabelas Alaskan Guide geodesic tents? Aluminum poles worth extra cost? Any other 8 person tents recommended?
Tent suggestions
- Thread starter Calbuck
- Start date
I had the Cabela's 8 man Alaskan Guide tent for 20+ years. I had the fiberglass poles and it was great. I endured some really bad weather (60+ mph wind and rain) in this tent on many occasions and it held up great with no leaks. Always seemed like when I went on a camping trip, the weather turned bad. Most of its use was on fishing trips on Toledo Bend Reservoir along TX and LA border. This area gets hammered with bad thunderstorms in the spring and summer. I also spent 5 days/nights in it in Co elk hunting in early Nov. Only option to heat it is with propane, which will cause condensation inside the tent. Not as warm as a wall tent with a wood burning stove.
You need to make sure you stake it down well to withstand high winds.
Down side: there is not much standing room in it for the floor space due to the dome shape and it really will not sleep 8 adults with your gear.
I recently purchased the Cabela's Alaknak with a wood burning stove. This will be my "WY Home Away From Home" for about 7 days/nights starting Thursday, leaving Wednesday driving up there.
You need to make sure you stake it down well to withstand high winds.
Down side: there is not much standing room in it for the floor space due to the dome shape and it really will not sleep 8 adults with your gear.
I recently purchased the Cabela's Alaknak with a wood burning stove. This will be my "WY Home Away From Home" for about 7 days/nights starting Thursday, leaving Wednesday driving up there.
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DryFlyGuy
Active Member
Montana
Veteran member
I second that...
Sorry I don't have any experience on a 8 man... well maybe I'm glad I don't
jk.Work2hunt
Veteran member
I'm a fine of the geopdesic. I have the aluminum poles only because when I bought it the price was on sale for the same as the fiberglass....or almost the same. I've been using it for about 5 years and love it.
Bitterroot Bulls
Veteran member
Another option is the Reliable Teton. My crew has two, and they are very nice tents.
Kifaru tipis are awesome and super light.
I used an Alaskan Guide Dome in AK last year, and it was really convenient.
All good options.
Kifaru tipis are awesome and super light.
I used an Alaskan Guide Dome in AK last year, and it was really convenient.
All good options.
Montana
Veteran member
Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I'll definitely take a look at all the different gear brought up!
Hey Calbuck,
I just spent a week in WY in a Cabela's Alaknak 12X20 tent. This thing is awesome. It withstood some winds in the 50 mph range with no issue, even though we didn't sleep at all. The tent held up great. It is more expensive than the geodesic tent and it is heavier. If a true base camp with lots of room is what you are after, this thing is incredible. I used some 5/8" rebar cut to 4 ft lengths for my guy out posts/stakes. This is what kept us from getting blown away during the high winds.
I just spent a week in WY in a Cabela's Alaknak 12X20 tent. This thing is awesome. It withstood some winds in the 50 mph range with no issue, even though we didn't sleep at all. The tent held up great. It is more expensive than the geodesic tent and it is heavier. If a true base camp with lots of room is what you are after, this thing is incredible. I used some 5/8" rebar cut to 4 ft lengths for my guy out posts/stakes. This is what kept us from getting blown away during the high winds.
squirrelduster
Active Member
I have the 6 person guide tent and spent 2 weeks including 11 days of rain last year in it.
Great tent. No leaks and very stable in the wind.
Great tent. No leaks and very stable in the wind.
I have the 8 person Alaskan and used it on a few hunts. It's a great tent, easy to set up, stable in heavy wind, no problems handling rain or snow. We used it as base camp. Quite tall in the middle, but you do need to duck through the door ways. I have fiberglass polls since I don't expect to ever carry it more than 20 feet. It can get a little hot if you get warm weather, so place it in shade. I wish they did a lighter color for the rain fly so it wouldn't absorb heat so much. I like having two entrances so we're not climbing over each other to get in and out. We put two cots and a table in it and still plenty of room.
One thing to note. Square footage can be deceiving when looking at dome tents. The nature of the dome means the walls are sloped in slightly vs straight up. So if using cots and a table the slope of the walls means you can't maximize the floor space, so it seems smaller. I.e cot sits a foot out from the wall compared to the footprint because of the wall sloping in. My table sits almost two feet out. Make sense? Long way of saying its big, but not that big depending on how you set it up. I wouldn't want 8 people in there.
Bought mine on sale for super cheap (club member sale). It was less than most 2 man tents at REI. I've since seen then more than once in the bargain cave at two cabelas. Thus, if not in a hurry you might find a good deal on one.
One thing to note. Square footage can be deceiving when looking at dome tents. The nature of the dome means the walls are sloped in slightly vs straight up. So if using cots and a table the slope of the walls means you can't maximize the floor space, so it seems smaller. I.e cot sits a foot out from the wall compared to the footprint because of the wall sloping in. My table sits almost two feet out. Make sense? Long way of saying its big, but not that big depending on how you set it up. I wouldn't want 8 people in there.
Bought mine on sale for super cheap (club member sale). It was less than most 2 man tents at REI. I've since seen then more than once in the bargain cave at two cabelas. Thus, if not in a hurry you might find a good deal on one.