Kodiak Canvas Is Calling

[renodesertfox]

Howdy,
Well, this year it's chilly on the desert. I mean when summer temps this past season were reaching 110 - 116 degrees, I'm fine with the heat. But lately this autumn the morning temps in in sunny Las Vegas are running in the low 40s to mid-30s. We still haven't had a light freeze. But the last time we were camping in early November, up at Spring Valley Recreational Area & Eagle Valley Reservoir the coldest temperature was 24 degrees. That's cold for a three season tent. Last year I purchased a Kodiak Canvas, but last year was a very mild winter, this year not so. So now our Kodiak Canvas is calling! Next weekend when most folks are watching football or whatever, we'll be camping in canvas. Temps at Gunlock State Park in Utah are running low 30s in the morning to low 50s during the day, with an elevation gain of 3,000'. Here are some pre-photos of the tent, gee it's heavy! Can't wait!

[jpurdy]

looking forward to hearing how it went and seeing more pictures

[renodesertfox]

Thanks John, been missing you recently. I'll try and not disappoint...perhaps you'll switch from trailer back to tent? Heehee!

[Bigdog57]

My father had a big canvas cabin tent back when I was a kid - we camped in it several times. Rolled up, it was huge and heavy! It was a real bugger to put up. But it worked well. That monstrosity was my introduction to camping. Probably one reason I prefer smaller and lighter these days! :D

[renodesertfox]

Howdy,
Besides having camping gear. One also needs to keep their rig in good working order. Before every camping trip I rack up the WJ and do a quick oil change. Yes, I'm obsessive about that...there also were stones, dirt and muck bouncing around on the under-neath armor so I cleaned up all that noise. I like a quiet running jeep. Once I had it up on my little rack, we needed tires! The belts were showing through! So I went to Discount Tire and purchased 5 Bridgestone All Terrain Dueler Tires. $120 a piece so now I'm ready to rumble! Here's some pics:

[jpurdy]

I don't know about switching back , though I think it would be ok, I remember a camping trip in the Boy Scouts where we stayed in a round green canvas monster compliments of the US Army. Glad I didn't have to move that from place to place.

[renodesertfox]

Hey JohnP and BigDog too, all the best to you and your family for Thanksgiving!

Now we're getting the WJ loaded. Actually my job. So here are some photos of the work so far. I used to be able to load the jeep in a single morning, but with back surgery earlier this year, if I do a little bit everyday, then by start date we are ready.

[renodesertfox]

Here's more loading.

[Bigdog57]

Looks like you are set! Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

[jpurdy]

sounds like an adaptation of the tale of "The Tortoise and the Hare. complete the task
Happy Thanksgiving

[renodesertfox]

Howdy,
More photos soon...this is as good as it gets! Day time temps in the low 40s and our nights were low 30s. The wind blew the entire weekend, not fun if you're not prepared, but as you will see we were prepared and happy! The campground had 16 sites and we were the only ones there!:D

[Bigdog57]

The campground had 16 sites and we were the only ones there!:D

That's when things are really GOOD!

[renodesertfox]

Thanks BG,
Yep, the wind we measured at a constant 34 knots; the weather service said gusts to 52 knots and we did feel a couple of strong bursts! However the Kodiak Canvas Wall Tent was pitched with relative ease. It took us 45 minutes to set it up and yes, it's easy with 2 people. A very roomy and well designed tent! Poles are tubular steel and also well designed! Outside, Saturday night it was 28 degrees, but inside was a balmy 54 degrees!! Fantastic for a tenter!

The Visa Potty 268 was wonderful, specially at night, with one side of Mr. Heater on and the potty in the corner we didn't have to get dressed to run to the vault toilet at the other end of the campground! Spendid, leak proof and not a single bad ordor escaped! We are now very happy campers!!:D The Footprint of the tent is 9'x12' and we even had room for a couple of chairs, two small tables, our stereo and batterypack! The weather was cold by our standards but we were happy inside our tent. If one can afford it, I recommend the best tent that your money can buy, so you're not miserable when you camp. Now we are even thinking of using this in the summer too; plenty of windows and good ventilation! Our only complaint was that it was too windy to use the kayak, even the little lakes we found had whitecaps. We don't do whitecaps!! Here's more photos:

[Trainman45]

Re: Kodiak Canvas Is Calling

Hi Gang,
I went fulltime Jan 2nd 2012 Camping and traveling where the road takes us. I take care of my Dad who is 92 and we hit the road from Denver with a 6 X 12 cargo trailer and a Kodiak Canvas 12 X 9 canvas tent. We took a few clothes, camping gear and a couple computers. When I was researching for a year before I retired I wanted to see pics of the Kodiak tent set up at real campsites. I could only find a few, some here on this forum and most I found were just stock pics from their website. So I will add to RDF's thread "Kodiak Canvas Calling". We love this tent, has stood up to rain and hail in Deming, New Mexico in January 2012, and high winds in the Sonoran Desert by Why/Ajo, Arizona in Febuary 2012.
I hope more pics will help you make the jump to the best tent you can buy.... lol

[GlitterHiker]

Re: Kodiak Canvas Is Calling

Thank you for the pics - looks great! Is that a screen room in the front? (p.s. I'd love to one day become full-time camping.)