Gear Review - Seek Outside Six-Person Tipi Hot-Tent Bundle

Overview:

Ever since watching Brad Brook's fantastic film "Hunting The Last Wild Places I The Frank" I've wanted a hot tipi for my backcountry hunting trips. After a miserable Colorado elk hunt (at least from a weather standpoint) spent in a small backpacking tent with my two boys in 2023, I finally pulled the trigger on getting one for a 2025 return trip to the same place.

The ability to have a shelter that provided warmth, a place to dry out, and ample space for boots and gear (and guys) seemed like a game changer (spoiler alert, it was).

There are a number of companies now offering hot tipis and stoves, but I've always been a fan of the work that Seek Outside is doing, and have followed the brand closely since first meeting them at a BHA Rendezvous event in 2019. For me, the debate came down to the Seek Outside Redcliff, which is a bit lighter and has a full nest option, or the Seek Outside Six-Person Tipi which is taller, a touch larger, and slightly heavier.

After talking with Kevin Timm from Seek, I settled in on the six-man tipi with the PRO bundle: olive green with two door screens, the SXL titanium wood stove, full liner (two half liners), the carbon fiber pole, and factory seam sealing.

All in the setup tips the scales around 12 pounds and set me back about $2,000. Was it worth it? Here's my take.

Background/Testing:

Since the purchase we demo'd the tipi on a winter campout on our property in Michigan, my older son used it for pre-season and in-season Elk scouting/hunting in Montana, and my two boys and I recently put it to work on our return trip to Colorado for second-season elk rifle.

Seek offers a number of customizable options/choices for your tipi so, before we get into my thoughts, here are the basic specs for our set up:

The Six-Person Tipi Includes:

• Shelter canopy

• Stove jack with rain flap

• Carbon Pole - 6 sections

• 10 twisted stakes and 10 standard stakes.

• Stuff Sacks

• Two half liners

  
  

The Six-Person Tipi Has The Following Features:

• Cordura Spec 6.6 Nylon

• Sod Skirt

• SO Stake Loops

• Guyout Loops

• Flexi-Pitch

• Dual Zippered Doors With Rain Flaps

• Stove Jack With Rain Flap

• Peak Vent

• Hang Loops

• Two doors with screens

  
  

The Stove Includes:

• SXL Titanium Wood Stove

• 8 feet of roll up stovepipe

• Pipe rings

• Damper

• Spark Arrestor

• Intake Control

• Storage Bag

What I Like:

In general a hot tent/tipi provides many advantages for backcountry hunting, the most obvious being comfort, allowing you to stay in the field longer. This comfort comes in a few different forms, the first is space. Compared to a backpacking tent, a tipi provides more floor space and headroom – both for gear and for the occupants. The second is warmth. While you aren't going to get an all-night burn out of any portable stove, having one allows you to warm up and dry out in a sheltered environment, both of which provide a huge morale boost in the field. Beyond these universal benefits, here are a few things specific to the Seek Outside Six-Man Tipi that I liked.

Ease of use: The first thing I like about the Seek Outside Six-Man Tipi is the ease of use. The entire set up is decently light (12 pounds split between 2-3 guys is very manageable), easy to pack, and easy to pitch. And Seek Outside provides a number resources for tent and stove use, including specifics on how to properly pitch it, which can be found here.

Stove: I'm not going to lie, when I first saw the stove that came with this package I was pretty unsure. Needing to be light and portable, there wasn't much to it (we also didn't find/use the damper on the first trial run). But, once we got the hang of how it set up and operated, it's darn slick and definitely gets the tent warm quickly. Like sit-around-in-your-boxers-when-it's-20-degrees-outside warm. And it packs up nice and small.

Room: Another thing that I really appreciated about the Seek Six-Man Tipi was the room. With a 14-foot diameter, the 6-man tipi offers 150 square feet of ground space PLUS 7' 10" of height (in the middle). It can accommodate six hunters with no stove, or three hunters plus gear and the stove. And it's not pinched. In Colorado we had three adults, stove, a stack of wood, boots, and much of our gear all safely stowed inside. And we still had room to move around comfortably. We could even sit up (or stand up) as needed (try that in a backpacking tent) and even cook inside on our backpacking stove. All while being protected from the elements and warmed by the fire.

Made in USA/Warranty: I've met Angie and Kevin, the owners of Seek Outside, and know what they are about. And, it means something to me that their products are made in-house, in America, using the best fabrics and materials they can source. Beyond the made-in-the-USA factor, Seek stands behind their products with an outstanding warranty, and that's not something you see much of anymore.  

What I Don't Like:

Dirty: This isn't specific to Seek products but with most any hot-tipi setup you are going to be running without a floor – just you and the bare ground, and this can be both a pro and a con. No floor means you can wear your boots, stow your grubby gear, and stack firewood inside and not have to worry about it. But it also means you are in intimate contact with the earth, and that can get a little dirty.

Seek provides a variety of solutions for this, including a complete floor system, a ground mat, or a basic ground sheet which is a lightweight, Tyvek-type roll that goes between the ground and your sleeping pad (which is what we used). So this point may be less of a negative and more of a "be aware," because you and your gear will collect some dirt.

Condensation: With any cold weather camping you are going to experience condensation inside your shelter from respiration and ground moisture, and the Seek tipi is no exception. While we purchased a full liner for ours (two half liners), we only installed one...primarily due to laziness. The difference was noticeable. While the entire tipi experienced condensation (particularly on the extreme lower quarter), the half using the liner never put that condensation in contact with us, whereas the side without the liner did, and that led to some wet gear. So, if you are worried about weight you can skip the liner(s) and deal with condensation, but if you'd prefer to avoid the condensation on you or your gear, I'd opt for the full liner.

A couple other notes in regards to condensation: the wood stove definitely helps reduce interior moisture and having screens (an optional item) allows you to "air out" the tent during middays (this can help reduce moisture from the "greenhouse" effect of inside moisture and warming sun).

Cost: Okay, here it is, the cost factor. By the time I spec'ed out the tipi with the options and stove I wanted it ran me about $2,000, and that's no chump change. But you have to put it in context. For most folks, the cost of hunting tags, gear, travel, etc plus the time investment you make into backcountry hunting is substantial. So, in the big picture, $2,000 isn't such a huge number.

You also have to factor in that having this tipi literally changes your hunting game: you can stay out longer, get more time hunting, have room for yourself and your gear (no more frozen boots and water bottles), and you have the ability to warm up and dry off as needed. Heck, you can even eat inside (probably not highly recommended in bear country, but you could). Or at least have a warm cup of coffee by the fire and out of the elements. So is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Also yes.

Perfect For: The Six-Person Tipi Hot Tent Bundle from Seek Outside is literally a backcountry hunting game changer, allowing you to weather any storm, stretch out, take the chill off, cook, and dry soggy gear. It's the perfect choice for a lightweight and comfortable backcountry camp for up to six people without the stove, and particularly great with the stove for three hunters in cold and inclement weather.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Learn More here.