Well, here's my review:

I went down last night about 7:30 and started my fire. It was about 32º, and the temp stayed steady till I came back to the house just after midnight.

I'll start by saying the tent truly exceeded my expectations as a "Campfire Tent". The temp inside got close to 90º when the radiant heat from the campfire was at it's peak (which, interestingly, was not when the flames were the biggest, but shortly after that). I sat inside with no coat, just my long sleeve shirt and insulated pants, and could have been in summer shorts. I had a piece of single bubble foil insulation on the ground and I laid down on that using my jacket for a pillow and was perfectly comfortable.

When it got too warm I just slid the visqueen sheet open a little at the sides near the floor and I could regulate the temp inside in just seconds doing that.

I tested the tent with the visqueen laid over the roof, so the front was completely open, and with the fire going good it was comfortable inside but the temp varied a lot as the warm/cold air was quickly exchanged. It was still really nice in there like that though, and it would be perfect for when you're relaxing with a hot beverage and one of Phat's premium cigars wink

I also tested it with the awning closed while the fire was going and it didn't seem to warm up near as much. I need to test that some more to confirm that it was blocking the heat because I should have let the fire build up a little more to make a solid conclusion, but I got cold so I folded the awning back and even though the fire built up some in just the few seconds it took me to do that, the difference in how much heat got through seemed much greater than just that of the fire's intensity.

The ground sheet I used was from a previous project. The bubble foil I used inside the tent worked great and I'll use that or a piece of visqueen cut to size, and yes, I'll probably make a "bathtub" with it that attaches to the tent walls with a peg and hoop. Right now, the ground sheet in the pics weighs more than the tent. It's made from 3 mil visqueen and it probably weighs as much per square foot as the bubble foil. The bubble foil can be folded and packed like a CCF pad is inside a frameless pack (to expand the pack), and it weighs less than a CCF pad per sq ft., so it's actually a pretty good option in this case since it's used as both a ground sheet and an insulating pad.

While making this I came up with lots of small details and features that could be added, but I resisted the urge to add them right off the bat, opting instead to keep it as simple as possible. The awning was the only thing I added and that's because I think it will help keep it warmer inside when no fire is being used. I'm not sure it will though. The tent is pretty big inside and I think there is just too much wall and ceiling space to dissipate heat with just one person inside. I'm pretty sure it would heat up with two or three adults sitting inside, but not just one. I will test it though, and make sure.

Another big plus I realized last night happened after I spilt an ounce or so of beer on the floor inside the tent (I know, I know blush). I wiped it up with a fleece jacket I had in there, and then set the wet spot on the jacket towards the fire and it dried completely in just a few minutes (still smells like dirty beer though frown )

As it stands, I have to say that if you backpack where you can have a campfire, you really should consider making one of these and trying it out. It is absolutely wonderful to sit inside and soak up the warmth from the fire. It is a pleasure and a real luxury to crawl into a warm sleeping bag, and done right, to get up for your morning pee and toss a bunch of sticks on the coals and crawl back into your bag and wait for it to warm up before getting up and started. It only costs about $25 and a few hours time to make one of these and when you're done you have a perfect excuse to get out again. Shoot, there's been times I'd've paid twice that just for the excuse laugh

I'll go back down there and pack it up in a bit and try to weigh it accurately, and I'll post the packed size and weight asap.

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