6P Argali Selway Review | 6p Ultralight Hot Tent

Backpacking hot tents have come a long way in recent years, and there are significantly more options than there used to be. This Argali Selway review comes from needing a bit more space than the Absaroka offers. The Selway offers a great blend of space at a reasonable weight. While a 6P tipi tent might be on everyone’s wish list, when you need the extra space, the weather is going to be cold, and you have a backcountry trip planned, the Argali Selway is absolutely one to look at.

What are its strengths and weaknesses, though? When is it the right tent to take, and when should you look for something larger or smaller? What makes the Argali Selway stand out among other ultralight hot tents we’ve tested, like the Seek Outside Cimmaron, the Seek Outside Redcliff, and the Argali Absaroka 4P hot tent? It may look very similar to other ultralight hot tents in its class, but it offers a few things that are quite unique. We’ll do our best to answer those questions and more.

Why Do You Need A Hot Tent? – Argali Selway Review

If you’ve spent any time at all in the backcountry during the late season, you likely know the value of having a heat source in your tent. The nights start early and last a long time during the winter months, so having the luxury of a tent that’s compatible with a wood stove has become a necessity for me if I’m backpack hunting in the late season. Simply put, an ultralight hot tent like the Argali Selway 6P tent is a piece of gear that will get you—and keep you—out longer when the cold or nasty weather hits that would otherwise send you heading for the truck.

Now, as with any ultralight hot tent, this Argali hot tent has its limitations. Don’t buy any ultralight hot tent with the expectation that you can do some winter backpacking, bring a summer sleeping bag, and stuff the stove full of wood to have a toasty warm tent all night long. Ultralight stoves don’t function that way, and you’ll still need to pack for a cold-weather backpacking trip with cold-weather sleeping gear, even if you have a wood stove.

Make sure to check out our other gear reviews and the Backwoods Pursuit YouTube Channel to help you decide what gear will help you stay out in the field longer!

They do, however, make your cold-weather backpacking experience MUCH more enjoyable and can save your hunt if you need to dry out, have a nice warm dinner or breakfast inside your tent, or comfortably get out of a storm. If you are willing to get up throughout the night and stoke the fire, you can certainly keep the tent significantly warmer than if you let the fire go out, but you’ll need to have plenty of wood prepped and be willing to wake up every few hours to keep it going. That’s the case with every ultralight backpacking stove, not just the Argali Skyline Ti stove.

What Makes It Different – Argali Selway Review

The shape of the Argali Selway tent is a modified rectangular design that is intended to provide protection from those nasty mountain storms while maximizing interior space. It looks fairly similar to a typical tipi tent that is wood stove compatible with its built-in stove jack, even though its design differences make a significant impact during use.

Argali Hot Tent Materials

While many ultralight hot tents utilize a standard silnylon material for the canopy, all Argali hot tents (save for their Dyneema versions) feature a ripstop SilPoly fabric, which does a much better job of not sagging in wet weather during those trips when you get hit with a storm. During our testing, we had to ride out some high-country rainstorms, and I was extremely impressed with how the material didn’t noticeably sag.

In my experience, silnylon tents have a tendency to stretch and sag much more when hit with heavy rain or snow, so it was a very nice surprise to wake up to a tent that had retained its original shape. There was no need to go around and re-tension the tent after the rainstorm, which is something I’m accustomed to having to do with silnylon.

ARC Removable Stove Jack System

The removable ARC stove jack system is a great way to save a few ounces when it’s not in use. However, the weight savings aren’t so significant that you’ll feel them in your pack. After all, you’ll likely be sharing the pieces of this tent with others in your group to split the weight. So, while I appreciate the potential weight savings, it’s not a game changer for me personally, but it’s a unique feature that Argali tents offer.

If you know you won’t be taking your Argali Skyline Ti wood stove and don’t need the stove jack, you simply remove the tent fabric that covers the stove jack, then unzip the stove jack and set it aside. Once that’s done you can reattach the stove jack cover and you are all set. It’s a pretty slick setup that is simple, easy to use, versatile, and even saves a few ounces.

Nest and Floor Options

Unlike the Argali Absaroka 4P tent, the Selway does not currently offer a full nest. I’m a bit surprised that a full nest isn’t offered as I personally feel like it would be a useful option. However, as of this writing, the only way to enclose all of the sleeping area is to run two of the Argali Selway two half inserts, which is certainly an option.

I do like that you have the option to add the Argali Selway half floor, which works great as a place to store gear and keep it off the ground, or as a place to throw your sleep system if you don’t need the protection of a fully enclosed nest. I do, however, like how the smaller Argali Absaroka offers both the full nest and half nest options to maximize its versatility.

