Anyone ever camp in one of these military tents?

[GaMntHomestead]

We are going to our land tomorrow and staying for 3 or 4 days(as I mentioned in another post). And this is the tent we will be staying in. Has anyone ever stayed/camped in a tent like this before? If so how did it do with holding heat in, what did you use for heat?
The temps will be low to mid 50's during the day and range from 28-36 at night.
Lots of floor space and tall enough to stand up straight and walk around in. I think it measures 14X14 floor space. I don't know how tall it is. These tents are double walled so we are hoping they hold the heat well.
The smaller tent is the one we will be using, the other one is larger and takes 4-5 people to set it up.

[harvestmoonfarm]

You can buy the portable tent heaters. For one that size, however, you'll probably need more than one.

[MelonBar]

I've camped in the old style canvas Army tents. Very musty smelling things at that. It had a tent heater. with a pipe that went through the roof. One thing with the old iron stoves is not to get them too hot. If the metal gets too hot it will give off carbon monoxide.

Dig water trenches under the tent walls in case it rains. The old canvas tents where not water proof but the water would flow down the tent roof and walls into the trenches. "Unless you touched it" then they would leak!

[Cabin Fever]

Originally Posted by GaMntHomestead

...The temps will be low to mid 50's during the day and range from 28-36 at night....

If it were me, I'd forget about the heater and just use a quality sleeping bag at night. I have slept in tents at sub-zero temps without a heater and was perfectly comfortable.

[GaMntHomestead]

MelonBar-someone else recently mentioned a trench outside the tent to me. You said under the tent walls...do you mean directly under the wall, like where you wouldn't be able to see it at all, or right alongside the outer wall itself?
Cabin Fever- I bet this tent would stay warm enough for that, being double walled. We will give it a try, but have a heater on hand just in case. Hehe

[GaMntHomestead]

Also MelonBar- we have one of those old canvas tents, just got it at the same time as these others. Boy is that thing HEAVY and awkard. LOL. These others you just pull outward on (like an accordian sorta) then using push poles push it upward and they just pop up into place. Very easy, but it takes 3-4 people to do the small one.

[MelonBar]

Here ya go on tent trenching.

http://tentsshelters.tpub.com/TM-10-...-211-13_74.htm

[GaMntHomestead]

Thanks MelonBar....That helped me alot! :-)

[Chuck R.]

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in similar, but we didn’t call it “camping” and it wasn’t exactly voluntary.

Depending on the model, it should have a stove jack where you can use a small wood stove. The ones we were issued used diesel heaters, but the effect is the same. IF it has the cold weather liner, they’re actually pretty comfortable and with a decent sized stove you can run yourself out of one with the excess heat.

My wall tent is about the same size and I get by with a small “Sheppard’s” style woodstove. We normally heated it, and let the fire burn out at night.

Trenching follows the wall perimeter on the outside to drain water away from your tent as it runs off.

Chuck

[FarmboyBill]

Ive slept in a GP Medium. Musty, as said. Kept the wind and rain out, And, as was said. Sleeping bags kept me warm, Tho I didnt use it as a bag, but used it as a blanket as I do now. I have 2 on my bed. They wont stay on top of each other being slick, so ive had to tie the corners down. Works FINE. I like something on me heavy when its darn cold.

[GaMntHomestead]

Chuck-first of all LOL at your first sentence.
This one does have openings(sorta) on the sides, like sleeves. Two sets on each side. We were told they were for heaters and air units that sat outside the tents and the heat/air was piped in through the sleeves. I think they were diesel heaters too. It has an inside layer like the outside of the tent, only white, I don't know if that is a winter liner. There is like 6-10 inches between the inner and outer layer.

[CaliannG]

I doubt I have the *same* experience as Chuck does...but from my knowledge, unless it is tied up, ventilation is almost non-existent, and in the sun, the thing can turn into an oven with a quickness.

It might work wonderfully well in the cold, which is what you plan to use it for, but I do not recommend it for summer camping.

My experience with it was not voluntary either, but I think I might be a bit younger than Chuck, and our experiences might have been in completely different areas.

