Tent for BRA

[Jimss]

I've used a Hilliberg Nallo on quite a few Alaska sheep and goat hunts with few to 0 problems. I would agree that it's well worth having a 4 season tent to deal with super high winds and possibly deep snow? I'd bring along a bath tube footprint if on the tundra. The Nallo and a couple other Hillebergs have almost verticle walls with a super large vestibule area. It's always good having a vestibule for gear and cooking. You may also want a tarp for extra gear and possibly setting up a lean-2? You may want to consider an electric fence to bear-proof your camp when you are gone?

 

[mcseal2]

Thanks everyone.

I'm leaning toward using the tipi and going early September to hopefully dodge some bugs. I have a Seek Outside Bathtub floor I can take, or a Seek LBO bug nest I could take instead. I have never used the nest in the tipi before so I will need to set it up in the yard and see how much room it takes up in there once the snow leaves and ground thaws. I got the nest after I had a night on the river last year under my DST tarp when dozens of llittle spiders thought they liked being out of the storm under my tarp like I did. They never really bothered me, they sat around the outer edge, but it was still hard to sleep. Every time I turned on my headlamp I saw a pile of them. I don't know that they could hurt me I've just never been a huge fan of spiders. To many brown recluses in the houses I've lived in.

I have a Kifaru Paratarp and Megatarp with annexes, plus a Seek Outside Colorado and DST tarp. Some combination of those will be going depending on weight and what we decide we need. I need to think that through some more. I've usually been able to use trees to run a ridgeline and elevate the Colorado tarp for a cooking/eating place. Even without trees there has been brush or saplings I could cut to make poles at either end. Tundra will be different and we will have to decide what works best. The Megatarp with annex would make a good gear "shed" that would be pretty wind resistant for us. I'll have to think on what would be best past that. The Megatarp would be pretty expensive to have a bear wreck , it's a lot higher than the other ones in price.

We thought about a bear fence. A trip to Kodiak after Sitka Blacktail is also in our future so we need to see what options there are and if we would be better off buying or renting on it.

Planning the trip is half the fun.... We will figure out what we did wrong after the first trip I guess.

 

[Ono]

Yeah, going with BRA end of August into September. Curious about the bug situation, seems to be on the shoulder. On the fence between a tipi or tent due to potential bugginess.

 

[soggybtmboys]

End of August, and you get some warm days, you will have mosquitos by the hordes. Take a bear fence, it will give you peace of mind while you hunt and while you sleep. They weren't an issue, but they were kind enough to swing by and check on us every few days . BRA will likely fly you onto a lake as opposed to a river. Nigu River Valley is huge and there are lots of lakes that dot the landscape. Firewood is non existent up there, you may find some willow to burn, but it burns fast. We managed to scrounge up enough 1 evening to have a fire to have some cocktails and burn off our trash. It will likely be wet, so store it to dry out for a day or so, any drift wood you will find will only be soggy willow. If you take a floorless shelter, it may behoove you to atak a nest or bug net if you hit warm weather. Second night we were there the bottom fell out of temps and wind came howling down off the Ocean and nuked most of the bugs for a good 5 days, before they ressurected some.

Bou will be feast or famine. Weather will be primary driver on migration. We missed it by a week, and we picked off residents/stragglers until more animals started to show up towards the end of our stay as the weather steadily degraded. Week before we went, there were bou everywhere, but nasty weather pushed them down off the tundra and into the passes. I would also advise not to take archery gear, the landscape isn't conducive to effective bow hunting, unless you want a total challenge. Our bowhunters went 0 for 4. It will rain/precipitate every day for some length of time....1 days it drizzled for 24 hours.

I would definitely go with them again, Judy is great, I would go as late as possible I think. Better chance of weather really pushing animals off the tundra and down off the ridges. Be prepared to do alot of walking thru tundra.....its an experience in it of itself lol.

 

[AK Troutbum]

It's been several years since I've been up there, but the last time I hunted caribou in the Brooks was a two week hunt in late Aug./early Sep. and the temps. were unseasonably warm. We were on the north side of the range and were prepared for the worst regarding mosquitos, but there were none, nada, zilch. We never used bug dope and spent many days hunting in shorts and t-shirts. I know that is not the norm, but it can and does happen.

 

[mtnbiker208]

kifaur 8 man tipi with 3 big guys will be tight. I used an 8 man on a moose float and I am 6'1 and my bud 6'4. I would not have wanted an extra guy in there. But we did have some small cots and everything was inside the tent. We did not have an extra tent for gear.

 

[mooster]

I have an 8 man tipi and I agree, three man on cots with gear would be max.