Wall tent living

Alright guys and gals, I came up to alaska again. Working at a remote gold mine as of right now. Looking to trap on my winter off. But here is my dilemma. I don’t want to rent because that’s a waste of money. I would like a remote cabin that I can drive to but can’t find one. I did however find land out torweds circle hot springs but it dose not have a cabin on the land. I will not be there until November if I bought it. So no time to build one. What would life be like if I got one of those Artic Oven tents (the big one) and made that a home to sleep in. Then a walltent to do my skinning, bathing, cooking, and such and also serve as a back up for if something went wrong with the arctic oven.

So I guess my question is how many of you lived in tents in the winter at one point? What are some tips or advice you could give a man?

And yes i know it gets minus 60 i know it’s dark most of the winter I know it’s not easy but I don’t like easy. There’s no good story about something that came easy and there is no pride in something that started off easy. And I know some of you and a lot of older gen guys have lived winters in these tents.

Are you going to be able to find enough dry wood to last the winter if you get there in November? Better get a good wood stove.

I've spent entire winters in a wall tent several times. It can be comfortable but it takes a lot of work.

There is an old saying that goes like this.

Two guys go into the woods. One puts up a tent and cuts wood. The other builds a cabin and cuts wood. Who do you think finishes his work first ?

You say a "remote place you can drive to". I don't think I've ever seen a place like that. BUT.........it sounds as though you can drive to the place you're looking at ????????????

If that's the case....haul some 2 bys and plywood out there and build something when you get there in November.

That was my first thought build a small (12'x12' max.) frame place and insulate it.
4" of fiberglass insulation is way warmer then any tent I've ever stayed in.

friends of mine have lived year round in a double wall wall tent now for the past five or six years. They double walled theirs. Even then the amount of wood used in staggering. I would buy a good insulated wall tent, and certainly not one too big. Lots of tent makes supply miners, etc and they say the double walled ones are far and away better. I lived in a single wall tent for a winter, and even though was just there at night, used a lot of wood.

If you could find a way to add fiberglass insulation, maybe the roll kind for doing basements, that would be a huuuuuge improvement. Also, don't forget a way to insulate the floor.

A cabin is far and away better. With small cabins, often the hardest part is to keep from being too hot and regulate the heat.

And what do you do in real winter in your tent with a mishap or you get sick. Mishaps are akin to the fire you build has an ember that burns up your tent on a 60 below night. All rhetorical and all reality.
The best choice is the tipi of the worst choices.
As you state you can drive to this not so remote location, make yourself a pre fab out of plywood and lumber that you can handle and assemble there, including insulation with star screws. Get your foundation plank or concrete laid this summer along with all the firewood you are going to need to survive put under double cover of plastic and off the ground.
There are not any sufficient tips to living in a tent in the winter, or a remote location alone, as it is about experience in the myriad of little things that go wrong. There is a reason the big lonely places are not filled with people in cabins or tents, and that is those who try it do not repeat the mistake as most will never do it again.
I would get a partner who would not drive me nuts.

Purchase the dvd "How to build a classic Trapping Cabin" sold by the Alaska Trappers association . Hard work but a fast build that will give you a cabin when you are done and far better than any tent.

I like your grit. We bought 15 acres in October 25-years ago. There was nothing on the land so we lived in a wall tent while I built a small cabin. Took a couple of months to get the cabin done. We had three kids, the youngest turned one in that tent...nobody died. We eventually built a house and still live on the same piece of land

Star Flakes makes a good point about fire. But the point is just as valid about a cabin as it is about a tent. Stove pipe fires can be catastrophic.....burning a cabin to the ground. You just need to be aware of that. Regardless of whether you use a tent or build a cabin, you need to have a cache. Maybe just a barrel with a clamp on lid. With another tent, sleeping bag, clothes, mittens, matches, a pot or a pan. Some food like peanut butter and some sugar. Don't forget a bow saw and another ax ! This is emergency gear you hope to never use.

Needless to say you should also have a supply of any meds you take. Keep all of that away from any source of ignition.

Do NOT be afraid to travel and camp alone. Your fears and anxiety in the middle of the night are far worse than reality USUALLY turns out. Don't let that anxiety cripple you.

There is no boogie man in the dark that isn't there in the daylight. Use common sense and prepare for every thing you can. Do NOT take counsel of your fears.

