3-Season or 4-season

[MrBubbles]

I have a three season tent: the not-free-standing Marmot AT with single wall, built in fly construction. I want to get into winter camping - nothing too extreme - just some cold winters in Maine perhaps. I was wondering if I should spend the extra money on 4-season tent or if a good free standing 3-season tent would suffice. I am impressed at the quality of my Marmot tent and am thinking of the new Marmot NYX (3-season) or the Marmot Thor (4 season). If anyone has any experience winter camping with a 3-season tent his/her input would be greatly appreciated. Any other information on which tent in particular is best would also be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[BrentD22]

3 Season Tent

I am sure some gear heads on this site will disagree, but I believe a good quiality free standing 3 season tent is fine for non-extreme conditions.

I am now awaiting the comments on "what if extreme conditions occure" or "in winter you should be prepared for anything".

 

[Holdstrong]

I'm in aggreement with ya Brent. A solid 3 season free stander should be just fine in most winter weather around the Northeast.

I have a Kelty Vortex 2... with the double doors and the two vestibules. Bathtub style floor, free standing. I am yet to experience weather in the Northeast that this tent could not handle.

Now, I do not camp above treeline with it, nor do I go out if the forcast is calling for extreme conditions... so take this advice with that in mind.

 

[MrBubbles]

I was thinking it is logical to assume that most good three season tents can withstand a fair amount of wind. The main difference I would assume is the difference in insulation and sturdiness in the cases of heavy snow. I would think that a good sleeping bag would suffice in cold conditions and probably, unless a blizzard happened to drop by, a good freestanding three season tent would not collapse. The only question, which I have no experience with, is how much time does one need to spend inside one's tent preparing food and the such. Because if this is the case a warmer tent would be advatageous along with a larger vestibule (or perhaps two) for cooking. I don't however plan on sitting in my tent for an entire day wasting my oppurtunity to explore the snow covered wilderness.

 

[sardog1]

One does not spend any time cooking inside the tent unless extreme conditions demand it. Too much water vapor from the pot and too much fire hazard to do it regularly. Be sure your footwear plans anticipate the standing around.

Wind and snow loads can defeat three-season tents, but this is usually not much of an issue below tree line unless the tent design exacerbates the problem. Lots of folks have spent many winter nights in Eureka Timberlines and the like in the conditions you describe. If you're out in a dump in a three-season tent, you will want to keep it clear of heavy accumulations. This may cost you sleep, especially if you must go outside to do it, whereas a well-built four-season version would let you slumber away.

The warmth of a three-season version depends on the roof ventilation. Too much ventilation will make things pretty chilly and you might as well be in a lean-to shelter. (Anything with "star" in the name should be avoided probably.)

Whatever you choose, I'd pick something with plenty of room instead of "fast and light"-- you'll be in the tent earlier in the evening in winter. When you're in the tent, maintain adequate flow-through ventilation to minimize condensation. And bring a ground cloth/footprint to prevent freezing the tent floor to the snow surface.

 

[Oldsmores]

As Sardog said, I've spent many a winter night in a Eureka Timberline. Assuming you're below timberline, the biggest potential factor that a 3-season tent will face is snow load, but in most cases you can work around that if you resign yourself to getting out and digging out periodically in a bad storm. I'd discount the difference in insulation value - nylon walls have virtually no R-value, and in either case you need to have sufficient ventilation to prevent a snowstorm inside the tent from condensation...

 

[adirobdack46r]

I am most certainly not the foremost authority on this subject as I have yet to winter camp but just thought I'd mention my tent. I have the MSR Fusion3 here is the webpage for the Fusion2 http://www.msrcorp.com/tents/fusion2.asp
It is funny how companies change their descriptions. When I bought mine it was not considered a "all season" like it is now, they called it a "convertible" I think, at the time I thought they implied it was a little more than a 3 season but not quite a winter tent. It is not what I would consider a light tent, the extra weight is a bummer sometimes but I hike with my wife mostly and I agreed not to skimp on the luxuries of a nice tent. What we liked about it was the privacy and versatility. I know some of the 3 season tents have a lot of mesh to make them light, the only way to close it off is to put the rain fly on. The MSR Fusion has zippered flaps on all the mesh. This way you can zip it closed to change clothes etc. If it gets a little chilly at night you can just zip up the flaps for a little more warmth. Even when zipped up it has openings that can be controlled for ventilation. The one thing I did not want to have to do was go outside to put the rain fly on just so my wife could feel private while changing clothes or it got a little chilly. Like I said I did not skimp on weight, it is usualy just the two of us yet I bought the Fusion3 a three person version (not shown on the website any more, I think replaced my the Super Fusion3) We wanted all our gear inside with us (except the bear can). With a two person tent there is only enough room for two people. With our three person we can fit the two of us plus both our full packs along one side. It works out to be more weight for me to carry but when set up we are happy with its versatility and have the room we want. So where was I going with this......oh yea even though it was not considered a winter tent when I bought it (now it is) I think the extra flaps on the windows and over all construction would make a pretty decent all year tent.