One Person Tent/Bivy Camping-Bow/Rifle I
Equipment
I am gearing up to go solo hunting in the fall. I am on a budget so I am making my purchases accordingly.
I did some research and bought a Eureka Solitaire bivy style one person tent. It has a little extra room inside but not a lot.
This past week, I did some backyard camping to see if I would be warm enough in my sleeping set up. It was in the low forties in the early mornings with condensation and dew on the outside of the tent and the ground.
Obviously, I had to store my clothes inside of the tent along with my boots. When you guys go camping and hunting, do you usually bring your bow or rifle inside of the tent or do you leave it outside?
Depends on what kind of shelter I'm in. If there is room I like to brimg my bow in at night but I sometimes use a small ultralight tarp and in those cases I don't have room for the bow inside and will leave it out. If I leave it out I usually try to hang it in a tree or something so it's up off the ground.
Depends... where I like to hunt the reason you sleep with your firearm is so you can fight off a bear trying to cuddle with you in the middle of the night. The problem is in a bivy you are pretty much only going to be able to shoot toward your feet as there is no room to turn the rifle around.
My packs have built in rain flys so I just put my clothes and boots in my pack and cover it with the rain fly. My hunting rifles are all stainless and with my bows, getting wet is just part of the price of hunting in Alaska. They get abused like no other so they can just stay next to me outside or under the pack. Pistol inside the bivy if I’m bowhunting.
I prefer a tent with a vestibule for storing gear. You can also get a super light sil-nylon tarp to create more storage. Another easy thing to bring is a contractor grade garbage bag that you can put stuff in that you want to keep dry. it also works to put meat in so your pack doesn't get all bloody (just remember not to store meat in plastic since it will not cool/dry properly)
With staying warm your pad is just as important as your sleeping bag. Make sure your pad is insulated if you want to be warm.
I like a tent with 2 vestibules. I will have one vestibule dedicated to my gear such as, backpack, rifle or bow and boots. The other side I leave open to get in and out so I'm no climbing over my things.
A two man lightweight 3 season tent is my preference. One man tents are nice for weight but trying to keep gear and clothes dry, getting dressed, riding out an all day storm all are a pain.
Glunt@Work, that is what I was thinking as well. As I was getting undressed and then dressed in the morning, I couldn't imagine standing outside my small tent and trying to do so if it was raining or worse yet, snowing.
Keep in mind after a hard day's hiking, keeping your clothes and boots inside your tent causes condensation in the inner walls. As that moisture evaporates it has to go somewhere....
If I am near a tree I just hang my bow, I always have a rubber wire tie or two on my pack. One less thing to work around under my tarp.
1 person is the perfect compromise between a bivy and 2 man. My bow is outside and my pack is covered with a fly or tarp. My sleep stuff is inside plus anything I need for the morning. I use a BA 1 man Copper Spur.
I like to hang up my Bow if camping in trees. If above treeline then it goes on top of the pack in the vestibule of my two man tent. I much prefer double vestibule with double side doors style of backpack tents if two are going.
On that note, the one man Big Agnes tent I once had did not have a vestibule of any size and the single ridge pole would flatten in high winds. It was also too low in the foot section for size 13 feet on top of a Thermarest Neoair pad. Overall a poor choice that I made that went on to a new home with full disclosure of my dislikes.
Good luck with your choice!
Too expand above, I still haven’t found the perfect one man tent so choose to use the two man.
I also have a 2 man with 2 vestibule. If I'm expecting rain I put my pack in one vestibule with my bow on top. Normally I hang it in a tree with my pack leaning against the base.
I have a two man MSR Hubba NX. I also have a Big Agnes Seed House one man. I like the extra room from the two man. The little extra weight isn't a big deal. Also later on you'll most likely want a two man.
I'm getting the copper spur 2. My Mountain Hardware UL2 has seen it's last hunt. No more crawling in the front and turning around inside. A 2 person is really a 1 person with a little extra space. Typically, my bow stays outside the tent leaned against the nearest tree or log. With the 2 vestibules, I'll lean it on my pack under cover. Not that it makes a difference. Unless you're dealing with a little snow ;)
I also use a "2 man" as I am a bigger guy. The rain fly has a small enclosed area by the door for my boots and bow. Not sure how you would fit 2 people in it comfortably.
In the back country sleep is critical....so whatever makes that possible go for it. I sacrifice a couple of pounds for the trade off.
Same as trial. I hang my bow in a spruce next to the trunk. Works.
Like they said above..... a two man is really a one man tent. If you want to sleep two men in a two man tent.... well, no. Just no. I have a three man that fits two comfortably without being tooo comfortable. With one it's a palace...... Double vestibule so gear on one end and entry on the other. And double wall cuts way back on the condensation.
Bow I hang outside if possible. It's not housebroken......
Anyone eant to buy a Eureka Solitaire Tent??? Used twice in my back yard!!! :-D
a 2 man tent is perfect for one person and some gear. Bow hangs out side, under trash bag or pine limbs for protection.
a 2 man tent is perfect for one person and some gear. Bow hangs out side, under trash bag or pine limbs for protection.
add a light weight tarp for more protection if needed. this tent I can set up and get dressed. A must for me is enough head height.
add a light weight tarp for more protection if needed. this tent I can set up and get dressed. A must for me is enough head height.
I have had problems with mice/voles/rodents chewing on gear (boots, socks, packs) that isn’t inside the tent. I go with a 2 person tent.
I have two other smaller tents. I think they might be either a two person or a 4 person. I'm guessing it is about 6 foot by 6 foot and maybe I'll set it up on Thursday see how it works in my backyard.
The other problem I ran into was using my 19 degree Kelty down mummy style sleeping bag. It covers up my whole head including most of my face and keeps me warm but I feel a little claustrophobic in it. I might try a different sleeping bag also. I have an insulated inflatable pad from REI.
I prefer a side entry/vestibule tent and have a Marmont EOS 1P tent. At 6' tall my feet/head doesn't touch the ends. The vestibule shelters my pack and boots and my recurve bow only if snowing.
2 man. The added weight is worth it. In AK also started carrying a 13 oz. tarp with us wherever we went. Showers were common on my son's Dall hunt a couple years back. We would jerk the tarp out and sit under it until the rain quit. Once he got the sheep we were able to cover the meat and gear a ways from the tent while we made our way back to where the plane picked us up. 5 days later.
You spend a lot of time sitting on sheep and goat hunts and the tarp added a lot of convenience.
Take a look at the Tarptent Stratospire 1. It's a little pricey but has tons of room for 1 person and is really light - right at 2lbs. It also has a lot of room on either side for your gear. If you want to go even lighter and sleep 2 people take the mesh or solid interior out and you would be at 21.06 oz.
