What is your Favorite Winter Tent?

I used it one time and it rained for a few hours, maybe 3?  And then snowed a little and everything froze.  No issues with the rain I experienced. I also have left it pitched in my yard for a few days/nights with heavy rain and wind.. and nothing leaked at all.  I do trust it.  FYI.. Black diamond discontinued this model.. but they sell other bomber 4 season tents with the same material. I almost brought another one from them at the discontinued discount price!!!

Here is the trip with all that heavy snow if u are interested. You can see how much room is in there.

Black diamond discontinued this model.
Rule of thumb: that means it was good.

Cheers

@bradmacmt sure. Yes, I live in Norway.

Good to see the Arcdome in the snow. Are you saying it’s drafty when there is no snow?

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.

Yes. The fly does not go all the way down. You can get it a bit lower if you attach separate guylines for each tie out instead of the standard “one cord to two tie outs” set-up. But then you lose the advantage of using your skiis and ski poles as anchors. So I have chosen to let them stay like they are, for now. Maybe they chose to design the tent with skirt ventilation to make the tent more usable in warmer weather as well. It’s the same on the Slingfin 2 – lots of ventilation from a high skirt (relative to what I’d prefer in winter).

Also it’s a bit low inside for my height (184cm) – with the curved 1+ solid inner, though the length is suitable. The somewhat low height inside is noticable when changing clothes  – but no real problem (for me at least).

It’s light enough for skiing with a backpack. But I would not prefer it for a multi day skiing trip above tree-line in Norway. For that I would appreciate something larger, with better ventilation options, and maybe with an external pole skeleton. The ventilation hole in the short side on the Slingfin Crossbow 2 is a nice feature that I missed a bit when the wind suddenly stopped and I had sealed of the skirt ventilation with snow (very warm inside the tent). But setting either of these two tents up in a blizzard would be challenging and I think that Nortent has better options for those kind of trips (though much heavier). I don’t usually tent above treeline in winter, so have not invested in such a tent yet.

The Arcdome 1 is very easy to setup and very fast. I can use my skiis and ski poles as anchors, and the tent poles glides directly into the end pocket. That is somethin I really appreciate when I get to camp tired and hungry. I am currently using the carbon poles below – 7 celsius, but the aluminum in temperatures above or if there is alot of wind involved. This is because of the “probable” water content of the snow making it heavier near 0 degrees celsius than below -7. Though no guarantee. The ArcDome 1 is a very smart and simple tent so we’ll be buddies for many years unless they make one with a ventilation hole in the side.

Dirtbag; The BD looks nice as well – alot of internal space. Don’t fully understand the review that claims the tent is not waterproof after seeing your video, but maybe it’s not the same fabric? Also I was unaware of your youtube channel – I’ll check it out :)

Cool video and channel dirtbag. I liked and subscribed.

Neat looking chartreuse colored backpack. What brand is that?

I have the same 30″ snowshoes.

I see you used some straps to keep your isobutane canister insulated from the snow with a couple layers to power your windburner. Smart. Do you recall what the lowest temps were on that trip?

It’s kinda hard to understand what you’re saying a lot of the time. But I appreciate the videography under such extreme conditions.

Epic amount of snow at the end. You could have setup on top of it and dug out your vestibule to turn your inner into an elevated chair. But obviously you needed to get going by that time.

Great trip and nice to have a buddy to share the experience with.

The Hilight 3 tent is def a port in a storm. Too bad that BD discontinued it. But I see the Firstlight model comes in a light green and offers a similar vestibule add on. But the vestibule on that is attached at one of the narrow ends of the tents instead of along the side. Your vestibule seems more useful since you get a wider vestibule.

Considering the amount of snow, the tent held up impressively – albeit with some shoveling off at times.

It’s nice to have a large vestibule – especially in a backpacking tent as they usually offer chintzy vestibules.

I want to improve my skills in using a tarp in such conditions so I can enjoy being outside while still having some shelter. With a ridgeline and proper steepness, I think snow build up can be mitigated.

Having a fire in such conditions would be epic. It’s hard to find dry wood when everything is covered in wet snow. A good saw and some dead standing trees would help a lot. A decent knife to baton with and it could be done. But with snowshoes to carry too – that is quite a lot of weight. You brought a reasonable amount of gear and made good use of it.

I’m also liking (loving?) the ArcDome 1. Agreed about the fly edge, granted I haven’t made an effort to block snow ingress with snow walls. Mostly though I value its simple pitch, and the little notions are easy to handle in the cold. The white color is nice, too, in my opinion. The tent gets out of the way of all the subtle effects of light reflecting off the snow–maybe my favorite part of winter backpacking.

