Base Camp Tent Stoves

[Tucson T4R]

My King Kamper tent has a stove jack for a wood burning stove for heat. Does anyone have any experience with wood burning stoves for heating a large wall tent (10X20 foot)? Any suggested stove designs or lessons learned?

Here's an example of what I am thinking of:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...002&hasJS=true


Pics of inside and outside of tent:

[Haggis]

While I've never use one for a tent, I have done so with leanto shelters. I think the most important aspect is not so much stove design but to make sure you have a flue that matches the heat and burning output of your stove. Placement of the dampner in the flue itself is something that you just about have to experiment with for the best results, some stoves like the dampner close to the stove outlet for best preformance while others operate more efficientily a little farther downstream in the smoke flow. Try not to neck down the stove pipe to much or the stove will just smolder no matter how much you open the dampner. I like to be about three foot above the roof ( around 9 to 12 foot total length) for best draw, anymore than that might restrict the draw and hamper heat output. Again this is something you have to play with, all stoves react different. I usually make my transition from cement board for the leantos, but I presume that your going to use a stove jack panel. Are you going out the wall or thru the roof? Either way make sure to get a spark arrestor so you lessen the chances of burning a hole in your tent. Clean the flue after each use to prevent creosote build up. Also if your stove doesn't come with a grate, you might want to make one up. It'll improve ariflow and draft and make ash cleaning easier. Avoid soft wood if possible, to much resin causing excessive creosoting and sparking. That might be difficult where you live, but if you do use softwood you'll definitely need the spark arrestor. That said fires are just cool, or hot or something along those lines....

[spunky2268]

...what Haggis said, plus, check out the forums on Kifaru.net. Lots of info in the Tipis, Shelter & Camping forum. The Hunting forum, too. Everything from types of wood to types of stoves, not just theirs. Also, check some alternatives out here:

http://www.itrheat.com/non-powered-c.html for fuel oil/diesel/#2...

and here:

http://www.nuwaystove.com/ for propane and wood.

I have the Nu Way stove that burns wood. Nice little bugger. I purchased it for trips using my pulk - he doesn't fold up. Got it for $20 at a flea market, so couldn't resist. Man, does he eat wood though. The bottom is open for good draft. Fine for the confines of a small shelter, but for long, comfortable nights, I'd look to something with an airtight firebox. YMMV.

Spunky

[offroadchef]

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...002&id=0005869



Do you have a opening for a stove like that? In the link above you will see that there is a opening for the wood burning stove.

[Willman]

My brother-in-law has a huge Elk camp style tent....He has one of those stoves that puts out some huge heat!

Just what offroadchef said.....your going to need to vent the stove...

Other than that....its a great idea for keeping really warm!

[ken richardson]

You might look at these. There is some good info too here as well. Just click on the stuf on the left side.

http://www.fourdog.com/cat_files/Page330.htm

[Tucson T4R]

Great feedback and ideas everyone, thank you. Yes I have a stovejack vent in the roof of the tent that is designed for a stovepipe. I'll check out all your links and see what what I can find that will be a good fit.

[Lynn]

All I know is that I worked with a CO outfitter one year during Elk season. He had old-fashioned wall tents with sheephearders stoves (like the Cabelas one you linked). He would come in and stoke the fire about 30 min. before everyone crawled out of their sacks.

NICE!!!!

Also, I saw an interesting one at an Arny surplus dealer in CO. It was made from a mil-surplus ammo can (a big one), and you could store the stove pipe sections inside the stove. Kind cool. IIRC the company offered kits to make your own. Sorry, don't recall any more than thay.

[Sgt Grunt]

Brad,

We have used 2 different stoves over the last 15 years of elk hunting in our wall tents. The first was in a 16 x 20 tent and is a kerosene with thermostat. It used about 40 gallons a week keeping the tent about 70 degrees. The second in a 16 x 16 tent is a standard potbelly stove, with 6 gallon water tank on the side.

Both have advantages, Kerosene stove lighter overall weight, has a thermostat, and could possibly use kerosene on both this stove and the one in the KK, can't cook or heat water with this stove easily.

The potbelly, you can cook on it and heat water, heavier, you would have to cut wood and clean it.

I am planning to try both of them in my KK, but as for how we used them in the wall tents, I always prefered the potbelly...


Sorry for the crude photochopping to protect the innocent....

[Tucson T4R]

OK, after a little research I ordered my wood burning camp stove today.

It's a Summit ridge model and should do a nice job heating the tent and supplying on tap hot water. It better be cold for my Feburary hunting trip or I'm gonna be bummed. LOL



I purchased it form here:

http://www.walltentshop.com/summit.htm