For early-season hunts when you don’t need a stove, taking either one or two nests is perfect for keeping bugs out and comfortably sleeping up to 6 adults. It gets a little snug if everyone has all their gear in the tent as well, but there is still room for a little gear, even with three people in a half nest.

In the picture above we had just two people in one of the Argali Selway half inserts, and it was an absolute palace. It would have been easy to fit a third person in the half nest and still have room for some gear.

T-Shaped Zipper

Like the Absaroka hot tent insert, the Argali Selway half insert offers a massive T-shaped zipper that allows you to open the tent all the way up from one end to the other, making it easy to get settled into the tent rather than having everyone trip over each other while setting up camp.

Carbon Center Pole Setup

Due to the height of the Argali Selway 6P, you have to use the carbon center pole from Argali (or one that offers the same height) and using your trekking poles isn’t an option like it is with the Absaroka. The carbon pole is included with your purchase, which makes things easy.

Built-In Vent – Argali Selway Hot Tent

The Argali Selway 6P hot tent also comes with a built-in vent at the peak of the tent to aid in minimizing condensation. It also has a built-in carbon rod to prop it open while in use, but which can also lay down flat when not in use and storing.

Like the idea of a hot tent but looking for something a little bigger? Check our review of the Seek Outside 8 Man Tipi! Check out our other hot tent reviews as well!

Reflective Cordage and Tie-Outs

When coming back from a long day in the field after the sun has long since set, the highly reflective guy-out points and guy-out cordage make finding your tent in the dark a breeze. The picture above doesn’t do the tent justice at all, but trust me when I say this tent lights up when your headlamp hits it.

Looking for an ultralight backpacking tent? Check out our huge selection of ultralight backpacking tent reviews! We’ve tested a lot of them over the years.

The Specs – Argali Selway Review

For a tent the size of the Argali Selway 6P, the specs are impressive and give you the ability to actually carry this tent into the backcountry if you want to. If you share the load between two or three buddies, the weight isn’t bad at all.

As you can see above, there are many variables that can affect the total weight. How many stakes do you want to take? Did you add the additional guy lines and line locks? Did you add the half nest, half floor, or liners?

Of course, if you add in the Argali Skyline Ti wood stove, you may want to add all of the stove pieces and some other extras like gloves, fire starter, and maybe a saw. You can go minimalist and keep the weight way down, or add a bunch of accessories that can really push the weight up on you. Everyone will want something different here, so pick what you think will work best for you and adjust accordingly after you get a few trips under your belt. That’s the beauty of the Argali Selway 6P tent. It can be configured to fit your use case and specific trip without purchasing another tent.

The Testing – Argali Selway 6P Tent Review

Now that we’ve got all the details and specs out of the way, let’s take a look at how the Argali Selway 6P tent performed in the field. Simply put, a shelter that gives you the option to bring a stove makes hunts and backpacking trips possible that never would have otherwise happened—at least not very comfortably. The ability to have a heat source inside your tent is a game changer. What makes the Argali Selway tent even more versatile is its exceptional performance not only on cold-weather trips, but also during the early season when you may want more bug protection.

Sometimes, the weather doesn’t cooperate the way I’d like when testing a tent, and that was the case here. We didn’t have many late-season hunts where the wood stove was needed with the Argali Selway, so I didn’t get as many cold nights in the Selway as I’d have liked before publishing this review. Based on my experience with other Argali tents and their SilPoly fabric, I know how well they perform in poor weather, so I am confident in that aspect of all Argali tents.

Options & Accessories – Argali Selway Tent Review

Argali offers a number of different accessories that can be added when purchasing one of their tents. Thankfully, the stakes come with the tent (some tents we’ve tested don’t include stakes), as does the half floor, center pole, and seam sealer. You’ve also got the option to add either the Selway half insert or two half inserts if you want the extra bug protection for your trip.

Argali Piton Stakes

The Argali Piton Tent Stakes are extremely lightweight, and we haven’t broken or bent one yet. At just 0.3 ounces per stake, these are some of the lightest you can get and, to our surprise, have also been some of the most durable. Sure…we’ve bent and broken some, but they’ve held up better than others we’ve tested.

Argali Selway Half Insert

Personally, I’m a huge fan of the half insert, and I don’t mind carrying a little extra weight to have it, specifically if I’m taking this tent on an early-season trip where bugs can be a factor. The exception to this is during the late season, when the weather is cold, bugs are almost non-existent, and the chances of having an unwanted critter or snake join you in bed go way down. The setup of the Argali Selway Insert is super fast and easy. I like that the Argali Selway half insert comes with its own stuff sack, making sharing the load super easy.

