Cheap Winter tent

Cheap and winter….not likely. There was recently a thread about this in the winter forum section. Lots of good info there.

I'm can't pay $500-$1000 for Hilleberg, MH mountaineering tents. I still think a decent 2P double wall, solid inner tent will serve most ofmy winter needs in PNW.

I have started to look as well and the cheapest lightest I can find is the rei cirque asl 2 tent.

The specs state the floor dimenions re 88 x 56 which would be great however reviews of the earlier model have the floor at 88x 46. So you might need to see one in person before deciding if it will work.

But for $270 I think that this will work for moderate 4 season conditions.

The other option that gets tossed around here is the scarp 2 wit crossing poles from tarp tent.

Try the Arete:

http://tinyurl.com/ca9926q

Put an advert on gear swap, you never know what might turn up.

Here’s article on Golite Shangri-la 2 in snow on ascent of Mt. Rainier. Doesn’t discuss snowload, but I expect it handles that decently:
Golite Shangri-la 2 on Mt. Rainier

I believe Golite recently stopped selling them, but they were only $150 — including both outer and the inner bugnet (prices in linked article were old and wrong, GL had lowered prices after that) — and you can often find them in Gear Swap here on BL.

There are similar tents from other manufacturers (MSR Twin Sister?, Black Diamond ____?) but they’re a little more expensive.

Are you dead set on double wall?

If you are flexible about using a single wall, have you looked at the black diamond firstlight? You can generally score one used in the low to mid $200s. I love mine, although it is a bit short and you'll likely touch the ends of the tent. It's a classic design that's proven it's worth in extreme conditions around the world. It's 2lbs 13oz.

If it's truly going to be your dedicated winter tent, then don't even seam seal it. Saves you weight and it's still a fortress in dry winter conditions when it's too cold to rain.

I can think of some other lighter options (some of which are even double wall) but none of which are going to be more affordable than the firstlight.

In our area PNW (Mt.Hood) it cab be snowing heavily for few hours and in the night tons of wet snow can fall, so condensation is a real issue. I also want some vestibule space to stash my backpack.

Cheap + winter= heavy. Unless you go floorless, with a mid, but that's kind of a different lifestyle.

The Big Agnes String Ridge 2 used to be priced at $500. BA seems to have raised the price to $599. You might be able to find one used or on sale around $450 or use your REI discount.

At around 5 lbs, it is fairly light.

REI Cirque looks like a good value for the money. Don't think Tarptent Scarp 2 is suitable for winter use. In my experience Sil-Nylon sags once wet and might not be strong enough to take the snow load. I don't see any reports on Scrap 2 put into testing in winter.

I wouldn't overlook a pyramid as has been mentioned above- nice to have one tent to use year round :)

I seem to remember a picture posted here of a Scarp with crossing poles completly covered in snow, I think it could handle it. Otherwise a mid would be your best bet, a Golite Shangri-la 2 or 3, Oware Alphamid, or MLD Duomid, Solomid, etc.

+1 on REI tents. The REI Cirque and Arete are worth checking out.

I just bought a Scarp 2 specifically for winter camping.

I'm modding it to take a heavy snow/wind load. That consists mainly of purchasing a heavy duty main pole and moving the crossing poles inside the fly. A fair amount of hand sewing is required.

If you're interested in the details see my post on that tent in the GEAR forum and/or PM me.

WoW nice job Eric. I'm not that good with customization, I am mostly leaning towards REI Cirque and call it.

I have a brand new Big Agnes Madhouse 2 with footprint I'd sell you for $160 including shipping. It's a heavier than the REI options, but has two 11 sq ft vestibules, and a full crossing pole. And most importantly, it's cheap! :-) PM me if your interested.

Chad, thanks for the offer. I feel that Mad House is way too heavier, and I am already worried with upward burgeoning weight of my winter gear.

The Cirque looks good WITH the vestibule. Without it you will get snow or rain in it every time you open the door. Been there, done that with a '70s Jansport wedge tent.

Just put an order for Cirque. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Out of curiosity, why did you choose that over the Arete? I've been considering them both as well and have been leaning towards the Arete, but Cirque being 24% off right now makes the think twice.

1. Discount
2. Two Vestibule's
3. Few ounces lighter
4. Lesser number of poles to worry. Cirque 2+1, Arete 3+1

In winter more poles usually equals more strength and ability to handle more snow-load and wind.

> In winter more poles usually equals more strength and ability to handle more
> snow-load and wind.
Absolutely!

Cheers