Military Tipis

[Mel]

Check out the new Military Tipi page. The Para Tarp would be great for hootches. You can't believe how light it is and it compresses down to softball size. The Para Tipi will hold 2 big guys and their rucks, no problem. Again, the weight and compact size is amazing. Let's hear some comments/questions on these.

Mel

[evanhill]

sorry mel, it isn't linked to yet.

[evanhill]

my bad. it kind of depends on which page you're on whether or not it is linked.

[sak45acp]

Mel,
The military paratarp/tipi will be an awesome product. Bigger and more livable than a poncho hooch, but not as bulky and heavy as a bivy/tent. I also like the larger size tipis with the stove options, better than the current arctic sled groups (how do you spell "aw-kio" and where does that name come from anyway?). How durable are the current tarps and tipis?

[Patrick]

Hello SAK45ACP--

(I like your handle!) I don't remember what Akio means, I just know that they're really heavy!

The tipis have been in service about 13-14 years; They were originally offered by my first company--Mountainsmith--back when I owned it. They have held up pretty amazingly. From many, many reports all the originals are still in the field. There is quite a lot of discussion of the tipis over on the Hunting message board if you want to do some research. Many of the active guys on that board actually own tipis in the 12 and 13 year old range. Most have upgraded to the Ultralite models simply to save significant weight--after all, us guys have to tote our stuff on foot! Our tests put the new ultralite fabric about twice as strong as the older 1.9 oz. ripstop, and at half the weight. So, while the standard weight tipis have more than proved themselves as very durable, the new Ultralites should be even more so. The hunting message board is a wealth of information about the stoves that accompany the tipis, since you mention them too. That board is on phase 3 now; boards 2 and 1 are "archived" but easy enough to find. There must be three years of data from users on the three boards. Excellent source for outside-of-Kifaru opinion and tips, etc.
There is no doubt that using a stove in one of our tipis keeps you going strong in cold weather conditions. Being able to get thoroughly warm, and bone dry, once or twice a day matters more than anything else, including food, clothing, sleeping bag and so forth. I've always thought the judicious use of the stove in one of our tipis by you operators (far enough away from the OBJ, in other words) would be very major in keeping you fully operational in serious cold. Whenever I read about training in the cold it's the relentless, day-after-day exposure to that cold that degrades performance. To the point where some men just fail in the mission. Anyway, a stint in these stove-equipped tipis once in a while cures that. If you can figure out how and when to use it such that the smoke doesn't give you away it WILL keep you fully operational indefinitely.

Patrick

[sak45acp]

Patrick,
I too am a big fan of the .308/.45 combo! Thankfully my CO when I was at Ft. Campbell felt the same way as you about "recharging" the body during cold weather by getting into a warm enclosure for a while. Now that I am in the National Guard, bringing a tipi with a stove out to the field is not such a big deal! And I only have to hump it for the weekend. Thanks for the info, I will try the hunter's board.

[Tyde]

Sak45ACP
Akio is a bastardised version of the word from the Inuit language for the baleen (whale teeth) sled. And heavy is a nice term for them. But, they did work for the gear used.

Tyde

[Razor]

Actually, 'ahkio' is of Finnish origin, and translates to 'sledge' or 'sled'.

[Tyde]

Razor,
Thank you for the point out. Goes to show, one should always make sure of one's facts before verbalizing them. I am guity of continuing an "old wives tale". After reserching the word Ahkio, I too will confirm that it is a Finnish word for Sleigh.

By the way, we used to used the ahkio while wearing our packs. Will the new packs and sleds allow this sort of loading? Is there some other highly integrated (Pack/Sled) features, like direct conect to pack or something?

Good Luck and Good Hunting

Tyde

[Patrick]

Tyde--

Yep, there'll be a connector between our sleds and our packs available. I used to do it between Mountainsmith packs and sleds too. With the Pals webbing on the waistbelts of our new Military Div. packs it'll be even more stable, etc. If you're asking about a connector between our packs and Ahkio sleds, I'd have to get my hands on an Ahkio and craft something. Doable (as most things are to a crazed designer), but I just don't know exactly how yet.

Patrick

[Tyde]

Patrick,
glad to hear this will be an integrated unit (Backpack/Seld). I don't think I would want to hook directly to an ahkio, especially not by myself. We actually used something like a dog sled towing system (rope system) with the ahkio. But, I was just asking about your sleds.

I hear you are taking votes for tipi colors. Put me down for Tan. I will be ordering mine before the new year (paratarp and Ultralite 4-man, I think).

On the military side, one of the areas that may pose a problem to you is light dicipline. Most nylon tents look like a big light saber when you turn a light on inside of them. I'm sure your guys are on top of this, just thought I would bring it up for debate.

Tyde

[Patrick]

Tyde--

OK, got you down for tan. Does this apply to military also? Speaking of military tipis, we will produce them with a black interior precisely because of the light emitting issue. No light will escape, in other words.

Patrick

[Tyde]

Patrick,
Sorry to say my vote is purely for self centered and selfish reasons (hunting). The black inside may make it a bit gloomy. FYI the tents we used here in AK were ten man, OD shell with a white liner. But, I think the spec ops boys will like the subdued look that a black inside will bring. And with that my MILITARY color would have to be OD Green or Sage. The shape is going to give it away if out in the open (color won't matter much)and the sage will blend with woodland, desert, and snow cover camoflage nets. Come to think of it, tan would work the same, and it's the color I would like for hunting. Yes, tan would be great (is that so wrong).

Tyde