In which shelter to you choose to freeze your butt

“I'm curious..what do you use winter camping? I live in Wisconsin..we can get sleet (3 days ago), rain (3 days ago), snow (3 days ago), wind (3 days ago) and occasional glorious nights where it gets up to 20F...I cannot afford one of the $500 Biblers..boo hoo..I am thinking a small, 2 man tent..I like room for stuff..I'm fond of stuff...so, what do you winter-camping nutters find works for you?”

“I've had my eye on this for a while.

http://www.thenorthface.com/opencms/opencms/tnf/gear.jsp?productId=101”

“Usually the MegaMid.
But, if the snow is waaaay deep and I need a freestanding tent, I will use my one-man Cabela's XPG1.

IMO, the sleeping bag is more important than the shelter.”

“I have a Moss which the patents are now owned by MSR and their tents are exact copies...well updated exact copies. I have had rain>freezing rain>12" snow in an overnight storm on the AT and it came through like a champ. I am not sure of the weight now that MSR makes them but the design is bombproof.”

“I've used the Sierra Designs Light Year, Meteor Light and the REI Taj 3 in the Sierra winter without any problems. The last two have seen very high winds too without any problems.
last edited: 1/04/05 8:02:22 PM”

“I don't understand why they make so many of the backpacking tents yellow. I really don't like sticking out like a sore thumb in the forest. I'd prefer people not even know I'm there. Kinda like on this website.”

“With a name like ULTRAPecker you think you'll remain unnoticed? hahahahahahaha”

“Maybe I should change my username to CAMOUFLAGEPecker?”

“We usually use a trekker tarp unless the snow's too deep then we use our Kelty Vortex, but only if we sled in our gear, it's heavy, comparably.

Nevr have comdensation problems with the tarp.

Make sure whatever tent you get has good venting options.”

“If you have the time, because it's a lot of work, an igloo is nice. The price is right & it's the warmest sturdiest tent you can get. The colder the better. If it's 20 degrees outside, an igloo will bring it up to 32 degrees inside, which is 12 degrees warmer. Zero outside & still 32 inside for a 30 degree change in temp. Nice where it is very cold.

You can always come back to it & use it for a base camp.

Build the beds up on shelves with a lower channel leading out the extended flapped door. A small hole in the roof poked with a stick or trekking pole is good for ventilation.”

“Any of the teepee tents like the Megamid, Mountain Hardwear Kiva or Golite Hex.
(4, 5 & 6 sided)”

“If I'm backpacking, I use a MSR Twin Peaks tarp - a floorless tent like the Black Diamond BetaMid.

If I'm carcamping, I use my Marmot Swallow tent. Heavy at nearly 10 pounds, but its a bomber shelter.

As for why tents are yellow, I've read its a psychological thing. If you're tent-bound by bad weather, its supposedly less depressing in a bright tent than a dark tent. All of my bad-weather tents are bright, so I can't say if its true...”

“I've heard that certain orange colors can turn tent-bound people into axe murderers.”

“I like the Megamid.

I think the yellow makes the interior brighter but it's not as harsh as white would be. Or as see-through. I hate the way it looks in the woods but it does make it easy to find when you choose a campsite way off trail, which I prefer to do.”

“The orange-color rumor might explain why people on Dub's Morgan-Monroe trip stayed away from me. Perhaps they'd heard that, too. All this time, I thought it was because I was on day eleventy-three without a bath or clean clothes.
last edited: 1/05/05 8:59:47 AM”

“Mountain Hardware Trango 2 works well in snow without a condensation problem. Pleny of room for two. One person can fit very well with all gear inside. Although I confess to eyeing MtnSteve's Kiva the other day.

I am going out next week and I will be using a NF 'room with a view' tent. Only a three season but I don't expect freezing rain either.”

“well if you really want to freeze your butt then the choice is obvious - a hammock - that's what I use”

“I'll be testing my EMS NorthStar this winter. It's a 3-season tent, but with a full coverage fly and low-slung roof, it should be able to keep warmth inside.

EMS also has the EMS Eclipse that happens to be on sale right now.

Another similar 2-person model would be the Kelty Teton 2

Have you checked out the MSR Fury 2? This is the tent I eventually would like to have.
last edited: 1/05/05 4:14:56 PM”

“I have a Hilleberg Akto and love it. Sets up easy, the old condensation problem seems to be addressed and, while the sleeping quarters are pretty cozy for 1, the vestibule is big enough for gear and cooking, if necessary. It can be pitched in the rain/sleet/snow without getting wet inside. Oh, and even with the integral footprint it's only about 3.5lbs.”

“Thank for all the information...it appears to me that winter tents, if they are not single wall, have a greater distance between the fly and inner tent...and do 3 poles give one better fly tension, do you suppose? I have a Hennessy and am very curious to see what low temps it can reach..I know the bag is really important and condensation is more of a problem in winter than summer. I'd get claustrophobia in an ice cave..not to mention exhausted building one...in the winter, do you dig a hole in front of your tent so you can sit with your legs hanging down? Heard it works to trap really cold air...around here, it's all cold...this week-end, when I have time, I'll check out some of the suggestions online...I love cruisin' thru the gear websites!”

“matahari, the additional poles are to support snow load, not for fly tension.”

“Be careful out there”

“MHH - the idea of digging a hole or trench applies to inside a snow shelter. The reason is that as you mentioned, colder air sinks to the bottom of the trench.

Growing up in Maine, my brother and I used to camp out in snow shelters that we dug out ourselves. Once the area was hollowed out we dug out a trench about 2 1/2 feet deep between our sleeping "benches" to allow the colder air to "sink" to the bottom. We also kept our doorway low at one end of this trench. It was amazing how cozy it could get once you were inside and out of the wind.

In snow shelters, don't forget to poke a few holes through the roof for ventilation.
last edited: 1/06/05 8:31:37 AM”

“Another thing I've always wondered about is why they make these little two man backpacking tents 400.00 f*cking dollars? I bought a YELLOW Eureka 2 man backpacking tent w/vestibule 4 years ago and it only cost 89 bucks. It's lightweight, waterproof and is easy to set up. With some of these I think your paying for the name. You can by a fleece jacket for 49 bucks or get a North Face fleece for 149 bucks and really get fleeced.”

“I agree with you ULTRA. I got my NorthStar on sale for $111 not the $159 it's advertised for.

The Kelty Teton 2 is available in some places for around $90, but the MSR Fury 2 is close to $400!

I guess the difference is 4-season versus 3-season designation and the "Expedition" type tents are even more expensive than that!
last edited: 1/06/05 3:59:59 PM”

“http://www.cs.utk.edu/~dunigan/at/m.php?wpt=WilliamBr

Maybe this one?”