We are not going on super high climbs, or into the arctic. We are more in the range of hiking in 3-5 miles, climbing up maybe 1-2K ft elevation, and making a camp. mostly spring through late fall in typical Montana terrain and weather. So for us, the 6P is going to be perfect. It took us a little trial with the smaller tipis to come to that conclusion. Sometimes you just don't know what will work best for your personal needs until you get some hands-on time.
I hear you on the weight compared to canvas. We do have a 12x14 wall tent. With the canvas, frame, stove, stakes, fly, floor tarp, it has to over 200 lbs. In contrast, we bought a 12P tipi last spring (our first tipi), and it is 70d with screen doors. We absolutely love it for a camping by the truck. It is only about 16 lbs all up, has HUGE space for cots, table, chairs, stove woodpile, dog bed...a real home away from home. And it's so easy to set up and take down. I'm ready to sell the wall tent, but the wife isn't quite there yet.
We went back and forth on the screen for the 6P too, even contemplated compromising and going custom one screen door. At the end we decided to skip the screens in lieu of the weight, since a lot of our use is when bugs are down for the year. Down the road we may add a 2P nest for buggy/tick seasons. We are thinking the 2P nest in the 6P tipi will give it lots of standoff from a stove, but still provide a total bug-free sleeping space. Also the nest can be carried or not, depending on need.
So we will be set up with the 6P and 12P for all our needs. Pretty versatile combo actually. If you factor in the flexi-pitch, they can cover 4,6,8,and 12P size.
Getting kind of long winded, but I think you will be very happy with a a 4 or 6P. My suggestion would be.....if in doubt, go with the bigger size.
Shane
Statistics: Posted by MontanaMarine — Tue Feb 02, 2016 10:14 am
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After reviewing, I think your numbers are more accurate than mine - either way I will take Sub 10 from where I was at with the canvas tent and Four Dog stove!
Also came accross this on another thread which nails how I would travel with one partner... two bedrolls laid out with room for a couple of ultralight chairs and still room for gear - that is perfect... if solo it might feel a little empty but thats fine, as mentioned could always flexi-pitch so not trying to heat as much space.
"I chose the SO 6-man tipi with a large stove to accommodate me and a hunting buddy. We've had it up 3 times now and are pleased with the useable space it provides. We've set it up with the stove, two sleeping pads/bags, a small table and 2 small chairs and we still have plenty room for our packs and other gear. The stove is now broken-in; we've figured out the best pitch and are ready for a 2nd rifle season CO elk hunt in two weeks. We're using an outfitter and are going in on horseback. IMHO, the 6-man is just about the perfect tipi for two, for winter hunting/camping."
I am 99% sure I am going with the 6 Man (no screens) and XL Stove.
*Actually a little torn on the screens - maybe I would want to use this other seasons as well, have to give that some thought. Anyone ever hear of screens being retro-fitted after the fact?
John
Statistics: Posted by John S — Tue Feb 02, 2016 8:38 am
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Here is the breakdown I came up with from the info gleaned at the SO store site. Weights in ounces.
4 man canopy - 50
20 stakes - 10
CF pole - 13.5
Lg stove - 30
8 ft pipe - 16
total: - 119.5 oz/7.5 lbs
6 man canopy - 60
20 stakes - 10
CF pole - 21.5
XL stove - 44
9 ft pipe - 18
total: - 153.5 oz/9.6 lbs
Since you are mostly using the sled, I doubt the weight difference between the two will be very significant.
Shane
Statistics: Posted by MontanaMarine — Mon Feb 01, 2016 8:27 pm
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Good thoughts, thanks. Your reasoning is similar to what I was originally thinking. I am not tall, but being a ble to stand is a plus, and I would like to try to run without a liner and staying away from the walls will be important for that. My rough math comes out like this.
4 Man no screens with CF Pole and Large Stove 6LBS
6 Man no screen with CF Pole and XL Stove 7LB 12OZ
Nearly two LBS more to go with a 6 man and larger stove but I do not envision putting this in a pack, rather will likely always go in a sled.
John
Statistics: Posted by John S — Mon Feb 01, 2016 9:30 am
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I'm guessing the 30d 6-man, CF pole, 20 aluminum stakes and sacks will come in about 5.8 lbs.
