Calling upon the vast knowledge of the old timers.

I got turned onto a spot that’s a good ways from Fairbanks. (Southeast around zipperlip mountain)
There’s no snow machine trails, other trappers and apparently it’s got some good marten country.

I’ve got me a 6x8 wall tent, stove, snowshoes and time off for November.
I’m gonna go out this summer and cache out supplies. I can comfortably do about 12-15 miles a day on snowshoes after I get everything packed down. Plan to run 12 miles one way and 12 miles the other maybe bring up 80 traps total.

Any pro tips/ lessons learned? It may be a bust but man I bet it will be fun!

Get a bigger tent. At least 10'x12'.

Yes, particularly if you are going to put up your furs in it. Cut all the firewood you can ahead of time so you aren't tied down doing that while you should be putting out traps.

I thought about a bigger tent but bigger tents are heavy and it will be on foot. I’m going for tough not smart this go round haha.

Kinda rare to need snowshoes early November. Sometimes the whole month. Where did you get a 6x8 tent? Who made it. Too small I think. If 10x12 is too heavy, try 8x10.
12 miles one way? So 12 miles back to the tent? 24 round trip? All in one day?
You sure it's safe to cache stuff there?

I wondered that, but assumed he was young and tough. 24 miles a day on a good trail or road isn't bad. . . a little rougher when you are slogging through fresh snow though. I've done it numerous times without a trail, but it all depends on the terrain, and it is plenty rough without packing anything, get a good catch and a heavy pack makes it a whole nuther ballgame. And marten are likely to be froze (they may not be in November, but you can't depend on that) so you won't be able to skin on the trail to keep your pack light.

If you are going to stretch it out that far, I would rig up a shelter at the ends of the lines, just in case. Even if it is only a tarp strung into a leanto and a pile of firewood.

You should have TWO tents. What do you plan to do if Tent #1 catches fire and burns?

what is a good ways from fairbanks? I trap at wishunew cr. Are you going to be close?

Al,

Not to worry... the location is nowhere near you!

Pete

I say go for it.
Did you say one month out there? You should be able to last that long in a 6x8 tent
Smallest wall tent I've used is 8'x10'.
We had one camp with log walls about 3.5' high inside the canvas, no chinking. The logs took up some room but we had a bunk built into the walls and it was nice to have solid walls versus canvas.
you might want to skin the marten and keep the skins frozen until you get back to town then stretch them.
In any event it'll be a good experience.

I agree-go for it. A month isn’t that long. Daylight is short so lotsa batteries for your headlamp. Thawing out bigger animals can be a challenge. Before leaving camp in the mornings set up your fire starter/kindling to be ready in case you get back cold. Fill a water bottle and roll it up in your sleeping bag (make sure it won’t leak) and it should still be liquid when you get back. Tarp over your tent. Store your bait securely. Marten will haul it all off when you aren’t home if they find it. And don’t hang up a marten to thaw over an open box of bisquick

I did just what you said when I first moved to Alaska. A 6x8 is easy to heat, big enough for just yourself. Definitely just skin the marten, will keep you from hauling stretchers out. I snowshoed a 25 mile trap line, took two days. Learned a lot as to what was really necessary and what was not. You will learn things that will affect your camping for the rest of your life. Camping is a means to an end for me, not the end. So many people glamp nowadays, it is the end, not the means to them.

Will it reliably be cold enough all of November to keep the marten skins frozen? Especially during the first part, it would be a shame if you had a warm spell and they spoiled. Of course I don't know how far out you are going to be, if you can hike out in a day, you could always take them out if you had a warm spell.

Might want to stash a lightweight nylon tent and a few other overnight necessities at the end of each 12mile line.

I'll second the idea of tent number two at the 12 mile point. That gives you the option of running an additional 10-12 mile loop and a four day round trip from base camp.

martentrapper

It’s an Alaska tent and tarp Got it at the Alaska gear company store here in Fairbanks. Guess it was a left over cause The guy didn’t know much about it. I’ve seen photos of guys using them. It was the right price so I nabbed it. I was gonna alternate on the line and make an attempt to do 12 out and 12 back north, then do the same south the next day.

As for the cache I’ll bring it out and see if I can find a good hiding spot.

I am not from AK and have never been in AK, but I will say that I am a "belt and suspenders" kind of guy. I would support Pete's idea of a second tent and actually a second "camp". Is it possible to pack a sleeping bag, tent (small) and a couple days worth of grub close by in a critter proof container? If you tent burns up you could be in a world of hurt. Having a plan B isn't a terrible idea.

Nowadays interior Alaska isn't solidly froze up in early Nov. What sort of ground will you be walking on? Will you need good freezing temps to get the ground hard enough to travel on? Any lakes, soughs, creeks you will need frozen? If you can pack stuff in to cache for later maybe you won't be dependent on freezing temps, at least to travel.

One more note about a small wall tent. Assuming you will put a stove in it... how far can you get from that stove when it is cranked up?

When you are sleeping, do you take a chance on the end of your sleeping bag accidentally coming in contact with the hot stove?

I realize not everyone is as tall and overweight as I am, but these are still considerations. I know there is not enough room in a 6' x 8' tent for both a hot stove and my fat butt!

pb

Yeah, 6'x8' is almost a puptent. Take a roll of tape and stick that down on your garage floor. Now start putting everything you plan on keeping there, and your pack, cot or sleeping pad, stove and sleeping bag, etc. in that rectangle. Do a "dry run", so to speak.
I get what you are trying to do: minimalist to maximize miles of fur country travelled. But safety first. If disaster strikes, (not un-heard of, you know), you may only have to survive a night or two. Just make sure you have the ability and equipment to do so.
You also might consider stashing a plastic sled with a 10' shot of rope. With the right snow, you can pull what you can't carry.