Wall Tent For Hunting

Anyone here use a wall tent with a stove for hunting camp? I have 30 acres in the iron range and the shack we have up there is in pretty bad shape. Been there since before we purchased the property in 1959 and at this point most in the camp are not willing to spend the weekend in there.

The options im looking at are:

1. Renovate the Shack
2. Buy a wall tent
3. Buy a fish house

Option 1 would be ideal but i dont have the time, skill set, equipment, or money to invest in that right now. Option 3 is too expensive, would need the wife to sign off on it, and presents its own issues of storing it year round ect…

This leaves me with Option 2. Personally i think using a tent with stove sounds real cozy and would work out great for a group of 4-6 guys. Some things id like to know more about are:

1. What type of stove works best for cooking over?
2. It seems for cold weather camping most people go with wall tents or tipi style. Any positives or negatives for both designs
you can share?
3. These things can be expensive. Currently ive been looking at 14×16 Davis tent. Total cost with the largest stove they make
seems to be around $2300 without shipping costs included. Cabelas has a adirondack tent which is a little cheaper. Anyone
have positive experience winter camping with cheaper tent options?
4. Any other suggestions to accommodate 3-6 guys in colder weather? My focus is on the solution being cost effective and not
require a great deal of time commitment as my property is 200 miles away from my home and im pretty busy most weekends

If you have any stories of camping in a tent with a stove feel free to share too. Always enjoy hearing good hunting camp stories

Just throwing out another option for you that is more permanent than a tent and less costly than a fish house…
What about tearing down the old shack and purchasing a large(r) storage shed that can be purchased and delivered to the property? There are many sizes, styles, door and window options, etc. You could very easily insulate it and put up interior wall covering like paneling, tongue and groove, etc. You could also easily heat it with either propane or wood.
Plus in the “off-season” you have some storage for stuff like mowers, chain saws, etc.

crossin_eyes wrote:

Just throwing out another option for you that is more permanent than a tent and less costly than a fish house…
What about tearing down the old shack and purchasing a large(r) storage shed that can be purchased and delivered to the property? There are many sizes, styles, door and window options, etc. You could very easily insulate it and put up interior wall covering like paneling, tongue and groove, etc. You could also easily heat it with either propane or wood.
Plus in the “off-season” you have some storage for stuff like mowers, chain saws, etc.

That is a really good suggestion that ive considered also. I havent spent a ton of time looking into what pre-manufactured type of sheds are available. I know some of them can be upwards of 10k that people use as “cabins”. If you have any suggestions for types of sheds, brands, websites ect i would gladly take them.

I would look on CL in that area. Might be able to find a used shed that could be moved in for a lot cheaper than new.
DT

For 4-6 guys you would need a very large wall tent, and probably would be better off with two. 12×14 or 12×16 with 3 guys and gear fills up pretty quickly. Not to mention they take quite a bit of time to put together, they’re heavy and take up alot of storage space, and you need to take good care of them so they don’t get mildew.

Browndog wrote:

For 4-6 guys you would need a very large wall tent, and probably would be better off with two. 12×14 or 12×16 with 3 guys and gear fills up pretty quickly. Not to mention they take quite a bit of time to put together, they’re heavy and take up alot of storage space, and you need to take good care of them so they don’t get mildew.

Thanks for the feedback – especially about mildew as i havent read about issues with caring for the material. As for space one idea i would probably implement is to go with the Disc-O-Bed for bunk bed cots.

deertracker wrote:

I would look on CL in that area. Might be able to find a used shed that could be moved in for a lot cheaper than new.
DT

Thanks DT that is a good thought as well

Thought about finding an old camper to park there permanently? Seems like 5th wheels can be had pretty cheap for their size and if you only need to move it once you could probably find someone to do it for you. Would be a lot cheaper than a wheelhouse. What I’ve seen around me is people build a simple free standing roof over the camper to keep the snow and rain off it so you don’t have to worry about it leaking.

Edit: or something like this, I just mentioned 5th wheel because they were always cheaper when I was looking https://duluth.craigslist.org/tro/d/lake-nebagamon-1990-jayco-travel-trailer/7374114134.html

The main reason that the shack is in such bad shape now is mice get into it all year long and soil all over the place. Every year we bring a shop vac and an air purifier and do our best to clean the place up but it just keeps getting worse and worse over time. That was one of the reasons i thought a tent would be a good choice as its not a permanent structure where mice and other rodents would destroy it over time

Bring a portable hub house. My otter resort hub has room for 2 cots and still plenty of play room. 400 bucks and can be used in many situations

What about a steel shipping container? Kind of the same as a storage shed but they used to be pretty cheap and may help with keeping the mice out better than a wood shed or camper. At my in-laws hunting cabin it doesn’t get used much and the mice are a real problem and it is gross having to clean everything when you get there. We now bring our ice castle if we go.

