four season tents and winter camping questions

Wow, pea brain is in default …. first, spend sometime searching this site, there is a ton of information available here.
You typically do not dig down you pack the snow with skiis,boots, snowshoes and anchor your tent with gear[poles, ice axes, etc] or deadmen.
Years age tents had snow flaps that you could pile snow on sewn into the fly and condensation liners to diverted the inside the tent rainstorm. [Anybody remember wrestling one of those in the morning?]
Single wall versus double again relates to how well a tent breathes, what one uses in the Northwest is different then what one uses in the Rockies or East.
Tarps are not typically considered four season bombproof snow shelters, though a real mechanic who knows his system can use them.
Look through already existing information here and fine tune your questions a bit, good luck.

Hi Joshua,

A tent is not a good place to carry weight for warmth. The difference will be minimal. However, single or double wall tents are better in different situations and conditions.

A double wall will typically handle condensation better, which is why I love them here in the wet Pacific Northwest. A single wall will do very well in drier conditions and they have less to flap in high wind conditions. Single wall tents made of Epic such as those by Black Diamond are actually highly water resistant and not waterproof- great in all but steady day-long downpours (which is why I sold my Lighthouse).

I currenly use a Hilleberg Kaitum and a Rab Summit Extreme. The Kaitum is far more spacious than A Bibler Eldorado or an Integral Designs MK1XL and it's incredible in the vestibule dept (a BIG deal in a winter tent). However, hoop tents don't handle snow loads quite as well as a wedge tent so I have to clear snow more often. My Summit Extreme is for solo work or two-person trips when I'm really pushing it (it's very small but great in scary conditions).

A floorless pyramid tent is your lightest option and a great choice. You can dig out the floor and have massive headroom and the extra space and no floor makes condensation less of a concern. I've yet to use one of these much but I'd sure like to. They are cheaper too. A Golite Hex is a favorite of many and actually, I'd look closely at that if I were you. Spend the money you save on a good full-length foam pad to go with your short summer pad- I find pad warmth to be even more important than the bag. Or better yet, get an Exped Downmat (winter heaven).

No need to dig down. Tramp an area with your snowshoes and use some snow stakes. I love the SMC models- especially the TAnchor http://www.smcgear.net/products.asp?cat=4&pid=56 and also their perforated stakes. I find these easier to place and remove than deadmen.

I like these guylines for winter use: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/aircore_pro_dyneema_spectra_guyline_cord_50_ft.html

Mountaineering- The Freedom of the Hills has a great section on winter camping, snow caves, etc.

Here's a couple of interesting articles on the site:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00278.html

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/bomber_tents_review_summary.html

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/00174.html

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/hilleberg_kaitum_bomber_tent_review.html

Have fun! Winter camping is the BEST! Before long, you'll be just as comfortable in the winter as the summer. Heck- I even hammocked last winter in subfreezing conditions on about 9 feet of snow! It's all doable. :-)

Thank you for the info. I just found the section in this sight about winter camping. Great photos Doug. It looks so fun.I just got a exped 9 and a western mountaineering lynx. Now i'm looking into tents. Leaning towards the Hilleberg Akto or the Nallo 2. The Bibler Ones look nice too.
Thanks again, Josh

Sweet Josh- you're on the right track!

Don't forget a white gas or Powermax stove, a wide pot for melting snow, widemouth water bottles, and a balaclava.

I had a Nallo 2- great tent. It is definitely more spacious than the Bibler or ID tents. Vestibules are your friends. :-)

Have a blast! And next year- try snowcaving. That's the most fun of all. Well, except maybe for Will R's igloos.

Nm