# ok all your horse camping folks. which wall tent is the best and why.?



## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

Just been talking to a keen outdoors riding friend and he asked me which wall tent would be the best to buy..

Here in NZ we dont really have much selection in good tents.

He wants to set up a summer camp and leave it erected all summer.

So help is needed..?

Who has been stealing all my carrots,.................??? smilies.


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

Outfitters Supply is the best source for trail riding and horse packing equipment


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I've used the Davis Tent for years. 
If you watch their website, They occassionally have their excess inventory sales at great prices.

They make wall tents in several fabrics so you can choose which fabric you prefer.

Wall Tents, Canvas Tents, canvas wall tent, canvas wall tent frames,


Ours is a 14' x16' Which is big enough 3-4 cots and a wood buring stove.
We run a ridge pole through the top and set it on two poles that we lash together on each end. The 14 x16 runs 60 lbs which offset the cyclinder stove we pack on the opposite of the horse.










We set it up and leave it for 4-6 weeks each fall. Since we come and go and are not there all 6 weeks. we place a blue tarp over it to help the snow slide off.


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

Thank you so much for posting your reply and cool photo of your camp setup..

Here in NZ we do have a lot of back country huts, but a good riding friend and I would like to buy a good substantial wall tent and set it up for our summer season away from the main tracks so we can ride out and base ourselves there for a few weeks to enjoy the mountain life away from this modern fast paced world.

I posted a link here to gain some feedback on various tent makes that you folks have used and recommend..

Cheers Tony


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

I didn't steal the carrots...some low life keeps stealing mine. Biscuit is withering away to nothing for the lack of carrots.


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

QOS said:


> I didn't steal the carrots...some low life keeps stealing mine. Biscuit is withering away to nothing for the lack of carrots.


Same here... there is a carrot thief amongst us..!

I gained a couple or three over the past couple of days to have them nicked by some masked chap....

I am not resorting to aiding this nicking by the temptation to nick others when prompted to have a go..(wink)...!Tony


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I didn't do it. Mine keep going down too.


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

We need to find the town Sheriff..... anyone seen him..?

He is useless.... out chasing his tail somewhere no doubt....

If we dont watch it there will be a plague of carrot nickers...! lol


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Somebody just got another one of mine................


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

Anyway, back to my original..?????? tell me about your wall tent for camping with horses..?
Anyone used a Montana Wall tent..?

That darn carrot nicker has caused me to loose my train of thought..lol


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I don't think the brand of a tent is so important as the features.

Decide what you want and shop to find that products.
Consider
Size 
Weight of the tent
How tall are the side and how tall is the ridgeline
Does it have a Window(s)
What fabric is it made out of. 
Zipper, snap or ties for the door closing
Sod cloth
Ridge Pole Sleeves
Do you want a rain fly or not

A standard square or retangluar wall tent made of 10.10 canvas will last years. Your biggest worries will be mildew. Make sure you dry the tent out before rolling it up.

We choose our size because I didn't want to exceed the 80lbs. That is the max I will put in one side of a panier. And it offset the 80lb stove we put on the opposite side of the horse.

Since we pack our tent in many miles, I don't carry poles, So our tent is set up with a poleless set up. We cut sapling around the camp area to support the tent and string a rope between two trees to support the ridgeline


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

This is exactly the information I am looking for,, here in NZ we dont generally take a tent horse camping as we have huts scattered all over but to me its nice to be able to set up a summer tent camp away from others, to enjoy the solitude,
You have given me valuble thoughts in what to look for, and like you weight is something I give consideration to in horse packing, as we too will be asking our horses to cart this gear over mountian passes and out to our camp site. Thank you..!


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

We always camp with canvas tents. The other kinds don't shed water as well, or at ALL. We have never had to put a plastic tarp on top of our tent to keep us dry.
We bought our wall tent, the 2 A-frames, the Sibley, and Baker's Tent and the 2 dog tents from CW Reenacting Sutleries. Couldn't tell you where else to get them.


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

Again, thank you for your post, and recommendations..

Probably like in your country, we do have elements of weather that do test us..

