Hunting Tents & Bedrolls......

[THREEDFLYER]

I will be heading up to Idaho from Arizona in just over a month from now on my annual archery elk hunting migration.

Over the years I have had many experiences with different lodging including very large canvas wall tents with a sheep herders wood stove for heat/cooking sleeping on cots down to sleeping out in the open on the ground in the snow.

I have had the luxury of packing into remote wilderness areas with horses & mules and experiences hiking in with everything on my back that I needed to survive for a week..... All wonderful memories indeed with great friends to boot.

Since moving from Washington state down to Prescott Valley, AZ I have not been able to hook up with my hunting partners so have been going solo on my hunts for the most part.

To me, a good nights sleep and good food are at the top of the list while on a hunting trip.....and now that I don't have the horses to haul my gear nor do I have the fancy wall tent and wood stove I have been studying my options for tents and bedrolls.

What I have come up with for a tent was recommended to my by a local friend and I have just ordered one which should be here by early next week. It's the 10 X 14 Flex Bow tent by Kodiak Canvas and here's a link to the one I ordered.
10 x 14 ft. Flex-Bow VX Tent - Kodiak Canvas

This is a heavy tent at 79 pounds, but since I will be driving my truck to my camp spot, it's not an issue. Plus I will have my one-man tent should I decided to set up a spike camp at some point.

I typically use a Cabelas XL cot just to have plenty of room for a large back and room to stretch the legs. And if you are like me you have experienced major weather/temperature changes while hunting, especially during elk season.

So the challenge has been which sleeping bag to bring??? I have been too cold and too darn hot inside bags and that makes it very tough to get a good nights sleep.

Doing some research I have decided to go with the Butler Bags ALL-SEASON bag which will keep you comfortable from 65 above to 20 below (their words). With tons of room to spread out and will fit a very large guy/gal I look forward to trying it out this season. Here's a link to the bag.
All Season Sleeping Bag – Butler Bags

Yes, these are expensive pieces of equipment, but if you are like me you only want to buy this stuff once!

I'll get back to you guys with a review on this stuff when I return from the trip, but if you want to add to this conversation feel free to post.

Keep your powder dry!!

 

[Jessie]

Sounds like a good time!
I've found that a good bag plus a separate fleece liner bag works well.
I can just use the liner if it's warm, use the bag if it's cool and use both together if it's cold.
I'm getting to the point where I prefer truck camping. I can haul more stuff in and out and save my back for what I came to do.
And you are right... if you're not warm&dry, well fed and sleeping good, you'll probably have a bad trip..no matter how many critters or fish you get.
But if you have those things covered, you can have a good time even if you don't get anything.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Have a great time, sounds like fun.

My husband likes Eureka! dome tents and North Face sleeping bags. This is our 10x10. We bring a range of bags if we're car camping, but I bring my winter bag (-25) almost everywhere because I'm always cold. Put the bags on an air mattress, on top of RidgeRest pads

In the Canadian Rockies.

We got a lot of gear since back in the 70's at a camping store in NJ called Campmor. Camping Equipment, Hiking, Outdoor Gear and Clothing at campmor.com

 

[gtk]

i have not yet been on a "camp" hunt. . the elk hunts I have been on, we always stay in a hotel in town makes for a long drive, but that bed & shower sure feels good after a lot of walking..

one day i would like to do a drop-camp style elk hunt, if nothing else, just for the experience

 

[Jessie]

i have not yet been on a "camp" hunt. . the elk hunts I have been on, we always stay in a hotel in town makes for a long drive, but that bed & shower sure feels good after a lot of walking..

one day i would like to do a drop-camp style elk hunt, if nothing else, just for the experience

It's hard to have that campfire in the hotel.

 

[THREEDFLYER]

Sounds like a good time!
I've found that a good bag plus a separate fleece liner bag works well.
I can just use the liner if it's warm, use the bag if it's cool and use both together if it's cold.
I'm getting to the point where I prefer truck camping. I can haul more stuff in and out and save my back for what I came to do.
And you are right... if you're not warm&dry, well fed and sleeping good, you'll probably have a bad trip..no matter how many critters or fish you get.
But if you have those things covered, you can have a good time even if you don't get anything.

