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Post by scrub-buster on Oct 2, 2019 18:29:46 GMT -5
I need to upgrade my tent for next years elk season. I retired my Coleman dome tent after this years trip. The wind at night had the walls flapping in and out at our first campsite. And the full moon had it glowing inside like I left a lantern on. I've been looking at sturdier canvas cabin tents and came across a company called Kodiak Canvas Tents. I'm looking at a 12'x9' cabin tent with the attached awning. This is a big investment for me so I'm looking for any feedback or advice to help me make a good decision. Has anyone had experience with this company? This is the model I'm looking at. www.kodiakcanvas.com/12-x-9-ft-cabin-tent-with-deluxe-awning/
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Post by esshup on Oct 2, 2019 19:05:23 GMT -5
I don't have any experience with those. My cousin(s) went in together and bought a 10' or 12' x 14' or 16' Alaska Tent, I can't remember exactly the size but it was roomy. Alaska Wall TentThey have had it for 20+ years and use it every year for a minimum of 10 days per year. They bought a rain fly for it, and the next thing they will get is an awning for it. We didn't have one and when it was raining/snowing they said they wished they had one. They also have a stove to put in it, and when we loaded it up with wood and choked it down it kept the tent warm all night long and it was in the 20's at night. One night I ended up sleeping on top of my sleeping bag, I was just too hot. Plenty big enough for the 4 of us to eat in, and while one cousin slept in his Alaskan Camper, there was plenty of room for him to sleep inside. My one cousin does some woodworking, and has a bandsaw to rough cut wood. He saves 2 big garbage bags of sawdust from the mill, and they put that down on the ground about 4" thick before they put the tarp down. The floor stayed dry even though it was set up on top of 4" of snow. I don't think they are cheap, but they said they'd never have to buy another tent and they are VERY happy with it. 3 of us slept in a "U" shape on the back wall, on cots. We had some room between the cots and weren't brushing up against the outer walls. We also brought in enough wood the first day for the week, and stacked it up behind and around the stove. We also had a 5' or 6' long table set up inside to put the misc. food items on. No bears to worry about at that time - November in Colorado at 10,000' elevation. The stove that they had was exactly like the cylinder stove that is shown, with the stainless water tank on the side. It helped keep the tent humidity up, and also gave us heated water for washing the dishes. We went down the mountain half way thru the trip to a local YMCA and took a shower there. We cooked on the stove or outside over the firepit. That white cooler in front of the tent is a 150 qt. marine cooler.....
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Oct 2, 2019 19:56:43 GMT -5
I have the 10x14 Kodiak Canvas. I shopped around and got it online for under $500, can't remember exactly.
Things I like: quick set up. Probably 10 minutes, depending on whether you need to tether it down or not. Holds heat fairly well with the Buddy Heater. Seems sturdy.
About the only thing I dislike is the size. I wish it were bigger. It's just the right size for 2 guys and their crap. I've had 4 guys in it, but it was wall to wall cots and we were climbing and stepping all over each other.
It's really probably my best option though, as I wanted to avoid the long set up/tear down time of a true wall tent.
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Post by scrub-buster on Oct 2, 2019 20:08:16 GMT -5
Thanks for the feedback guys. I think a true wall tent is a little overkill for what I'm using it for. I don't need a stove for mine. I won't be using it during severely cold weather. I'll more than likely use it in early September in Colorado and maybe at a couple of bow shoots in the spring. I'll be the only one sleeping in it so 12'x9' should be plenty of room. I don't like to feel cramped. I used an 8 man dome tent this year and it felt about right. I stored all my gear inside and had room for a cot, 3 storage tubs, and a small table.
Is there anything you have to do to the canvas to water proof it?
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Post by lawrencecountyhunter on Oct 2, 2019 20:13:57 GMT -5
I haven't had to do anything to mine. I've had it in some pretty good downpours. The canvas will get wet on the inside, but doesn't drip.
A lot of guys just tarp the roof, which is probably what I'll do if it ever becomes a problem.
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Post by esshup on Oct 3, 2019 11:09:23 GMT -5
Check to see if the canvas is 100% cotton or a blend. Each type requires a different formulation of waterproofing. Also check to see if any waterproofing was done at the factory. Cotton absorbs water, and can also absorb mold spores and can mildew between the fabric fibers. If it isn't waterproofed from the factory, I'd set it up and waterproof it on a sunny dry day. There are different waterproofing formulations depending on the type of fabric it is, and I'd stay away from any that leave a plastic coating on the tent. While it might cost a few bucks to waterproof it, I'd rather have a tent that was waterproofed 2x than one that leaked............
Thinking for the future, if you have kids, or a hunting partner, will they be going with and using the tent too? In any case, get what you can afford now, take care of it and if you buy it at the right price you can always sell it and upgrade and not be out too much $$ in the future.
