Click here to view the Colorado Cylinder Stove.
Day 2 - Subzero temperatures
Day 6 - Installing the damper and rain cap onto the stove, comparing a Mr. Buddy heater
Day 14 - My favorite go-to Camping Chair and putting in the 10x14 Floor Liner
Day 22 - Setting up the wall enclosure and showing whether the stove can keep the enclosure and tent warm.
Day 37 - The Lodge Tent in heavy snow, heater efficiency in snow, heating up the awning area.
Day 65 - Using a Heat Robber (don't use one) and a Heat Thermometer to save Fuel
Day 100 – Review through the worst of the winter.
Day 110 – How much wood does the stove require in very cold weather?
4 Months and Final Review in 360 Degree Video - Using a Heat Robber (don't use one) and a Heat Thermometer to save Fuel
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9 Comments
Marc
Do you think the tent floor will let moisture in? I've heard other canvas tent manufacturers have the vinyl that runs a little ways up the base/side of the tent. They say canvas in contact with the ground will wick moisture up the sidewall.
Charley Hansen
Marc, that's a really good question. This type of cotton canvas doesn't wick water. Also you'll notice on many of the tents the vinyl actually goes up an inch. I mention Yellowstone and a lot of my videos and blogs, because they have some of the worst downpours. The very first time I ever used the Kodiak tent we had a foreign exchange student coming to see the park with her mother for the first time. They were in a Kodiak tent and we were in a separate Kodiak tent in the rain came down so bad I was so disappointed knowing that we were going to have a miserable night, but neither they nor we got a drop of water inside the tent. The water was so torrential you could actually feel it underneath the tent floor from the inside-like a waterbed. I've also clean these out when I lent mine to a local scout troop. One time they returned it and there was a giant Laffy Taffy stuck to the floor and walls. It was pretty frustrating. It's the only time I've had to actually take a hose and spray the tent from the inside. To my surprise as I was spraying it it wouldn't let water out from the inside either. I'm not sure why I was surprised-if it doesn't let water in it should let water out. So I filled up the entire bottom of the tent like a bathtub so I could scrub it. They really are watertight. If you're getting moisture inside your tent then it would be considered effective and covered under the warranty. Great question.
Chris Johnson
I have read, no personal experience of my own, that a hot tent will freeze to the ground with a wood stove heating the tent. I have been told that this is why winter tents do not have a floor in them . Do you folks have any experience in that ?
Jim Runyans
I have camped/hunted out of a 12x12 wood stove heated tent in freezing weather annually for more than 20 years. I've never once had a tent freeze to the ground.
Charley
That's a very interesting question you posed. I have not heard of that happening to any of our tents in the 10+ years we have been carrying them. That's not to say it hasn't happened, but I personally never spoken to her run into any issue that resembles a freezing floor. My understanding is that some wall tents to not have floors, because the nature of the camping experience involves a lot of dirt, mud, sometimes blood from hunting and it allows the user to put something temporary down to avoid getting a floor terribly dirty. Having camped in subzero temperatures with this I have not seen anything or felt anything on the floor, but hopefully any users reading this that may have had any experience can chime in. Thank you for taking the time to comment.
Kim
Hi, I just watched all the videos for the tent and they were really detailed, thank you. My question is, did you ever try cooking or even heating water on the stove? And did you feel much cold coming from the ground? Or was it about the same as the walls? Thanks for your time. Well done.
Charley
Very good questions. I never noticed any significant amount of heat loss through the floor. But, I did have the canvas floor liner on top of the existing vinyl floor which probably helps with that. I did heat up water in a camping tea kettle and I intended on showing that in a video, but it just didn’t work out. Meaning, heating up the water worked really well and was very fast, but I didn’t have a spot to put it in on the videos in a convenient way. The type of stove is the Colorado cylinder brand and it is the Spruce model and there is an add-on where you can put a little water tank on to one of the sides and it has a drip spout. People definitely cook on it.
Mary M.
Would tent hold up for permanent living? It would be set up on a wooden deck in South Virginia.
Charles Hansen
Regarding extended use please take a look at the following link: http://www.kodiakcanvas.com/content/Extended-Use-Care-Instructions.pdf It explains the following on extended use: If you are using your tent for extended use situations, periods of continuous use for three weeks or greater, there are some precautions you should be aware of in order to maximize the life of your tent. Canvas Rot: This occurs when the canvas at the bottom of the tent is in constant contact with moist ground. The canvas never dries out and eventually will begin to rot or decay in the areas of contact. Even if there is no precipitation, this can be caused by moisture from dew. Prevention: For extend use, make sure the tent is placed in an area that is well drained and dry. It could be placed on sand, gravel, or a slated wooden platform. Extended use on grassy areas or moist soil should be avoided. Mildew: Is more prone to grow in humid climates in dark or shady areas. Prevention: Opening the tent up daily and letting it air out. When possible, place the tent in an area where it can receive a couple hours of direct sunlight a day. UV Damage. While your Kodiak Canvas tent is much less susceptible to UV deterioration than many synthetic fabrics, over time it will eventually degrade the canvas. Life expectancy in full sunlight should exceed one year of continuous use. Possibly much more than a year— there are many factors. Prevention: Placing your tent an area where it receives full sunlight for only a few hours a day is best, and will prolong its useful life.
