Wall tent vs Kodiak Canvas

[Dr. Rx]

Lets here from you guys.. Wall tent vs. Kodiak Canvas.. Pros and Cons.

Kris

[Indian Summer]

Pro: Price Con: The design doesn't look like it will support snow weight as well.

It's a 10.8 ounce canvas tent. So the material is similar to wall tents. It's not nylon or Relite so no condensation. Which model are you looking at?

[Dr. Rx]

Looking at the 10x14

Pros. for Kodiak..one man can put up tent. Comes with floor..
Cons. for Kodiak..no stove, need to sew a hole attachment..

What size would you guys recommend for wall tent?

Kris

[husky390]

The only thing the two have in common is the canvas. What are you looking for your tent to do?

I've looked at the Kodiaks that are on display at Bass Pro and Sportsmans and it'd be pretty tight quarters for two cots and a stove. You could run a Buddy Heater which will save on floor space. The Kodiak has a sewn in floor which is a good and bad thing. Good, as it will keep spiders, bugs, and mice out. Bad if it gets wet as it could be difficult to dry before storing. If either the Kodiak or the Wall tent gets wet, they will have to be setup, staked out and allowed to dry. Setup time on the Kodiak should be faster as Wall tents take time to setup. Sure you can erect the poles and get the canvas on quickly, but there are umpteen million stakes that need be hammered into the ground, plus, if you run a fly, that needs to be tied down.

I have a love/hate relationship with my wall tent. I hate it when I'm loading it in the truck, hauling it, setting it up, and tearing it down, but man, once it's setup, I'm in love with it. It's warm, dry, and most important to me, roomy. I went a little overboard with mine by buying a 16'x20', I wouldn't mind having a 14'x16' or even a 12'x14'.

[Dr. Rx]

Thank you husky 390...
You answered my question..12x14 wall tent it is! With a stove of course

[Indian Summer]

Thank you husky 390...
You answered my question..12x14 wall tent it is! With a stove of course

Wise choice. You'll thank yourself many times for making that decision. 12 by 14 is an excellent size too.

[Dr. Rx]

Thank you Joe! I will keep you posted.. I think I'm going to go with the Wall Tent Shop. What size stove do you guys recommend for a 12 x 14?

In addition, what are the key items I should get?

thanks

kris

[Elkduds]

Stakes, I've had good luck w mil surplus, tough and relatively cheap. Lots of them, sprayed a color you won't lose. Tarp to protect canvas from stove cinders, plastic is patchable w duct tape and cheaper to replace. I like a tarp that is several feet longer than the tent, for a covered awning over the front. Tarp should be @ least 3' wider than tent floor width. High viz 550 cord to tie out tarp grommets. Something to drive and pull stakes, I use an old framing hammer. Floor is another tarp w scrap(s) of carpet, nothing under the stove area. Boy scout code enforcement sez dig a trench sufficient to carry runoff from bottoms of all walls, that was before sod cloths. Either way, a shovel is the tool.

[husky390]

http://www.homedepot.com/p/TEKTON-48-oz ... /205560102

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stanley-36-i ... /100037474

The above two links are what will be coming with me next season. Pounding in all of the stakes with a claw hammer will give you Popeye arms.


My Davis tent came with stakes which are basically giant nails. They work great for staking out the canvas, not so great for the guy-out ropes. These are the stakes I use for staking out the guy-out ropes. Easy to tie off to and remove when done.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/ ... ?a=1328153


If you don't need the tent or stove right now, wait until January/February when you can get a better deal. Davis Tent will usually run a package deal called the Kings Package. As for stove size, I'd go with what the tent manufacturer recommends as they heat the tent up fast. Make sure it has a coal grate in case you want to burn lump coal. I did this year, smelled awesome and worked great for throwing two or three pieces on the fire before bed and keeping the tent warm all night.

If you bring a generator, go to Walmart and buy their strands of LED lights. I double looped a 48' string along the rafters of my tent and it lit it up perfectly. You could easily read a book or play cards with them on.