Believe me I have tried all of the tricks using liners, sheets, etc. I just got fed up dragging all that stuff around. Yes this bag I purchased is heavy/bulky and is not for packing into the woods, but it's the ultimate bag for truck camping and setting up the base camp.

 

[THREEDFLYER]

Hot Shower at Elk camp

i have not yet been on a "camp" hunt. . the elk hunts I have been on, we always stay in a hotel in town makes for a long drive, but that bed & shower sure feels good after a lot of walking..

one day i would like to do a drop-camp style elk hunt, if nothing else, just for the experience

Agree 100% on the hot shower......that's why I am adding this to my base camp arsenal......these units are the way to go!
Of course there is always the SUN SHOWER for remote locations, but this ZODI shower is the hot ticket!!
Zodi Hotman Extreme S/C Shower : Cabela's

 

[jlrhiner]

I saw this the other day and was intrigued. When I was tent camping, i was at both extremes, as light as I could go for trekking, and a 75lb sleeping bag for trucking. I loved that sleeping bag.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQDicIwKnoE[/ame]

 

[Onomea]

Looks to me, 3D, you gonna be one happy camper!

 

[Engineer1911]

Camping is spending thousands of dollars to live like a homeless person for a week each year. At the end it is called Vacation.

Good luck on your elk hunt, be safe.

 

[Jessie]

I saw this the other day and was intrigued. When I was tent camping, i was at both extremes, as light as I could go for trekking, and a 75lb sleeping bag for trucking. I loved that sleeping bag.
Kodiak Canvas Swag 1 Person Tent TV Commercial - YouTube

I was hiking on the Appalachian trail with a friend a couple of years ago using one of those bivy tents.
I thought it was great, weight wise.
I crawled in the first night and finally got in it and my bag only to be hit with a bad leg cramp.
I about tore that tent in half trying to get out of it!
I slept under the stars that night.

 

[nachogrande]

CAMPING IS CAMPING, HUNTING IS HUNTING

TEHO & I dearly loved camping, had 5 weeks vacation a year when single & would do 2 week solo camping trips BUT eventually came to realize that the QUALITY of time spent hunting was so much better when well rested/fed/clean, without being sore/foggy headed/fighting to stay awake/cranky/irregular made for a lesser quality hunting experience Than staying in a motel. Not to mention not having to haul all that gear + camp chores/cooking for a short 3 day trip. When young/in better shape/ conditioned to it, another story. Started with sleeping on the ground under stars to tents to KOA's to pop ups, airstreams etc. 4 guys in 1 vehicle with a climber stand, guns, clothes was doable. 4 Guys with all that and camping gear was a multi vehicle caravan.

 

[steelslaver]

I tent camp in luxury. Warm, well fed, clean and sleep great. I have a 12x14 and a 14x16 canvas tent with internal metal frames. The 12x14 has front and back doors and I set it up right in front of the 14x16 so it makes one long tent that I can partition. Flies cover both tents and provide a big covered area in front of them. Each tent has a lantern with a hose that runs to big propane tank outside. The 12x14 is used as the cook tent, with a nice 3 burner stove and griddle, have a cabinet I set up and folding table and chairs. Have canvases for floors in both tents. Lay out canvas and put ground flaps on that under canvas and use firewood and gear to hold down so snug as a bug. Stakes are rebar with washers welded on top and painter red. Wood stove made by cutting center section out of a 55 gallon barrel and welding back together, stove pipe and legs for stove disassemble and store inside the stove. Stove has a piece of 1" stainless pipe that has fittings that connect to a 7 gallon box that sets up beside stove. Box has a valve so I always have hot water. Stove also has a flat plate welded on top so it can be used to keep coffee or food hot. Tried air mattresses, but went to good cots and memory foam pads. Sleeping bags. light duty and big heavy duty so if need be one goes inside the other. Gun rack U bolts to a couple poles and have a chain that runs from rig on stove through trigger guards and a good combination lock for end of chain.

