Anyone have feedback on a Kodiak 10x10 ft tent?

[gcby30]

Holy cow those replies are helpful, thank you all.

[Shaiva]

The larger ones with slanted sides take wind better, but springbar and kodiak have ripped before.
If you can, order a springbar with dark canvas instead of white.
Otherwise, you can dye it darker, like a dark green.
Springbar will sell you waterproofing material if you damage the resistance.
Then you have shade.

Canvas should work far better than plastic for evaporation cooling.
Should not be a problem using it.

You could attach some shade to the tent, just remember it must flex with the tent and it moves.

[ZigZag]

FWIW
I took my Kodiak 10x10 on a test camp this past weekend and Saturday night we got hit by a major line of thunderstorms. After a couple of hours of very intense rain, wind, lightning and thunder, my Kodiak stood proud and never leaked a drop,

My friend had a Shift Pod and though it was fine structurally, it leaked like a colander and she had a lake on her floor in no time.

Hers looked cool but mine worked better.

[Taylorlou]

I have used a Kodiak 10x14 tent at several burns.

Without a shade over the tent, it gets easy-bake-oven warm as soon as the sun hits it and then gets hot from there. We had a 10x10 shade structure by the front door - with a tarp for the floor and shade cloth on two side (from the roof down 3/4 of the way, with room for air floor near the ground) - amazing during dust storms. Once our hammock was set up I could sleep in the heat of the day, in a dust storm or whatever. Worked out good for those darn 12 hr shifts I was doing.
No dust in the tent, beyond what we tracked in on our shoes/bodies. That was 3 weeks on the playa, frankly it was amazing.
The tent pegs it comes with are adequate, but we added a couple 1 1/2 ft reebar pegs (one on the front/back) for extra comfort of mind.
There was enough space for a queen sized double-high air mattress, 2 camping tables, a couple plastic dressers and room to store coolers, extra beer, luggage, etc.

If you have the coin, I highly recommend it.

What did you do for your shade structure? How did you secure it?

[BBadger]

You should look into a carport or a larger monkey hut for that Kodiak. My friends tried fitting their Kodiak under a monkey hut and it fit barely. Something slightly larger, like what ZigZag did with hers, would probably fit it perfectly.

[Rice]

I have used a Kodiak 10x14 tent at several burns.
<snip>
If you have the coin, I highly recommend it.

What did you do for your shade structure? How did you secure it?

We pounded 6 foot long T-stakes into the ground about 2 feet deep by each of the 4 legs of the shade structure, then we lashed each leg to its t-stake using para-cord (for the entire length of the stake), then each corner of the shade was attached to a 1.5' long stake using para-cord. That sucker did NOT move during any of the wind storms, rain storms, and was awesome.

This is the only picture I have. Hope this helps

[leebroadway]

I set up my new 10x10 Kodiak for the first time today. Wow, it really is nice!! This is my first year at Burning Man and I'm feeling lucky to have a nice tent.

I bought a bunch of 12" military stakes (the v-shaped aluminum ones) to replace the ones it came with. Do you guys think 14 military stakes will be enough to hold that sucker down? I will have a cooler and a bunch of heavy totes in it. I'm just nervous, this being my first year and all. Really, really do not want my tent taking off and hurting someone.

[BBadger]

I'd consider getting some rebar or better yet some lag bolts, that way they can be really deep into the playa without disappearing. There's like 4" of playa that doesn't provide any grip for stakes, so having longer stakes/bolts helps.

Also, regardless of how nice your tent is, you need to think about what you're going to use for shade for that tent and buy materials for bolting that to the playa too.

[EspressoDude]

We have a 10 x10 Kodiak and have used it on playa, non event and no wind storms. couple comments:

The ceiling height is in the middle and the sides slope inward (roof is about 6 x 6) so a queen bed in the middle wipes out standing room.

The tent is held up by the 2 outer poles and a large part of wind loading is transformed into downward thrust on these poles. Carpet or something solid for these to push down on so they don't sink on that little pin they set on.. These poles are just a bit long and putting them in place tensions and bends the spring bars. If the stakes are not fully driven in until the poles are in place it is easier.

For high winds I would tie two ropes to each pole top/spring bar joint and stake them down several feet from the tent. (flagging and stake protection).

Dry it when you get home before it is stashed for weeks or months so it does not mildew

[gateway]

Btw set up my 10x10 the other day, one word of caution for those with queen beds, blow it up inside or otherwise its not very easy to get into the tent

I was able to fit my queen blow up beed, a 4 foot table, chair and prob have room for all my clothes, misc stuff.. all in all deff room....

[Just_Joe]

I was able to fit my queen blow up beed, a 4 foot table, chair and prob have room for all my clothes, misc stuff.. all in all deff room....

I'm bringing a 10x14. Your post makes me think I could maybe hang a sheet in the middle and rent out a room. I've always wanted to be a slumlord.

[gateway]

I was able to fit my queen blow up beed, a 4 foot table, chair and prob have room for all my clothes, misc stuff.. all in all deff room....

I'm bringing a 10x14. Your post makes me think I could maybe hang a sheet in the middle and rent out a room. I've always wanted to be a slumlord.

haha, its a bit tight but you need to rotate the bed.. not (beed) as I stated above.. damn fast typo's..

