Can we borrow/rent your shelter?

acmckeage03

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 13, 2016
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186
Location
Utah
Going to take a shot in the dark here... Me and 2 buddies are headed into the Talkeetna's 24Aug-1Sep, we have a 4 man tent but I keep hearing that we are going to be miserable for 9 days with that tent situation. So I'm curious if there is a Rokslider who is willing to let us borrow or rent a shelter from them. Unfortunately we are too deep in our funds for this hunt to buy a new one. One of our party members lives in Anchorage and we are flying with Meekins Air service, so we are searching anywhere from the Anchorage-Palmer-Wasilla area we are flying out of Sheep Mountain up Hwy 1. Or by some lucky chance I am out of the Salt Lake area so if there is a Utah or Idaho resident we would greatly appreciate it!
 

Owenst7

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Jun 19, 2017
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Reno
Get on Alaska4x4network and try there. There's a couple Facebook groups for the AK 4x4 crowd also.

I grew up running ATVs in the Talkeetna's, and I could argue either way for a tent. Three men in a four man tent would be tight for even a weekend in a campground in good weather though.

A lot of my hunting camps in that area were just contractor tarps constructed in to wall tents with locally procured spruce poles. It provided better ventilation and stretching room than any tent could offer, and packed on an ATV much easier. Given an unlimited budget, I'm still not sure I'd do things differently. You shouldn't have much if any issue with mosquitoes at that time of year either. It will probably rain on you if it hasn't started snowing yet. I'd be reluctant to go out there that time of year without a tarp or two regardless of what shelter I was using (even with my camp trailer I still carried one that I used frequently). We also built tipis from tarps and spruce poles, which allowed us to run a good sized fire inside and dry our gear out even when it was really humid. If you do go the tarp route, bring a hammer tacker stapler.

The weather out there that time of year is drizzly pretty constant, but it usually doesn't have the torrential downpours that I've gotten used to down here in the desert. The ground is very mossy and/or lowbush. You'll very rarely find an otherwise good campsite where ground water will pool. I never owned anything nicer than a cheap Coleman or Ozark Trails tent up in Alaska, and just pitched them sheltered from the wind and stretched a tarp over the rainfly. It wasn't until I moved to the desert that I started buying fancy shelters...mostly to save weight for backpacking. I just ordered a Mountainsmith Mountain Shelter yesterday, so I guess maybe I just like the ventilation of a tarp haha. My experience with tents up there, especially during the fall, was that the more waterproof they were, the less that allowed your gear to dry out. You were going to carry water in to your shelter either way.

Alaska is going through a severe economic depression right now, so Craigslist might turn up a deal that you wouldn't have normally expected.

Where are you guys planning on camping? There's quite a few remote "public" cabins out there in those mountains also. Some of them are pretty nicely furnished with furniture and wood stoves even. A lot of people like myself would carry our unneeded camping gear out there and stock them. According to the log in one of the cabins, the old wooden army cots I left have gotten more use than I ever put them through lol.

The ultra-cheap way I'd handle your situation is to just bring 2-3 tarps and keep your gear under it and build yourself a shelter from the rain that you can sit around a fire. Use a tarp over the entry to your tent as a vestibule, and be strict about not bringing any wet gear in the tent. Three guys in that tent and at least you won't have any issues being cold. I'd personally just have my buddy in Anchorage grab a $35 tent from Walmart for each guy and at least a couple tarps each. A big wall tent would be more comfortable and not too much work for three guys to build if you're going to be in the trees though.
 
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acmckeage03

acmckeage03

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 13, 2016
Messages
186
Location
Utah
Thanks for the response however we are flying into the mountains and are only allowed 50lbs each so we are limited on what we're able to bring. We are bringing two extra sil nylon tarps to put gear under.
 
Joined
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What are you hunting?

What model is the 4 man tent?

Why would you be miserable with that? Just bring along a nice tarp to set up and store your gear?

You'll really only be in the tent to sleep, if your hunting all day.

At 50lbs each, it'll be a bit difficult to bring in a decent sized tent to accommodate 4 people, but I have one and would lend it to you guys... I am in Fairbanks, it weighs 26 lbs, Cabelas Guide Series - 6 man.
 
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acmckeage03

acmckeage03

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Dec 13, 2016
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Utah
We drew dc590 tags for caribou. It's the MSR papa hubba. Thank you for offering your tent! It's heavier than we could consider for this trip with our weight limitations
 

Owenst7

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Jun 19, 2017
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Reno
We drew dc590 tags for caribou. It's the MSR papa hubba. Thank you for offering your tent! It's heavier than we could consider for this trip with our weight limitations

I spent the majority of my teens and early twenties in 14A, 14B, and 13A. My old cots are in the cabin on Purches Creek haha.

