Cabelas alaskan guide tent

[Bsd0323]

Morning gents, I bought myself a 6 person alaskan guide tent last year for christmas. I used it this past week camping in cherokee. Couple nights of heavy rain and it did perfect. I've got a couple questions though. I had a cheap ole harbor freight tarp as a footprint, is this sufficient? Second, several nights I had some minor condensation in the tent by morning. Any quick remedies for this? I tried venting and non venting as well. Does anyone here have the floor insert? I was thinking of adding that for the dogs. As far as care goes cabelas says wash with soapy water and dry in the shade. Anything else I should be doing? This is my first big tent purchase and kind of new to all this. Hoping to learn alot here. Thanks for any and all advice.

 

[Calbuck]

I've had the 8 man version for several years and hardly ever put anything under it. Floor is holding up well. In fact, I prob don't take very good care of mine in general and it's been awesome. I did just purchase a liner, but haven't used it yet. Seems like if you can vent it decently the condensation isn't as much of an issue. Ive had mine in rain, snow, cold and have zero complaints. Good luck with your tent!

 

[Bsd0323]

I've had the 8 man version for several years and hardly ever put anything under it. Floor is holding up well. In fact, I prob don't take very good care of mine in general and it's been awesome. I did just purchase a liner, but haven't used it yet. Seems like if you can vent it decently the condensation isn't as much of an issue. Ive had mine in rain, snow, cold and have zero complaints. Good luck with your tent!

Thanks for the insight. I just wanna make sure it lasts me awhile. Have you ran a heater in yours?

 

[Calbuck]

I use a Buddy heater in it sometimes..it warms right up with that thing. You just have to be careful about carbon monoxide when using something like that in a tent

 

[Julius K]

Dumb question. I have an 8 man, and accompanying floor liner. Is this supposed to be Under the tent floor or on the tent floor?

 

[Calbuck]

Liner goes inside

 

[Bsd0323]

I use a Buddy heater in it sometimes..it warms right up with that thing. You just have to be careful about carbon monoxide when using something like that in a tent

I got a buddy heater as well. I'll be trying it this year for deer camp. I'll be sure to add carbon monoxide meter. Thanks

 

[Bsd0323]

Dumb question. I have an 8 man, and accompanying floor liner. Is this supposed to be Under the tent floor or on the tent floor?

Yeah goes inside.

 

[Calbuck]

The buddy heaters are supposed to have a CO shutoff feature but I don’t trust my life on it. I usually use the heater briefly in the morning and before going to bed..I shut it off before climbing in the rack

 

[JNDEER]

If car camping it doesn’t make sense to not put something below it- cheap Walmart tarp works fine. Do you need it- Nope. But why not add another layer to protect from sticks, rocks, etc.

Never had a condensation problem in my 6 or 8. Did you tie out all the lines from the cover?

Have used a heater buddy plenty of times. In evening and when wake up- never needed to run all night- buy a better sleeping bag or just bring blankets or quilt or more clothes to bed.

If you got dogs inside- I would have a liner below the tent and one in the tent.

 

[RO1459]

First, I use a Mr. Buddy made for inside use and run it all night long. Been doing this for several years. Second, I do put a tarp under the floor. Third, For a liner, I went to Walmart and got a 8'X10' rug. It helps with insulation and feels good on your feet. Finally, I leave a small opening in the door and roof and have never had a condensation problem. Love this tent. Use it elk hunting during the third season and it holds up great. I would not wash your tent unless you plan on re-water proofing it.

 

[GunsAreFun]

I have the 8-man and have used it for a deer camp with lows down to -5 and highs in the single digits during today. A Mr Buddy heater hooked to a 20lb tank would keep the inside around the mid-40s at night.

The rain fly would get a ton of condensation from the propane heater but it never entered the tent. I used the floor liner. If I ever go down to those temps again, I’ll get moving blankets to insulate the floor and put one of those hanging tent fans in to push the hot air down.