[gman]

Don't trench. It's very destructive and has not been taught in many years. Refer to Boy Scouts - Leave No Trace. Yes, use a proper heater, just be super careful. Forget crawling into a freezing cold sleeping bag. Most people do not have adequate gear for, or enough knowledge of, cold weather camping.

Quick tips: sleep with a watch cap on your head, stay hydrated and drink something warm before going to bed, eat a Snickers candy bar prior to going to sleep, hot water in a quality water bottle will make a huge difference in a cold sleeping bag, throw a couple of chemical hand warmers in the foot of your sleeping bag, use a foam or air pad to insulate you from the cold ground.

[jwal10]

Are you in Georgia? Is the ground dry? Winter camping without a floor here is miserable. If it gets warm enough to go without a coat you will be wet from condensation inside that thing at 28 to 36 degrees. Here you need a floor....James

[texican]

Originally Posted by Cabin Fever

If it were me, I'd forget about the heater and just use a quality sleeping bag at night. I have slept in tents at sub-zero temps without a heater and was perfectly comfortable.

Good sleeping bag will beat any heater... Lot cheaper, too, unless you have someone providing free fuel, and minions to stoke the fire all night long. A good bag will last you for years, using it every single night.

[gman]

Very few sleeping bags are "good." All bags are rated for temperature, but the manufacturers are very "optimistic" when rating their bags. Even a good bag can have cold spots. A lightweight cover, such as a poncho liner, over the bag can help. Think lofty layers...

A kerosene heater may be a good choice if you have adequate ventilation. Even a regular kerosene lantern makes an excellent "handwarmer" with about 1100 BTUs of heat. Try placing one under your camp chair to capture the most heat. Might take a while, but I'm sure it would help with the cold. Didn't they use kerosene lanterns years ago to keep greenhouses from freezing?

A small, high quality tent can add to your cold weather comfort as opposed to a large drafty army tent. Your own body heat can help warm a small space. I am told that a single Uco Candle Lantern can raise the temp inside a small tent by 10 degrees, but I cannot verify that.

[JJohnson]

GaMntHomestead, congrats on the property I seen your pictures from the other thread and it looks like a nice piece of land. As long as your off the ground, warm clothes with a warm sleeping bag should be fine.


Just a suggestion not sure if anyone mentioned it before. For long term if you are going to be making these trips to your land often throughout the year and spending a few days at a time on your property, you might want to look at purchading a cheap travel trailer and just leaving it somewhere on your property.

I dont know what your budget is but you could get a 10-15-20 year old travel trailer that is still in pretty decent shape anywhere from $500-$1000, maybe even free if you know someone who just want to get rid of theirs. You would be more comfortable, more protected from the elements, and wouldnt need to keep setting up the tent every time you made the trip out there. Plus you could store alot of your tools in it so you dont have to keep lugging them back and forth aswell.

Just thought I would throw that out there because this is what I will be doing when I move out to my land and fixing up the house.

Joe

[Gianni]

If it is only around 30F @ night no reason to have a heater at all.

[tripletmom]

we lived in an old 16X30 army tent for 6 weeks when we first moved to our property a year ago August. It had a ridgepole rather than being quanset like this one. It leaked like crazy but Thompson's waterseal on the top took care of that! It was very dark at nightWe put the sides up during the day for ventilation. It has two chimney holes, but they fit a funky size stovepipe, small and oval. Fortunatelly, we got a house put up and were able to move in by first of October so didn't get too cold! DH has shored it up since with framing and he still uses it for his shop. And it still doesn't leak!

[vicker]

When it gets down around freezing and below you can get very miserable very quick. It can make for an experience you, and especially children if you have them, will be reluctant to try again. I've spent several winters in tents, and good sleeping bags and blankets are what will work. Take more than you think you will need. It will take quite a heater to keep a tent that large, and with a ceiling that high warm imho. Heaters can be dangerous, particularly when sleeping on the floor, which increases your vulnerability to CO2.
Do it, but be prepared for the cold and enjoy it.