Thoughts on proposed shelter setup?

The TT Sublite is a 3 season, single wall tent. Even with Tyvek you'll get a fair amount of condensation, which means a LOT of frost inside – more than you will want to deal with despite the Sublite's ventilation.

And ventilation like the Sublite has will be far too much in winter. I know, I camped at 11, 300 ft. at Arapaho Pass in Colorado's Indian Peaks with my TT Moment. It's excellent ventilation made it too breezy in sub freezing temps and 35-45 mph. winds all night. Your bivy would help but then you'd have at least the same weight as the TatpTent Scarp 1, a TRUE 4 season tent with teh correct ripstop body.

I'm looking at buying a TT Scarp 2 for winter camping with a buddy. You should look at the Scarp 1 with the ripstop body. Yes, it's heavier but it is also far more suitable for winter weather. Winter is not a time to skimp on shelter.

Paul, that setup would certainly work. You might consider the silnyl version to allow you to weather those unexpected rain showers we get here in the SE.

I'm using a tarp and a bug net (MLD Grace Tarp and MLD Serenity bug tent). You could adapt that to a tarp and bivy obviously and have a more flexible system. On rainy evenings I can set the tarp up and use the area as a dry spot to stretch out, cook dinner and relax. When its bedtime, set up the bug net / bivy and sleep.

I'd go with Sil as well. Especially given the downpours we've had recently.

Like Don, I also do the tarp thing. I use a bug bivy during warmer seasons and a dwr bivy during cooler seasons (excluding the dead of winter).

So by "southeast" you guys are talking no snow, no high winds, no sub freezing temps?

What, Alabama? Georgia? Let's get the locale, elevation and expected temps laid out 1st so we know if it's REAL winter weather or merely miserably cold rain.

When it comes to snow and sub-freezing temps it's not just summer camping with a warmer bag and some fleece clothing thrown in. True winter camping requires winter-specific gear.

We do see some REAL winter weather in the Southeast(TN, GA, NC for me)not what is experienced out West or further North, but it certainly can and does snow in the higher elevations. Obviously, I would not be considering the Sublite for the more serious winter conditions experienced in other locales.

It also drops significantly below freezing here as well, in fact, I just looked at the forecast for where I may be heading this weekend (Savage Gulf, TN) and a high of 20F and a low of 8F was forecasted. But, there will be no significant snowfall, and probably a few inches on the ground at most. A low of 15F to 20F is not uncommon in the mountains.

In regards to tarping, one thing I am trying to keep in mind is ease of setup as sometimes I setup late, after dark, and exhausted. If I do get the bivy, I may venture into tarping on down the road.

Eric,

I was in Western NC this past weekend. We were supposed to be camped on a bald at 5000 feet but chose to finish our route a day early due to the campsite being about 4" of frozen snow and knowing that it experiences severe winds in Winter. When we got to town I checked the weather and they were saying the nearest town was going to be lows of 0-10 with winds of 20-30 mph and gusts up to 40 mph. Wind chills in town were going to be 0 to -10. That town is at ~1750 feet. That would put temps at the campsite around 0 to -10 not accounting for winds. Expected snowfall was only another 1/2" or so. While we don't get crazy snow we can definitely get negative temps and high winds.

Chris & Paul,

To me those conditions sound bad enuf to warrant true 4 season tents. Not that I haven't slept in my share of snow trenches and Quinzhees, but when it comes to winter tenting I like to be snug, not breezy.

I lived in NW Pennsylvania for many years and, yes, it's often more brutal there, with wind blowing unobstructed across Lake Erie from Canada.

But a lot of our winter weather is probably like your mountain ridge weather in NC. A Sublite and a bivy sack would be the absolute minimum for what you're dscribing.

I tent or mid in the above conditions. My tarp goes in the gear closet during Winter.

Where were you at? I was near Big East Fork in Pisgah over the weekend. Cold and windy but a fun way to bring in the new year.

I was at Savage Gulf over New Year's, and it got down to around 10 degrees where I camped. I was comfortable inside my Scarp 1 and had only minimal frost inside the tent. Despite gusty winds outside, there was only minimal breeze inside the tent. I highly recommend this Tarptent for these types of conditions.