Our Family’s Seek Outside 8-Person Tipi Tent Setup (Now Camping as a Family of Six)
- Dan
- Mar 14
- 6 min read
Updated: Mar 14
When Justine and I first started camping together, our setup was pretty simple. We were running a small three-person four-season tent that weighed just under seven pounds.
At the time it worked perfectly.
Then kids started arriving.
Originally when we bought the Seek Outside 8 Person Tipi Tent, we only had two kids and were trying to think ahead a little bit. We wanted something that would give us room to grow and also extend our camping season in the mountains.
Fast forward a few years and things have changed again.
Our family has grown to six of us, which means every piece of gear we bring camping has to work harder than it used to.
The interesting part is that this tent has actually kept up with us. After more than three years of use on family trips and mountain adventures, it’s still one of the pieces of gear we rely on the most.
How We Currently Set Up The Tent
Our standard family setup looks like this:
Seek Outside 8-person tipi
Half nest
Full liner
Carbon fiber center pole
Wood stove
Inside the half nest, we fit the four kids along with sleeping pads and some gear. Justine’s pack usually stays in there as well, while the other half of the tent stays open for gear storage and the stove.
Even with six people using the tent, this layout works surprisingly well.
The nest keeps the sleeping area organized and bug-free, while the open side gives us room to cook, dry gear, and run the stove safely.
Why We Always Run The Nest (It’s About More Than Bugs)
Most people assume the nest is mainly for bug protection.
And yes, depending on the time of year the bugs can definitely be intense.
But the real reason we run the nest is safety:
Because we run a stove inside the tent, there’s obviously a heat source involved. With kids moving around camp, that’s something we take pretty seriously.
The nest creates a clear visual barrier between the sleeping area and the stove area.
It’s not something that would physically stop someone if they pushed into it, but it creates a very clear line inside the tent.
Inside the nest is the sleeping area.
Outside the nest is the stove and gear space.
The kids understand that separation really quickly, and it helps keep everyone naturally away from the hot stove.
For a family camping setup, that little mental boundary actually makes a big difference!
Why We Run The Liner Year Round
Another piece of the system we always use is the liner.
Tipi tents are single-wall shelters, which means condensation can sometimes become an issue.
Up in the mountains where we usually camp, it’s not unusual for temperatures to drop down around 5°C even during summer nights.
The liner helps in two ways.
First, it adds a bit of extra insulation.
Second, it manages condensation much better by allowing moisture to run down the liner and toward the outside walls instead of dripping onto sleeping bags.
When you’ve got six people inside a tent breathing overnight, that condensation management becomes pretty important.
Weight: Surprisingly Manageable
One thing that really surprised us about this setup is the total weight.
Our full system with:
tent
nest
liner
carbon fiber pole
stove
…comes in at roughly 12 pounds total.
For the amount of space and the ability to run a stove, that’s actually very reasonable.
Our old three-person four-season tent weighed nearly seven pounds by itself.
One of our long-term goals is eventually backpacking this setup with the kids as they get older. Once they start carrying some of their own gear, splitting the tent system between packs becomes very manageable.
What We Really Like About This Tent
After several seasons of using this shelter, there are a few things that really stand out:
Space That Grows With Our Family
This tent worked when we had two kids.
It still works now that we have four.
That’s pretty rare with camping gear.
Buying slightly bigger than we needed at the time turned out to be the right decision.
Instead of replacing tents every few years, this one has simply adapted with us.
The Stove Changes Cold Weather Camping
Running the Seek Outside SXL Titanium Stove inside the tipi completely changes what conditions you can camp in.
We’ve had nights where temperatures dropped well below freezing and everyone stayed warm and comfortable.
That ability opens the door to:
late fall trips
early spring camping
short mountain season adventures
Without the stove, those trips would be much harder with kids.
Modular Setup
One of the things we really like about the Seek Outside system is how modular it is.
You can run the tent:
by itself
with the liner
with the nest
with the stove
or all together
That flexibility allows us to adjust depending on the trip.
A Few Things We Don’t Love
No gear is perfect, and there are a few things we’ve noticed after years of use.
None of them are deal breakers, but they’re worth mentioning.
Nest Entry Points
The half nest has a center zipper and one side zipper, but the opposite side doesn’t open. We understand the reasoning since every zipper adds weight.
But with kids and gear inside the tent, having another entry point would make the layout more flexible.
Honestly, we’d probably accept the extra ounces.
Stove Pipe Location
Because of the center pole design, the stove pipe runs fairly close to where people naturally reach when getting up.
And what do people instinctively grab? The center pole.
Which means there’s also a very hot stove pipe nearby.
It hasn’t caused any serious issues, but it’s definitely something we constantly remind the kids about.
Occasional Spark Holes
Like most lightweight stove tents, we’ve noticed a few small spark holes in the fabric over time.
This happens when embers come out of the stove pipe.
Luckily it’s an easy fix.
A little Tenacious Tape and seam sealer and the tent is back in business.
We may eventually add a spark arrestor to reduce that even further.
How This Tent Fits Into Our Bigger Adventure Setup
As our family has grown, so has our overall camping system. When you’re packing gear for six people, space and organization start to matter a lot more.
That’s actually part of the reason we started building out our Ford F-350 Super Duty as a family overland and hunting truck.
The goal with that build is to create a setup where we can:
carry larger family camp systems
spend more time exploring the mountains
still spike out with the tipi when we want to go deeper into the backcountry
Sometimes the truck becomes the basecamp.
Other times the tipi gets packed in and we head farther into the mountains.
Both systems work together depending on the adventure.
Watch The Full Tent Walkthrough
If you want to see how this setup actually looks inside, check out the video walkthrough below where I go through the layout, stove placement, and how we make it work with the kids.
Support The Baker Adventures
If you enjoy following along with our family adventures and gear reviews, one of the best ways to support what we’re building is through the The Baker Adventures merch store.
Every purchase helps support the time that goes into filming trips, writing gear breakdowns, and sharing what we learn along the way.
Check out the merch store here: The Baker Adventure Store
You can also help simply by:
subscribing to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thebakeradventures
sharing our adventures with friends:
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Those small things actually help more than most people realize.
Final Thoughts
Looking back now, the Seek Outside 8 Person Tipi Tent has been one of the best gear purchases we’ve made.
It worked when we had two kids.
It still works now that we’re a family of six camping together in the mountains.
And as our adventures keep growing — from family camping trips to building out our Ford F-350 Super Duty for bigger expeditions — this tent continues to earn its place in camp.
For families looking for a stove-capable shelter that can grow with them, it’s definitely a setup worth considering!
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