Would you use a hiking pole supported tent in winter?

I have.

Being pretty popular why exclude the mid? Flat sides and all.

would you use a tent like the TT Notch or StratoSpire for winter camping

Sure, if the Notch has a partial-solid inner, and if it’s a sheltered location and if it’s unlikely to snow heavily – like lower elevations in the forests of the Olympic Peninsula in WA.

My duomid this past weekend on Mt Baker

Hi Noah

You wouldn’t happen to have any photos of the interior – and of how much space was lost due to the snow pushing the roof in?

Cheers

Hey Roger,

I didn’t take a photo of that specifically, but this shows it a little bit.  You can see it was beginning to encroach on my sleeping area. I’m fairly new to mids, so I expect some of that could be mitigated by better staking of the panel tie-outs (I just reused the stakes from the hem midpoint), as well as using the midline tie-outs on the edges, which I did not use. All of that being said, I don’t doubt one of your tunnel tents would hold its shape much better.

Incidentally, I just noticed that the first line of the original post is “Not including mid (pyramid) shaped tents”.  Somehow my brain ignored that :)

Hi Noah
Er – yeah, a bit messy! Snow does spread.
You know, some extra guy lines, placed not too high above the ground, might help there.
Or should that be ‘make more use of the existing attachment points’?

Cheers

With my Duomid in the snow I just dig a shallow pit and use 2 poles to pitch without a center pole.   Creates a ton of extra interior space.  I have even dug a leg hole out the opposite direction which creates a massive interior.   Love it for snow.   (I think I am taking this topic further off thread as the intent was non pyramids!).

Hey Roger,

Yea thats basically what I meant by making better use of the existing points.  There are 8 attaachment points at ground level, and 8 more midway up.  I was only using 4 of those, so using the other 4 in addition would definitely help.  I could also stake them out further away rather than reusing the stakes for the ground connections if that makes sense.

Doug,

I’m curious what you mean by “without a center pole?” Looks like a nice setup

So Eric, any comments?

I use the Locus Gear DPTE.   I like using 2 poles in a V shape.  Opens up the interior,  particularly in snow.   Have had a decent snow load on Rainier, so seems just as strong as a single straight pole; at least I haven’t had a failure.  You could make one easily enough I think.   Makes it easy to dig a pit and still support the mid.

You call that a pyramid?
That’s not a pyramid.
THIS is a pyramid!

60 mm dia aluminium tubing poles and 6 mm climbing rope guy lines. Carried on a sled, often partially assembled.
Locale: somewhere in Antarctica with the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE).
Mfr is One Planet in Victoria, Aus, under contract.

Couldn’t resist.
Cheers

I excluded the ‘mid because they are a common straight pole winter tent and knew I would get a lot of ‘mid users.

I am looking for other straight pole supported tents as Franco illustrated. I think his photo showed a a 2 pole Tarptent Notch. It is probably a better shape than the Stratospire for snow load support.

I asked because straight pole supported tents )’mid excepted) often have problems in snow.

Yes, there are the old wedge types with 4 poles, two at each end, usually connecting at the apex. The US Army 10th Mountain Division used tents like this made of nylon, white on one side, O.D. on the other. I used one as a Boy Scout because our Scoutmaster was a smart guy and knew it was the best light tent available in the ’50s.

60 mm dia aluminium tubing poles (x 4) and 6 mm climbing rope guy lines. Carried on a sled, often partially assembled.
and 30 kg…(66 lbs)
still stuff happens :

Er … Blimey. Judging by the massive amount of rocks around the edge of the tent, there may have been a bit of wind?

The photo is labeled ‘Scott Polar Tent’. Is it in fact a One Planet tent or something from a previous generation? The torn edge looks a bit like cotton or seriously UV-degraded.

Cheers

There are several manufacturers that make a “Scott Polar Tent”., all inspired by the original…Scott Polar tent.

The one I posted is indeed from One Planet. I can’t remember the exact wind speed but about 140KMPH, that I remembered because I had to laugh when on a another forum someone posted the photo of his pyramid tent supported by a single 14mm or so pole claiming it stood up to 100 MPH winds.

(the wind speed was reported at the nearest weather station. Problem is that it does not exactly tell the speed anywhere else but on that exact point and at a particular height off the ground)

OK. Thanks.

That is in fact a problem with straight poles: they cannot resist bending at all well. Tall tents are also more at risk.

And yet, my silnylon tunnel took 100 kph wind all night with 7.5 mm carbon fibre poles. Ah, but the tent was much lower to the ground and the poles were definitely curved, braced by the fabric shape, and guyed at the right points. Plus the wind was end-on and a tunnel tent has a far more aerodynamic shape.

Cheers

Well the wind gets stronger the further from the ground you are so naturally taller tents are at more risk. To answer your question Eric. No way but only because hiking poles are not really all that strong at the height I want.

Franco my information was that the wind speed was more like 140 Miles per hour; personal communication with the owner of One Planet when I asked about that photo. I didn’t ask how old/how many seasons the tent had done tho but I understand the lifetime is very short

140 mph – more reasonable I think.

Cheers

I wonder if a two hiking pole tent like the TT Notch would benefit from a short, horizontal 3rd “pole” joining the two main poles would be of any structural help in high winds?  Of course it needs to be below the catenary arc of the top of the fly and have a means of securely joining the hiking poles.

Yeah, more weight with this 3rd pole but maybe well worth it if high winds are expected.

What would the horizontal pole do? Assuming it could be connected at each end.

It could keep the trekking poles apart, but I would have thought that strong guy ropes could do that for much less weight. They would also keep the tent down, which is a plus.

What it would not do is support the fabric spans – and I think that those spans are the critical factor. If the fabric can flap, the tent has a problem.

Cheers

How far would I push my SS2? I might get the solid interior and start “spring” a bit earlier. But when i get serious about winter I’m gonna get a Scarp.

Katherine,

If you want to really winterize a Scarp 1 or 2 see my thread and photos in this Winter Hiking forum on how I winterized my Scarp 2. My main mod was placing the X-ing poles inside the fly with some sewing and pole shortening involved.

Or you can just add the optional exterior X-ing poles to help a bit with wind load.