Differences in shelter for high altitudes…

Hi Ryan,

I think your (very good) question highlights the problem with compartmentalizing. I'd probably want a similar shelter at 1k elevation in Iceland as at 12k feet in the Rockies.

*Very* generally speaking, it's probably safe to assume that some climate variables, e.g., temperature and wind are greater at altitude. Humidity is lower, so condensation control is often less of an issue. And mid-summer snowstorms are far more likely at 12k feet than 1k, at least in the lower 48.

I find real estate to be a chronic issue in the high country. It's often difficult to find space enough for a big shelter, particularly one with complex rigging needs. Oftentimes there's no soil or even gravel for stakes. So self-supporting tents with small footprints are very useful, as are one-man shelters and floorless shelters.

Lowland forests, by contrast, frequently have trees for rigging lines; large, level sites; soft, organic and often wet soils; and, depending on the region, perhaps yards of rain annually.

Without fretting over specific examples, I'd probably take a different shelter for a trip up the Hoh River than on the JMT. But I also have options that could work in both places.

Ryan,
I'd second everything Rick mentioned and add that conditions vary by mountain range and, regarding tree line, by latitude. The farther north you go, the lower the tree line-in the Sierra and the Rockies the tree line is often above 11,000', whereas in the Cascades and the B.C. Coastal Range tree line is much lower, often not much above 6,000'. Definitely, the higher you go the more you need a bomber shelter with a small footprint, freestanding if possible. Also with a minimum of rigging to mess with-it can be a real bummer to deal with if things get ugly fast, and also gives that many more potential failure points in a bad storm. My favorites for travelling relatively light in such places are an Integral Designs MK1 or their Unishelter bivy. Both have a small footprint, minimal rigging, and a low profile, and are pretty close to bombproof. Also pricey. Others of the same design include Bibler and Black Diamond cross pole tents, of which there are several models. On Mt. Waddington in the B.C. Coastal Range, where the weather can get really serious, we used full on mountaineering tents(North Face VE-25's) and ended up glad we brought them, but that was 17 years ago and I understand there are much lighter mountaineering tents available now. Bottom line, select your tent with an eye to the conditions you will encounter. There ain't no one size fits all, even within the same mountain range. For instance, in the Sierra you can get by quite nicely in the summer and early fall with a tarptent or tarp/bivy combo, or even just a bivy if you're careful, especially at lower elevations. Early in the spring or later in the fall, you probably would want to upgrade to a sturdier tent, especially if you are going to be up around treeline or higher. Hope this helps.

Hi Ryan

One of the big differences between a tent and a tarp is that a good mountain tent will have the wind flow over it but not under it.
Apart from the enormous increase in creature comfort for the occupant when the wind is blocked, there is also the difference between your mountain tent hugging the ground and your spinnaker tarp making like a … spinnaker!

What's 'high altitude'? Depends on the context of course. But when you are above the tree line, the winds can blow.