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Posted by Tom D on October 8, 2007 at 2:08:17 am EDT
In reply to 3-season tent use posted by MTB416 on September 29, 2007 at 12:54:13 pm EDT

Keep in mind that what people experience as "winter" will vary wildly and not all advice about winter camping applies in all conditions. I would be wary of any advice on winter camping unless I knew the exact location and conditions underlying the advice.

For example, I read a trip report from a winter trip into the Sierra from someone I know and on that trip, they had several tent failures, including broken poles and ripped fabric caused by high winds in blizzard conditions. I saw the pictures and the weather was pretty bad.

On the other hand, I was camping in Yosemite last winter in February and the weather was clear and not all that cold. You could ski in shorts and a tee shirt in the afternoon. However, a couple of days later, it was snowing and wet. I was in a cabin by then at a lower elevation, so it didn't matter to me, but I was glad I wasn't still in my tent.

I took a 3 season SD Flashlight on a trip to Yosemite two years ago and would never take a tent like that again. No vestibule and bad weather-snow and rain- is a miserable combination.

My winter tent has five poles and two vestibules. Heavy? Yes, but sturdy. I would feel safe in it in reasonably bad weather. I'm sure there are better designs that are just as sturdy and lighter, but new winter tents are expensive for a reason.

Remember, hope for the best, but plan for the worst. A good tent is worth it in bad weather. I saw a program about Yellowstone in winter and it showed a photographer skiing around the backcountry and sleeping in a big bag under a tarp during a snowstorm. Sure, it can be done, but it didn't look like fun to me.

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