Anyone have feedback on a Kodiak 10x10 ft tent?

[gateway]

Looking at this tent for either me or another person

• Hydra-ShieldTM, 100% Cotton Duck Canvas. Durable, watertight and breathable.
• Flex-Bow Frame: Exceptionally sturdy. Keeps tent taut. Quick and easy, one-person, setup.
• Spacious 6'6" ceiling height provides walk-around comfort.
• Two large D-shaped doors (front and back) with #10 YKK zippers.
• Four large windows with no-see-um mesh.
• Large 72x78-inch awning.
• Customizable gear loft and organizer pockets.
• Two funnel-flow vents help improve air flow and temperature management.
• Heavy-duty 12-inch, steel rod, stakes.
• Handy strap-and-cinch storage bag for convenient roll up.

Ill prob get a queen blow up bed and I have some plastic containers for my clothes and stuff..

just looking for some feedback.. It says 6 people so I think 2 would fit great with some extra stuff?

[Jackass]

From what I understand, if you are going tent, this is what you want to be in...

If I didn't have my trailer, this would definitely be on my list. I still want one.

[misfit]

we had the 10 x 12 Kodiak. great tent, can be set up and taken down by one person. easily cleaned with just a hose. I'm 6' and can stand with no problem inside tent. queen air mattress fits with ease.

[gateway]

awesome, guess this will be my living quarters this year.. just need to figure out a potential shade source so not to bake in the morning sun

[mudpuppy000]

If you have a fully enclosed shade structure, like a carport, you can use pretty much any tent that doesn't have a large amount of mesh in it.

[gateway]

Cheers all, looks like that will be my home this year.. miss the RV but thats the way it goes

[Aurelia]

My tent imploded on me this year and it was a good one but 80 mile an hour winds at death Valley did me in I would love to find a used Kodiak that I could afford please let me know

[gateway]

My tent imploded on me this year and it was a good one but 80 mile an hour winds at death Valley did me in I would love to find a used Kodiak that I could afford please let me know

Love Death Valley, and have been in some super sand blasting storms.. my tiny Eureka tent held its ground

All: Come stop by at Camp Cyberia and say Hi!

[BGeisler]

I have the Kodiak 10x14 Tent. Honestly judging by the material and using it for four days this thing will last a long time!

[Sham]

I have the Kodiak 10x14 Tent. Honestly judging by the material and using it for four days this thing will last a long time!

I've had a cheapo $40 tent since my first visit to the playa around 15 years ago. I bring it for camp mates who may be in a pinch, and it only has a bit of life left in it. Still, 15 years for a crappy tent is a long time.

[Ratty]

My little dome utility tent cost $69 in 1977.

[ZigZag]

I was going to take my regular camping tent but I'd read a lot about how the mesh panels let all the playa dust in when the wind blows. I tried to make covers but the glue would not stick and I couldn't get a good seal.

I just don't have Ratty's amazing sewing skills!

So I was browsing Craig's List and found a guy selling a brand new, never been opened, Kodiak 10 x 10 for less than half the retail price.

Snapped that bad boy right up. It took me all of ten minutes to set it up. Its heavy as heck and the pole bag alone weighs in at 300 pounds (not really but it it seems like it.) I'll use 18" rebar candy canes to stake it to the playa but it comes with really good steel stakes for regular use.

[gateway]

I was going to take my regular camping tent but I'd read a lot about how the mesh panels let all the playa dust in when the wind blows. I tried to make covers but the glue would not stick and I couldn't get a good seal.

I just don't have Ratty's amazing sewing skills!

So I was browsing Craig's List and found a guy selling a brand new, never been opened, Kodiak 10 x 10 for less than half the retail price.

Snapped that bad boy right up. It took me all of ten minutes to set it up. Its heavy as heck and the pole bag alone weighs in at 300 pounds (not really but it it seems like it.) I'll use 18" rebar candy canes to stake it to the playa but it comes with really good steel stakes for regular use.

, should have mine on monday, and will do a test set up with just me.

[Kelsier]

From reading the forums this past year or so, Kodiaks seem like an excellent choice. I was going to attempt to build a hexayurt, but ease of setting up solo, and usage outside of BRC prompted me to buy one of the 10x14 Kodiaks. The thing is fricking amazing. I have it set up in my back yard right now with a full queen sized bed and box springs (had a bed frame too, but because of the slanting of the tent sides as they go up, that removed a lot of usable space), a 4 foot folding table, a camp share, and plenty of room to spare.

I'm in the same boat in trying to figure out how to shade it. A friend has offered me a shade structure since he isn't coming this year, but as a backup, and for general shade space, I am looking into one of the Costco Carports.

[Kelsier]

I'll use 18" rebar candy canes to stake it to the playa but it comes with really good steel stakes for regular use.

