Guide Gear Teepee Tent
Just got a new tent/tipi from Sportsman's Guide and pitched it in the basement to make sure everything was there, that the seams were sufficiently sealed, and just to see how easily it went up.The tent has 10 guy-out points and the floor probably also has 10. Since it was in the basement we had to set it up the hard way which involved attaching the lines to heavy items in the basement and then raising the center pole. I had Jake hold the pole for a bit while I pulled the lines taut and the tent has been standing strong ever since.
The tent has three ground pads, two sleeping bags, and my bedroll inside set up in a triangle around the center pole and there's room for more gear or another person if you're really comfortable with one another. Staking out the tent and floor would give more room as nothing is really pulled as taut as it'd be outdoors. The walls have "flaps" at the bottom that will fold out for a bit more coverage or under for more protection as the floor/wall juncture is open.
The tent has four clear plastic windows and two doors. It also has a number of vents around the bottom that can be left open or zipped up to provide rain protection. The covers are still open at the bottom to allow plenty of airflow to prevent condensation issues when it's buttoned up. The top of the tent is mesh with a reinforced grommet at the peak. This is covered by a thicker piece of material outside which again promotes ventilation and prevents rain from getting in.
The tent really seems to open up with both doors unzipped and the flaps folded over. In clear weather this is more than likely how I'd set it up as I've moved away from tents to poncho/tarp or hammock setups for my shelter arrangements. Laura told me that she's prefer a floor for her camping so I had to go looking for something that would suit us both and I think this tent may be our answer.I'll certainly know more about this tent and its ability to shed the weather once I get it set up outside.
If you're interested in checking out this tent for yourself you can find it here at Sportsman's Guide.
Thanks for reading,
B
posted by American Bushman @ 8:29 AM
18 Comments:
Does it look like two cots would fit in this tent?
Probably yes. If you give me some idea of the measurements I can give you a more definitive answer.
I've got two Wide/XL Wiggy's bags in there right now.
The height might also be an issue but that may have more to do with how I've got it pitched in the basement than the capacity of the tent.
B
Would a wood stove be used in this tent and where would you put the stove jack or stove pipe?
is the floor sewn in and does the door zip on the bottom? Thanks
Hey John,
The floor clips to the teepee at eight points using small (.75" maybe) Fastex buckles.
The doors both zip all the way to the ground but they don't zip along the bottom edge.
You could probably stake it out tight enough to the ground to keep out critters but there's still going to be enough space for spiders and other creepy-crawlies that can get right down into the grass and dirt.
I had it set up for two weeks with the doors both wide open for increased ventilation so keeping out uninvited guests was not really a concern.
Thanks for your questions,
B
did you ever get a chance to test it out in some weather?
Kent,
I did have the tipi up for several days while a storm passed through and the only moisture that got inside came in from the open door.
The diameter of the tipi is large enough that I still had sleeping room on both sides of the pole without getting wet.
So far the only thing I'd change is the color of the guylines.
Thanks for your question,
B
OK, it's crunch time, I'm ready to pull the trigger but I need some reassurance. The tipi is much cheaper than many I've seen out there. What's your general impression of the quality? Someone else asked about using a tent stove. Is there a chimney boot?
Shayne,
The tent is solid. There is no chimney boot but I suspect you could install one or have one installed.
The quality seems good and the stitching has held up just fine to my limited use so far.
Let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Thanks,
B
I have had the pleasure of testing this tent in nasty conditions. I just got back from the Tierra del Sol Desert Safari held in Truckhaven CA near the Salton Sea. As usual in the recent years the climate has not been kind to our yearly event. We have experienced high winds and pouring rain. This year was no exception. This tent held well against winds that took down other tents in our camp and kept us in goggles against blowing sand. It's ability to shed wind was put to the test. When you stake the doors to the ground you can still unzip them and crawl in without the doors flapping in the wind. The tent does not have a nasty flapping sound in high winds either. I could hear other tents flapping hard but not this one. I will admit the bottom allowed sand to blow in and we were pretty cautious about scorpions and snakes that could wander in through the bottom. Sunday morning I woke up to a pouring rain. Since none of my gear was touching the sides of the tent, nothing leaked. Even with the door open there was a minimum of water. The harder the rain the tighter the bottom skirt of the tent held to the ground. I was very surprised by this tent. I just wish the hardware were a bit tougher and I will be replacing the guys with tougher stuff. I had a twin sized air mattress and could've slept another person if I had not loaded a bunch of Jeep parts in where a second person would've had their mattress. I could see two people on twin mattresses and their gear in this tent. Two doors make it easy for each to have access. I liked the privacy vents. That's always been a bug of mine about other tents, including my beloved 4 season: ventaliztion or privacy....not both. Another issue about the tent if you have a small dog is that the dog will be able to get out during the night. My dog squeezed under the the tent body with no problems.
Now that a bit of time has passed,how is that tent holding up?
--kent
I ordered the big 18x18 teepee tent, and had some issues. When putting up the pole in the center the grommet just tore straigt through leaving the tent unusable. Customer support was very helpful and 2day shipped me a replacement. This one I actually got up and it stayed up for about 15 minutes untill it caught a gust of wind and the grommet failed again! I think it may just be a design flaw because all of the stress of this tent is on that one grommet.
I bought one of the 10 x 10 teepees and it would probably bee good for "DRY" cold weather camping, but in a good rain it leaks like a strainer. After the first night I seam sealed it and it still leaked like a sieve. The latest version has a fully sewn in floor and is fully enclosed so no bugs can get in. The downside to this is a very poor design on the door openings causing it to always leak around the door.
Needless to say, this is going back to sportsmans guide for a refund. I like the design- if it just would keep you dry in the rain (very good floor- it pooled the water from the leaking rook well).
How has this tent held up? I am comparing it to the TexSport HQ tent and really struggling on which one to choose. Can you fit a wife and one child in this tent?
thanks
dan
This shelter went missing during the basement refinishing project and I haven't seen it since. (I had a few knives go missing during that time too.)
It would definitely have fit three people. I had one adult and two kids with full-size bags laid out in there around the center pole and nobody was snugged up against the wall.
B
Does the floor come out so I can have a very small fire inside to ether keep warm for winter camping or a little BBQ,the top were the pole is,is it ventilated for smoke to exit it looks like it is.
I would love to have one of these tents but I need the things that were mentioned above can you help? with any advise or will this tent help me?
In my version, the bottom was removable.
I just read that in the newest version, the floor is attached permanently.
The top would vent smoke adequately but you'd want to keep the fire very, very small. Fire and nylon tents wouldn't mix very well.
Thanks for your comment,
B
The volume of the 10'X10' tipi is about 67 cubic feet. Surface area of cone is about 207 sq. ft. The surface area of the floor is about 78.5 sq. ft. I'm in KY and will be using it in about 10 days, weather or not! (pun!).
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