Snowtrekker Tents and Angled Chimneys?

[jamieS]

As I'm contemplating which Snowtrekker to buy (and to hunt for in used condition to save some money), a question popped into my mind that I couldn't quite figure out: Is there any particular reason the chimneys on Snowtrekker tents tend to be on the left side as you face the tent?

Any thoughts/answers?

(My instinct would be to put it on the right side facing the tent, based on the fact that I would tend to orient the tent to make the door open to the morning sun (southeast-ish) and with the wind usually blowing west to east, it would put the chimney on the right side as you face the tent, which is the downwind side -- like on the smallest shortwall tent. Shortwall Canvas Tent | Snowtrekker Canvas Tents | Live Winter (snowtrekkertents.com) )

As I look at all the ~2 person (smallest) Crew, High Country, and Shortwall tents... I'm sorta leaning toward the High Country. Once again, the chimney -- upright in High Country -- is part of my thinking. I've heard just enough stories about smoke being blow back down the pipe and into the tent to make me lean toward a vertical chimney.

Is there any reason a slanted chimney is ultimately better? I guess that's technically a stove question...

-jamie

[awbrown]

Only my opinion. However, hot tent stoves, at least any I've dealt with have the doors hinged on the right. Stove wood is generally stacked just inside the tent to the left of the stove. It's easier to feed the stove from the stacked wood pile if the pile is to the left of the stove. That way you don't have to be lifting the wood over the stove door.

A slanted chimney allows you to place the stove a safe distance from the outside wall without having space taken up by the chimney, allows you to properly support the chimney outside the tent, prevents creosote from dripping down onto the tent and gets the chimney far enough away from the tent to lessen problems with blow back and down drafts..

[4estTrekker]

Good stuff so far. I would add that putting an elbow on the top end of a slanted chimney resolves wind issues and makes it perform as if it were vertical. Just adjust the elbow until the top rim is level. That solved my issues in a snap.

[jamieS]

Only my opinion. However, hot tent stoves, at least any I've dealt with have the doors hinged on the right. Stove wood is generally stacked just inside the tent to the left of the stove. It's easier to feed the stove from the stacked wood pile if the pile is to the left of the stove. That way you don't have to be lifting the wood over the stove door.

A slanted chimney allows you to place the stove a safe distance from the outside wall without having space taken up by the chimney, allows you to properly support the chimney outside the tent, prevents creosote from dripping down onto the tent and gets the chimney far enough away from the tent to lessen problems with blow back and down drafts..

awbrown, those three points on the slanted chimney makes a lot of sense. thanks!

[Tim]

Agree with all points made above. I also will add that a slanted chimney can form 1/3 of a fairly stable tripod if you wire together a couple of poles outside, leaning towards the tent as in the photo. Not to say this would be more stable than vertical chimney, just throwing it in the mix.

Left/right seems arbitrary, but as awbrown says, the stove manufacturers do tend to place hinges on the right and so the rest tends to follow.

Also for what it's worth, I was quite indecisive about chimney location when I ordered a larger wall tent and had to specify where I wanted the stove jack located. Ultimately I had two installed: one for straight up, one angled out the side. Many years later, I have used the straight up one once, and the angled one has been used every other time. Straight up wasn't horrible, except for the creosote battle scars my tent now bears, but nothing wrong with angled out the side that I have ever felt needed fixing. As 4estTrekker mentioned, an elbow up top can quickly sort out any blowback issues due to wind.

[jamieS]

very interesting, thanks for sharing your experience -- and you really did the test and it sounds like the angled has a lot more going for it, thanks!

the tripod/stability aspect wasn't something that jumped out at me, but it seems very obvious now how a solid tripod is probably much more stable than trying to guyline out a vertical chimney.

[Heavy Duty]

very interesting, thanks for sharing your experience -- and you really did the test and it sounds like the angled has a lot more going for it, thanks!

the tripod/stability aspect wasn't something that jumped out at me, but it seems very obvious now how a solid tripod is probably much more stable than trying to guyline out a vertical chimney.

The two stick method is actually less stable than the guyline method. With tent movement, or ice/snow melt, the two stick method can actually pop the stove pipe off the stove. The guy-line method actually forces the pipes tighter together. I've had pipes come apart with the stick method, not with the guy-line.

[jamieS]

ooh, interesting HD. I can see how it would keep the pipes seated together...