What is your Favorite Winter Tent?

My tent is 19 ounces – mid of my own design but similar to others

A problem that your tent does not share is my walls are angled.  When it snows the snow sticks to the sides.  As it accumulates it weighs down the sides and pushes inward.  Easily fixed by hitting it from the inside and knocking it off.  But if I’m sleeping it just accumulates.

Ventilation – leave the door open, like your mesh panel over the door.  Unless it’s snowing in which case I have to close the door.  With the snow accumulating on the sides there’s a lot of condensation.  Since it’s floorless, the condensation flows down the inside walls and falls to the ground.  Unless it drips off onto my sleeping bag.

This is a non optimum situation.  I don’t camp when it’s snowing a lot so it’s an acceptable compromise.  I can see why you want a better solution.

I don’t find that small ventilation vents do much, it has to be the entire door open.  Which is usually impossible when it’s snowing or raining.

4.3 pounds???  You must be kidding…  Spoken by the person with a glorified napkin : )

I bet your tent does better in strong wind.  I have to take my bigger pole which is an extra 3 ounces.  Even with that, this probably isn’t the best tent for a heavy wind.  I think I might get a dome tent like yours for that case, but I avoid that condition.  There must be something lighter than 4.3 pounds.

“Winter” of course means a lot of different things in a lot of different places. I love the “glorified napkin” comment!

I’ve been away from true winter camping for a long time, primarily due to family and work obligations. While I have certainly been out backpacking in snow and single digit cold, that’s been mostly on late fall trips. However, as I’m circling retirement, I want to start doing some ski trek’s in nearby Yellowstone.

I currently have tents that can handle our local winter, but I wouldn’t consider any of them truly “winter” tents. I like the idea of a Mid with a stove, and will certainly look into those. But a heated tent, while solving some issues, creates others (condensation/frost). And, of course, a mid with a frostliner and a stove weighs more than the average winter 1P tent. Pulk maybe?

However, push to shove, if I had to pick a winter tent today I’d probably go with Tarptent’s latest double wall, freestanding masterpiece, the Arcdome 1. I’d definitely get it with a solid interior. It’s 3.5 lbs (or a bit less depending on poles) which I think is very good for a true winter tent. It’s a side entry design (which I prefer), and has a generous interior space for a 1P (which I think is wise given how much time one actually spends in a tent on long winter nights). But it’s also not so big that it won’t hold a bit of body and candle heat effectively. I like that it’s a fly first pitch which I consider “ideal” (if not completely necessary) in a true winter tent. Also, the fly extends all the way to the ground which is something I consider a non-negotiable necessity in a double wall winter tent.

I only wish it weren’t white lol.

I think the Durston XDome with a solid interior could be pressed in to some winter use. But overall I think it’s a bit lightly built to handle gnarly winter conditions.

glorified napkin was volker’s joke, I don’t want to take credit for it : )

glorified napkin was volker’s joke, I don’t want to take credit for it : )

Missed that somehow. Edited my comment – It’s a good one lol!

Another way to describe dcf tents is “expensive trash bag.”

In the absence of bugs, winter does afford one the opportunity to bring a rain fly and poles while leaving the inner tent at home to save weight. There are several tents I want to do this with.

And then there is camping under a tarp or even cowboy camping – under nothing with just your sleeping bag or using a bivy. Looking forward to cowboy camping this fall on a couple of clear nights when lows are in the upper 30’s.

There is something appealing about going out during or just before a blizzard when people look at you like you’re crazy to be going. It’s an invigorating test of your skills, adaptability, planning, and gear.

It’s sad how many adults lose the sense of wonder and joy that children and dogs show playing in the snow. And it’s sad how few woman are interested in or capable of handling camping in harsh winter cold.

It feels magical to wake up to that unmistakable white glow of snow outside. To have a fire with your camp all setup and thriving in spite of the harsh cold and wind. To cook real food over an open wood fire unmolested by bugs and unworried about spoilage. To keep a beer cool in a stream or from freezing by placing it in snow. And to have one or a few close companions to share the experience with adds so much.

Part of why I love backpacking is because I find tents so cozy to be in – especially when it is cool to cold outside. To be setup in a new place that you spontaneously wandered into. To find that perfect spot where you create an outdoor room. You find an arrangement of trees and rocks that become like furniture. And then to be hunkered down and batten the hatches when a blizzard comes and to feel safe, warm, and cozy in spite of it – is exhilarating. It makes me feel like there is nothing in the day to day world that I can’t handle. I come back from such an expedition – a changed man. Things bother me less. The trees have lowered inflammation in my body and infused me with healing energy.

Yeah!  Exactly.