Shower and toilet. Have a Coleman shower tent that is about 7' high and 3x3 at base. Made a aluminum deal about 2" high that goes under the floor so water runs off. 5 gallon bucket that a folding chair with bottom cut out of it goes over for a toilet. But, I also have a big ammo can that holds 7 gallons of water. It sits on a propane double burner and the ammo box holds an RV water pump that mounts to the lid with wing nuts and has a long hose with sprayer on end. Set that up outside and run long wires with alligator clips to battery. About 10 minutes to nice hot water. If you wet hair and shampoo then rinse and then wash body then do complete rinse you can get 2 good showers from one fill up. II have all this stuff set up so it fits in a 5x8 trailer, using plastic totes and old foot lockers. and I can set it up in a few hrs with a helper or by myself in about 4 hours. I camp for weeks in the lap of luxury. When it drops below zero, I don't use the shower, but, use the inside hot water to give myself a good cleanup every couple days using a big plastic tub I use for doing dishes. 6 people are no problem and I have done 8 for 3 days and nobody complained, but it was getting tight. I have camped out in this setup well below zero and can be warm inside wearing just sweat pants and a T shirt. At night I close off sleeping area from cook area, One stove fill up during the night if its cold. In the morning breakfast cooking warms up kitchen pretty fast. I cheat on coffee and before bed put grounds in coffee pot then hang it on the water tank valve without the lid. Crack the valve in the morning and it runs hot water over grounds for fast coffee. I take a chainsaw and have a good winch, so wood is easy. I just cut down a couple trees, limb them and drag them to camp whole and cut them up there or if trees are a bit farther away hook up trailer and load it and truck up. Have a cart to haul wood inside and position stuff when setting up and tearing down.

Yea, I got some money tied up it my gear, but a week in a motel and cafe food will run you some money. Over the years it pays for itself. But, I am right where I hunt, don't have to wait for a cafe to open.

I have a nice slide in camper with overhead, queen bed, stove, fridge and shower/toilet that I use for short term trips, but the tent setup has so much more room and comfort I much prefer it.

 

[Farmer17]

I have slept in tents quite a bit when I was growing up in Tulsa, my family would camp out at Ft. Gibson lake for most of the summer and my dad would commute a 50 minute drive from work. We camped with several other families and all the husbands commuted in from Tulsa. Mom cooked all our meals on a Coleman Stove and we ate a heck of a lot of crappie and catfish but all the meals tasted really good, I think my mom cooked better at the lake than at home. I always slept on the ground in my own canvas tent and I don't remember being uncomfortable or the lack of A/C being an issue even at 95 degrees. Things are different now however, I can't sleep well on the ground or on an air bed and I gotta have A/C in the hot summer time. My wife used to like to camp but not anymore she wants a nice hotel room and if I went camping now I would probably just sleep on a Futon in the back of my SUV with the remote start control near me and turn on the A/C a few times a night.

 

[THREEDFLYER]

For me being close to the action in the woods at first light is key and the best way to do that is to be in the woods as close to my hunting spot as possible. I am 53 years old and have been hunting since I was in grade school and have always been in the woods with my rifle or bow well before first light.

It's seldom that I have been able to find a motel or other establishment within an hour or more drive to a good hunting area, and besides if it was that close there would be every guy and his brother doing it and the hunting would stink!

I have also owned or shared ownership in campers, motorhomes, etc. but as mentioned above, there's just something magical about being in the woods in a sturdy tent.

As I age and become more stiff/sore after a day of hiking I know there will become a day where the hot shower with unlimited water and soft bed will come into play, but I will enjoy the tent set up as long as the Lord let's me.

 

[nachogrande]

ROUGHING IT?

I tent camp in luxury. Warm, well fed, clean and sleep great. I have a 12x14 and a 14x16 canvas tent with internal metal frames. The 12x14 has front and back doors and I set it up right in front of the 14x16 so it makes one long tent that I can partition. Flies cover both tents and provide a big covered area in front of them. Each tent has a lantern with a hose that runs to big propane tank outside. The 12x14 is used as the cook tent, with a nice 3 burner stove and griddle, have a cabinet I set up and folding table and chairs. Have canvases for floors in both tents. Lay out canvas and put ground flaps on that under canvas and use firewood and gear to hold down so snug as a bug. Stakes are rebar with washers welded on top and painter red. Wood stove made by cutting center section out of a 55 gallon barrel and welding back together, stove pipe and legs for stove disassemble and store inside the stove. Stove has a piece of 1" stainless pipe that has fittings that connect to a 7 gallon box that sets up beside stove. Box has a valve so I always have hot water. Stove also has a flat plate welded on top so it can be used to keep coffee or food hot. Tried air mattresses, but went to good cots and memory foam pads. Sleeping bags. light duty and big heavy duty so if need be one goes inside the other. Gun rack U bolts to a couple poles and have a chain that runs from rig on stove through trigger guards and a good combination lock for end of chain.

