Which Shelter?

[RPJR]

I'm looking for a winter car camping/basecamp shelter that I would use with a stove. I would usually be by myself, but I would like it to be big enough for a sleeping area and a lounge chair. I'd love to sit in there and read while I tend the stove. I have some ideas, but looking to see what ideas you guys have.
I'm in Michigan, and do a lot of camping/backpacking on the west side of the state where there is a lot of lake effect snow.

As this will be my first hot tent let me know what shelter and stove you would choose and why....Also, which accessories would you also get, and why?

Thanks in advance!

By the way, I'm trying to leave this question as open ended as possible in order to not influence the responses...

[Akicita]

Redcliff - I have 20+ nights in my Redcliff and SXL stove since I got it earlier this summer and have already determined this is the best tent I could have purchased for my intended 4 season back and high country use.

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[MontanaMarine]

That Redcliff looks great!

The 6-man tipi is another viable shelter for what you want. The 7'10" peak gives me real standing room, I'm 6'3". Plenty of room for an army style cot, folding chair, stove/heater etc.









Shane

[RPJR]

Kind of funny that there is one Redcliffe recommendation, and a 6 man recommendation...Those are the two shelters that I think would best fit what I'm looking for....

Now...how do I decide between these two? I might just call Kevin...

By the way, thanks to both Akicita and Montana Marine for the great photos.

[kevin_t]

I'll chime in. Both are good choices. For more winter and snow I would favor Redcliff slightly because the foot print is easier to pack down / dig out / stake out . For more big wind , id take the 6 but Redcliff does well as well. The Cimarron nest works well in Redcliff for bugs which in summer may be a consideration . I suspect it works in a 6 but not as well. 6 has better liner coverage ( more complete ) but Redcliff liner is effective . Hope this makes sense


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[swisski]

And just to keep things interesting, I'm going to toss the 8 man in there! Why? Well because it is a palace! Still light enough to easily carry all components including stove and liner on my back, yet provides a ton of room for more if you ever have company. While I haven't car camped with mine yet, I've often thought how nice it would be for that purpose as well.

I also have to say Shane's comment is spot on with being able to stand up in these shelters. It is really nice to be able to do that while getting dressed or just getting around in general- just a whole new added level of comfort.

I almost always run the liner and I use the XL stove. The liner is a must in my part of the country (Pacific Northwest), where the combination of condensation and wind can make you feel like you're waking up in a hurricane- not cool. Trial and error taught me to never leave without the liner again. When I have that, I feel unstoppable and the issue of condensation is completely gone. I like the XL stove because of the fact that it is large. More simply put, it allows me to put bigger pieces of wood in the box, allowing for longer burn times.

Honestly, whichever shelter you go with you will be pleased. These are quality products. Here are a few pictures of my 8 man, and my buddies Cimarron. Unfortunately we were a few days late with the Cimarron photo contest. They aren't the best for showing the amount of space in each shelter, I'll try to capture that more on our next adventure.

8 man:



During last archery elk season, we would fire up the stove and hang things up to dry out. We experienced some torrential downpours. We had access to a vacant lot with a nice grass patch near the river. The issue with that is the moisture from the grass only fuels the condensation, but with the liner and stove, we were comfortable.

[swisski]

And then here is a shot of the Cimarron during a bear hunt 2 weekends ago. Mt. Rainier in the background.

[MontanaMarine]

I'll add to swisski's post regarding larger tipis. The 6-man is what I would call minimal if you want to use a large cot, folding chair, stove, and thinking solo.

A bigger shelter is great for more people if you are car/basecamping.

For a dedicated car/truck shelter, we have a 12-man tipi. It's a little heavier than you would want to pack, with 70d fabric, and screens, I think ity's about 16 lbs all in, with pole and stakes. It's a palace. We put two cots on one side, table, firewood, dog bed on the other side, and a cylinder stove from our wall tent. It's a serious home away from home.

A few pics of the 12,










Shane

[swisski]

did you modify that little table so it stands shorter, or did you buy it like that?

[RPJR]

Wow, that 12 man is huge....but then again, that field is huge with no trees, so why not? I'm maybe leaning a little bigger now. I saw an 8 man Kifaru last year and I thought it was just enormous. But, I'm thinking I might only be using it at campsites so it could work. And that way, I would have room for others plus stove and wood should the occasion arise.

In Michigan, footprint size is a pretty big concern because the forests are dense...trees everywhere. That's why a lot of backpackers over here are moving towards hammocks. Even campsites can have lots of trees in them, so campsite selection would be important. But that 8 man is starting to look better and better....