Opinions on the surplus military 5 & 10 man arctic tents?

They're commonly called Bell Tents and I used them all the time when I was with the local reserves. They are very warm yet somehow cool in the summer. But don't plan on being in your house warm.

During spring and fall, you definetly needed something for heat. Even on some of those cool nights during the summer you needed a heatsource. We used the old Coleman lanterns that ran on white gas. Naptha if I remember right. We also used the Arctic Sleeping bags rated for -40 and then opened the zipper to control the heat.

As for the set up, expect more than 15 minutes. We used them quite often and still took about half an hour to fully set up. Yes, you can get it standing in 15 minutes but you're not moving kit in for at least half an hour to an hour if you want it done right. You spread it out in a circle. Stake the outside corners. Raise the centre pole while a person or two strings the support wires. Once that's done you finish staking the outside edge, finish the rest of the support wires (staked into the ground) and then start tighting them up with the slides that are provided. Then you put logs or rocks or snow on the outside flaps connected to the walls to prevent any wind from getting in. That's about it.

The one problem I always had was standing up in them. I'm 6 feet tall and could only stand in the very centre of the tent. But the problem is, that's where the pole is so I spent most of the time in the tent on my knees or hunched over. If you just plan on sleeping in there, it's great, but for anything else, it sucks.

We had one winter exercise where we spent about 12 hours out of the day in the tent and my back was sore for a week. Try cooking and dressing and working on equipment hunched over.

All in all, it's a good piece of kit. With a little practice they can be set up by just two people in under an hour and if done properly they can stand some pretty wicked weather and cold. Don't get it too warm inside though. Condensation is the enemy! Often body heat is enough or the heat from a small lantern.

400 dollars seems a bit much. Try doing some searching for a Canadian Bell tent and see what comes up.

Best of luck. If you find a nice one and learn to use it properly, you'll be very comfy.
 
Great help, thanks guys. I just calledthe surplus store in Hull and was told they are out of stock. The last time they had them, they went for $325 for the 5 man and $375 for the 10 man size.

There aren't many surplus stores around here either.
 
If you are going to use the tent in the cold your going to want one with the winter liner. When you pick one out make sure you unfold it and check for holes. It was common practice to leave the tent stakes (we used foot long steel spikes) roled up in the guyed lines and this tended to poke little holes in the canvas. Check the condition of the zipper if its broken its easy to replace if your dealer has any.
 
OMG.I'd hate to remember how many nights I spent in the 5 and 10 man arctic tents-right down to minus 40 in the frozen wastes around Churchill. BTW,these are not called Bell tents. The Bell tent is a straight canvas job dating back to the Boer War.

We used to use a 10 man tent as a hunting camp in the NB bush. Set it up before deer season and take it down afterwards. With a liner they are all you need for this type of use. A Coleman stove and lantern will generate all the heat and light you need. The liner reflects the heat and light and allows a dead airspace which helps keep things warm.The biggest hazard with these is fire,so you need to be careful with filling and lighting stoves and lanterns. Fill them outside and turn everything off when you go to bed. If you have a good bag with insulation between you and the ground you will stay warm and comfortable.

You need to be careful about stoves.The US Army used the so-called Yukon stove, which ran on ordinary gas,in their arctic tents. They featured stovepipes and the whole ####eree.These things were waaaay too hot and would melt right down thru the snow to the ground below and make a hell of a mess,plus generating a lot of moisture/condensation which is bad news.
 
I can't think of 5 people that I'd share a tent with, let alone 10! :D

I prefer a standard McPherson tent. They're big and heavy but they'll stand being set up in September and left until spring.
 
If you REALLY have to 1 person can set up either the 5 or 10 man tent but it takes a "while". Make sure the base plate for the centre pole is there and check the centre pole for wear. Its nice if you can also get two of the Coleman lantern hooks but they can be made up from rebar. Winter time, pitched in the open, build a snow block wall on the windward side. NEVER fuel or light a stove or lantern in the tent. Depending on where you are setting up the tent ( accessibility and duration) I have also used one of the old smaller Coleman spaceheater oilburners - but that was 25 years ago and "carb" overhaul parts may not be easy to find anymore.
If you do get a fire in the tent you go out right under the flap. Sometimes on firewatch the loudest snorer did anyway:D Kayceel
 
I must be confused. These aren't the bell tents with the expanding pole I the centre and look like a bell? The pictures are pretty bad.

Ah, fire watch... so many memories of sitting there doing absolutely nothing for two hours.
 
$400 is rather high for an old chunk of canvas that the army no longer finds useful. These tents are heavy and ancient. There is much better gear available for a similar value.
 
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