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Old 02-20-2010, 10:04 AM
 
Location: AK
854 posts, read 1,967,886 times
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-50 in new hampshire?
i don't think that the weather on top of mt. washington is very representative of the more inhabited parts of the state...
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Old 02-20-2010, 10:19 AM
 
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Tebts are mean to be temerary shlter and mvoeable shelter;so long term is really out.
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Old 02-20-2010, 12:30 PM
 
Location: The Woods
18,337 posts, read 26,391,349 times
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Tents were used long term in the past rather frequently worldwide. Some still do today.

The best tent would be made of a heavy material, preferably natural canvas as it's warmer, with good quality stakes, etc., so it withstands the weather. Best to have one that accepts a small tent stove too for heat. Something like a wall tent or a teepee type design.
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Old 02-20-2010, 02:10 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bortstc37 View Post
-50 in new hampshire?
i don't think that the weather on top of mt. washington is very representative of the more inhabited parts of the state...

That -50 wasn't normal and wasn't on top of My Washington either. It was in Cannan Valley, a small valley inside the Ossipee Ring D I K E, and there because of a wild Montreal Express. (got nannied and for a common geolodgical word)

Had it not been for the fact I have spent over year apx 40 weeks at and around Mt Washington as a part time winter care taker for the Randolf Mt Club, and a private winter hiker, I doubt I would have passed the test to live in a tee pee at -50.

-40 on the other hand in some years is typical of winter temps here. There are years like this one, where the temps have not been much below -10, but then that isn't very typical either.

The winters here tend to offer 2 maybe 3 weeks of that sort of cold and them moderate.

And then the southern half of the state may never see that cold if you draw a line mid way east to west cutting the map in northern and southern halves. But I don't know how it is below that line, since i never lived there.
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Old 02-21-2010, 03:14 PM
 
Location: AK
854 posts, read 1,967,886 times
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it seems as though the lower temperature ever recorded in NH was -47, but that was on top of mt. washington. lower elevations will have lower temperatures, naturally (adiabatic rates do apply...).

i don't doubt that the winters (in towns, not on mountaintops) get well below zero at times, but i think -40s would be very atypical.

here in northwestern alaska, we've only gotten into the -20s this winter (so far). sounds like you oughta move up here for some milder weather!
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Old 02-21-2010, 05:09 PM
 
Location: Way on the outskirts of LA LA land.
3,051 posts, read 11,566,138 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sunsprit View Post
Take a look at the Cabela's line of "outfitter" tents for a reasonably priced durable canvas wall tent, in various sizes. They are optioned with a reinforced vent for the cook/heating stove, so it's safe and convenient to run a stove in there for however much you need it. Having straight walls gives a lot more useable interior space for the footprint of the tent, too. I've camped with this type of tent in high winds where all the other tents ... domes, or whatever shapes they had with lots of rods reinforcing them ... blew away and I had the only structure that remained standing. It may have swayed around a little bit, bit it stayed standing and comfortable and dry.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bortstc37 View Post
if you have a way carry one, a wall tent is the ideal thing, especially if you have a wood stove to put in it. people live in the AK interior in wall tents with temperatures at -40 or lower.
Quote:
Originally Posted by arctichomesteader View Post
The best tent would be made of a heavy material, preferably natural canvas as it's warmer, with good quality stakes, etc., so it withstands the weather. Best to have one that accepts a small tent stove too for heat. Something like a wall tent or a teepee type design.
All of the above opinions tend to point toward a canvas "outfitter" wall type tent, which I agree would be a great tent for long term survival. I am considering the purchase of the Cabela's Ultimate Alaknak tent, which isn't canvas, but rather a heavy polyester (aka Cabela's XTC - eXtreme Tent Cloth) fabric. It has a stove jack and an optional roof panel protector that can be used with a woodburning stove. The stove could be used for both heat and cooking. There are also other options, such as vestibules and floor protectors that can be added. This type of tent would be best for a medium to large sized family, or even two small families, depending on the size chosen.

Other than the size and weight of a large tent, the most common obstacle that seemed to plague users was proper setup (at least from the reviews I read). These large tents need to be securely staked in order to hold up to the elements. One reviewer even went so far as to suggest using heavy stakes intended for concrete forms, for securing the tie-downs for the tent. This may be a bit overkill, but it probably depends on where the tent is being used, as well as the elements it will be exposed to.