What about a storage container? Definitely mouse proof.

Now is not the best time to be looking, but an older camper would be the route I’d go. As I get older sleeping on an actual bed of some sort is more of a requirement. Plus you get some cooking facilities and creature comforts. You can leave it there year round without much worry.

haven’t looked at lumber prices lately, but we put up this 8×12 shack a few years ago. I’m guessing all in it was less than $1500. it’s cramped with 2 people, I’d say 12×14 would be the minimum you would want to go for 4 people.

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There is a company in Denver that rents wall tents and stoves in all different sizes and will ship them to you. We got one on a western trip 2 years ago and it was cheap. That would be an inexpensive option for a few years til you could do something more permanent. Just shop it back after your week of deer season. We got one for four guys and they had bigger options available.

We bought a Cabelas Alaknak 12 x 20 tent when we started archery elk hunting out west about 20 years ago and we still use it today. We also went with the vestibule which is a huge space saver to keep some stuff outside the main tent area. It’s been a really solid tent for us over the years. We’ve had to have some zippers repaired and a couple small patches, but it’s still plenty serviceable.

This size works pretty good for 3 people, but 4 would get crowded due the space the stove takes up.

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https://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/sheds-accessories/sheds/gable-shed-material-list/1926921/p-1444422560266-c-9658.htm?tid=1329439694780800223&ipos=2

12×20 memards she’d is about $4k plus you’d need to add a floor. Pretty cheap compared to a fish house.

Tents – figure 10×12 for two guys and gear comfortably. We bring small pop tents for gear storage.

Quality = $$$$$

Having a floor is a pro/con type thing. We have no floors but use tarps. Friends have floors. To dry out before storing , tracking in mud, snow…..sucks

Make sure you have sufficient spark protector on the roof besides just a couple square feet around your roof jack.

Stoves – keep in mind that most wall tent stoves are designed for back country pack in. They break down and weight is a concern. The heavier the steel, the better for cooking/retaining heat.

Given your circumstances, I would find a cheap used camper. Couple days of mouse proofing and it’s a cheap way to have better accommodations. You can always flip them and get most of your money back when you decide what you want to do for long term

Man, all the history and memories from that old camp. With that many guys and a little pep talk and a couple of work days you should be able to salvage the place. Just think when the younger guys can say their camp is 100 years old. The Hunter’s Hilton lives on!

I’d vote for some type of renovation.

We actually pulled 2 cabins together from a neighbor using skids and a large tractor about 5 years ago and now have a 24 X 16 main shack with an attached shed bunkhouse of equal size.

We found some old brown vinyl siding for free that worked perfect to cover them. We cut out one wall and framed them together then added a porch and overhang out of Facebook used lumber. I probably had $500 in treated 6X6s to use as skids to move them initially, and the rest of the crew handled buying sheets of CDX that we sprayed and sealed for the interior floor. All in all with a few studs and hardware we probably have less than $2500 into a shack that sleeps easily 15 people. Get a network started locally that you’re looking for materials. Talk to people tearing old things down or selling old businesses. We scored a round booth from an old bar, a wood stove, tons of tin, a pretty cool mounted otter in a wood framed display case, and a couple old exterior doors for essentially nothing by just word of mouth. It’s unique and pretty cozy.

crossin_eyes wrote:

Just throwing out another option for you that is more permanent than a tent and less costly than a fish house…
What about tearing down the old shack and purchasing a large(r) storage shed that can be purchased and delivered to the property? There are many sizes, styles, door and window options, etc. You could very easily insulate it and put up interior wall covering like paneling, tongue and groove, etc. You could also easily heat it with either propane or wood.
Plus in the “off-season” you have some storage for stuff like mowers, chain saws, etc.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^. X100.

A tent would be a massive PITA. It gets wet, it gets dirty, you have to set it up and take it down, hard to get the heating right. Basically, a wall tent is a solution for remote camps where there is no other option.

As far as the travel trailer/camper route, I went this direction at our camp as a temporary solution. It’s also a massive PITA! Rodent control is a constant worry and if you slack on the control, you’ll have a huge, stinking, poop filled, chewed-up mess. Also, the build quality on campers is horseshit to say the least. The systems and insulation are built for the summer weekend user, so cold weather use is only marginally comfortable and you better bring enough propane.

The shed/cabin route is 100% the way to go. You can get ones that are pre-built and the guys that build them will trailer-deliver them to your site. They can be rodent-proof and they will be way better insulated than a camper. You can also safely use a wood stove in them which is a big plus for a hunting camp because generally then you have a constant supply of free fuel.

There are a lot of builders out there on Craigslist and Facebook. Generally, you can customize the size and features, the only limitation is the size and width that they can road-haul and deliver.

