Davis tent elk package (part 2)

[oldgrowth]

The woodstove​

The first thing I did after unboxing was assemble the stove and burn it to cure the paint and stovepipe. We opted for the Peak woodstove (their largest) and it was truly a very well thought out design, better than I was expecting and the fit and finish is really nice. I really liked that everything packed down inside the stove. Another nice feature is that the warming tray and the water tank are reversible. I added an adjustable elbow (purchased locally) as I had opted to run the stovepipe out the sidewall of the tent instead of the roof. I also made an ash scoop from an old shovel and both it and the elbow fit into the stove as well. This thing is heavy and a little difficult to pack around for one guy, but not bad with two people and well worth it when you run it in cold weather. We used it the first time I set up the tent and it dropped to 26 degrees that night, but it kept the tent warm. I had to restock it with wood twice to maintain a cozy temp all night, so I am glad I went with the largest stove.

Setup​

The first setup was in the front yard, and I wanted to set it up by myself to see how long it would take worst case scenario. It was windy that day with wind gusts getting high enough to be a little unnerving setting up a 14'x15' parachute. I was able assemble the frame, stretch the canvas onto the frame, and install the legs in roughly 30 minutes. This is where things got interesting, wind gusts were moving the tent and I needed to get everything staked out quick. Thankfully a neighbor saw me putting it up and came over to check it out. He ended up holding the tent down while I staked out and tensioned the guy lines. At one point the tent shifted two feet to one side (pucker factor 10!) before I finished staking out the opposite side. Thankfully I was able to finish staking it out and re tension the guy lines before it got any worse. The whole setup (minus the fly, floor, and stove) took about an hour start to finish mostly by myself.
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The second time we set it up was a few weeks later, on our first camping trip with the tent. This time everyone pitched in, and we also installed the fly/awning and the floor. This took only a little longer than the first setup, but we didn't time it specifically, maybe a half hour longer. We had help from Jasper, the inspector on the premises who made sure everything was being installed to his satisfaction. It was windy again during setup and a gust blew the awning portion of the fly off the pin at the apex before I could get it guyed out. Next time I am going to use a washer and nut to hold it onto the pin to prevent that from happening again because it is a real pain to get it back on the pin when it is ten feet in the air. Other than this happening, everything went well considering I was the only one that had any experience assembling the tent.
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Quality​

Prior to picking up the tent, Corina sent me the cut list for the frame, and I went to the local Lowes and purchased the EMT and cut it to spec. The tent fit the frame beautifully. The guy that cut and assembled the frame was obviously a professional. Kidding aside, the measurements from the cut list fit perfectly with the canvas tent. Once I had it up, we (a couple of neighbors helped out) looked everything over to make sure there was no defects or damage anywhere. One of the first things I noticed was how straight the seams were, they were flawless. I have never seen a straighter sewn seam, and there wasn't a stitch out of place. I couldn't find any defects anywhere, only very well done stitching and quality construction everywhere. The corners were reinforced and the bug netting they use is miles better than what is usually seen on tent screen doors and looks like it will be much more durable. The screen doors attach to the tent with Velcro, which is nice, in case they get damaged they are easy to replace. Zippers all worked great and were heavy duty as well. Guylines and tensioners held tight through some pretty strong winds. Storage bags were well built and oversized, which made it easy to put everything back away. Not like the usual bags for gear that are so small you can never get it back into the bag after your first use.

Things I would change​

Nobody makes a perfect product, and this was no exception. There were a few minor things I thought would benefit to change. The biggest issue I had was with the supplied stakes, the rest were minor things. During the first use, one of the tie straps for the flap that covers the stove jack got blown onto the stovepipe and it burned off about an inch of the strap. I tied it to the lower strap to prevent it from being blown onto the pipe again and didn't have any more trouble with that. This normally wouldn't have been a problem if they are rolled up with the flap, but they were hanging out the sides when I rolled the flap up and the wind blew them onto the pipe.
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Stakes​

I decided to make my own stakes after seeing the supplied stakes and researching all the options available. I did not really feel like they were up to the task of guying out the tent as they came. They did work well for staking the tent to the ground, but these would not hold a guyline without using a washer at the head or driving them at an extreme angle into the ground, neither of which is ideal. I ended up buying concrete form stakes and welding pins to them to anchor the guy lines to. These worked extremely well and got a good workout on the first setup. I also built a box to carry them in (they are heavy!). Another thing I found with the supplied stakes was they had very sharp needle like pieces of steel still attached to the head of the nail from the manufacturing process. They pierced my hand and fingers more than once during setup because I needed to get everything staked down fast due to wind. After breaking down the tent, I fixed this by running them over my belt sander to remove the sharp stuff. Thankfully, I didn't have anyone else grab these during setup. Also, one of the stake bags had some holes in the bottom of it from the stakes puncturing it. Putting the stakes in the bag head down and a few uses to dull the points should remedy that.
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Bags and eave sleeves​

The storage bags for the angle pieces and the tent are made of canvas with a draw string closure at the top. They are very functional and oversized, so everything goes back into them without a fight. The only thing I will change is to add a cord lock to the drawstring to keep them closed instead of tying them off. I will also add cord locks to the eave sleeves as well for the same reason. Tying them off works well but this will make it even easier especially for opening or closing the sleeves at the apex of the tent where it is hard to reach.

Other accessories/upgrades​

I knew we were going to need somewhere to hang wet clothes, coats, and towels so I also made some coat racks to attach on either side of the woodstove. I also made some “S” hooks to hang lanterns and miscellaneous stuff.
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For the stovepipe, I made a support to keep the stovepipe from sagging under its own weight and to keep it from blowing over in the wind. This wouldn't be necessary for a standard vertical stovepipe but is necessary for one angled out the wall.
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For transport and storage, we purchased a large Dewalt tool tote that the tent fit into just right. This offers protection from rodents and moisture during storage and made it easier to move around. My wife is much more patient than me, so making all this kept me busy while we eagerly waited to pick up the new tent.

Overall impressions​

I am very impressed with the Davis tent Elk package. They really have some of the best pricing out there for the quality you are getting, plus excellent customer service. This tent is extremely well made, and I expect it will last many years. It is a big upgrade from any other tent I have ever owned and will be a home away from home on camping and hunting trips for many years I suspect. In terms of usable space, it has plenty of room for two adults and two children even with the woodstove and a small table. For a hunting setup, it would be ideal for two to three guys plus gear. We couldn't be happier with the purchase, and we can't wait to use this tent camping and hunting!