If it’s not raining or snowing I like cowboy camping

I don’t do snowy, winter trips anymore. When I did, I like  pyramid or hex tents which I could seal the edges and dig out below for extra space.  Never owned one, but love friends tipi which had a Ti wood stove and port for the chimney.

Slingfin Crossbow 2p is my favorite winter tent.  Ventilation is great, handles wind really well and using the outrigger connection with my trekking poles it handles snow load very well.  I am a big fan of Slingfin and the designs they have on their tents.

Slingfin Crossbow 2p is my favorite winter tent.

I can understand why – a super impressive tent.

Good choice Jeff. Yeah the WebTruss idea of internal guylines makes so much sense. Architects use truss systems all the time. Adding on external guylines must make it exceptionally sturdy in bracing winds.

Nice aesthetics too with the white with orange accents. Lets the reflected light of snow show thru. And those strange round orifices in the tent are – unusual.

And their use of silicone coatings on both sides of the fabric should theoretically have a longer life span to prevent the dreaded sticky hydrolysis that eventually catches up to PU coated tents.

I like that they don’t taper the Crossbow 2 – unlike the Portal 2, so you get a full 50″ width along with 92″ of length. Height of 41.5″ is respectable too.

The weight with the WebTruss and a footprint is probably around 4.5lbs so very comparable to the Kunai. The Kunai has more 2.5″ more peak height, but with the taper, it has less square footage.

Nice aesthetics too with the white with orange accents. Lets the reflected light of snow show thru. And those strange round orifices in the tent are – unusual.

Well, this is where I depart from my like of the tent. Personally, I dislike living in overly saturated color tents. I find them harsh to live in. That orange, if it’s strong on the interior, would drive me slightly mad lol.

As to the “strange round orifices” this is how venting has been done in mountaineering tents going back to at least the 1950’s. It eliminates a point of failure (the zipper). My circa 1979 North Face VE24 has them.

It feels magical to wake up to that unmistakable white glow of snow outside.
Even better to wake up to bright sun!

Cheers

Well, this is where I depart from my like of the tent. Personally, I dislike living in overly saturated color tents. I find them harsh to live in. That orange, if it’s strong on the interior, would drive me slightly mad lol.

StoneGlacier offers most of the same tents & tarps as SlingFin, but in a white/silver/blue color scheme. StoneGlacier is not shy about, nor tries to hide that they license their tents from SlingFin – so you’re getting the same tent or tarp, but in “softer” cool colors.

StoneGlacier’s ‘Skyscraper” is the analog to SlingFin’s “Crossbow” tent.

https://www.stoneglacier.com/collections/tents/products/skyscraper-2p-tent

StoneGlacier offers most of the same tents & tarps as SlingFin, but in a white/silver/blue color scheme. StoneGlacier is not shy about, nor tries to hide that they license their tents from SlingFin – so you’re getting the same tent or tarp, but in “softer” cool colors.

Indeed, I’m aware of this. Stone Glacier’s headquarters are just a couple miles from my house!

Its no secret I’m a Huge fan and believer of Black Diamond Highlite 3P tent. I have put this tent thru the ringer with legit strong winds, Ice and over 2.5 feet of wet heavy snow. It didn’t budge and I always sleep cozy knowing Im safe in there. The weight doesn’t bother me for winter as Im not hiking 15 + mile days anyway.

If im going solo and not expecting serious weather where I will be tent bound I leave the vestibule home and still have a palace for myself with spectacular views. Its fast to pitch and even faster to break down and pack up, which is appreciated when its below 0° and windy or snowing.. The blue?? Oh its wonderful being inside when the snow is falling or the clouds roll in.. such a cheery color and feels good. It also looks great from outside surrounded by fresh white snow.

Hey dirtbag (spoken like Dirty Harry)[Nice screen name :)]

That’s quite a magnificent snowy pine forest scene. Looks like somewhere in the Rockies. That’s the dream type of spot I long to do winter camping in. Plenty of snow for water, but also trees for wind protection and making fire – at a fairly high altitude.

Thanks for bringing the BD Hilighte 3 to my attention. It’s surprisingly light for it’s size (trail weight 4lb 6oz) – partly since it is single wall. Single wall tents make some sense in winter. No need for bug mesh so you can just ventilate directly to the open air. The floor is 86 x 60 x 55 x 43. I’d call that a roomy 2P size and not too large to bring for just solo use. Tapered floor is fine at that size. 43″ of height is decent too.

I really love the add-on vestibule. I had hopes for the MSR Hubba (and Naturehike Mongar) 2P vestibule years ago but realized it is too hunched over to be worth much. But the vestibule on the Hilight 3 looks to be a few inches taller.