Jim R.
I am very impressed with this tent and awning and I'm just about ready to pull the trigger buying one. I wonder what kind of warranty against leaking etc. the tent come with.
Charles Hansen
That would be covered under the warranty. They are not supposed to leak water.
Matthew Y.
We have appreciated watching your videos on this product. In addition to some traveling/camping during summer months, we are looking at some options to do some camping in our woods during the cooler months. We would definitely purchase the stove to go with it. We are wondering though how setup is if we would build a wooden platform. We would want to leave it set up through the cooler months so we are assuming having it up off the ground would prolong the life of the canvas. Any suggestions or thoughts on if this product is a good option for this type of use would be appreciated. Thank you for your time!
Charles Hansen
Keeping it dry is the best in you can do. If there portions of it that are not allowed to dry, because shrubbery or something else is touching the side or the perimeter floor-eventually it will get canvas rot. That isn't something you have to worry about in a regular camping situation, but if you plan keeping up for extended periods of time (not covered under warranty) That's the big thing to watch out for. Here is the manufacturer's official extended use recommendations: Regarding extended use please take a look at the following link: http://www.kodiakcanvas.com/content/Extended-Use-Care-Instructions.pdf It explains the following on extended use: If you are using your tent for extended use situations, periods of continuous use for three weeks or greater, there are some precautions you should be aware of in order to maximize the life of your tent. Canvas Rot: This occurs when the canvas at the bottom of the tent is in constant contact with moist ground. The canvas never dries out and eventually will begin to rot or decay in the areas of contact. Even if there is no precipitation, this can be caused by moisture from dew. Prevention: For extend use, make sure the tent is placed in an area that is well drained and dry. It could be placed on sand, gravel, or a slated wooden platform. Extended use on grassy areas or moist soil should be avoided. Mildew: Is more prone to grow in humid climates in dark or shady areas. Prevention: Opening the tent up daily and letting it air out. When possible, place the tent in an area where it can receive a couple hours of direct sunlight a day. UV Damage. While your Kodiak Canvas tent is much less susceptible to UV deterioration than many synthetic fabrics, over time it will eventually degrade the canvas. Life expectancy in full sunlight should exceed one year of continuous use. Possibly much more than a year— there are many factors. Prevention: Placing your tent an area where it receives full sunlight for only a few hours a day is best, and will prolong its useful life.
mark
Regarding extended use of the tent..... You talked of rot when the bottom of the tent is in contact with grass or moist dirt, but what of the ground tarp? you did not mention that? I have laid down 2 tarps..one on top of the other and then put the tent on top of that...Wouldn't that go a long way to keeping the moisture from rotting the actual floor of the tent? I would actually have 3 total layers. Thanks, mark
Charles Hansen
Good question. When we mentioned rot, we aren't referring to the floor, but the walls where they attach to the floor since the walls are canvas. The floor, being vinyl, should not rot. You want to make sure you keep the joint where the floor and the walls meet clear of any brush or shrubbery that force it to stay moist for extended periods of time.
mark reed
I bought the "Mesa" Colorado stove and I see that it has a 4 inch diameter flu pipe and the hole in roof of the Kodiak 12x12 lodge tent is a 5 inch hole. What do you suggest to account for this difference> Don't want water coming in. Thanks, mark
Charles Hansen
I don't know the answer to that I'm sorry to say, but if you reach out to Colorado cylinder they likely have some type of adapter
Daniel
What made you decide on the Colorado Cylinder Stove as opposed to other brands of cylinder stoves?
Charley
The Colorado Cylinder Stove is what Kodiak officially recommended. There are other brands with other sizes and burn temps, but we didn't want to deviate from any manufacturer's recommendations.
Brian
Does Competitive edge products sell a canvas repair kit should it get a hole in it from a falling branch?
Customer Support
Hi Brian, There are Kodiak brand patch kits and they are great. Personally I use the Walmart canvas patch kits they carry in their sewing section. They are fantastic and they are iron on. I iron one on each side and the glue holds really well and is activated when the iron heats it up. They are earthtone patches so they don't stick out too terribly bad, but Kodiak carries Kodiak fabric patch kits that you glue on (not iron). Feel free to contact us with any other questions.