Kodiak tent questions

[AndrewClarke]

I'm about to buy a Kodiak tent. I pretty much have to buy it today if I'm going to get it shipped in time, and I have some last minute questions. I've left a message with Kodiak too, so I'll post here if they have anything helpful to say.

I'm probably planning on buying the 10x14 Flex-bow tent (http://www.kodiakcanvas.com/6014/). However, I'm also considering the 12x9 cabin tent (http://www.kodiakcanvas.com/9x12-ft-6-person-canvas-cabin-tent/).

Flex-bow advantages:
- Larger interior floor size
- Supposedly easier setup

Cabin tent advantages:
- Huge external awning that can be turned into a room
- 7'6 ceiling height, a full 1'2 higher than the flex-bow.

I'm 6'4, and the peak height of the flex-bow is 6'6. This means that although I can theoretically stand up in the tent, I'll be only standing up in the middle and my head will probably brush the ceiling if I so much as move. I can't really tell if that will be OK or if will annoy the heck out of me. On the other hand, spending an extra 15 minutes setting up the tent every time will annoy me too.

I have two young kids, and most of our camping is only going to be for 1-2 nights at a time. The tent is going to be moved a lot, so ease of setup is important. There are a lot of bugs around here, so having a bit of extra space inside a tent is nice too. OTOH we still have our rooftop tent, so I can put the kids to bed in there (on a trailer) and still have the Kodiak tent for the grownups to sit in.

If anyone has any experience with the Kodiak cabin tents, I'd really appreciate hearing about them. Also, if you're about my height and you have a flex-bow tent, how much room do you actually have in there to move around?

Thanks a lot,
- Andrew.

 

[AndrewClarke]

I got a call back from the customer service rep at Kodiak. That was surprising, as it was an international call for him to Canada. He recommended the Flex Bow. He said that the guy who designed the tents is 6'4 and wanted a tent he could stand up in. He also said that the cabin tent is a totally different pole design and is harder to set up. His view was that once youv'e staked out the flex-bow tent, it's about a 30 minute setup, but the cabin tent can take twice that. He said he's heard of people setting up the cabin tents on their own but has no idea how they accomplish that alone.

Now all I had to do was order the tent to be sent to the US for my trip across the border next week. All went well until I realized that www.sportsmanswarehouse.com only accepts cards with US billing addresses. WHAT??!? I was so flabbergasted, I didn't really know what to say. Hopefully a friend in the US will bail me out on this one.

 

[alia176]

good info, thanks for sharing that others will sure to appreciate.

 

[AndrewClarke]

good info, thanks for sharing and others will sure to appreciate.

You're welcome and, oh, you're welcome ;-). A buddy bought the tent on my behalf which was great. I'm really looking forward to trying it out next weekend.

 

[AndrewClarke]

I got my tent on Friday, and on Saturday we went camping at a campground. I was very pleasantly surprised at how much headroom there is. I'm 6'4 and it feels very airy and spacious inside. I have to be probably 2' away from the tent wall before my head starts to brush the ceiling. I'm not sure why Kodiak advertises a 6'6 ceiling height, but it's definitely higher in the centre. Maybe that's the average height.

My first setup of the tent on Friday night in the back yard took about 25 minutes. This doesn't include the awning, but it included our learning time. The second setup took less time, although we didn't time it. Take-down is quick and easy.

One downside I hadn't heard mentioned before is that you have to walk on the tent to set it up. I don't see a way to avoid having footprints all over your tent wall and ceiling, unless you bring a towel or something and are conscientious to use it from the beginning. It's a light fabric, so the footprints and dirt definitely show.

I'm looking forward to giving it more extended use in the future, but so far I'm very very happy with this tent. It's easy to set up, solidly built, looks nice, and has the space to easily take the four of us and still feel spacious.

- Andrew.

 

[alia176]

Thanks for the real life feedback!

 

[cjj98xj]

I have the 10'x10' Flex-Bow Kodiak and absolutely love it. The more you use it, the quicker you can set it up. I can put mine up by myself in about 10 minutes with the awning from the time I pull it out of the bag. As for the footprints...I've noticed the same. I just take my shoes off and walk on the tent in my socks, then slip on the shoes when I step off to raise the roof.

Overall a great purchase in my opinion. I love mine and I'm sure you will love your's the more you use it.