Statistics: Posted by MontanaMarine — Sun Jan 31, 2016 3:00 pm
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The main consideration for me was being able to stand up fully. I'm 6'3", and could not stand in the 4-man without touching the fabric and pole with my head. Maybe not a big deal to many , but at 54 years, and a old ruptured/operated L4/5, I can really appreciate being able to straighten out.
Also, I like the sense of space in the 6-man. Lots of room for two plus gear, lots of firewood, even a couple cots if one wanted to. Also, the 6-man feels very roomy if you need to ride out some bad weather for a day or longer.
I know everything is a compromise, and the 6 has a bigger footprint, but it also has the flexi-pitch option.
After having the BT2 and the SO-4, I decided the weight penalty of the SO-6 was a good trade for me.
I put in my order for the 6-man, with the carbon fiber pole, and no nets. After doing the math, I believe the 6-man with CF pole will actually be a half pound or so lighter than the 4-man was with 70d fabric, and aluminum pole.
Shane
Statistics: Posted by MontanaMarine — Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:33 pm
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What were the considerations that led you selling your 4 man and going with the 6 man?
John
Statistics: Posted by John S — Sun Jan 31, 2016 11:49 am
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Put your stove in the location of the chair on my picture here(youll sleep the other side of the stove jack)
2 cots no problem and still have some room,pull the guy out for better result.
you still have room for a lot of gear and woods.Don't forget,a bigger shelter need a bigger place,in the wild sometimes,well a lot of times haha it is difficult to find the perfect site,always something in the way.
Statistics: Posted by reaper — Sun Jan 24, 2016 8:53 am
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I really appreciate the response and your encouragement to stick with the 4 man - thinking about the "what if's" just be a slippery slope "slippery slope" and I like your idea of focusing on the primary use for the tent, which will be solo or with one other. As far as sleeping "side by side" with my wife, do you think that is possible with a 4 Man with a stove? Thanks again for your insight / thoughts on this.
John
Statistics: Posted by John S — Sun Jan 24, 2016 7:03 am
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The 4 man its perfect for 2 with a lot of gear,last spring i done 3 pers with a Lab dog(some gear was outside of the tipi)doesnt have the stove this day but i used a propane stove to warm up few minutes in the middle of the night because it was a little cold for the girls.Side by side with my wife is no problem,i used the guy out with a paracord and a stick to give more room...PERFECT.
You can see a lot of pictures in my bt2-4 man tipi thread.
The only thing i wish to have now its a liner,to trap some heat,we have some -15F here in Quebec,Canada.
any questions,i am here to help.
Steve
Statistics: Posted by reaper — Fri Jan 22, 2016 9:25 am
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First off, thanks everyone for the great posts and great feedback on this forum - it has all been really helpful information.
I sent this same question to SeekOutside but figured it would not hurt to get more opinions - so if anyone has any thoughts / experience I would love to hear it... here goes.
I just sold my 10 X 12 Snowtrekker EXP Shortwall canvas tent and Four Dog Ultralight II Titanium Wood Stove in the quest to get light! While I love both of those products I like traveling further into the backcountry more and like to have the option of going solo. My initial reaction is that I would be interested in the 4 Man Tipi as the two most likely scenarios are that I like to travel with one other person or travel solo (with wood stove), that said, 90% of the time will be pulling the setup in a sled v.s. shouldering it so an extra LB here or there is less of a concern (I will already be going from 40LBS to sub 10) - my main concern on average is going to be the cubic footage of space / area to heat (amount of fuel required, amount of stove tending - you know the drill) - all that said what do you think about the purchase of a 6 Man, Flexi-Pitching it for solo trips or travel with one other peron and having the option to fully pitch it should I take an additional person or two? Do you see many people doing this, any drawbacks besides added weight (which in my estimation is only about a LB, correct? ) Are the dimensions of the 6 an Flexi-Pitched similar to the dimensions of a 4 man normally pitched? I am gussing you would lose some staking points flexi-pitched. One other distant consideration is that I do have a setup so my wife and I can sleep together, guessing two side by side in a 4 man is tough? Finally, in relation to the stove, for any of these scenarios, what stove do you like for this, coming from a Four Dog - I am eyeing the XL - as you know, in MN it is not uncommon to camp out in -10F or colder. BTW, this is primarily for Northern MN, BWCA use and not Mountain / real high-wind use.
Thanks in advance for your time or any thoughts you share.
John
Minnesota
Statistics: Posted by John S — Wed Jan 20, 2016 7:30 am
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