One thing that my cousins did was pack extra tent stakes, a stake pounder AND something to remove the stakes from the ground. While they camp in the same "campsite" year after year, they have had to leave some stakes in the ground before and hope that they were there the next year. They froze in and they couldn't get them out. They said that they went to home made steel stakes that wouldn't bend or break if hitting a rock. They also said they normally used surveyor's flagging tape on the stakes and rope to minimize tripping but forgot it....
My cousin has a large pole barn and he sets up the tent inside the pole barn for a week after the hunting trip to let it dry out before cleaning it (wiping off any dirt or gunk that got on the tent) and packing it away for the next year. They said getting it dry before putting it away was key.
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Post by Russ Koon on Oct 3, 2019 11:58:01 GMT -5
My old 10x12 cheapie (Ozark Trails ?) has finally reached the stage where it's really ready to be retired, but its owner has pretty much reached the same stage so I'm not shopping very hard. My future camping will more than likely be in the back of my SUV. But I was always very impressed by the durability and versatility of that tent. First thing I did was replace all the supplied "pegs" with some real ones, since the silly bent wire things were useless in any wind at all.
But after that, it lasted through many years and several weeks of camping in the ND badlands, including a 70+ mph blizzard that flattened my hunting partners brand new tent that cost twice what mine did. It did have a couple of holes in the floor that started about the size of a quarter, but got expanded by some persistent kangaroo mice in NE that will invade even the best of canvas tents if they suspect there are edible goodies inside. Had to keep any edibles inside plastic totes even in a fully zipped tent to avoid their nightly raids. Cute little critters, though.
My brother and I had it set up in a remote camp we hunted by canoe one winter east of Lake Monroe, and when the hard part of winter hit while we were at home one midweek a heavy snow had flattened the tent. When I hiked in from the last open water to retrieve it and saw it was only a square of snow about six inches thicker that the surroundings, I figured it had probably suffered fatal damages, but when I brushed away most of the covering snow and gave the tent a little tug, it sprang back up to about half its full height, and I got inside it and tapped the rest off from there, and it stood there with no broken poles or torn fabric at all!
Tough old critter. Never leaked a drop on me, was quick to set up and probably as near perfect as any reasonably priced tent would have been, and better than most. Was too big for even a determined backpacker to carry on a hike, but was an easy fit when canoe or truck camping.
We did discover on one winter camp that it was necessary to be sure the tie-out lines were snugged up well if winds were expected during the night. We were on an exposed point and finally had to get out and snug the lines to get any sleep inside.
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Post by scrub-buster on Oct 3, 2019 13:43:38 GMT -5
My daughter is off to college and doesn't have time to hunt. I like my own space on trips. If I ever need to make room for a second person I could make the 9x12 work. You can buy side panels for the front awning. I dont know what the canvas is made from. I always hang my tents up in the garage to dry out before putting them in storage.
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Post by swilk on Oct 3, 2019 14:37:19 GMT -5
I Had a Kodiak several years ago ... used it on my last elk hunting trip to Colorado in 2008. Nice tents. Back then there was a process where you were supposed to wet it thoroughly and then let it dry (while assembled of course) in order to shrink the canvas and make it waterproof.
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Post by steiny on Oct 5, 2019 8:25:23 GMT -5
I had a 12 x 14 Davis Tent & Awning Wall tent & pole kit. Great tent but too heavy and bulky, total weight of everything was 155 lbs. I now use a 12 x 12 Cabelas Outback Lodge which has a center pole, four corner pole and is high quality nylon material. Much lighter weight, fast set up and has performed great. Just got back from a Colorado trip using it with no problems.
I'd stay away from canvas due to weight.
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Post by scrub-buster on Oct 30, 2019 16:12:34 GMT -5
I finally saved enough to buy a tent. I ended up going with the Kodiak Canvas 9x12 deluxe cabin tent. Before I made the purchase I called Kodiak Canvas and asked if it ever went on sale since I was on a limited budget. They gave me a 20% discount code to use when I checked out. Since I got that deal I went ahead and bought the awning enclosure and the ground tarp. My next camping trip isn't until February. I might have to find a reason to test it out before then. Here is the awning enclosure.
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Post by steiny on Oct 31, 2019 9:41:52 GMT -5
Nice! How much does the whole package weigh ?
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Post by SFC (R) B on Nov 6, 2019 14:16:25 GMT -5
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Post by scrub-buster on Nov 6, 2019 22:42:32 GMT -5
Nice! How much does the whole package weigh ? I think the entire unit weighs 118 lbs. I know its heavy but I wanted something that will last 30 years.
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Post by scrub-buster on Nov 6, 2019 22:44:01 GMT -5
I checked out the flexbow models but liked the sturdiness of the cabin style better. It was delivered yesterday. I'm excited to set it up and check it out.
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Post by SFC (R) B on Nov 6, 2019 22:46:16 GMT -5
I checked out the flexbow models but liked the sturdiness of the cabin style better. It was delivered yesterday. I'm excited to set it up and check it out. Hope it treats you well!!!
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