Did anyone add a stove jack to an Ultamid 4

[Manfred]

Seing that SeekOutside is now offering DCF hot tents got me thinking about getting a tent stove and adding a stove jack to my Ultamid 4. Has anyone experience with that? Would it be possible to convert the peak vent of the HMG Ultamid 4 to a stove jack or should the stove jack ideally go into a different location? Any advice for this newbie who is thinking about extending his hiking/backpacking to 4 seasons is highly welcome.

[Philip Tschersich]

You wouldn’t so much convert the peak vent as replace the vent with a stove jack. I’ve added stove jacks to 2 different MLD Supermids. It’s an excellent addition if you want to extend your comfort range into weather and seasons that otherwise would amount to pure misery. That said, the jack adds weight and bulk. If you want to keep your Ultamid svelt, consider adding a silnylon ‘mid dedicated as a hot tent to your gear pile. Since the hot tent already requires extra stuff like the stove, pipe, wood cutting implements, etc, the small added weight of silnylon is easier to rationalize. Plus you don’t stress as hard when embers melt holes in it.

[Manfred]

Philip, thanks for the prompt reply!

Did you use a particular stove jack? How much bulk/weight did it add?

[Chris R]

It’s surprising how heavy the silicon/fibreglass fabric is, about 17 oz per square yard, plus I bind around the outer edge with gros grain before I stick it to the fabric and then stitch in place. I’ve done a couple of tents now and have come to the conclusion that there is definitely a benefit to off setting the stove from the centre by a couple of feet, makes for a lot more useable space. The jack on my latest tent is 12” by 10” mostly because that was a convenient size to cut from the remainder of the sheet I had left. I buy it by the yard to sell on my Canadian website.
This is my new solo hot tent. I took a cheap eBay pyramid and added an 18” wall to improve internal volume to give an 8.5 by 7 for plan. Still waiting for enough snow to try it out but it should give me a sub $100 solo option now that I can’t share a tent due to COVID 19 restrictions

[Brad Rogers]

I agree with other posters that I would be very hesitant to modify an $700 tent.  For a hot tent, it might be worth picking up an Oware sil mid or a Black Diamond mid and saving your HMG for warmer trips without a stove.

[Philip Tschersich]

I don’t remember what a jack weighs and I can’t recall where I bought them (maybe Seek Outside?). Ripstopbytheroll sells stove jack fabric that they say is 17 oz per square yard as Chris also mentioned. I guess you could do the math. I see 4-5 oz quoted online from folks selling DIY jacks. That’s not much, but not nothing.

To figure out where the jack will go, think about how you normally do your interior living space layout and decide what 2 foot square patch of ground you are willing to give up. You will want to be able to access the stove door easily to feed it wood without having to move around much. Since I generally occupy the back half of the ‘mid and the MLD vent is right above the door I put the stove on the left side panel near the peak. You can see it at minute 3:31 in this video: Shuyak Packraft 2017

[Chris R]

Don’t forget to add some room around the stove as a safety barrier and to avoid things getting too hot. I blew a seam in a Thermarest one time by over heating the glue. It was still a foot away from the stove but the big stoves we use put out a lot of heat. We will usually carry foil baking sheets to place as a radiant barrier between the stove and any sensitive gear.

The nice thing about the cheap mid I bought is it has two doors, makes access easier.

[Philip Tschersich]

This post has my stove pipe rolling strategy.

We sometimes end up camping in some pretty exposed locations and the only thing holding the pipe in place when it is being buffeted by wind is the jack, which can take a beating. One thing I do to my jacks now is to add thin stainless cable (think bike shifter cable)  swaged into a loop. This helps distribute the stress of the pipe across the entire aperture.

[Chris R]

That wire trick is neat. I glued a doughnut of Kevlar welding blanket around the hole with silicone caulk to reinforce mine.

[Manfred]

Philip after watching your video I want to get my packraft out … and go back to Alaska. One day … when this whole Covid thing is over.

Thanks for the great tips. Great suggestion with the cable loop in the stove jack!

[Author]

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