I wouldn't hesitate to head out there for your trip with that tent. In fact, I wouldn't sacrifice the weight to bring more tent in your shoes. First snow for that area is usually the last weekend of August. If you guys are friendly enough to be in close quarters for sleeping, you'll be nice and warm in the smaller tent. Build yourself a big vestibule/eating area so you aren't tripping over each-others' gear. Wear footwear that dries out easily (insulated Xtratuffs were always my choice for that time of year). Pack boots suck to dry out. There are creeks and swamps everywhere out there.

I've never looked in to hunting there as a non-resident, but there is excellent grouse and ptarmigan shooting out there. They are extremely easy to prepare and delicious if you add some bacon fat or oil to them. A .22 (head shots) or a .410 is perfect for them. They are one of the dumbest animals I've ever "hunted". You could kill them with a rock.

Check the south facing slopes for blueberries. They are way stronger flavored than anything you'll find in stores.
 
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Flydaho

Lil-Rokslider
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Aug 23, 2015
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116
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Alaska
A tarp is a must in that area, like others have said. It will be raining (not heavy, but can be constant) and that tent will feel small if the 3 of you try to huddle in there to get out of the drizzle. Even with a 50 lb limit, there should be room in one of the backpacks for a sizeable silnylon tarp. Also, that 50 lb limit is only for your pack, most guys end up stuffing as much stuff as possible into their pockets. I've seen guys wear every piece of clothing they have, plus binos, spotters, boxes of snickers bars, in their pockets to lighten their pack. A kelty noah's tarp will fit nicely stuffed down your shirt!

If you are indeed flying into a low point where the ground will be covered mostly by marshes and creeks, think about stopping by Barney's Sports Chalet for a pair of glacier socks for keeping your feet dry when crossing creeks. If you are wearing plastic boots, they work like a charm.

Like Owenst7 said, look for berries, a few different kinds should be good picking on your trip! I would tear out a few pages out of an edible plants book so you know what you are looking for (since you are out of state), but you will find areas that you literally can't take a step without smashing a handful of berries.
 
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acmckeage03

acmckeage03

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 13, 2016
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186
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Utah
Yes we have two ENO profly sil nylon tarps that we are brining along as well. I'm just looking for a floorless shelter to take instead of the tent to allow us a little more space when we are trapped inside due to weather. We were just planning on rolling up the pant legs and throwing on our crocs for creek crossings. We are really looking forward to the local produce of the area!!! Berries grouse and ptarmigan :D
 

realunlucky

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Pm me your phone number maybe I can help you out. We could explore possibly of me using your tent and you using my shelter. I'll be archery hunting the Vernon around Aug 19 and don't for see using my shelter during this hunt.

Edited didn't read that you wanted four guys in there. My shelter isn't large enough for four.

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Buy one on a credit card second week of August and sell it in September when you get back. Buy the right tent and treat it right and you will probably be out the same cost of a rental.


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acmckeage03

acmckeage03

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Dec 13, 2016
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Utah
Pm me your phone number maybe I can help you out. We could explore possibly of me using your tent and you using my shelter. I'll be archery hunting the Vernon around Aug 19 and don't for see using my shelter during this hunt.

Edited didn't read that you wanted four guys in there. My shelter isn't large enough for four.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

We'll be 3 guys in a 4 man tent. The tent is a rental we are picking up in Anchorage.
 
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acmckeage03

acmckeage03

Lil-Rokslider
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Dec 13, 2016
Messages
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Utah
Buy one on a credit card second week of August and sell it in September when you get back. Buy the right tent and treat it right and you will probably be out the same cost of a rental.


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If we decide we absolutely have to have a larger shelter then we will likely use this option. Hopefully this thread makes its way across the right person who is willing to let us use theirs!?
 

realunlucky

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We'll be 3 guys in a 4 man tent. The tent is a rental we are picking up in Anchorage.
I built this, took it to Alaska and slept 3 guys in it. You can search my build thread and read about my caribou hunt searching the thread* one for alaskan Bob.
I'm pretty attached to this but could possibly loan it out to another decent human.
9eec11802922a743a3ffe7760d9b3da6.jpg


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realunlucky

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Floorless shelters need solid staking to hold up in the tundra site selection is very important. Although heavier a tent can be more versatile.
e6a6d21ab349648f0d02c6560551912b.jpg
0d13fcfb6302e5c472c2105f22b7f186.jpg


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SpannerAK

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Jan 13, 2016
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Alaska
I don't have a tent that would meet your requirements. But I am open to loan any of my gear that you might need for your hunt, let me know what you're short on and let me see what I can do help you. My wife has that tag also, but unfortantly we don't have time to hunt it this year outside of winter.
 
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I second dreamingbig's strategy. If you buy used you can usually get your money back.


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xziang

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Oct 8, 2014
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Nebraska
Buy one on a credit card second week of August and sell it in September when you get back. Buy the right tent and treat it right and you will probably be out the same cost of a rental.


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Buy it from REI.. lol
 
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