My Back Yard Week in the Hot Tent

I Spent a week in the hot tent last week. FINALLY! After spending a couple hours digging to the ground I was ready for setup.

What a friggen process that was. Ok, so here is the break down.

Its a Vevor 13' Bell Tent I picked up on Amazon. The price was right for what I was initially looking to do with it, SNOW SHOE TRIPS. However, after spending a week in it I feel this may not be my go too for a business use (not ruling it out).

Why?

Let me cover the Pros first:
Spacious enough for up to 8 People. This however changes to 6 with the use of a wood stove.

It holds heat well enough even in bitter cold. I was out there for one of the coldest night of February (below 0) and I was more than ok so long as my woodstove was pumping. Be sure to have a sleeping system rated for Extreme Temps because the stove WILL go out
. I was using a Coleman Rectangular bag rated to 0 degrees. I was sleeping on top of a cushion from my RV (an upgrade from my first night on the floor of the tent) and had an extra sleeping bag and wool blanket for added warmth.

The lighter fabric is great for light. In the evening hours it was easy to find and looked AWESOME with a red light inside of it.

The Cons:
ZIPPERS!!! For a tent like this, zippers are not your friend. The Tent i spent time in during a snowshoe expedition had a wooden toggle and loop system which was also considered a "historical period" style setup.

The stove Jacks were less than impressive. If you use the side jack, get a Stove that will stand short enough for the chimney pipe to exit through the jack safely. Otherwise you will have a vertical stack and that can cause dripping onto your stove as the snow melts or if it rains.

Did I mention Zippers? This is a hot button for me. Are they convenient? Sure, for smaller tents that don't Have F^@&'n Stoves! The floor is also attached with can be a pro depending. in a deep woods scenario, the floor would not be there and in place would be Fir bows for loft and tarps to lay on.

The stakes that came with the tent were two different sizes and of poor quality. They did what I needed them to do but one is severely bent.

As for the setup, Yes, One person can do it. It will take a bit longer. Be sure to secure the base of the tent with the right spikes and ensure that it is TIGHT all the way around. This can be the difference between the tent walls looking like they are drooping or standing tall. Again, Lesson learned here. The guy lines are "okay" Another area to ensure they are "tight" but be mindful not to over tighten because the door may have issues and it can also effect the stove jacks.

For what it is, Its fine for a family looking to do something different. Business wise, MEH. I will use it until I upgrade to a Real Winter Hot Tent.