Here are some of specs for the full nest:

• Fabric – 15D lightweight mesh (canopy)/40D Nylon 6.6 (floor)
• Weight – 39.8 oz
• Peak Height – 84″
• Length – 92″
• Width – 124″
• Packed size -15x9x9

Stove Tips – Argali Selway Tent Review

If you find yourself needing to take a wood stove for your trip, the Argali Skyline Titanium wood stove is my ultralight wood stove of choice. Setup is fast and easy, and there aren’t a bunch of parts to lose like there are with some of the other options on the market. I found it much easier to assemble than the stove pictured below that we used during some of our testing (the Seek outside SXL), with less parts and pieces to lose, and a much faster and easier setup.

First, I HIGHLY recommend picking up some Bigfoot Bushcraft Fire Plugs. They are lifesavers, time-savers, and help you avoid losing your patience trying to get a fire going when you’re wanting to warm up quickly. When things are a bit damp, these plugs are game changers, too.

Don’t Let it Get Too Low

Second, once you get the fire going, make sure you don’t let it burn down too far before adding more wood. I found that the fire may not come back to life if you don’t do this. In fact, I found that adding wood before you notice the fire cooling down works best for keeping your tent toasty warm.

I brought a small, lightweight saw to cut some larger pieces, which helped keep the fire going longer after I went to bed. It’s a little extra work to cut firewood rather than just snapping it with your foot, but cutting up some larger pieces will give you more burn time throughout the night.

Bring a Saw & Gather Enough Wood Early

Bring enough firewood into your tent for a couple of days if possible. This was especially helpful on one trip when a storm rolled in while we were out hunting and soaked all the wood that we hadn’t already brought into the tent. We would have had a much harder time finding dry wood had we not gathered a couple of days’ worth as soon as we got camp set up and brought it inside.

Make sure to cut some larger pieces if you can to help the stove burn for as long as possible without having to add more wood. The smaller pieces that can be broken by hand burn very quickly, and you’ll find yourself adding wood about every 30–45 minutes. They also cause the stove to burn too hot and make it tougher to regulate the heat output.

What I Liked – Argali Selway Tent Review

The Argali Selway tent offers so many options and features that I fell in love with. Versatility is right at the top of the list of things that stood out to me, along with the SilPoly material, overall design, and ease of setup. Argali makes some top-notch equipment, and the Selway is no different.

Here are the things I liked the most about this Argali Selway tent:

• Stove jack location (off-centered)
• Easy setup
• Insert super easy to install
• Versatility for early and late season use
• Half floor option
• Very lightweight (for what it is)
• SilPoly material
• Material didn’t sag when wet
• Door keepers are easy to use
• Zipper features a flap (keeps the zipper from freezing/locking in freezing temps)
• Nest opening with T-shaped zipper
• Reflective loops and guy lines included

One of the main things that had kept me from diving into hot tents before this was the cost. These things are not cheap, but the Argali Selway hot tent is much more reasonably priced than many of the other options out there. This is much appreciated, as the cost of ultralight gear adds up quickly. Argali has been able to bring a super high-quality hot tent to market at a reasonable price.

What I Disliked – Argali Selway Tent Review

There weren’t a lot of things that I didn’t love about this Selway tent after testing it. However, we did find a few things that could be improved. Like the Absaroka, adding internal guy-out points to pull the netting of the half insert toward the canopy would increase interior space and help reduce any sag of the netting into the living space. I also wish there was a full nest option for those times when you want to use this as a base-camp style tent in warm weather, similar to the Absaroka.

• Half insert needs to have attachment points mid-way up the canopy to help prevent sag
• No loops to hang gear in half insert
• No full insert offered
• Half insert could use an attachment point mid-canopy to help prevent the insert from sagging
• No loops to hang gear inside the half insert

Conclusion Argali Selway 6P Tent Review

After using and testing the tent for this Argali Selway review, I would HIGHLY recommend it for those times when you have a larger group and need the extra space. Sure, it’s a 6P tent, but the extra space is really nice to have for the long nights during late-season hunts, particularly in cold weather. It’s a mansion for three people and a stove, but it’s big enough for four or even five if you don’t mind a bit of a tight fit. Split the weight with your buddies, and you’ll be glad you have the extra space.

When the temperatures turn cold, the ability to quickly and easily convert it to a hot tent will not only keep you in the backwoods longer, but also make your trip so much more enjoyable. The ability to dry out, warm up, and relax by a hot fire inside your tent at night completely changes the way you approach late-season and cold-weather backpacking and hunting trips. It opens the door to many more trips that are both possible and enjoyable with this hot tent.

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