see also:

• large dome tents
• hot tents (tents with wood stoves inside)
• photography and camping main index page
• Youtube short video of it with TPU door and Winnerwell Nomad Medium stove

• the Unlimited Works Hemispherical tent VAST-SK100 sold by Dokicamp is a 3.9m diameter floor-less octagonal dome-like tent with 5 big doors and 3 windows plus a stove jack making it a very versatile shelter
• most will use a 2P tent inside it to provide an insect proof sleeping area and provide greater warmth
• as with most tipis and dome tents, there are no awnings
  • one could use a 4x4m tarp with two tarp poles to provide an awning over the doorways and potentially add to the stability and waterproofing in adverse weather by having it pass over the tent and guying out and pegging down on the rear, windward side
  • alternatively, an elasticized tarp designed to fit around the curve of dome tents may be a more compact option
    • eg. Vango Adventure tarp ~2×3.75m 1.3kg
• a comparable sized, but less spacious tipi tent is the OneTigris Rock Fortress teepee style Hot Tent
  • both have about 12 sq m floor space but the tipi tent has much less standing height space due to the angled sides
• a comparable sized, but more spacious tunnel tent is the Mobi Garden Guan Tu V (On The Road V) hot tent / gazebo
  • being a 4×3.8m rectangle, the Guantu V has ~25% more space at 15 sq.m floor space whereas the circular nature of this tent gives only 12sqm floor space
  • in addition, both doors of the Guantu V can be used as awnings for even more space - but the view through the Guantu V mesh is not as clear and one wall has no windows at all so more thought needs to go into siting of the Guantu V when setting up - expected wind directions, views, access, etc, and it takes longer to set up and take down

• 3.9m diam x 2m tall octagonal; 12 sq m floor space; volume is very approximately 18m³ (~5-6x that of a standard 2P hike tent but only just ov er half that of the Guantu V)
• 68D honeycomb ripstop 2000mmPU UPF50+ silicone-processed nylon (no silicone layer)
• 5 large doors and 3 half-height elevated windows (plus 4 ceiling) are dual layered fabric inner, mesh outer and all can be opened;
  • the mesh and fabric doors can be stowed away in a large mesh pocket above each of the doors when unzipped but remain attached to centre of top of doors
• ceiling fly canopy with 4 clear TPU windows and a stove jack which can be rotated to one of the 4 ceiling window positions;
• inner sod skirt to reduce breezes, etc
• 8x 11mm aluminium poles with a central hub - not sure how strong this design is though.
  • the wall poles have a bent section at the top where they connect into the centre hub poles
  • the wall poles readily develop a sideways warp in use - perhaps 13mm may have been better but then it would have been much heavier
• poles are clipped on to the tent with the only sleeves being the bottom 12“ section - makes set up and pack down much faster and less fiddly than long pole sleeves as is on many tents
• 11.5kg
• packs to 75x30x30cm;
• available in khaki or green;
• bag is very spacious and made of same material as the tent - its very easy to stow the tent - as usual, just take care not to snare the mesh in the zippers!
• https://dokicamp.work/en-au/products/dome-tent-hemispherical-tent-vast-sk100 ~$AU700 incl delivery
• opt. TPU door ~$AU60 - get 3 so you can have 3 almost panorama doors!
• discount code for Dokicamp

• the ceiling has 4 windows which are dual layered - mesh and fabric
• one of these can have a stove jack attached as shown below
• the fly cover has 4 clear TPU matching windows AND a separate stove jack window and thus the fly can be rotated to allow for the chimney to be aligned with the fly window
• for better insurance for where it passes through the tent ceiling window, use a triple shield chimney section as wind could otherwise potentially allow the tent fabric to touch the chimney
• the fly attaches to top part of wall of main tent just above the guy out points via buckles
• if you choose the ceiling window to the left of the 3 doors (so you can see the right side window of a Winnerwell Nomad wood camping stoves, the chimney will be 1.24m from the closest wall at floor level, and 1.55m from the floor of the left most of the 3 doors - and 40cm from the centre of the tent
  • this allows a 2P tent to be set up essentially parallel with the rear door, and allows easy access to stoking the stove with tent being ~45cm from the stove door
• when it is 5-10degC outside, the medium Winnerwell Nomad wood camping stoves will quickly raised the temperature to 24degC at height 1.3m and 16deg at height 20cm, this is with all doors closed except one door is 1/3rd fully open to allow fresh air and any smoke from opening the stove door to escape
• note that there is a large gap in the ceiling window where heat will escape around the chimney as the stove jack is on the fly - this can be partly reduced by using a triple shield section here for the chimney and then the ceiling window can be partly zipped closed around this.

