light weight tipi tents

[Huckleberry]

Just curious what everyone using a floorless tipi or tent is doing for mice control. We've had several bad experiences over the years, including me waking up to a mouse on my pillow who had just laid a litter of mini mice under my pillow (of coarse after chewing through my bag) This year, it's time to take some action.

[joecool911]

Snakes work real good.

[vigilguy]

I have used a tipi to get out of the rain when we goatpack in the Winds at over 10,000 ft.




I have recently switched to a Hilleberg Altai UL. I prefer the straight sides as opposed to my tipi. Both fit in my acid rain panniers perfectly. We don't sleep in it, but we cook in it and are protected from the wind and the rain at high elevations.

[Dave-Trinity-Farms]

How much did the Hilleberg cost ya? It looks very cool

[vigilguy]

http://www.hilleberg.com/home/products/altai/altai.php

I didn't pay retail because I am an authorized dealer for them. So I paid wholesale. They are pricey, partly due to the fact they are not made in China, and because they use Kerlon fabric, a very high tenacity nylon, 5 to 6 times stronger than typical nylon.

Anyhow, I love the shape. I got tired of getting blasted by wind and rain/snow when we have been camped high in the Winds. This way we can "hang out" someplace other than our tents.

[Huckleberry]

How does this compare to the tipi as far as wind goes? Also, is condensation comparable? I think the price and weight look pretty good!

[vigilguy]

@ Huckleberry - The Hilleberg Altai is used a lot in Northern Sweden by the Hilleberg families in the wintertime. Allows them to get out of the elements, and to sit together as a group for meals, dining, etc. Kind of a portable "yurt". I can say that if it is guyed out properly, that it will withstand 35-40 mph winds, which are common in northern Sweden. Because this is a non-breathable fabric, there will be condensation on the inner surface. However, if you have a backpacking stove inside, it can help dry it out, but if you are boiling water, then the condensation will increase. There is a top vent, and the diameter is large, so I don't worry about it. They do make an inner tent option that can tie in place, to prevent condensation between the inner tent and outer tent fabrics.

It is lightweight, fairly compact, and a lot of room.

In answer to your question, tipis are more wind resistant due to their conical shape. But I just don't care for the loss of space in tipi's, but that is just my own opinion. I also own a tipi with a wood burning stove and still use it in the winter. But the Altai is my "go-to" group shelter in the summertime in the high country.

If you are interested in one, let me know.

[IdahoNancy]

Huckleberry, we make mouse traps. You take a bucket and get a string long enough to stretch across the top and tie onto both handles. We love to drink Tang the powdered OJ. The Tang container with the lid on is a slippery round piece of plastic. Poke a hole in the center of the lid and the bottom of the plastic container and run your string through it. Tie the string tight to the bucket handles so the Tang container spins freely on the string. Fill the bucket 1/3 full of water. Put peanut butter on the Tang container. Lean a stick from the ground to the lip of bucket so the mouse can climb up and reach the string. The mouse will walk across the string jump on the tang container to get the peanut butter, the container will spin and the mouse will swim for about a minute and then silence. This trap will work all night and never gets full.

[Huckleberry]

Thank you both for the feedback. I'm going to be trying these mouse traps, sounds perfect!