I’m surprised the vestibule didn’t collapse even under multiple feet of wet snow. You probably pushed it off several times over night. But still impressive. I think the Hilight 3P is a good competitor to the MSR Remote 2 and 3P. The Remote tents are double wall and much heavier. But they have a wide hooped vestibule (like the Hilight 3) that runs along the length of the tent – as opposed to a tunnel wall head entrance as you often see on Hilleberg and other winter tents.

Its perfect size for 1 person. For 2 people it was perfect size, but the vestibule is mandatory for the extra space and not to be crammed. I mean, you could squeeze 3 in there but no way I would want to do that for an extended period of time unless it was an emergency!!! I did bang snow off of there until about 1 or 2 am.. then I knocked out and woke up at 6 am to that! It was in the Catskill Mountains, NY.  I think I actually prefer NOT being under trees.. falling trees and branches are not a good situation, especially when they are under that stress of heavy wet snow and falling snow bombs can cause some problems too. That particular spot in pines I found there were no overhead branches above and I had a clear view to the sky. Its solved the snow bomb or falling branches concern,  obviously not a falling tree.. but 2 out of 3 was pretty good.

SOLO WINTER TENT-> Tarptent Moment DW with optional Creossing pole shortened 5 inches and run UNDER the fly. Short, Double-sided Velcro strips sewn inside the fly (and seam sealed) to the two reinforcements where the former outside X-ing Pole straps were attached. Having 2 doors and 2 vestibules greatly helps in winter for storage and cooking in foul weather.

In winter I carry 4 guy lines, 2 for the main hoop and 2 for the mid line attachments and then to ski poles and done to stakes. One snow stake for each end.

TWO PERSON WINTER TENT-> Tarptent SCARP 2 The two optional X-ing Poles have been shortened and moved under the fly as above and secured with double-sided Velcro straps to the inside pf the fly. The  former external Hypalon pockets are sewn inside the fly at the apex or the A-shaped corner Pitch Lock struts for an extremely strong anchor.

Finally the main hoop pole is a stronger, larger diameter custom pole from Tent Pole Technologies. All the lines are carried as well.  The  2 doors and 2 vestibules, as with the moment DW, agin is great for winter use.

Good to know those pics were so close by in the Catskills.

I think there is a balance to be had. Sometime I would like to do a winter trip above treeline. But yes, having a clearing to protect from trees is wise – especially since heavy snow increases the likelihood of falling branches and widowmakers.

I also love having a fire especially in winter – hence I do like being in proximity to significant woods. But when the clouds clear the next morning and the sun radiates off the white snow in an open area – that is majestic. So that’s another huge reason to pitch in a clearing.

Dirtbag, I gotta say yer BD tent is the most versatile 3/4 season setup I’ve ever seen. Thewinter vestibules make it perfect for that use and very wind & snow worthy.

I swapped out my Slingfin 2 for an Tarptent ArcDome 1. I did not like that the tent fabric had a potato chip bag noise to it, and did not like how finicky and time consuming it was to set up. The Arcdome 1 solves those problems and is about 800 grams lighter. Picture is from a 47km skiing trip with two nights in the tent. Love this tent when it’s snow so I can seal off the draft. Before the snow comes, I’d wish it could have gone to the ground.

I swapped out my Slingfin 2 for an Tarptent ArcDome 1. I did not like that the tent fabric had a potato chip bag noise to it, and did not like how finicky and time consuming it was to set up. The Arcdome 1 solves those problems and is about 800 grams lighter. Picture is from a 47km skiing trip with two nights in the tent. Love this tent when it’s snow so I can seal off the draft. Before the snow comes, I’d wish it could have gone to the ground.

@Henrik I’ll be very curious to hear your view of the Arcdome as you use it more. It’s my current no.1 choice for my next tent purchase. Are you in Scandinavia?

@dirtbag – I bought the BD FirstLight back in 2005. It was a superb tent. Super stable in snowy, and windy conditions. I used it for nearly ten years, and regret that I sold it (mine had the original yellow fabric), but such is the way of gear purchases lol. Your HiLight looks like it’s performing admirably.

Of the winter tents brought up so far, aside from my Kunai, the Hilight 3 is the one I’m most impressed with.

Strangely I saw in this review that it is not that waterproof so it’s better for snow than rain:

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/camping-and-hiking/4-season-tent/black-diamond-hilight

It says the fabric isn’t waterproof. If true that’s a shame since there are lot of times that snow is forecast in the northeast that it ends up being rain.

Dirtbag: Have you used the Hilight 3 in rain? Have you noticed any issues with waterproofing in rain?