[Lefty]

Kodiak are copies of the expired patent Spring bar tent.
Spring bars are great I know they can handle extreme winds, Ive slept in them twice with high winds, once a 70 mph and another 60 mph for hours. Ive hat 10" of snow on them camping with boy scouts. they are easy to set up with one person However in even the biggest KodiaK/Spring bar No mater the size you loose standing space And sliding your cot against the wall. For 1,2 or maybe three guys I would look at the Kodiaks, for putting up and taking down. Three Four or more I would only look at wall tents.
I have never cooked or heated inside a Spring bar, I wouldn't consider heating a Kodiak . For a serious camp I would go with a wall tent
For tent stakes I use 20 inch 1/2 re-bar stakes or .70 cent Home depot pole spikes

[Indian Summer]

Wall tents are where it's at. An internal frame offers endless places to hang things including cloths to dry. If done in the proper sequence a single person can set up any size wall tent with an internal frame. I can have my 10 by 12 standing in no time by myself. Pounding the stakes takes time as does string a tight tarp over top but that's what makes it so solid.

The one thing I would put some thought into is the size. Obviously it's nice to have lots of space but a bigger tent takes up more space, is heavier, and not as easy to keep heated evenly. The idea is to buy one as big as you need but no bigger. 10 by 12 is for 2 guys (3 tight) 12 by 14 is ideal for 3 guys (4 tight) and for 4 guys (5 tight) a 14 by 16 is perfect. In those tight scenarios we keep a cot leaning against a wall and the other guy just puts in where he wants when sleeping.

I can honestly say that the Wall Tent Shop's tents are as good as it gets. Yes there are other great tent companies for sure. I have used them ALL and I directed him to become a sponsor here because I like to have products on this site that I personally use and believe our members would be happy with. Just like Clip-Shost. It just so happens that his prices are good. That is NOT the reason I buy tents from him although it is the reason I gave him a try.

[husky390]

I'd also recommend a carrying bag for your stove. Makes it much easier to move it.

[Elkduds]

RE stakes: the surplus ones I have are just like those in the Sportsman's Guide link above, but cost less and are green until you spray them orange. I use them to stake the tent bottom loops down, then I tie the tent ropes from the wall top grommets down to these same stakes. Next line of stakes is out from the wall far enough that the roof tarp has a gap of a couple inches above the roof canvas. So my Popeye arms came from pounding stakes! Yuk, yuk, yuk, yuk. A short handle sledge sounds better for pounding stakes. The claws on my hammer are big enough to grab stakes for removal.

Also, I use a Coleman 2 mantle kerosene lamp in the tent. It makes enough heat in the tent for mild evenings/mornings. The propane tank top heater is there for colder weather. I hang a blanket just inside the front door as a windblock/insulator. 2 big binder clips hang the upper blanket corners off the tent frame front rafter poles. My tent has ties to close the door, no zipper.

[husky390]

RE stakes: the surplus ones I have are just like those in the Sportsman's Guide link above, but cost less and are green until you spray them orange. I use them to stake the tent bottom loops down, then I tie the tent ropes from the wall top grommets down to these same stakes. Next line of stakes is out from the wall far enough that the roof tarp has a gap of a couple inches above the roof canvas.

Do you have a picture of how you did this? There's no way the surplus stakes I have would fit through the grommets of my tent.

[Elkduds]

Do you have a picture of how you did this? There's no way the surplus stakes I have would fit through the grommets of my tent.[/quote]

The bottom edge of my tent has loops of webbing, not grommets. The loops will fit a stake 2" wide, like those big surplus ones. I guess you could get the same result by using 1/2" nylon webbing or even 550 cord to make a stake loop, w the webbing passing through the grommet. Using the stakes @ the bottom of the canvas to also tie the wall peak ropes saves me 10 stakes on my 10x12 (5 per side).

Note stakes @ bottom of canvas wall

PA110004shrunk[1].jpg (255.94 KiB) Viewed 16164 times

[husky390]

^^^^ Thanks.

[cohunter14]

I went a little overboard with mine by buying a 16'x20', I wouldn't mind having a 14'x16' or even a 12'x14'.

Want to trade for my Davis 14'x16'?

[husky390]

I went a little overboard with mine by buying a 16'x20', I wouldn't mind having a 14'x16' or even a 12'x14'.

Want to trade for my Davis 14'x16'?

LOL, nah, there will come a time when I need all that space.

[cohunter14]

I went a little overboard with mine by buying a 16'x20', I wouldn't mind having a 14'x16' or even a 12'x14'.

Want to trade for my Davis 14'x16'?

LOL, nah, there will come a time when I need all that space.

You never can have enough space. We have two 14'x16' tents that we tie together (one has doors front and back). Using one for the kitchen and eating tent and one for the sleeping tent, I would still like to have more room!

[blackwolf]

Kodiak tent is great for 1-2 people especially with a Big Buddy Heater. I have the Springbar in 8 by 10 and love the simplicity.