REI Subalpine

It’s a well-built and designed tent. I used it in the snow on a climb of Granite Peak in Montana. We camped on the Froze-to-Death Plateau @ 11,000 ft, in November winds and snows. There was about 1.5-2.0 feet of snow on the ground, and we had several inches of snow every night we were there. Winds were steady blowing 15-20 mph, gusts, at night, to about 40.

Wind: the REI Subalpine UL does OK. It has a relatively high height:width profile so broadside winds really slam it and deflect the shelter. But overall, we didn’t have any problems. I’d be a bit worried about a 60 mph broadside wind.

Snow/cold: not the best application. There is a huge mesh vent in the ceiling and it will rain spindrift and frozen condensation down on you. For a winter double wall tent suitable for snow and cold, you should have an inner tent that can be completely sealed up with no mesh vents for best warmth and spindrift protection.

Setup is a breeze. Construction quality is very good. The fly is pretty tough to get really taut, due to some anomalies in how the panels have been cut at the factory, perhaps.

Thanks Ryan. From the feedback I’ve gathered, I think it’ll be a decent tent for me to start with. It’s cheap enough at $160 that I plan to buy it, and then start modifying it by adding inner covers for the mesh in the inner tent using velcro. That should mitigate the problem with spindrift and frozen condensation.

The other thing to keep in mind is using the tent’s tie-out features. That means that the tent should have them, that you bring the cord, that the cord locks hold well, and that you have adequate anchors (not the wire tent stakes for snow). You’ll want to build a snow block wall on the windward side of the tent–far enough from the tent to get in and dig out spindrift and of a height at least that distance. If you liked my book you know that I recommend an ICEBOX igloo building contraption over a 4-season tent (lighter, cheaper, better results) in many situations. One of those situations would be heavy snow and high winds..and cold weather.

Craig