Its deff a bit roomy and depending on your layout maybe you can rent a room out j/k

[krly]

I've been in nylon tents in the wind and they were quite NOISY. Are the canvas tents much (any ?) quieter ? Also, regarding tying the poles to a T-post or staking them down.....does that ruin the "wind dynamics" of the tent being able to bounce/sway with the wind ?
Krly

[C.f.M.]

I've been in nylon tents in the wind and they were quite NOISY. Are the canvas tents much (any ?) quieter ? Also, regarding tying the poles to a T-post or staking them down.....does that ruin the "wind dynamics" of the tent being able to bounce/sway with the wind ?
Krly

In my experience the canvas tents are much quieter as they don't have the rain fly flapping around (that's what made mine really noisy - and it was in the middle of a monkey hut).

Anybody got a good idea for flying with the poles? So far a ski bag seems to be the best way...

[Super C]

How hard are the included stakes to drive vs rebar? I'm upgrading to this tent this year and am considering getting an impact driver/lag screws for it. If the included stakes are easy enough to pound I'll just stick to those and my trusty mallet. Save a few bucks....

[EGAZ]

Looking at some pics, stock stakes are not long enough. It's not how hard it is to pound them in, (to a point) its how well they hold.

For the best of both worlds, hold power and ease of install/removal, go with lag bolts. You will not be unhappy about it.

[krly]

This thread : viewtopic.php?f=277&t=80373 has a number of folks saying the "stock" tent pegs were fine on the playa. Also discusses shade options.

[EGAZ]

.....has a number of folks saying the "stock" tent pegs were fine on the playa....

I might be blind but I don't see them.

Either way, lagbolts are cheap insurance.

[Ratty]

Krly, 'stock' tent pegs are NOT OK. Some years the top 6 inches of ground is soft as a sandbox. You can't stake anything securely with a few inches of grab. Your tent and shade will blow into the neighbor's windshield. Don't try it. buy some 2 foot rebar and some foam swim noodles from the dollar store. Pound em in and sleep like a baby. Bring a pair of vicegrips or a pipe wrench to unscrew them out of the ground. It's easy.

[silvergirl70]

I have a 10x14' Kodiak and purchased a bunch of rebar spikes instead of the tent stakes (looks like rebar with a nail head welded to the top.) I think I paid about $40-50 for the set, maybe less. Have used them for 3 burns and they are brick shithouses. Picture is representative of what I got, but mine are 2', I think 1/2" diameter. I bought them from a welder selling cool stuff on ebay.

[lucky420]

For my 10 x 14 kodiak I use the pegs itcame with. No problems, course I put a lot of shit in my tent and the tent is pretty heavy on its own. It’s not going anywhere

[Super C]

I used a kodiak 10x10 this year after 2 years of a dinky dome tent and man oh man why did I not do this SOONER! It was plenty large for a queen size inflatable mattress, an inflatable easy chair, a small shelving kit and all my misc crap. I opted for the extra vestibule as an outdoor awning where I had my folding table and a few folding chairs. My group camped in no mans land (walk up camping) and everyone always ended up at my tent because it was the best layout.

It's 6'6 on the inside so I can stand up perfectly fine (I'm 6'). I'll be adding some more shade structure and maybe an ez-up of some sort next year. Other than that, I couldn't be happier with it. I highly recommend it. Here's a short youtube video I made if you want to check it out. I'll try to make a better one next burn

[akhe]

thanks for the video! super helpful. i'm considering buying the Kodiak 10x10 and was wondering what kind of AC unit do you mentioned having? does it cool the space well? and how (/how much) do you power it for the week? thanks!

[korierika4]

It's 6'6 on the inside so I can stand up perfectly fine (I'm 6'). I'll be adding some more shade structure and maybe an ez-up of some sort next year.

Dude best video I found for my 10x10 Kodiak tent. Thanks! I want to create the same sort of shade structure you have in the video, but I am a bit unsure how and what materials are necessary.

[Super C]

akhe, it's an Evapolar USB powered swamp cooler. They're kinda pricey but very portable and convenient. I have the EV-1000, their older model. It's not powerful enough to cool the entire tent but I didn't need it to. I basically slept on my mattress in nothing but shorts and aimed the unit at my chest, and it cooled my core from 103 down to 75! I didn't have a fan last year and think that would have made a small difference, but even without it I managed to sleep for 2+ hours at the peak of the heat. I used a portable phone battery and it lasted about 8 hours. The larger battery you see on the floor in the video probably could have powered it for 8 hours a day all week.

Here's a pic:

20170830_164929.jpg

koierika4, I basically just used some silver backed tarp from home depot to cover the tent. I tied it with bungee balls. I only had enough of them (3) to cover the roof, one side and the vestibule. Two 10x10 and one 6x8. I recently got two more 10x10s to cover the whole thing in case I don't get a costco garage this year. They DEFINITELY helped.

[korierika4]

koierika4, I basically just used some silver backed tarp from home depot to cover the tent. I tied it with bungee balls. I only had enough of them (3) to cover the roof, one side and the vestibule. Two 10x10 and one 6x8. I recently got two more 10x10s to cover the whole thing in case I don't get a costco garage this year. They DEFINITELY helped.

Awesome, waiting for my next check then I need to pick up some supplies. Then I'll attempt to put it together in my back yard with some help from my dad before hitting the dust!