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Posted by rexim on December 20, 2007 at 12:26:39 pm EST
In reply to 3-season tent use posted by MTB416 on September 29, 2007 at 12:54:13 pm EDT

In the Complete Walker, Colin Fletcher described 2 deaths caused by shelters made of impermeable fabric and heavy snow or freezing rain. One incident involved the old army mountain tent, over which a ten-inch-thick windslab had formed; with too little ventilation, one occupant apparently died of asphyxiation. However, occupants of a nearby Gerry tent apparently came through just fine.

In the second incident, a young skier who had covered her sleeping bag with a plastic tarp was found dead. As Fletcher wrote: "It is presumed that she had suffocated, for the edges of the tarp were frozen to the ground ice, and she had been sealed in."

I'm not familiar with your tent, but it's not likely to be as impermeable as either the army mountain tent or a plastic tarp. Banking around the sides of a tent is a common practice in winter camping, as is snowfall. However, a little ventilation might be a good idea, and, as Mr. Haze suggested, extreme conditions can and do occur.

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• Re: 3-season tent use - calamity (Guest) 14:20:28 12/21/2007

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