As I haven't used it on the playa yet, feel free to take this with a grain of salt, but from reading on here, most people say the stakes it come with are sufficient for the playa. They are long, sturdy, and there are a TON of them. Combine that with the weight of your gear in the tent, and it shouldn't go anywhere.

That being said, if it's worth doing it is worth overdoing, and I might still use rebar for the corners.

[gateway]

I'll use 18" rebar candy canes to stake it to the playa but it comes with really good steel stakes for regular use.

As I haven't used it on the playa yet, feel free to take this with a grain of salt, but from reading on here, most people say the stakes it come with are sufficient for the playa. They are long, sturdy, and there are a TON of them. Combine that with the weight of your gear in the tent, and it shouldn't go anywhere.

That being said, if it's worth doing it is worth overdoing, and I might still use rebar for the corners.

Yea, worth probably getting some just incase, but my crap tent last year weathered the big winds, granted only stayed it in once because was invited to stay in an RV the rest of the burn

[JohnEBGud]

I've used my 10x10 Kodiak on the Playa the past two years. Even with relentless winds of last year, it didn't budge using the steel stakes it comes with.

[HiThisIsLesley]

Hiya! I have a 9 x 8 Kodiak and it performed beautifully during 2015's (fairly) intense wind. I supplement the Kodiak-supplied stakes with rebar at every other stake point but I don't know if that is even needed. I pitch it myself with no problems (I'm a short lady).

[Aurelia]

How high is the tent inside can a six-foot person stand

[krly]

I believe the inside is 6'1" for the 9x8 and the 10x10 and 10x14 are 6'6".

[gcby30]

First burn this year so can't comment on playa durability but I did test mine at Joshua tree this weekend and it was very nice. I'm tall and could stand comfortably. Suggest getting the one that has the gear organizer as it's a nice feature. Thanks to others who clarified that the included stakes are fine for the playa, had been wondering about that.

not to hijack, but curious if any 10x10 owners are also using figjam's 5 gallon evap cooler and if you found it powerful enough to cool the Tent.

[JohnEBGud]

not to hijack, but curious if any 10x10 owners are also using figjam's 5 gallon evap cooler and if you found it powerful enough to cool the Tent.

I tried that last year with my 10x10, but no, it was not powerful enough. It's possible my cooler wasn't working optimally, but there's really too much volume to cool and the fan doesn't move enough air.

All was not lost however. Directing the cooler output on me made it comfortable enough to sleep even during the hottest parts of the day, even though the interior of the tent was still hot.

I'll be bringing it again this year.

[phoenixy]

JohnEBGud, if you don't mind my asking, how powerful a fan were you using? (How many CFM?) Wondering if it's the actual design that's the issue or the implementation details.

[BBadger]

Did you also have an exhaust fan or vent? The evap doesn't work well without a vent to release that heat laden moist air. That said, I had some friends mention that their evap cooler needed substantially more airflow and water than they had expected for their tent.

[BoyScoutGirl]

BBadger, the 9x8' Kodiak does have vents, so I assume the larger ones do too.

We just purchased the 9x8' - we went with that size because the poles collapse down to a very convenient packing size that easily fit in a trunk. It's plenty big enough for a pair of people and their totes, if you're friendly-like. The 9x8' would probably not be a good size for a queen bed though.

[BBadger]

Oh I'm sure there are vents, but I was just wondering if JohnEBGud opened them up while the evap was running.

I remember my family hated swamp coolers at our old house because they just made things muggy, but I can't help but wonder if we exhausted that air out that we may have liked them somewhat more.

[JohnEBGud]

JohnEBGud, if you don't mind my asking, how powerful a fan were you using? (How many CFM?) Wondering if it's the actual design that's the issue or the implementation details.

I used the one specified by FIGJAM. AFB1212SHE-CF00. 190 CFM.

Delta Fans

DC Fan Axial Ball Bearing 12V 6V to 13.8V 190.48CFM 55.5dB (120 X 120 X 38mm)

http://www.onlinecomponents.com/delta-p ... p=44522398

[JohnEBGud]

Did you also have an exhaust fan or vent? The evap doesn't work well without a vent to release that heat laden moist air. That said, I had some friends mention that their evap cooler needed substantially more airflow and water than they had expected for their tent.

No exhaust fan, but the Kodiak 10x10 has two roof vents which were open. I tried partially opening one of the screened windows as well, but that didn't make a difference.

The tent never became humid as the result of running the cooler which would have been the case if venting were the issue. 190 CFM is simply not enough airflow for a ~700 cubic foot tent.

[BBadger]

Hmm, yeah that's not enough. According to this post you'll want to exchange the volume of air every 1-3 minutes (the rate-wording in the post inverts this figure for some reason). So maybe double the airflow?

[Rice]

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.