Winter Mountaineering Tent Suggestions

[ajtiv]

Can anyone tell me if they have had experience with the REI Mountain 2 Tent?
I am looking to get a winter tent and they are having a sale.

Also if you have suggestions for another winter tent;
2 person, vestibule, no single walls (sorry Bibler)...
I am looking for a less expensive tent $200-$350 not much for a 4 season
mountaineering tent I know, but it is what I can afford.

thanks in advance for suggestions
Al

 

[percious]

I have been happy with sierra designs offerings. I believe their 2 man is the Alpha CD. I have the Omega CD. It is reasonable in weight for the versitility it provides. It ventilates well in the summer, and stays warm in the winter. I got mine on Campmor for $300, so the price was right.

-percious

 

[SherpaKroto]

Cabelas makes a very good tent for the bucks. If you can't find anything on sale, this is a very good buy.

I agree on the Sierra Design tents. Very well constructed. REI-Outlet has 2 excellent SD winter tents on sale. I have used my 3 Season Meteor Light with success in winter.

 

[Rick]

AJTIV -
If you search forums for winter tents, there are several threads with a number of opinions on many tents.
FWIW, I am nopw using a Eureka Alpenlite 2. a 4-season 2person tent that weighs just 6 lbs. It is the a-frame style but has 2 door and 2 vesties. I like that I can carry this on my own if I desire, as well as having plenty of room for a 2nd person.

They could be picked up for about $150 a year ago at Eureka Tent Outlet. I don't know if they are still available (forum search for "Eureka Alpenlite" will bring up Eurleas contact info.

 

[Guinness]

I own the REI Base Camp 4 and REI Base Camp 6 larger versions of the REI Mountain 2 that has been mentioned. These tents are very well made with attention to detail such as color coded corners, taped seams and tub style floor and many other well engineered points.

I would not have an issue taking any of these models into the winter season. Although I now use a Bibler for weight and bomb proof construction for years I used a Ketsrel by The North Face. This tent is a three season similar to their Roadrunner model being sold today. This style of tent makes use of screen construction that works well as a three season tent, yet can be used in winter with a good bag.

Many companies offer comparable models. REI Outlet has the Sierra Designs Orion on sale (here)which I have seen many times on the trail. The North Face Rock 22 is a three season tent on sale at Campmor (here) at a very good price of $120. Also look at Mountain Hardware Hammerhead (here)

 

[bobmak]

Check this out on Ebay.... Walrus made great stuff Walrus Rapeede

 

[Gris]

Find the money and get a Hilleberg Nallo. You'll never have to buy another tent and you'll shave the weight in half (from 8 to 4 lbs). We went round and round on this issue and that's what we're taking to South America this winter.

 

[dave.m]

Also if you have suggestions for another winter tent;
2 person, vestibule, no single walls (sorry Bibler)...

This really, really depends on what you mean by winter and where you expect to be using it.

Most tents marketed as winter tents have more poles to help withstand above treeline winds and tent crushing heavy snows measured in feet (people dying in nighttime snowfalls in their tents is not unheard of in some places).

Here in the northeast, you can make do with pretty much any quality summer tent in the winter provided you aren't planning on camping above treeline. My preferred tent for ski camping in New Hampshire is the floorless Megamid, which is nowhere close to being free standing. I've used various Sierra Designs and TNF summer tents on countless occasions in the winter. For below treeline camping, the only benefit of a true winter tent is having less bug netting and more nylon on the inner tent, which makes the tent a tick warmer and cuts down on spindrift. Both of these problems can be controlled by judiciously burying portions of the fly edge in the snow (but don't kill all ventilation).

I would commit dollars from my pocket and pounds in my pack to things like sleeping bags, sleeping pads, warm boots and so forth before getting a winter tent.