Winds can be gale force in spring early summer, and with every southerly weather change snow can fall anytime of yr in the mountain areas we ride in, so the tent we buy will need to be strong enough to withstand these conditions.

Here in NZ, there are any amount of light overnite hiking tents available, but when the chips are down, many either blow away, or simply collapse..

So hence why I am asking question in this forum, as I know many of you folks have tent camps in your winter and in harsh enviroments..

Cheers Tony


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Corporal said:


> We always camp with canvas tents. The other kinds don't shed water as well, or at ALL. We have never had to put a plastic tarp on top of our tent to keep us dry.


It's not to keep dry, But rather to get the snow to slide off.
When I leave a tent set up for 6 weeks, there may not be anybody around when the snow gods dump 36" of new snow overnight. 

For me it's a 2 hour drive in the truck then a 90 minute horse ride to get to my tent after leaving work on a friday afternoon. I really hate arriving at my camp site for a weekend of hunting to find my tent has collapsed under the weight of a Monday snow storm. Because if it does, I don't care how good the canvas is, A tent laying on top of cots will leak water and you will have wet sleeping bags. Not what I want to find when it's dark and 10°F outside.

If I was staying in camp, I could go out and shake the snow off after a heavy snow and the canvas would be just fine.

I don't use the wall tent in the summer months. Too much and too heavy to pack. I do just fine with a nylon dome tent for summer camp outs. But in October during hunting season. We can have 70° days or 0° nights. It can be warm and sunny or blowing blizzards of snow. We pack in a cylinder stove to keep the tent warm. Cots to get us up and off the frozen ground to sleep on. I want a place to come into and warm up after spending 12 hours tramping around the mountain looking for elk or deer.

I can open the window and let a little air in if we get to hot a fire going in the stove. Or I can let the smoke out if the fire gets smoky, wet or green wood or something.With a ridge pole, I can hang wet cloths up to dry over night fromt he heat of the stove. And of course I can cook a hearty meal on the stove. If a storm blows in and we have to hunker down and stay put for a day or two. At least I can standup and move around while we play cards or pass the time. In a small dome tent, You get feeling really cramped fast if you have to stay put.


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

Painted Horse.(sorry I dont know your real name ) I agree entirely with your post, 
I would also in a heartbeat cover the tent in a slippery cover to help aid snow to slide off the roof when not in camp.

I dont want a tent for camping in winter as winters here have often a couple metres of snow on the ground in some areas and often the only way in or out is over mountain passes, its too risky to travel..

But in later spring summer autumn, its fantastic to get away from life to camp.

We would need to take poles for our tent as much of our bush/ forest is of mature style trees with little saplings that are usable as tent poles..

Just talking to my riding mate, he suggested packing the tent and poles in a wrap and throwing it out of his plane at the camp site... not sure on that one..

Thank you all the folks who read and willing to post their thoughts and experiences ... I appreciate it..(smilies)

Tony


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

You can get 2 and 3 piece pole kits. But they add to the weight and all of sudden you need a extra pack horse. But if wanted to pack the poles in and leave them and then just bring the canvas when you travel each trip

This tent is setup on poles. Notice no sleeves for a ridge pole to protrude thru. 










A Snow covered tent as we come back from a week at work


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

looks like a good practical set up you have..

Funny you should mention bout stashing the poles up in the bush over winter, again just talking to my mate, he suggested the same and also leaving our heavier firebox up there in the bush as well over winter..

We will probably shift camp every year but its not too much drama to take in another empty pack horse at the start of the camp to shift the poles and firebox onto the next camp site..

As I am semi retired I seem to be spending more and more time away in the mountains and just love it with a couple of mates.

There is still so much area to explore in our country here, even thought I have lived in the area all my life....


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

On the last ranch we worked on, a good friend leased the hunting rights and had guided hunts. He had a couple of tents setup during the spring, summer and fall. The main tent was an old army surplus tent. It was the cook tent and the guides sleeping quarters. If I had to guess it measured 50' long and maybe 12' wide? Just a guess, he bought it from an army surplus store. Then they erected tarps over the top to keep the sun from damaging it and aided in the snow slideoff in those early snow storms.