A tarp with a tent in bad weather can compromise the tent. If it’s over the door, it can compromise egress.  Most tarps aren’t aerodynamic and have large flat sides. It’s often necessary to pitch it low. It can work.

For those reasons and a few more, wanting a less complicated setup, I gravitated towards a mid with a half inner, or just a ground sheet. Four stakes, a center pole and it’s up. I can even use a chair if I want.

That Arcdome is impressive. It looks like it may hold up better over time then some of the lighter competitors.

Nice picture Chris. I agree on the color. I enjoy white interiors the most as well, at least in small tents. I disliked the emergency orange on parts of the Slingfin 2 – caused a feeling of alertness instead of a calm. We react different to colors, so maybe just me. Never understood those who choose a red tent.

Tarptent posted a reel earlier this year that they were excited for the things they were developing on the Arcdome 2 (not the 1+). So will be interesting to see what they do. I see some interest in external poles with short pole sleeves combined with a clip system, more velcro at the vents, and lower fly edge. My dream version would be with enough vestibule space for a pulk.

Nice pictures. Thanks. I didn’t need another tent. I have wanted a freestanding winter tent. I thought I wanted dyneema. Henry seems to have a lot of faith in the poly. I didn’t get the one, I got the two. I like two doors.

Semi mesh liners were out of stock. I wanted a long zip on the liner so I ended up with a solid liner. They had a three person semi mesh, but it didn’t allow me to order the carbon poles. I can just use the ground sheet really.

“I see you used some straps to keep your isobutane canister insulated from the snow with a couple layers to power your windburner. Smart. Do you recall what the lowest temps were on that trip?”

Got that idea from Ryan some time ago, using small piece of “model” wood. I decided to insulate it so it wouldn’t slide around either, and obviously more protection from ice and snow. I dont remember the temps.. it was cold.. but not that cold.. hence heavy wet snow.. could have been low 30s very high 20s. I also was not cold because i kept active all day playing and shoveling and walking around.

A fire!! No way. Not for me in those conditions.. UNLESS it was an emergency. A fire takes a LOT of work, especially in winter conditions.  I would have spent the day gathering proper wood and getting the fire.. no time to play and shovel! Everything was buried a few feet already and frozen, so standing dead trees pretty much a must.. too much work!! And I enjoy camp fires very much, i even enjoy making and maintaining them.. I actually had a small fire log in my pack.. as i always pack one in with me on winter trips.. for emergency.

The Slingfin Crossbow 2 has the advantage of being able to be pitched in the wind without self-destructing. My experience is that tents that use pole sleeves (except for tunnel tents) are very vulnerable to having the poles snap if a gust of wind happens to occur at just the “wrong” time when you’re pitching. The Slingfin “web truss” allows one to get the pole structure in-place, and under compression without any problems from the wind. Then, you put up the inner (with buckle type fasteners) and the rain fly, but the poles are already tight and in-place. The Crossbow 2 has been our (my wife and I) go-to winter tent for here in the Pacific Northwest (WA state).

Yeah, pitching in the wind can be a problem.
I have pitched my winter tunnel in the snow in winds up to 100 kph without any problem. Most of the assembly is done flat on the ground, which really helps.

Cheers

Terran; did you buy the Arcdome 2 now?

You are right about the pole sleeve tents and that they are more exposed to failure during setup. But after that they are usually stronger. The Arcdome 1 is like a rock after setup.

The Crossbow does seem to have a better solution for setting up in very high winds, but I think the best solution might be the clip on system used in Nortents or the Trekkertent Saor. Personally I did not like setting up or taking down the Crossbow – complicated compared to the Arcdome 1 (IMHO). But the livability (space, vestibules, pockets) in the Crossbow is very nice.

I did order an Arcdome2 with a long zip solid inner and a groundsheet. I’ve been looking at them for awhile. The Crossbow was a strong contender. I was waiting for the Durston to come out. I think the pole sleeves will be stronger. I wanted a double. I like two doors so I can open it up. Good when the wind shifts. Plus I have a dog, so the room is nice.

The solid inner may be too hot. It should stop the wind. The semi solid was out of stock. I’ll probably pick that up later.

Like Roger’s tent most of the setup is on the ground. It’s staked down before the poles are inserted. I’ll just take care when setting up.

I’ve dealt with TarpTent a few times and have always been pleased.