Just to be clear, I’m talking about a pre-built cabin like this:

I bought a pre-built shed from a builder in St. Croix falls. Waaaaaaay better than trying to site-build one myself and to be honest, by the time I added up all the materials, the price was very reasonable.

Well the other day I pulled the trigger on a wall tent, wood stove and the disc-o-bed bunk cot setup. This will be used primarily at the hunting property in the fall with possibly the occasional winter camping trip in play too. Did a lot of research on tents and stoves and found some more inexpensive options that I felt comfortable with.

Long term I think the plan would be to renovate the old shack but for now I think this wall tent will give us a warm place to sleep for deer camp and provide some fun cooking and heating on the wood stove.

For anyone that’s interested I’ll post back after I use it this fall and let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the recommendations

crappie55369 wrote:

Well the other day I pulled the trigger on a wall tent, wood stove and the disc-o-bed bunk cot setup. This will be used primarily at the hunting property in the fall with possibly the occasional winter camping trip in play too. Did a lot of research on tents and stoves and found some more inexpensive options that I felt comfortable with.

Long term I think the plan would be to renovate the old shack but for now I think this wall tent will give us a warm place to sleep for deer camp and provide some fun cooking and heating on the wood stove.

For anyone that’s interested I’ll post back after I use it this fall and let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the recommendations

I’d just use a buddy heater for heat. You’re going to be up all night with the wood stove.

Angler II wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>crappie55369 wrote:</div>
Well the other day I pulled the trigger on a wall tent, wood stove and the disc-o-bed bunk cot setup. This will be used primarily at the hunting property in the fall with possibly the occasional winter camping trip in play too. Did a lot of research on tents and stoves and found some more inexpensive options that I felt comfortable with.

Long term I think the plan would be to renovate the old shack but for now I think this wall tent will give us a warm place to sleep for deer camp and provide some fun cooking and heating on the wood stove.

For anyone that’s interested I’ll post back after I use it this fall and let you know how it goes.

Thanks for the recommendations

I’d just use a buddy heater for heat. You’re going to be up all night with the wood stove.

Yup I know wood takes more effort. From my research the stove I bought will maintain heat for 3-6 hours. I have good sleeping bags which will help a guy to stay in the cot longer

For me the challenge and struggle of dealing with the elements is part of the appeal. I want to be further away from creature comforts rather than be closer to them.

Some of my best memories are bow hunting in Wisconsin staying in a no electric, wood stove heat cabin. Enjoy!
DT

crappie55369 wrote:

For me the challenge and struggle of dealing with the elements is part of the appeal. I want to be further away from creature comforts rather than be closer to them.

Amen to that. Sounds awesome.

What is the build type/condition of the shack? If the other option is a tent, couldn’t you just gut the whole thing, plug the holes and treat it as a wooden tent until you can remodel it?

tindall wrote:

What is the build type/condition of the shack? If the other option is a tent, couldn’t you just gut the whole thing, plug the holes and treat it as a wooden tent until you can remodel it?

Hard for me to say. Shack was there when the property was purchased by my grandpa in 1959. My family added a room to the existing building but that was well before my time ( I was born in 1982). The kitchen and bunk room are connected via a doorway. The bunk room is maybe 10×10 with the kitchen being quite a bit smaller. From what I’ve been told when the property was purchased a family lived in there with a dirt floor. There is no concrete slab or stone foundation. My guess is it’s wood beams on ground with carpet layered on top carpet which is on top of dirt. The interior is sheetrocked with a chimney and a few windows. The whole place is wired for 12V and 120V. The siding is simply shingles on top of who knows what.

When it’s all cleaned up in there it can be cozy and I certainly have many many good memories but IMO it’s probably best to do a teardown, put in a concrete slab or other form of foundation and go from there. More than likely, if I ever have the time and money I would leave that building up and use it as a storage building and clear out a new area for a new building

What tent did you go with ?

Bearcat89 wrote:

What tent did you go with ?

walmarts ozark trail 10×12 wall tent. Amazingly it gets very good reviews. watched about 6 or 7 videos on it and people say overall its a pretty good tent. the price was $500 which if you know anything about wall tents is very low. Wall Tent Shop and Davis seem to be the 2 most popular brands and they run around $1200-2000 for a similar sized tent.

For a stove ended up going with a camp chef alpine, also a lesser expense than most other stoves. Total cost on that was $284 which is about half of what some of the other ones cost. Also got good reviews. Last night i ran a fire through it and cured it. no escaping smoke, and was very solidly built.

Im a buy once cry once kind of guy. Generally speaking i believe in buying a product that is well built and will last a long time. I also look for value and in these cases, it seems these items will last a long time at a good price point. We shall see