NB. the stove jack is part of the fly NOT the tent itself

• this tent comes with an internal skirt which has very important functions when used correctly by weighing it down:
  • reduces chance of strong winds getting under the tent and compromising the tent
  • reduces dust ingress into the tent
  • reduces larger animals getting into the tent such as snakes and some vermin although these may only need a gap of an inch or so
• it has additional advantages over a external snow skirt:
  • rain does not pool on top of it so it dries out more quickly
• BUT it can't be used as a snow skirt - although these are not really needed as snow can be piled up on the outside of the tent

• much more usable interior space as there is no centre pole and ceiling is flatter giving more standing height area and reducing ceiling hot air spots when using a stove
• not as tall as a tipi (same diameter tipi is usually 2.4m tall whereas this is 2m tall so this may have some benefit in strong winds)
• much greater ventilation and view options - most tipis have only 1-2 doors and no windows
• better privacy options - can zip up the doors half height while still giving ventilation and a wide view out
• freestanding so you can move it or rotate it once set up (tipis need to be firmly pegged out to set up)
• option of clear tpu doors to reduce the wind chill and rain but still see out and connect with nature
• ceiling windows for viewing the night sky
• better mosquito protection - all doors and windows have mesh layer (tipis generally do not have mesh doors)
• ceiling has a separate fly for perhaps better rain and warmth protection

• can be a faster set up and pack up as no long sleeves to get the poles through (10min vs 20-30min)
• circular arrangement means it will work no matter which way the wind blows whereas the tunnel tents are really only optimised for some wind directions
• much more privacy, ventilation, vision and door options
• windows can have the mesh and fabric unzipped for a clear view (many tunnel tents have a fixed mesh component in the windows)
• ceiling windows (although some tunnel tents do have these)
• optional clear TPU doors (although some tunnel tents do have these but they are much wider)

• much heavier (but still relatively light) at 11.5kg (similar tipi would come in at about 3.5kg which means one could hike with a tipi)
• more expensive as there are lots of mesh, zips and poles
• takes longer to set up as there are 8 poles not just one centre pole as with a tipi
• may take longer to dry out as more zips and fabric
• may need the ground to be more flat given the rigid outer frame (a tipi is much more forgiving on a sloping site)
• may be less stable in strong winds than a fully guyed out tipi
  • this perhaps could be partially mitigated by guying out a strong tarp over the top which could also allow a rain awning option
• cannot be used without poles - a tipi can potentially be suspended by the centre loop to a strong structure and this allows for an even lighter hiking option

• maybe less stable in strong winds
• no awning option
• can't back your car into it and access the hatch in the same way
• much less usable space as it is circular not rectangular

• should be protected from strong winds
• ensure it is not under a large branch which may fall (this is particularly an issue in Australia with Eucalypts)
• ensure it is not a river bed subject to flash flooding from a remote downpour
• should be fairly flat
• where the inside of the tent will be should be higher ground than outside the tent so that water will not pool inside the tent if it rains

• lay out the tent on the ground with outer upwards
• if it is windy, you should peg the windy side in as a minimum
• connect the central hub together and lay it on top of the centre of the tent with the hub hole facing upwards then clip the inner two clips to each of the 8 poles and clip the central special clip into the hub button which should be facing DOWNWARDS
• then sequentially, connect the rest of the poles together, attach pole into the 12” pole sleeve insert at ground level then you will need to bend the top end of each pole to attach to the centre hub pole
• then clip tent wall to the pole, repeat for all poles
• finish pegging out the tent when you are happy with the position
  • you will probably want the 3 main doors facing the view if there is any
• attach guys and peg them out
• optionally, attach the fly
  • fly has 4 clear TPU windows to match the tent's ceiling windows PLUS it has a velcro attached stove jack (which you will need to cut to size for your chimney) with fabric external zip cover
  • fly attaches via buckles to main tent
  • when using the stove, you place it through an open tent ceiling window and then the fly needs to be rotated so that the stove jack sits over the chimney - in this position, you will not be able to see through the other ceiling windows as the clear TPU windows are now rotated away from them
• optionally, attach door TPU windows if you have bought them
  • these attach by a large plastic zipper starting from the LEFT BOTTOM corner of the door when standing outside the tent
  • these do not create a full seal as there is no seal at the bottom so a breeze can get through

• strong winds may be problematic
  • central pole hub may not be strong enough to survive strong winds - manufacture does warn about strong winds
  • you will need to have it well guyed out and potentially further strengthen in winds and rain by adding a strong tarp over the top and tied down
• door zips
  • the zip fabric layer for the doors zip from both side bottoms up towards the centre at the top where it can be stowed with a toggle so you are not standing on it when opened
  • but this does mean:
    • you cannot create a lower half of the door covered with fabric for privacy - if you want upper level ventilation and lower level privacy you will have to rely upon the windows to achieve that
• chimney passing through ceiling window:
  • you MUST use a triple shield chimney section to avoid risk of sides of ceiling window touching the chimney itself if it gets windy or the stove is moved
  • it is not mosquito proof and can lose warm tent air as there is a relatively large ceiling window gap - this can be reduced by using a triple shield chimney section which allows zipping up most of the window - but then, mosquitoes are not usually an issue in winter when you will be mainly using the stove
  • the large gap means you would need to use the fly if rain is expected
• the optional clear TPU doors do not create a full seal as there is no zip at the bottom although if pitched tight there is little breeze to get through
• waterhead rating is only 2000mm
  • this should suffice for its designed purpose, although comparable tents in 2023 now generally have 3000-4000mm waterhead ratings.
• mesh is probably not No-See-Um proof but then the mesh gives better visibility than most