4 Season Shelters

[Supposed Mocha]

So it occurred to me that the REI Co-op ultralight gear is definitely not a good option for a traveling couple that has no issue camping rusticly even in a green belt if necessary but wall tents are fucking heavy and the usual boosted (more like liberated) Wal-Mart tents with space blankets and tarps is just so much gear for a couple packs between us.

What are y'alls experience with four season tents and travels? Wanted to open up a discussion on the efficiency of portable tents versus other camping gear.

Bivvys are nice but when you're a couple per example a tent or other shelter is better. I'd rather my girl and I keep warm snuggling up close with a little buddy heater or alcohol stoves!

 

[Icebear]

I just use an ultralight 3 season tent… as long as it not extreme conditions or actively snowing it’s fine for me… a proper sleeping bag and pad is what really makes the warmth… from a few people I’ve talked to hilleberg is the way to go if your tent needs to handle snow load but you still want something you can actually pack up easily and potentially hike with… I just use the three season though and a really sweet pad and bag and if you are gonna get caught by snow you’ll just have to wake up a few times through the night to remove snow… unless your gonna be camping significantly below zero where you sort of need a heat source besides your own body….

 

[Dmac]

Do a search for “hot tents” , it might be what your looking for.

 

[Supposed Mocha]

I just use an ultralight 3 season tent… as long as it not extreme conditions or actively snowing it’s fine for me… a proper sleeping bag and pad is what really makes the warmth… from a few people I’ve talked to hilleberg is the way to go if your tent needs to handle snow load but you still want something you can actually pack up easily and potentially hike with… I just use the three season though and a really sweet pad and bag and if you are gonna get caught by snow you’ll just have to wake up a few times through the night to remove snow… unless your gonna be camping significantly below zero where you sort of need a heat source besides your own body….

Thanks for the advice! Shit maybe we'll try the Hilleberg or the crazy competitive low weight gear still then, used to curling up in a subzero sleeping bag with whatever else I find around but it's probably time to grab a pad too then or some sorta insulating equivalent.

 

[Supposed Mocha]

Do a search for “hot tents” , it might be what your looking for.

That's exactly the words I forgot lmao.
Wal-Mart actually does have options damn.

 

[AyeAaron]

So what I've done...

A lightweight tent combined with an extra ground tarp and an extra tarp to hang over it. Also a good sleeping mat.

Watch where you setup so you don't get buried in snow while you sleep and that should be enough.
Allow some ventilation to keep moisture from building

A solid sleeping bag will cover subzero temperatures without a tent ime, so the tent is more for keeping everything dry...
Good idea to wrap your wet boots overnight and spray down with lotrimine. Can have the tarp make an overhang to dry jackets and such

It'll be warmer than outside but still cold for doing something like playing guitar. I've made music in a cold winter tent before, all wrapped up in sleeping bags, so its possible.

Really just wouldnt recommend traveling in winter, I always stayed in place and setup camp. Winter is mildly inconvenient staying put, twould be much harder on the road

 

[Icebear]

Thanks for the advice! Shit maybe we'll try the Hilleberg or the crazy competitive low weight gear still then, used to curling up in a subzero sleeping bag with whatever else I find around but it's probably time to grab a pad too then or some sorta insulating equivalent.

Do you not use a sleeping pad? Are you just sleeping on the ground? Lol i think the therma rest x therm has the best r value I know of right now for being small and portable… I throw the x therm onto of a closed cell foam pad for redundancy and to protect the x therm from pointys

 

[AyeAaron]

Do a search for “hot tents” , it might be what your looking for.

Thats interesting, I'll have to keep that in mind if I have to camp again.

 

[Supposed Mocha]

Do you not use a sleeping pad? Are you just sleeping on the ground? Lol i think the therma rest x therm has the best r value I know of right now for being small and portable… I throw the x therm onto of a closed cell foam pad for redundancy and to protect the x therm from pointys

I often just throw junk cardboard ratty blankets really whatever under a sleeping bag or on the surface in a tent lol, used some of those cheap foam pads sometimes but fuck probably should get a proper thermarest now!

 

[Coywolf]

A lightweight tent combined with an extra ground tarp and an extra tarp to hang over it. Also a good sleeping mat.

This is my best advice as well. I usually travel/am houseless during the winter, and this is what I would recommend.

Plan your camp for cold. Like, setting up a tent in a topographical bowl, or in a drainage is going to be way colder than a flatland area. The more vegetation around you, the better, IMO. Jist watch those widowmakers/if that vegetation will bend under snowload....and essentially screw you by dumping a load of snow in the middle of the night.

Heavy duty brown walmart tarp above, in as steep of an A-frame angle to afford for covering your tent (and about 2-3 feet on all sides), but also allowing for the shedding of a snow load.

Another of the same tarp under you tent. Not to much sticking out from under it, or else it will pool water under the tent.

Find a shitload of cardboard or old closed cell foam sleeping pads under you in the tent. Then an unfolded fuzzy car camping bag. Then you. Then as many blankets/sleeping bags as you need on top.

The tent needs to be ventilated...I often see homebums with blankets covering all of the screen over their tents. That make sit warm until your breath soaks everything, and shit is wet, cold and moldy (see oregon homebummery). Dont let anything inside get wet. Period.

Make sure, if you are using propane heaters, to be safe. Ventilate. Watch the spacing from the heater to anything flammable. Especially if you accidently kick it over at night or something. I know that sounds obvious, but fuck...it kills more people than you think.

If you are traveling during winter, I would just straight up recommend buying good gear and taking care of it. It takes a certain type of person to travel through cold areas during winter. Thats why I like it. Mainly because I never see anyone else. Skills+Gear=anything and everything...all of the time.

 

[AyeAaron]

Also, lots of spare socks lol

This thread makes me miss my old camp in the hills overlooking Portland, it wasn't terribly cold but were some days which really stick out. Smoking a joint at night and looking out at the lights from the city below, with everything draped in ice and snow