4 season &/or mountain tent?

“I'm thinking of getting myself a 2 person tent for high altitude and cold season camping/backpacking and would appreciate suggestions, warnings, etc...

Of course I want everything, good pack weight, strong, protection from the elements (including cold), easy to set up in rough weather conditions. I guess the only thing that isn't important is warm season convertability. My old SD clip flashlight does me fine on that count.”

“I've heard nothing but rave things about SD's Tiros Assault. I came within inches of buying it, but after figuring out how much I would actually use it I backed off, so no personal experiences.

4 pole design, so it may be lengthy to put up in a storm, but damn, you could sleep on top of it like Snoopy if you wanted to.”

“Oops, forgot: I think it's about 6.5lbs.”

“Black Diamond Megamid.”

“I have a Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 for winter camping. I love it! It's huge, bomb proof, can handle heavy snows, water tight, and with 2 "d" doors, venting is not a problem. I've had it in multiple days of rain, woke up to several snow storms which dropped a 1 ft of snow overnight and not a single complaint. It weighs in a bit heavy but you will appreciate the extra room and the extra vestibule if you're ever caught in a storm. Free standing, has clips instead of pole sleeves, and you gotta love tents with windows!

The Trango Assault also looks pretty impressive, a little smaller and less weight. Here, check them out for yourself.

Mountain Hardwear[/a]”

“I like my Garuda (now Dana Designs) Jana. It has two doors so you can stash your gear in the large vestibule and use the small rear door for entry/exit. Its held up to wind/rain and DEEP snow without a wimper.

[a JANA link="http://www.danadesign.com/jana.html"]”

“If I had the dough, I would buy the new Kelty Assault in a hot second. 2-person, four-season (mountaineering) tent. Only 5 lbs!!!

Price: $450...unfortunately.”

“Check out the Eureka Alpenlite 2XT. It weighs between 6 and 7 pounds, can handle winter conditons and costs less than $200. I don't have one, but I heard nothing but good things about it. It seems like a good tent for the money.”

“let's try again
JANA link”

“Thanks for the suggestions, I've had fun folowing them up on the web. The only one I don't see much on is the Kelty Assault... it must be very new (therefore probably few discounts and no used ones...).

However, I don't think I want to count on digging out the bottom half of a shelter in the snow in order to use the floorless megamid (especially if I'm setting up camp for one night at a time. How do you use the megamid for a tent in the winter BacPac?.”

“I just set it up. You don't have to dig out the bottom half of the shelter. There is plenty of room with the tent sitting on the ground. The floorless megamid offers the option of a sunken living room.

I use visqueen for a water barrier and clean zone under and around my sleeping pad. The bare earth makes a great mud room in the other half. Because there is no floor, cooking and candles are no problem. When I am by myself I drag in a few good size rocks to make a cooking area.”

“I agree with Violin. My Garuda Jana rocks! It's pretty lightweight (packed right about 6 1/2 lbs.), and is killer tuff. Mine has withstood high winds, lots of snow, driving rain. Lot's of room inside, 2 doors, 2 vestibules. Good color, too. A yellow tent is much nicer to spend the day in than a blue one!

Here's some reviews.”

“I like tarps. If you can't set em up then just roll up in it like a taco.
BEEN THERE....DONE THAT”

“Ditto on the "Jana" vote! Also check out the "Mojo".
Another one to check, the "Walrus Terramoto" if you want to go a little cheaper.”

“BacPac... thanks for clarification.
How good is the magamid when its really cold... how low would you go temperature wise and still use the Megamid?”

“I noticed Sierratradingpost.com has the Kelty Assault on sale for $340. Check that one out.”

“RichB - Thanks for the info!”

“Your welcome.”

“They're all good - and beautiful too! Back in 1988 I bought a Eureka! Sentinel expedittion tent to tak my kids backpacking in the Rockies. I had no idea that I would become as crazy as I have. I chose it for its price, thinking that it would be sturdy enough to last through my kids' Scouts and Guides' careers.

I wouldn't buy the same tent to-day, it's heavy and it doesn't have integral vestibules. I would, however, stick with Eureka! as their price to quality ration is still unbeatable. If I were doing it now, I'd buy the Summit K-2 Extreme from Campmor at U.S.299,99$ My Sentinel is a 4 person tent and I do a lot of solo stuff and prefer a bivy sack in the winter, but it's still going strong and is comfortable in the summer and it was great for my ex-girlfriend and me. Happy trails.”