Diamond Brand Gear Mountain House 4

I have a family of six and prefer to house them in a single tent when backpacking. This tent is the first that I have found that will actually sleep six (if one or more of them is a kid) and (1) is reasonable to backpack, (2) is four season (some might debate this but I just wind tested the tent on Huckleberry Knob (5,300' elevation), a wide open bald near Robbinsville, N.C., that has some of the highest winds in the southeast (I've seen the wind break poles on a Eureka Timberline in no time at all on this bald), (3) is great for storing gear in the vestibules (27 cu. ft. in two vestibules), (4) is very easy to enter and exit despite a low profile (the vestibules are designed with two zippers which give great access to the two doors.

This tent is HUGE with a rectangular floor size of 7 1/2 ' by 9', yet it is very stable in high winds. My Eureka Backpacker 4 or Jack Wolfskin Blue Moon or Eureka Crescent 6 would all flatten before this tent would. The Eureka Crescent 6 is the closest in size and weight, but I would never consider it where wind was a factor.

Check out Hilton's Tent City in Boston where this tent is on a closeout (December, 1998) (normal list $350 -- closeout $130). It's the best buy I've ever made in a tent and I've used them hard for 30 years. I was hesitant to buy a Diamond Brand product because Diamond makes some gear that is less than quality. The only flaw I've found with the Mountain House 4 (actually 5 or 6!) is that the shock cord in the poles could be stronger.