I’ll maybe sell my Pro Trek. Nice tent. A little small for my needs. While it’s expandable with the timeouts, it’s an extra step in the setup. Versatile.

Nice. Please share your opinions on the tent when you have tried ut out – I’d be interested in reading your views. Tarptent have also been very helpful when I have dealt with th and I am also very happy with them.

The Protrek looks a bit small, but good pack size for fastpacks. I guess if you only use it for sleeping and not for killing time, then size does not matter.

Yeah avoiding contact with snow covered ground helps the butane a lot.

I made myself a reflectix covered butane cozy for medium canisters.

Just below freezing is mercifully mild and best for big snows.

Packing a firelog on winter trips. That’s an interesting idea. Can also think of it as a robust long duration firestarter. That’s a good emergency measure – especially if there are no trees and/or everything is wet or rotten, and you have no wood tools.

I spent all day last winter essentially just keeping a fire going in a heavy snow storm with the need for constant wood search, sawing, and fire tending. You’re right – it’s a lot of work. Under a tarp would have been a little easier provided I had a good slope for snow drainage and careful management of snow loading. Still a high probability your tarp will collapse. But I want to see if I can swing it this winter.

The Arcdome 2 is interesting. The Arcdome 1 would be too tight for me. Quite strange with the middle part of the tent narrowing considerably. I do like the aesthetics of an all white tent in the snow. It’s winter stealth and lets you enjoy the magic of the reflected light to the max. But I don’t need another tent.

I just happened to notice several small holes in the thin orange yellow rain fly of my beloved Nemo Kunai 2P. Ironically this was shortly after I noticed a youtuber noticed a small hole in his tarp.

The rainflies on Nemo tents are all super thin – just like a Big Agnes Tiger Wall.

Fortunately I have a big tube of silicone seam sealant so I dabbed it up. The damage was down low in two corners of the vestibule – fortunately – so not really going to let rain in from above.

My last use of it was in the worst conditions I’ve ever camped in this past winter. It was 0F with 40 mph wind gusts and nearly 2 feet of snow already on the ground. The snow was so deep in some drifts that I briefly felt a quicksand effect as though I could get stuck. I had never been in such deep snow before. The high winds with deep snow reminded me of a place I’d previously found of a semi-enclosed cave like structure that could provide significant shelter from the wind. So I pitched the tent there on a bed of snow covered rock where the snow wasn’t as deep and I could use snow to level it nicely. But I didn’t have room to stake out the vestibule because the big rock on one side was obstructing. I also had to fiddle near the corner where the damage occured to get a decent stake point to hold that corner down. So that is undoubtedly what caused the damage. The snow was not deep enough to hold a stake in one corner. And the wind was too strong not to stake it down.

So it’s good to know what the limits of your gear are and what kinds of conditions will begin to cause failures. Fortunately I found the small holes prior to discovering them on a rain trip, and they are in a superficial area for overall rain protection of the tent. The holes could certainly have expanded had I let them go unrepaired. There is a limit to ultralight. I wasn’t being careless with my gear. Extreme conditions literally painted me into a corner and this led to stressing the fly beyond it’s limits. But all is well. No major harm done. Good to be aware of this fragility for the future.

The Pro Trek is a great tent, especially for the price. Good for the fast packer. Good for general use. Lots of tie outs to tighten it up and make more room. For the price and if I only had one tent.  If I didn’t have a large dog with lots of fur…the new ones are cheaper and lighter than mine.

Hopefully I’ll get my order around Wednesday. If fuel doesn’t spike, I’ll try to get out by the weekend.

I don’t want to carry a small stove and try to keep it going all night. Maybe with a pulk, but no. Maybe a Caldera Cone. A candle. More practical.

I use a stove when camping. Nice heavy stainless steel with a window. Deep enough for bigger logs. I use it with a budget One Tigress hot tent.

Gathering wood isn’t always practical, often frowned upon, and can be scarce. Importing wood brings in pests. Store bought wood is poorly cured. I use Ecologs. Make sure the pipes are clear.

You are pointing out some wonderful parts of winter camping. Are you looking forward to the winter season?

I can see why you would prefer a larger tent in winter. Personally I don’t want the tent to be too big in winter due to heat loss. The odd shape of the inner makes the vestibule quite useful. Here is a picture with a SWD Big Wild 95 plus some other gear in the vestibule of the Arcdome 1;

The floor plan should work for taking off muddy shoes or wet pants.

I wonder how the tent will look when returning to camp during a white out?