Teepee vs Wall tent

[jrmflintlock]

I have a question to pose to all of you out there who have owned both a Teepee and a wall tent. Which one do you like best? I have used wall tents for several years and as such have outgrown the 10x14 I currently have. I use it for rendezvous and for hunting camp sometimes in December in -15 degree weather. My 4 boys are getting bigger and as such all of our gear does not fit. I was thinking of a 14x16 wall tent or a 18 foot teepee. So Which would you all recomend for 5 gents and all their plunder to enjoy a few days in the woods?

Thanks for any input!

 

I haven’t owned both but I have spent a lot of time in both.
Wall tent gets the nod for ease of use and portability.
A tipi gets the nod for just about everything else.
A tipi can make a really good cold weather camp if hauling the poles and learning to set it up properly isn’t a problem. You will be amazed at how warm you can be in a tipi with a wood stove and an ozan.

 

[ohio ramrod]

For transport and setting up the wall tent gets the nod. But once set up the Teepee is the winner. :idunno: :idunno:

 

[bangfxr]

I own both an A frame and wall and stayed in teepees. I'll have to go with wall myself as I can set it up myself in about 20 minutes.

 

[necchi]

My 4 boys are getting bigger and as such all of our gear does not fit.

Lot's of folks around here get a second wall or large A-frame the same hight as the first.
The two tents are connected by the ridge pole for the awning.
Not the answer your looking for but a workable solution, as a +, two tents set up like that (connected) are considered one camp and charged one camp fee at many of the local vous`

 

[jrmflintlock]

The wall tent I currently have is a 10x14 but it has the 4 foot walls. I am 6'1" so I was thinking of getting the 14x16 with the 5 foot walls. To put two together would solve the space but not the issue of poles and set up trouble. Well to tell you the truth, those factors are just part of the experienc to me, so those factors Aside, which is a better lodge, for space and comfort?
Thanks for all the input!

 

[crockett]

I think the square shape of the wall tent works out best for folks used to rectangular shaped rooms. Old time trappers lived out winters in wall tents. Kephart's book ($15- new) has a lot of good information. If you have a fly that extends to make a porch- nice set up because you can leave the doors open in the rain. Such a fly with the porch- I've seen photos of Civil War generals with that set up but how much earlier it dates I don't know.

 

[zimmerstutzen]

I have a small 10 x 10 Panther which is first rate, heats easily, etc. At 40 degrees, a double candle lantern will heat the tent to about 60 degrees. It is however the inside frame model and is a PIA to erect by oneself. I also have a 15 x 15 Panther Marquis which is nearly as easy to pack and erect. The Marquis is much more difficult to heat in cold weather. The Marquis has almost 4 times the cubic space.

 

[Sperit de bois]

Take the five out into the yard stage all the gear and the five,!!!How much room is taken up and could you be in there for awile if the weather turned!!!Walled tents you go all the way to the wall and still stand up.You can also put it up with a rope guy wire, no poles to carry.Unless I was looking for a presona,,wall tent hands down.

 

[Coot]

The wall tent is easier to set up & the space utilization with straight sides is better. The teepee will be better for riding out a windy storm & as mentioned, can be quite warm with an ozan. Transporting teepee poles can be a real PITA.

 

[JohnTulle]

I use a 8x10 marquis by RK Lodges. Technically it is a type of wall tent. What I like about it is the 6' sides allow me to walk anywhere standing up. I like putting my pants on without hunching over or wiggling on the bed. :grin:

The inside poles allow me to hang things, and I can string lines between poles.

In theory I could put in 2 bunk beds, with room for a small heater and gear. But it would be snug for 4 adults. Your crew would need a little bigger, say 10x12 or 10x14. :idunno:

Yes, it's more volume to heat, but most tents can be rigged with some type of liner (or partial liner) if you want to take the trouble. Anything improves a single thickness of canvas.

Wind doesn't bother it much. The air goes in and out the eaves at the roof line. 30+ mph winds just make it puff out like a balloon, but inside a candle will not be disturbed.

Just my experience with my little canvas cabin.

John

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

I have an 18 foot tipi and a wall tent.
Me and the wife just LOVE the comfort and the warmth and the large living space of that tipi. We also have 3 large wolfdogs that like to stay in that tipi. Even with the dogs, beds, wood etc. we have plenty of space to live in. We had many wonderfull evenings spent with good friends around the cosy fire and lived comfortably in there even in the most inclement weather... BUT ... We are getting a bit older, and all the work involved in tipi living is beginning to be tiresome. Loading all your stuff, tipi poles on top, almost a days work to install .... pffft ... and most camps in our parts now start on wednesday or thursday, and sunday you break camp... That is just to much work and effort compared to the time you get to live in that tipi... So now we bought ourselves a wall tent with an awning. The advantages are: Much quicker to set up. When you erect your tipi, you have to work till it's finished. When you erect a wall tent, you can put up your tent one day and the awning the second day. The wall tent is much quicker to put up. Less poles and less canvas. But no cosy open fire inside. I noticed that in a tipi camp people use to go inside when bad weather and have less contact with other camp members, while with other tents with awnings, people are more likely to interact and more easily have contact with each other because you spend a lot of time under the awning. So now we use the tipi for longer camps and enjoy the comfort, but for shorter camps we prefer the ease of a wall tent eventually with an awning to it...