Shower and toilet. Have a Coleman shower tent that is about 7' high and 3x3 at base. Made a aluminum deal about 2" high that goes under the floor so water runs off. 5 gallon bucket that a folding chair with bottom cut out of it goes over for a toilet. But, I also have a big ammo can that holds 7 gallons of water. It sits on a propane double burner and the ammo box holds an RV water pump that mounts to the lid with wing nuts and has a long hose with sprayer on end. Set that up outside and run long wires with alligator clips to battery. About 10 minutes to nice hot water. If you wet hair and shampoo then rinse and then wash body then do complete rinse you can get 2 good showers from one fill up. II have all this stuff set up so it fits in a 5x8 trailer, using plastic totes and old foot lockers. and I can set it up in a few hrs with a helper or by myself in about 4 hours. I camp for weeks in the lap of luxury. When it drops below zero, I don't use the shower, but, use the inside hot water to give myself a good cleanup every couple days using a big plastic tub I use for doing dishes. 6 people are no problem and I have done 8 for 3 days and nobody complained, but it was getting tight. I have camped out in this setup well below zero and can be warm inside wearing just sweat pants and a T shirt. At night I close off sleeping area from cook area, One stove fill up during the night if its cold. In the morning breakfast cooking warms up kitchen pretty fast. I cheat on coffee and before bed put grounds in coffee pot then hang it on the water tank valve without the lid. Crack the valve in the morning and it runs hot water over grounds for fast coffee. I take a chainsaw and have a good winch, so wood is easy. I just cut down a couple trees, limb them and drag them to camp whole and cut them up there or if trees are a bit farther away hook up trailer and load it and truck up. Have a cart to haul wood inside and position stuff when setting up and tearing down.

Yea, I got some money tied up it my gear, but a week in a motel and cafe food will run you some money. Over the years it pays for itself. But, I am right where I hunt, don't have to wait for a cafe to open.

I have a nice slide in camper with overhead, queen bed, stove, fridge and shower/toilet that I use for short term trips, but the tent setup has so much more room and comfort I much prefer it.

I've had smaller apartments with less stuff. Can't exactly carry all that on your back. Don't get me wrong in many places a motel may not be realistic. & there is nothing like the smell of coffee over coals in the morning that you can smell from 1/2 mile away. When planning a trip for 3-4 guys with different work schedules, a long weekend may be all you can get. When solo truck camping I liked the 12' X 12' floorless tent so I wouldn't have to take my boots off.

 

[dave1918a2]

Back in My younger days My hunting and fishing buddy and best friend since '68' would take off backpacking for 5 days with a 21 pound pack. The dehydrated food We took We bought at the local grocery and We ate fair. Now it's a tent trailer I bought in 95 with an awning and an add-a-room that zips onto the awning. Don't use the heater as it drains the battery too soon so We use a Mr Buddy heater. Traded the mattres for memory foam 2 years ago, what a bonus. Jacked the trailer up and put on large tires to make it really good for off road. Don't backpack anymore, but take one along to carry out meat if needed.

 

[Marshwheeling]

Most of my camping has been on motorcycles, so my small tents probably would not suit you. I always picked a sleeping bag to suit the expected conditions, but whatever bag I brought, I usually just slept under a pancho liner. If it's cold, you can also use it inside your bag.

 

[caduceus]

One of my favorite places Prescott Arizona. Visited last year . Sister in law moved there so got the tour. Court House super neat. Seems you have a elk herd between Prescott and Flagstaff ��

 

[THREEDFLYER]

One of my favorite places Prescott Arizona. Visited last year . Sister in law moved there so got the tour. Court House super neat. Seems you have a elk herd between Prescott and Flagstaff ��

Arizona has some of the best elk hunting in the country and some of the biggest bulls have been taken in this state. I put in for a December Cow Elk rifle tag and was lucky enough to draw on my first year as a resident.

I hunt Idaho archery because it's over the counter and not crowded, no worries about a lottery drawing for the hunt.