We have bought a couple of range/cowboy tipis from Sheriden Tent & Awning in Wy.(I think I got the name right) Never had them long as range tipis make good trading material for bits and such..lol. I did buy a bedroll from them and still have it 10+ yrs later. It has been in some inmaginable places, the dogs have slept on it, the horses have ran it over and it has spent many miles on the flatbed or strapped to the fron of the gooseneck trailer. I think it is 12oz. Canvas... as with the range tipis.


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

Again, thank you.....

I cant help thinking of all the poor office workers etc who sit behind desks all their lives and never see or experience what we (horse folks) do..

To me its such a neat way of life, simple....and such a pleasure..!

I am enjoying looking and reading of your way of horse camping over there, as its quite different to our normal ways..I have gained some valuble tips that will adapt to our camping..(smilies)


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## canterburyhorsetrailrider (Aug 7, 2012)

What size dia verses weight of tent poles would be best,

Here in NZ all the tents available are only produced with around 25mm OD aloy poles..
I was reading that several wall tents over there have much larger Dia poles...
Do these stand up to snow loading ok, or do they still bend..?

What size wall tent could I purchase that is robust and up to around 45 to 50 kgs canvas weight..?


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

We generally just buy the Corners or Angles from the tent manufacture. Then we buy and cut Electrical Conduit for the straight lengths. Check with whom ever you buy your angles from. They can tell you what diameter pipe you will need to use with their angle system.

Any of the tent makers should be able to give you the weights for the various sizes. Contact them directly and find out what size tents fit in your weight range. It will really depend on the fabric, windows and doors, Stove Jacks etc.


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## nickpunt (Mar 27, 2013)

I was hoping you guys could give me some advice on what the best tent for camping is. I don't need a huge one because we'll probably only be sleeping about 5 people at the most but usually only 3. I was looking around online and I found this site Best Tents 3 Person Camping Tentand I'm considering the coleman sundome 4-person tent that I saw on the site. I know I've heard of coleman brands with other outdoor stuff so I feel like it's a pretty trusted brand? Anyways, just looking for some help on what brand tents are the best and suggestions if coleman isn't the way to go. Thanks.


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## Roadyy (Feb 9, 2013)

nickpunt said:


> I was hoping you guys could give me some advice on what the best tent for camping is. I don't need a huge one because we'll probably only be sleeping about 5 people at the most but usually only 3. I was looking around online and I found this site Best Tents 3 Person Camping Tentand I'm considering the coleman sundome 4-person tent that I saw on the site. I know I've heard of coleman brands with other outdoor stuff so I feel like it's a pretty trusted brand? Anyways, just looking for some help on what brand tents are the best and suggestions if coleman isn't the way to go. Thanks.


I use the Big Agnes Scout UL2 tent for our rough camping trips and when I go to the offroad parks with my Jeep. It has served me well.

You may look at Eureka or The North Face brands as well for good quality tents that aren't what I consider one season users.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Canterbury, have you considered using hammocks with rain sheets? The whole works weighs maybe 5 lbs. A good web site to google is hennesseyhammocks as they have a number of versions and great tips. Much more comfortable than sleeping on the ground or trying to pack all the conventional camping gear. A hammock, fly sheet and a good warm sleeping bag is all you need. In the daytime it doubles as a chair.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

The "Best Tent" is really a factor of what you want it to do.
In October at 9,000 foot elevation, It might drop to 0° and dump two feet of snow. So I want a tent that can stand up to that and keep me warm and give me some room to move a little if I'm stuck in the tent a lot. Late October it's dark at 6pm and doesn't get light until 7am. So I got 13 hours I might be in a tent. I might sleep 8 hours of that time. If I'm stuck in a small dome tent, I'd go crazy sitting around for 5 hours waiting for bedtime. At least in a big wall tent we can get up and move around, Clean our guns, play cards etc.

Summer time when it's warm, I just want something that's easy to put and will shed a good thunderstorm.

So what is the best tent? Depends on what I'm doing with it.