 

[Sunkmanitu Tanka]

One important fact I forgot to mention: consider the problems involving the transport of your tipi poles! I use 15 tipi poles that are 28 feet long!
It can be frightening to get stuck in a traffic jam around Brussels with those things on top of your car! Even with a large car those poles tend to stick out far behind...

 

[Woods Dweller]

I have used wall tents for several years and as such have outgrown the 10x14 I currently have. I use it for rendezvous and for hunting camp sometimes in December in -15 degree weather. My 4 boys are getting bigger and as such all of our gear does not fit.

My son-in-law has a 14x16 Teepee and I have a 10x14 wall tent. And we doth had the same problem as you. Extra room. My son-in-law bought a 7x8 A-frame tent, and I made a 10x10 wall tent. This solved our problem for Extra room. And his Teepee & my 10x14 are used for sleeping only and the smaller tents for storage.

 

[Keb]

I've owned & camped in both. I liked the tipi best for camping but the wall tent for transporting. The tipi was actually easier for me to set up than the wall tent.
18' Four Seasons tipi
8 x 10 Panther Mini Wall w/ 30" walls + 15' square fly...

All that said, I camp in a marquee now.

 

[jrmflintlock]

Thanks Guys for all the input!!

Decisions, Decisions...

I wish i could tell you one way or another which way I plan to go. I'll post a picture when I decide!!!

Any more comments? Keep em comin'!!

Thanks again!

 

[Coffeecup]

If I'm going to carry a tent (vs. a diamond or just a bedroll), I prefer a tipi. I've sat out more than one bad storm in tipis and wall tents; the tipi has always stood up better to the winds. Even with a woodstove, I've never been able to keep a wall tent warm when the outside temps drop below about -10F (but I know folks who do, so maybe it is just me), but tipis were not a problem.

I'm looking at a similar question, with high winds being a significant consideration. I'm probably going to go with a tipi. Since it is usually just me and the dogs, I can get by with a 14' tipi, and a 16' would be commodious. I recently declined an offer to trade me an 18'; I simply don't need the room, and don't want to haul poles longer than I need.

 

[jrmflintlock]

I think I am going to go with an 18ft Teepee! while I still have energy and the desire!!! A lot of my hunts are 7+ days and I will have help to set up with the boys (at least for a few years)I have a trailer I can modify to carry the poles with no problem. Thank you all for the input!!

I love coming to this campfire!!

 

[oletymepreacher]

I have owned and used both. I lived in an 18 foot lodge for a year once. It was comfortable and practical. For long stays like this, a woodstove is important so that you don't smell like smoke. But, the stove will keep you warmer and longer than an open fire. I don't recommend cooking in the lodge, as I have seen a few catch fire. Then there is the possible problem with bears visiting inside during the night.

When I became civilized, I used the lodge for hunting camp. I didn't cart poles with me, but used some dead aspen on site. I left the poles set up and they were waiting for me for many years until someone thought they would make good fire logs. On one hunt, neighboring hunters had a flat roofed tent that the snow collapsed. They came knocking, asking if they could sleep with us. 12 guys slept there that night. It was close, but with half of them snoring the other half stayed awake. One of my 'buddies' burned part of the liner by making the inside fire too high. Next year, my uncle built a woodstove for the lodge, and no more fire damage. The liner was treated with a fire retardent, so the fire didn't spread, only a few burn holes.

The wall tent worked for many years and was convenient, it's main advantage was that we could stand upright in it. If you get one, get the ones that have 6 foot sidewalls.

It took longer to set up the wall tent than the lodge. Lodge setup took about 20 minutes, the wall about an hour and a half.

Were I to buy one today it would be an 18 foot lodge.

 

[Lonegun1894]

I am still working on my lodge. Assuming I measured everything right, it will be about 14.5 feet from front to back, so should be spacious for me and my dog. I was planning on making a ten footer also to use as a small hunting camp, but this 14.5 footer has taken much longer than I expected with 1 full-time job, one part-time, and some occasional volunteer work thrown in. May still do the 10 footer, but it will be some time.

My experience with wall tents is limited to the military GP tents I have dealt with, and all I can say is that I REALLY hope the wall tents y'all are talking about are easier to set up, cause those things were a real chore, and we never heated them, so aside from keeping us somewhat dry, sometimes, the memories of those just dont give me a warm fuzzy feeling deep inside. It got to the point that I would carry a small tarp in my pack back then, and still do, as it was easier, lighter, and could be heated with a small campfire if needed and detection was not a concern as it sometimes wasn't. Caught a ton of flak for being outdated, but I was one of a handful of dinosaurs who stayed warm when it was possible.