kodiak 10x14 vs hexayurt which should i go with?

[sambojones]

i already have a full size hexayurt with an ac and honda genny but the hexayurt is big, bulky, and a bit of a bitch to set up so i was thinking to buy a kodiak 10x14 since it would take up less space and be easier to set up/tear down. what do yall think? can i live in a kodiak as comfortably as i did in a yurt and how hard do yall think it would be to hook up my ac to the kodiak without letting in a shitload of dust in or ruining the tent

[Undecided]

I cannot speak from exp, but we just picked up the 10x10 deluxe tent and it is quality business. Am very much looking forward to living out of it for a week.

[Trishntek]

The comfort comparison is apples and oranges. If I had the space, time, etc, I would go with the hexayurt. Shit it you already have one, why switch?

I do have a Kodiak 10x14 and love it! I'm looking forward to trying my little swamp cooler with it.

The hexayurt is much quieter than any tent can possibly be. Transporting them is the biggest challenge I see and simply do not see them as a viable option for me.

[CapSmashy]

A better option would be to run an evap cooler in your Kodiak, no modification to the tent necessary. We ran one in ours the 2 years we used the Kodiaks and it does an excellent job of cooling the tent down. The canvas helps hold the cooler air inside.

For putting an ac unit inside, all you would need to have is a stand fro the air conditioner unit so it sits off the ground and seal the door flap around the frame of the A/C. with duct tape. If you wanted to get really industrious with it, make a wall out of the same kind of insulation board you made your hexayurt out of with a cut out for the A/C to pass through and sit on the stand.

Make it the width of the "back" door of the Kodiak and simply roll the door open and seal the tent to the wall by taping it down inside and outside.

[sambojones]

The comfort comparison is apples and oranges. If I had the space, time, etc, I would go with the hexayurt. Shit it you already have one, why switch?

I do have a Kodiak 10x14 and love it! I'm looking forward to trying my little swamp cooler with it.

The hexayurt is much quieter than any tent can possibly be. Transporting them is the biggest challenge I see and simply do not see them as a viable option for me.

Thanks for the input Trishntek I didn't really think too much about the sound factor I guess I've just taken it for granted. The biggest things for me are that the yurt takes up a ton of space and is kind of a bitch to set up. I've ordered a kodiak to see how I like it i got a 6014 deluxe for $405 shipped so if i don't like it i figure i can sell it for as much or use it for other camping outside of burns. what i'm mainly after in getting the kodiak is ease of set up and tear down and saving some space.

A better option would be to run an evap cooler in your Kodiak, no modification to the tent necessary. We ran one in ours the 2 years we used the Kodiaks and it does an excellent job of cooling the tent down. The canvas helps hold the cooler air inside.

For putting an ac unit inside, all you would need to have is a stand fro the air conditioner unit so it sits off the ground and seal the door flap around the frame of the A/C. with duct tape. If you wanted to get really industrious with it, make a wall out of the same kind of insulation board you made your hexayurt out of with a cut out for the A/C to pass through and sit on the stand.

Make it the width of the "back" door of the Kodiak and simply roll the door open and seal the tent to the wall by taping it down inside and outside.

thanks for the suggestions CapSmashy I didn't really think about running an evap cooler i might look into that. and the insulation wall is so simple it's genius i'm gonna have to set up my tent when it arrives and see how i can make it work.

[silad]

I never used the hexayurt but I have a Springbar 10x14 similar to the Kodiak. I cut / taped some Reflectix insulation, and clipped it to the top edge of the tent and guyed it down to the rebar tent stakes, then I rigged some 70% shade cloth over that. It was great, I was able to sleep in til 11-12 each day no problem. I also really like that evap cooler idea as well, may have to add that into the mix too this year.

[dragonpilot]

What does one use to power an evaporative cooler...small generator? Or will one run off a deep cycle battery? What kind of power does a decent cooler draw?

And as long as we're on the subject, what are some recommended coolers to consider and prices?

[FIGJAM]

If you're not building your own, then you have these.

http://www.swampy.net/

If you are running a genny and you bring enough water.

http://www.amazon.com/Champion-Cooler-2800Cfm-Evaporative-Swamp/dp/B001XQ9OE8#eCM&zus&cbcustomer_reviews_top_855_0

How big is the space you want to cool?

You can build a cooler large enough for any space a lot cheaper.

[Packoderm]

If you are running a genny and you bring enough water.

http://www.amazon.com/Champion-Cooler-2800Cfm-Evaporative-Swamp/dp/B001XQ9OE8#eCM&zus&cbcustomer_reviews_top_855_0

How big is the space you want to cool?

You can build a cooler large enough for any space a lot cheaper.

People are selling swamp coolers on craigslist for as low as $60.



.

[jkisha]

We bought one from this company before we got the air conditioner. We really didn't like it. It made it feel more muggy than cool. Not the unit's fault, I'm sure. http://www.air-n-water.com/swamp-cooler ... rative.htm

[FIGJAM]

We bought one from this company before we got the air conditioner. We really didn't like it. It made it feel more muggy than cool. Not the unit's fault, I'm sure. http://www.air-n-water.com/swamp-cooler ... rative.htm

Yeah, that looks like the ones that just set in the room.

No dry air intake , so it just builds up the humidity.

[Trishntek]

What does one use to power an evaporative cooler...small generator? Or will one run off a deep cycle battery? What kind of power does a decent cooler draw?

And as long as we're on the subject, what are some recommended coolers to consider and prices?

Ours is just a 5 gallon bucket size with an 8 inch computer fan and a small 12V sump pump. The whole thing draws 0.38 amps from a 12V battery.

In more practical terms, that is less than 5 watts.

[sambojones]

ups dropped off my kodiak a couple of days ago and it's a heavy duty mofo... it was pretty easy to set up with just one person took me maybe 15 minutes, but i think i could do it much faster next time. The ease of set up, and packed size are really impressive... it definitely doesn't have the sound dampening of the yurt, but i can manage with some ear plugs i'm sure. i still can't decide which I want so i'm gonna keep em both I'll make a swamp cooler for the tent (thanks for the super informative post figjam) and keep the ac for the yurt... I have a couple of friends coming with me this year so if they don't have a good tent yet they can stay in the kodiak. i was thinking that if i wasn't satisfied with the tent i could return it or resell it, but for how impressively big and heavy duty it is i'm gonna keep it as a backup for the burn and use it for non burn camping as well.

just a lil over two months left i'm starting to get really fucking pumped!