My Real Home

The time of year and amount of gear you intend to carry will dictate to the type of tent you need to use. Then it's personal preference after that. You choose your make and style of tent based on your likes and dislikes. Personally, I use Ozark Mountain tents mostly because they're inexpensive and easy to set up. For the winter months I use a small, 8 x 9 x 4 tent and put a tarp over it. With a small, 8,000btu catalytic heater running on low and with the door open with screen closed for ventilation it's a balmy 75 in the tent with a low of 20 degrees fahrenheit outside. I set a cot up on one side and it's about 60 degrees at bunk level.


Because of the tarp that extends over the tent, my side kick has a place to sleep and he gets a bit of the heat from the tent. Under the tarp I set up a stove and grill sometimes and can cook in there. Can even bathe in there if necessary just by lighting a second header. You can't stand up in there, hence the bucket you see in the tent with a bath towel on it for comfort. I have a generator stashed in the trees for electricty and as you can see electric lights in the tent. There's even a drip coffee maker in there and a laptop on the bench to the right. And yes, I do have internet, it's as simple as tethering to the cell phone. The tarp has a two fold purpose, mostly to keep the heat in but the other purpose is, well, you know how a light inside a tent reveals more than you want to those outside the tent? You get the idea. :)