First impressions

[bill s]

Just got my 6-man and medium stove setup. Am VERY impressed. Its been about 5 below here, bit of wind, the medium stove gets it up to 90 at face level, even 40 a couple inches above the snow. Amazing. Yes, one has to feed the stove frequently, but there is a learning curve there, am figuring out when to put in the bigger stuff, how much I can stuff in without smothering it. When it is going right, there is no smoke at all from the pipe, just shimmering heat waves. Frost does happen, and in the morning when the stove starts cranking, it turns to water, which will fall on you, but somehow it does not seem to be a problem when there is all that warmth. Not at all like sitting up in an icy backpacking tent and having it fall in your face while putting on your cold boots. Also the stand-up room is just wonderful, just turned 60, and most of you probably have no idea how stiff one can get even on a good pad, if you just are horizontal for hours and hours.Also, while the stove needs frequent feeding, it really doesn't use all that much wood - a pretty small pile lasted all evening. Trying to keep an outdoor campfire going hot enough to be adequate in subzero windy conditions takes a whole lot of wood. Glad Patrick thought outside the box on this one, glad I ponied up my Alaska PFD for it!!Am also really looking forward to summer canoe trips, like the idea of pitching it, then stepping inside to do the unpacking.

[Matt in AK]

You wouldn't be Bill S of the Montague Island deer hunt with Bob T and Tom R would ya? If so, howdy from DC.

Matt E

[12 Man]

keep up the reports on stove learning curve.Ordered 12 man and info like that is good to hear.cograts on the tent.We have been having some good cold weather here and wish i had it to test stove setup.all the best

[Matt in AK]

My stove lessons...
- Don't put too much wood in the stove before a good strong fir's buring. Being smoked out of a tent into the cold...sucks
- Bring along a small (1" x 6" fire starter just in case the wood is damp
- A couple cinnamon bagels laid on the stove when it's fired up in the morning make a nice warm breakfast

[bill s]

No, Matt, I'm not the one - several of my friends go to Montague for deer/black bear, but have never made it myself. Maybe once they've seen the tipi, I will be forced to go!! Last year they were in a horrid storm, wet for days. It has warmed up to about 20 here, its still a snug shelter, even in "warmer" weather.Bill

[MikeM]

Bill S, nice job with the stove. In winter, when I call it quits at night I ventilate both doors. Helps reduce the amount of frozen condensation from respiration. Mike M.

[Dave R.]

Bill,

Great to hear you like the six man...I have 4 man, and I'm 6'1''.. can't really do much standing to speak of. How tall are you? Sounds like you have more head room on the six man.

Dave

[bill s]

Dave, I am about your height also. The six man has about a foot more headroom than the 4 man - max height 7ft 6 in, so I can indeed stand completely, at least near the center, and walk around a bit by stooping some when not right by the pole. Its wonderful.One nice thing, nothing to do with function, but mine is white - on a moonlit night you get nice crisp spruce-tree shadows on it, it is nice to go to sleep in. You don't get that with a typical double wall tent - the tipi puts you closer to nature in that way. In every other way, though, you shut it out!! No wind, no cold, a snug shelter indeed. I will try ventilating the doors as Mike suggested. Interestingly, I'd thought most of the frost on the inside was from breath, but just as much formed one night when I wasn't in there - so I suppose its humidity from the warmed snow/ground and so on. But as "Doctor" Smith observes, once you get the stove going, the frost that turns to moisture just runs down the sides of the tipi and onto the ground, no harm done unless you have a full house, with sleepingbags pushed up against the fabric. Only flaw in this acquisition so far, wife spotted the charge on the Visa statement...would have been better if she'd never known. Bill