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Ferrino Svalbard 3 T9 4000

rated 4.5 of 5 stars
photo: Ferrino Svalbard 3 T9 4000 four-season tent

I looked at a lot of tents before buying one. It took me weeks to finally settle on one, and this was the result. I loved the two door, two vestible design of this tent. I also wanted a tent that had clips, or hangers for the poles, so i would not have to fuss with nylon sleaves for pole support or worry about tearing the sleaves. Hangers are just so much better.

The rain fly is great, but it is also time consuming. The rain fly will require adequite staking and adequite ground to do so (about 15 or so stakes), so at that, it is not exacting free standing anymore. however it is very strong. You'll find that ground stakes are used to lessen the number of poles in all tents, to lower the cost of the tent while maintaining the four season thing. Otherwise you pay for the extra poles and stitching while having a few less ground stakes.

Ventilation has been a reported problem with this tent but it is not really anything you won't find with other 4 season tents. It is easliy solved with some proper ventilation by means of the doors, or by using the rain fly clips they send you. And i think Ferrino addressed the issue of ventilation a step further in the newer generation of Svalbards (the newer ones are red, not purple).

The fabric is quite stong and in the cold will collect a bit of warmth inside with sunlight due to the dark colors and aluminised inner shell. This also helps to explain limited ventilation. If set up in the day, it collects heat from the sunlight while you are off doing other things.

All in all I must say this is a great tent. The features and gimmicks it has are so much fun. This tent I would recommend to people who don't requie a freestanding 4 season tent, or don't have over 450 dollars to spend on a decent one. cio

Design: Two Entries and vestibles on opposite sides of tent
Sleeps: 3
Ease of Setup: freestanding without the rain tarp, with the tarp it will require alot of staking for proper ventilation and shelter for bombs.
Weight: about 8.5 lbs
Price Paid: $300

Great tent! I had looked long and hard for a 2-door, 2 vestibule with room for 3 that was under 9-lbs. I found it in the Ferrino. I use it for mountaineering in the cascades of the Pacific Northwest. At high camp on Mt. Rainier at 10,500 ft a storm came at night with 60mph winds and a blizzard that lasted 6 hrs and the Svalbard just shrugged it off! The next morning as I was talking to other climbers about the sudden storm they told me other tents had failed, broken poles etc.. Mine is purple so it is dark inside which is the only bad thing. The new ones are red so that eliminates the only negative on this tent. OOH and the fly is a little time consuming. If you can get one buy it!

Design: 4 season mountaineering
Sleeps: 3
Ease of Setup: fly is time consuming but bombproof
Weight: 8.5 lbs
Price Paid: $190 ebay

What more could you ask from a tent?

Pros

  • It absorbs every single ray of sunlight.
  • It can withstand a tornado and an avalanche.

I bought my Svalbard back in 97 after an incident I had with a storm that completely destroyed my previous tent.
So the first thing I looked for was a tent that could withstand very strong winds and cold...and after 16 years hiking with this tent i can tell you this...this tent can endure a nuclear winter and the blast that caused it,
but when it comes to machine wash...well... that's a different story... :(

Source: bought it new

Bombproof! Great tent for cold, downpours, snowloads, and minor tornadoes. A bit heavy for less than 3 people. Sleeps roomy enough for 3, with plenty of head room and vestubule (2) area. Easy to get in and out. A bit dark and gloomy due to its thick fly which is dark purple. Condensation has been a slight problem due to the tents capacity to keep body heat in and the cold out.

I would definitely recommend this tent for chilled and inclement conditions, but not for good weather outtings due to its weight and heat trapping capacity.

Happy Camping.

Design: four season
Sleeps: 3
Ease of Setup: Set up is not the best for a for season tent. The shape of the 2 vestibules requires a little extra staking, but worth it if you are going to be tent ridden for a while.
Weight: > 9 lbs
Price Paid: $290

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Price Historic Range: $249.95
Reviewers Paid: $190.00-$300.00
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