 

[AndrewClarke]

I have the 10'x10' Flex-Bow Kodiak and absolutely love it. The more you use it, the quicker you can set it up. I can put mine up by myself in about 10 minutes with the awning from the time I pull it out of the bag. As for the footprints...I've noticed the same. I just take my shoes off and walk on the tent in my socks, then slip on the shoes when I step off to raise the roof.

Overall a great purchase in my opinion. I love mine and I'm sure you will love your's the more you use it.

Shoes? Socks? Maybe that's my problem

 

[Honu]

what about kneeling out onto it to setup the middle bar and spreader bars

we had one and set it up this way once

our new tent we also kinda have to walk over a bit ?

 

[Crom]

Thanks for this info. I'm researching this tent and the pictures and description are very helpful.

 

[Redsrover]

Old thread, I know...but my 10x10 Kodiak flex bow tent is terrific. I've used it 2+ years now and it always is a 10 minute set-up including ground tarp, staking, raising, and the awning. No footprints on mine, why would anyone need to walk on the collapsed tent? Just kneel at the edge of the tent to slip the flex bow rods into their sleeves and insert the center rod. Easy as that.

My tent has gotten wet every time I've taken it to the woods and has always dried just fine. It usually dries out in camp with enough sun before we pack up to head home. Twice I have had to break camp in the rain. In those cases I just rolled up the tent with the rubber bottom side out and chucked in the truck for the drive home. Once home I either set the tent back up in the yard if it's sunny, or hang by the corner grommets from the rafters in my garage. Whatever the case is, I have no mold or stains or anything on mine.

As far as the size is concerned, I'm 6'2" barefooted and have no problem with headroom in the tent. My cot and all my gear fits just perfectly, and there's even room for a chair and cooler and storage when I camp alone. Last April I went into the NC woods to camp with a group including a guy with the Kodiak Canvas tent cabin mentioned earlier in this post. My God that tent was bad ***. Nice and roomy main compartment, and the awning section was like having another tent! His had the zip-in screen walls and door which made the awning even better. Best tent in the group by far. I'm just glad I didn't have to set that thing up and break it down. No way. It was crazy how long it took to set that thing up, and then break it down. If you are like me, when camping quick setup and take down is key. Not the case with the tent cabin. Unless, of course, you travel with someone who has one and they show up to the camping area an hour before you do. In that case....

100% recommend.

 

[AndrewClarke]

Thanks for verifying I bought the right model of tent Maybe the reason you don't need to crawl or walk out on yours is that you have the 10x10 and not the 10x14. I have an extra 2' of length on either end that maybe makes it a bit more difficult to set up the poles. Or maybe I'm just not very good at it.

I was supposed to head out last weekend but the whole family got pretty sick and we had to cancel. Disappointing. I'm hoping to head out for a fun time with the kids this weekend though, which will at least partially make up for it.

- Andrew.

 

[Crom]

Andrew, How do you like the 10x14 size?

I am contemplating the different sized tents the 10x10 or the 10x14. I'm trying to plan for now and in the future. I have a 2 year old and a baby on the way (here in October). I'm thinking the larger sized tent is probably better for family camping. The 10x10 looks nice too.

I was a little worried the 10x14 would be too large at campgrounds or places to setup when out in the back country.

The 10x10 seems more manageable, but perhaps too small for a family of four.

Whatcha think?

 

[AndrewClarke]

Before i bought the tent, I grabbed a tarp and marked out both sizes in my back yard. I decided to go with the 10x14. Unfortunately around here most of the camping I can do, certainly with this tent, will be in established campgrounds. The last one I went to easily had room for this tent. I'm sure you could easily fit a family of 4 in a 10x10, but really the 10x14 feels spacious and luxurious. I'm glad we got it.

Remember that other than the awning, which is optional, the tent doesn't need guy wires. This reduces its virtual footprint to the same size as its actual footprint, if that makes sense.

 

[Crom]

Thanks. Earlier today I was working on a Viso diagram to illustrate how the space might be used in the 10 x 14. I'll most likely do that same exercise in my back yard. You have an excellent point about no guy wires. I realize too that once my kids are bigger I can always sell the tent and buy the smaller one if I wanted to...

I do like the notion of spacious and luxurious

Thanks again.