4 Man VS 6 Man Flexi-Pitched

[John S]

Hi Folks,

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

[reaper]

hi
i have the 4 man tipi,if you think youll be solo must of the times...the 4 man its the way to go,Why the 6? Youll pay more and it will be more difficult to heat.About the stove size,medium its perfect for box stove,cylinder stove you can go with a 18'' long.Don't go to big for it,i know its difficult to think when you were with a fourdog stove and a canvas tent.Titanium stoves are awesone and light.

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

[John S]

Reaper,

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

[reaper]

yes of course.You just have to play with the stove to find your perfect set-up.

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.

[reaper]

btw Montana marine have a 4 man for sale if he doesnt sold it yet?...if i were you,490$ its a really good deal

[MontanaMarine]

[John S]

Shane,

What were the considerations that led you selling your 4 man and going with the 6 man?

John

[MontanaMarine]

John,

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

[MontanaMarine]

My 70d 4-man with aluminum pole, 20 stakes, and all the stuff sacks, weighed 6.2 lbs.

I'm guessing the 30d 6-man, CF pole, 20 aluminum stakes and sacks will come in about 5.8 lbs.

[John S]

Shane,

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