Can we make a UL winter tent w/o netting at bottom?

ZPacks “too close” to Tarptent’s’ designs?? Not in this universe. ZPacks tent designs are about as inspired as vanilla ice cream.

But, on to your BA tent. You could hand sew light ripstop nylon from the floor  up as high as you’d like it. Yeah, lots of hand sewing and you’ll get good at the backstitch.

“Ripstop By The Roll” is a great fabric source and they are having a big Nov. 27 Black Friday sale. They encourage customers to get their orders in their cart now so at 12:01 AM  EST, Nov. 27, they just hit “purchase” and get their order in.

OR… find someone who knows hoe to use a sewing machine.

Repo pup has already made a couple tears in my Duplex netting and the fabric on a cheap Mt Smith tent I use for car camping.  don’t care to do any fabric calculations.  TT and another make are too close in design to my Zpacks with netting at the bottom, don’t care for a bottomless shelter with their heavy condensation.  Seems a design with a cap at the top covering netting maybe so as to vent and keep rain out, making the tent more like the norm, but to shave weight using cuban/dyneema composite fabric.  Maybe I’m worrying too much, may not be out anymore where spindrift would be a issue.

Duane

Bought a TT Double Rainbow, blem Li.  Looked at the netting. Looks like it starts higher than I thought, even watched the review by our site owner yesterday.  Checked out so many other dyneema or other light tents last night and today.  Arrggh!   Plus did not like packed size on many, trying to loose bulk too.  Decision time.  If out in a big storm can take my BA.

Duane

My Locus Gear Djedi is amazing but I  really worry about it with my dog.

The BA dyneema composite tents had reviews regarding the material and the company themselves stating to be careful.  They must use much thinner material than my Zpacks  tents.  Plus, they were really pricey.  This makes six tents that I own now.

Duane

So the goal is a lighter shelter for camping in winter in the Sierra Nevada on snow but when the forecast is for good weather, yes?

If there are trees, you could try a hammock.

If you carry a shovel and there is 3 to 4 feet of snow pack, and want to take the 90 to 120 minutes, you can build a snow trench.

If you can like with a single wall, floorless shelter, have you considered a mid?

Cheers

I’ve seen on a couple occasions where there was heavy condensation with a floorless tepee type shelter.  Even my old TT floorless Squall had heavy condensation one morning in Yosemite over wet ground w/ground cloth early October.

I try not to shovel much when out, I get enough at home and if leveling a site.

One trip, one friend dug a trench, another hollowed out a drift, I just built a low wall around my tent.

Yes I also forego shovelling. For me building the flat snow platform for the shelter is more than enough work for a weekend where I am supposed to be having fun.

For one, two, three night trips in the Sierra Nevada when no storms are forecast, I have had very good experience with my MLD DuoMid even amid snow showers.  Moving to the mid was key to getting my winter packweight down.  If wind is forecast, I take my Hilleberg Atko. If wind and snow fall is forecast, I take an BA 4 season tent with large vestibule or postpone/cancel.

In terms of condensation, during the night the condensation freezes. When I get up in the morning, I brush off the the frozen condensation that falls when I exit ( perhaps no more falls than when exiting through the vestibule of my 4 season BA tent).

My down bag is covered with a water resistant, breathable bivy and I make sure to brush off frozen condensation on the outside of the bivy that formed during the night or fell onto the bivy when I brush against the shelter fabric.  I am mostly basecamping and my mid is yellow, so during the day the sun heats up the inside and all the condensation evaporates.

If I want to have breakfast or morning coffee in bed, I can just open the door of the mid up a bit and start up the stove.  The same habit is of course possible in proper vestibule of a 4 season tent.

With the long nights, if I can make it to dawn, I love sitting at the tent door, feet in a hole if snow is deep enough and fix coffee and breakfast.  I have a very large vintage/ antique stove collection that I like to take a few on each trip.  Keeps my hands warm too with running a stove while packing up as my hands get cold easily.

Duane

What is your objection to the netting?

The Gossamer Gear One has no on the back wall, except a small portion near the top. https://www.gossamergear.com/products/the-one There is netting on the other walls but there is a bathtub floor to keep it away from the ground.

You could use a tarp. There is no netting at all. Then if you want yourself surrounded you can use a bivy.

I don’t have anything against netting, just less in winter,  I’m out every month of the year,  winter temps can be low teens to 20’s.  The One and Two are similar to my Zpacks Solplex and Duplex.  I have a 70 lb. dog, so need a 2 person shelter.  I like conditions a little warmer inside, getting tougher to handle the cold each year.  Need to sell my 5 degree WM bag, doubt I’ll be out in subzero temps anymore.

I didn’t care for a shaped tarp with bivy on one trip in the north end of Evolution Valley I used.  Bivy takes too much to get into, the shaped tarp wasn’t suited for orientation uphill in the wind of a storm.  Sold them when I got home.  Prefer my stuff close by, no worry of wind blowing items away when fishing or exploring.

One winter trip one guy had the wind get under his single pole tarp and almost blew all his stuff away.  Ended up three guys had to shelter in one tent.

Duane