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## Roadyy (Feb 9, 2013)

For a wall tent I would do as someone stated above and get an army tent from the local Army/Navy store then pack it in during a couple of trips to get it all there. I see them listed on CL here all the time for around $450 for the big ones. That would be great for a large party as you could always sew in rings/tabs to drape interior walls to make small rooms for privacy/restroom and such. 

Here is one of the local ads for an 18'x36' Military tent to give an idea.

Military Tent 18'X36'


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## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

canterburyhorsetrailrider said:


> Just been talking to a keen outdoors riding friend and he asked me which wall tent would be the best to buy..
> 
> Here in NZ we dont really have much selection in good tents.
> 
> ...


I you want to leave it up all Summer (or even a few weeks) you'll really want to look at something like Painted Horse uses. That's the high life  and if you plan to be at the same spot for that long you may as well be comfortable. I don't mind suffering some, but only if I have to.

My horse camping is bit different, but I'm sure I'll out grow it some day :lol:.
I travel light (but not as light as 30+ years ago, but I'm not as tough today :lol. When I camp I'm generally never in the same place for more that 2 nights during the week (which is usually when I resupply). The rest of the time it's ride until afternoon/evening, unload, set out the horse, set up the "camp" :lol: (a light weight pop up tent that just will hold everything and me). Feed, eat, sleep, feed, eat, repack, saddle up, ride and repeat :lol:. Most of the weight is me, then the feed, the saddle/tack, the rest of the gear.

I've never saw what the carrots are for anyway so I don't bother with them unless they show up next to the basket. You can have mine :lol:


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

This has been an enlightening thread re tents. Me? I'm like lbs-not-miles. When I'm out, I rarely spend more than a night or two in one spot. My favorite setup is a waterproof ground sheet, a 3" self-inflating pad (like him, I'm getting older and need more padding nowadays), and a tight-weave canvas cover sheet. I haven't used a tent in years.

It's like this. The waterproof ground sheet is about 5X7, just enough to keep the sleeping bag off the ground and give a little space for my clothes, boots, hat, and gun on it. The sleeping pad not only gives me a little padding, but adds insulation from the cold ground. I use either a summer or winter sleeping bag, depending on the temperatures I expect. The cover tarp is a treated 7X8 or so tight-weave canvas. That covers everything and allows enough space to reach out over the edges of your ground sheet. If it rains, the canvas tightens and stiffens up. You simply kick up a little under it and it forms a dome over you and runs the water off. You have to make sure the edges of your ground sheet are under it, or the water will run off the tarp and onto it, wetting your bag and clothing. The cover canvas also doubles as a pack cover for our pack saddles. We try to minimize our gear by making things like ropes and tarps to double duty as much as possible.

If we expect wet weather or snow, we will tie up a plastic tarp, about 12X12 or so, and make a lean-to type cover of it, so we can keep a fire an cook, keep our gear, packs, and saddles dry, etc..

Having said all that, I have to disclose that most of my packing has been in Arizona, where we don't have a lot of rain most of the year, and my pack trips are not normally above 9,000' like Painted horse. I have, however, experienced hail, sleet, snow, rain, wind, lightening, and occasionally sunshine and clear nights with my setup with satisfactory results...at least to my satisfaction, anyway. I'm easy to please when I'm out with my horses and dog.:lol:


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

In the summer I pack a smaller dome tent, It's big enough to squeeze 3 people in for sleeping. But you will really go crazy if you had to spend much time in the tent. Such as sitting out a couple days of rain.









Even though I don't need the extra warmth. I usually take a 3 season tent that has full rain fly. I've spent a lot of days in a tent during some pretty wet days during the summer monsoon season.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Personally, I like Sheridan Tent and Awning for their wall tents and range tents (tee pees). I've used both types and like their work at the seams and everywhere that reinforcing is needed.

Their products have really performed over the years.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

boots said:


> Personally, I like Sheridan Tent and Awning for their wall tents and range tents (tee pees). I've used both types and like their work at the seams and everywhere that reinforcing is needed.
> 
> Their products have really performed over the years.


I have talked to them over the phone, super nice people, very helpful!
I would buy from them again


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