I would have two tents an arctic oven (the big one) and a regular wall tent (to serve as a back up if something goes wrong and for skinning) And yes sorry I shouldn’t say remote but looking to get away as far as I can from the majority of the population while still on the road system since I have a truck and no where to store it if I was to get a fly in property. I do like the idea of building, but I won’t be able to get concrete in. I work at a remote mine until end of October so I will not be there until around November. But I suppose I can use a wood frame the first year then pour the next summer for I’ll have some time off by then. Also would have a truck there that’s if it starts in -60. I will have a generator as well. And central won’t be to far away for fuel.

I wouldn't worry at all about concrete.

Before you put out cash for land to trap from you might check out how many established trappers there are there first! JMO

Oh Snap is correct. There are several well established trappers in the area.Little to no opportunity with you doing any trapping. Especially any trapping remotely close to the road system or rivers.

Maybe you should try and stay at the mine as a caretaker and trap out there.

Oh snap is correct there are established trappers in area I am one. The biggest problem in that area is the wind. I have literally went outside in the winter to make sure my cabin is still sitting on it foundation. The wind just whippes in that area I don't think I would like to do a tent up there. I Now of other established trappers in area also. If you want pm me were you are looking at and I will let you know if I now of any one in area.

I agree with nooksack!

How "remote" is the gold mine? Can you drive to it also? Maybe if you gave us the general area we could point you to people who could give you info on the area.
Between Fairbanks, Central, and Circle, there are a number of trappers using the Steese Hiway as a start point for traplines.
mt

I have a very good chance to actually trap the mine in the following years. it’s fly in only north of huslia. A lady works here that use to trap the area until her husband passed away and I’m looking at buying her cabin. Problem is this first year I’m not supplied up for the winter I just got here in April and started work right away. I also have a truck that I don’t have anywhere to store if I was to move out here this winter. And will need to get a sled and all the works flown in yet to. For now I’m looking to get a place on the road system that I can use for When I need to go to town and to store my vehicle and would just trap from it this year just for fun and to get the hang of things. Then next year hope I am more settled and prepared to stay out here for the winter and start a real line.

I know where that is. Was quite surprised to hear her husband passed away. He had snogos at several fly in cabins in the area. Aren't those snogos still out there? Isn't there a snogo and such at the main camp?
mt

Sounds like Hog River Gary?

For as big as Alaska is, it is a very small world. This is just another example.

-TJ

Rock you can store your vehicle at my shop in fairbanks.

Yea, found out about a year ago he passed away. Cancer I believe. I worked on his plane in the past and saw it for sale, which led me to asking around.
Good Luck Murph. Should be a good place. He had a couple kids but apparently they aren't planning on using the place.
Gary was a bit of a character, but a hard worker and talented trapper. Sorry to see him gone.
mt

isnarewolves

I don't know what to think. Your neighbor had a vehicle stolen a couple days ago. I wouldn't park mine there!

Al needs some extra vehicles parked there for when his gets stolen!

To return to the topic, I have never lived all winter in a wall tent, but have trapped out of one that was left out all winter. Always nice to roll up to the tent after hours on a snow machine checking traps. We found some dead standing spruce that had about ten trees growing in a 10x12 rectangle, and chopped them off at the same height of 5'. We had built a plywood floor that was in four pieces, and bolted it together once we sledded it to location. We set it on top of the stumps. We also built wall frames with one foot ply wood extensions, to make our tent taller. Each wall was built in two pieces that were bolted together once snow machined to location. We also hauled out the ridge pole and rafters. It was nice to prefab the floor and frame where there was power and heat, rather than felling trees out in the bush, and building a frame out of them with hand tools. We just hauled the frame out forty miles, quickly bolted it together, and slipped our wall tent on it. We never worried about firewood, as there was plenty of dead standing timber where we trapped. It was easy to fell trees for firewood out on site as needed.

My trapping partner and I made the walls higher by making the wall frames 1 foot higher than the tent walls, and the adding 18" of plywood around the bottom, which you can see in the picture. It really was nice having 1' more head room. Probably made it a little cooler in the tent, but the extra room was worth it.

Space is at a premium in a tent. We slept on cots so we could put totes under them, and everything was in totes so we could stack them along one wall. Being organized is huge on having a lot of floor space. That helps pass a long winter without going crazy!

Having wood walls inside helps with hanging stuff to dry.