2 person Above Treeline / Snow Tent for Under $200?

…let me know.

It's nowhere near ultralight, but I've used an REI Sierra Dome ($100, 5 lbs) in every horrible condition the cascades have to offer. It has a plethora of tie out points and a high bathtub floor, and is long enough for my 6'5" frame. I've had it in gusts of about 60, with crazy sideways wind, snow, etc, and have never so much as lost a stake. We set it up on a ridgeline in an October storm just to see if it could be undone, and stayed high and dry through a noisy night.

Anyway, enough ranting. It's not ultralight, but it's comfortable for two people and bombproof, and only 100 bones.

Learn how to construct a very strong wind wall out of snow, and have the tools to do it.

–B.G.–

You get what you pay for.

Cheers
(Even with MYOG, although the deal is much better.)

I have a 4th season Black Diamond Lighthouse listed in Gear Swap for under $200. For a little more I can include a spare unassembled set of Easton poles if you want fresh poles or to find a way to lash them together for extra strength. On the current poles the tent barely budged with reported 40-50 mph gusts, and that was with the wide side into the wind.

golite shangri-la 2 if you can find one on sale

$180 at Amazon!

Golite Shangri La 3, $165 at Golite

Golite Shangri La 2, $135 at Golite,

Both using coupon DEN40S11

and it's my tent of choice for all season above treeline alpine adventures. for one person it's a palace, for two 6'2", 195# guys it's just a little tight with 0* down bags, but there's plenty of room to sit up, it ventilates well and with a good seam seal job i have never had a problem with the epic fabric leaking in the rain. the inside person does need to move past the outside person to go out the door, but that's what your pee bottle is for (insert wink here). it's free standing and can be set up/taken down in a couple of minutes without any problem. i've tested mine on rainier in mid-may with 60 mph + winds and 16" of snow in 24 hours and was very very happy with its performance. see my avatar picture for the conditions at the time. don't forget to stake the tent out before you start the setup because they make excellent kites.

if i didn't have one (w/the vestibule) i'd be seriously looking at the one on gearswap for under $200. they don't make them anymore and they typically trade in the $250+ range.

The Golite SL2 and SL3 are good options. 2010 and later models have a thinner fabric which I think is too delicate for high winds. The SL2 would be easier/faster to pitch.

The Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid looks like a good option for $205. I'd probably get a good dedicated pole for it too for high winds. I think I'd prefer the MLD Supermid due to room, but that's $295.

Personally, I have a Tarptent Moment I'd use if solo, or a Scarp 2 I'd use for two.

I wouldn't hesitate to use the North Face Tadpole 23 in those conditions. Brand new for $230. You could find a used one for less. Big enough for two people. I'm almost 6'5" and fit just fine. The weight is right for two people. 2lbs each or so if you break it up.

I have the REI aerate 5lb or the cousin Cirque would work great I believe there are some good videos of them camped on a exposed windy ridge and it withstood real heavy winds

I was up there late June last year and we built a pretty good sized wind wall. It made a world of difference.