Here is a link for more information about the Alaknak series of tents:

Cabela's Ultimate Alaknak™ Tent

Here is a link to Cabela's Tent Buyer's Guide (which is full of useful information for selecting the right tent):

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/co...ts_514266.html

Of course you don't have to purchase your tent from Cabela's, since there are many sources available. I have purchased tents at Sears, Walmart, and Big 5 in the past, and have been reasonably satisfied with each of them. The selection of the proper tent depends largely on your usage requirements. Factors to keep in mind are wind conditions, expected temperatures, potential precipitation, sleeping capacity, and storage capacity. Finally, your decision should be based on what you are able to afford that meets your needs. Many inexpensive tents will hold up well for a few seasons of use, but after that, they may need to be repaired or discarded. If you are purchasing a tent for emergency temporary shelter (as suggested in the OP), this may be all you need it to do. If you're purchasing a tent to use as a base camp for hunting every fall, you'll want something more durable.

Last edited by jdavid93225; 02-21-2010 at 05:18 PM..
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Old 02-21-2010, 05:34 PM
 
Location: Sinking in the Great Salt Lake
13,139 posts, read 22,733,232 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by willdufauve View Post
You only have to look at the photos coming from Haiti to figure maybe it's time to think differently about owning a tent. Most tents will leak, blow over in high winds, difficult to erect under stressful conditions, elastic shock cords wear out, cheap ground stakes...

Best tents for long-term survival in relative comfort?
There is only one kind of tent I would want to actually live in on a more or less permanent basis.

Tipi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It keeps the elements out, you can build a fire inside and stay toasty warm yet still get fresh air circulation, it won't blow over and it's oozing with style.
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Old 02-21-2010, 06:44 PM
 
Location: OUTTA SIGHT!
3,018 posts, read 3,552,597 times
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Survival Guide to Homelessness
Street Homeless - Life on the Streets - Homeless Forums

These people have tons of first hand knowledge about this subject.
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Old 02-21-2010, 07:09 PM
 
201 posts, read 234,775 times
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i would suggest a military "GP medium" however you need a few people to set it up. i think they are configured to allow for a stove pipe to exit the top and are made of a heavy canvass with aluminum framing. i would assume they are also heavy and expensive.

perhaps learning to build from raw materials and packing a sharp axe would be better in a pinch, but obviously less comfortable.

interesting discussion though. thank you all.
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Old 02-22-2010, 04:51 PM
 
Location: Interior AK
4,731 posts, read 9,913,207 times
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Well, we've been comfortably living full-time in a 16x20 canvas wall tent for over 6 months out here in the Alaskan bush so I might be a little biased

A lot depends on the climate you're trying to live in as to what makes a perfect tent; but some basic rules pretty much apply to any of them:
1) tall enough to stand up comfortably in at least some portion
2) ability to have a fire or stove inside for cooking, heating, light
3) durable material to withstand weather
4) durable infrastructure to withstand weather
5) firm means of attachment to withstand weather
6) some means to keep you separated from the ground (at least where you lay down)

Our wall tent has 5' side walls and the ridge is about 9', so you can easily stand up and walk around except at the very edges.

It is made from fire/mildew treated heavy canvas with a very heavy poly rain fly -- the fly bears the brunt of the precipitation and is easier to replace if necessary than the tent. It also keeps the canvas from getting burnt if sparks escape the chimney.

The supports are steel angle brackets connected with 1" aluminum EMT electrical conduit cut to length.

We built a platform 3' above grade to keep our tent well off the ground and above the snow line, the tent & fly is secured to the platform with ropes through eye bolts, and the platform itself is attached to the ground with tension cables and deep earth anchors. She's stood up to 30+ mph gusts so far, just a little rocking and swaying.

We have a tent stove, with a silicon stove jack through the tent roof, that we put on a raised/ventilated platform topped with heat shield (a sheet of tin) -- the rest of the floor is covered in ground cloth, with carpet or tile (peel-n-stick vinyl) over top.

In the winter, we attach 3" rigid foam insulation to the frame with zip-ties. It was 40 below for over a week, and as long as we kept the stove burning it was perfectly comfortable inside.

Now, this tent is NOT light!! Canvas is extremely heavy and the steel tent stove is extremely heavy... Two people could hike these into the bush one at a time if necessary with the right rigging, but it wouldn't be a piece of cake. Since we built a platform, this is obviously not meant to be ultra-portable... but we can move it (and the platform) if necessary. It's also not the easiest to erect, but we did get the tent set up in an afternoon (it just takes practice and good tent-folding!).

In my experience, if you want lightweight portability, you sacrifice strength and durability in the end. I've never had a nylon tent with light framing last more than 6 months constant use in all weather, but canvas will easily last 2 years (or more with proper maintenance).

A heavy tent resists wind better than a light one, but a big tent catches more of the wind... earth anchors (or at least 2-4' of rebar - not pansy little 9" stakes) are essential if you live in a high wind area! Nylon will absolutely NOT hold up to cold temps, but would be perfectly acceptable in a warm and/or humid location since it dries a LOT faster than canvas. You'd have a constant battle with mold and mildew using most canvas in a very humid or wet location, but the treatments work pretty well as long as you clean the material and reapply (at least once a year) during a dry spell.
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