Climbing Tent

[Jeremy.0]

Looking for getting a tent for 3+season trips in the N. Cascades/volcanoes that have potential to wanting a 4 season tent. Not a fan of the idea of lugging an 8-9 lb double wall tent. I like the idea of a single wall from the sake of the weight specs, but am hesitant about them after sleeping in a friends TNF Assault; it worked well on Rainier in great weather, horrible experience on shuksan when the clouds rolled in and a light rain/mist ensued. Recommendations?

[cklumb]

Lug a 4-5 lb double wall tent:

 

http://www.hilleberg.com/home/products/nallo/nallo2.php

[coldiron]

I recommend the BD Firstlight. It goes at 3 lb. 5 oz. and is really close to 3 lbs. if you leave the stakes at home. I hear that some cut the mosquito netting out to save even more weight, but I want to use it as a summer tent as well so didn't go down that road. There is a company that sells carbon-fiber poles for the Firstlight that save another 7 ounces. They can make one as an avie probe which should save another 6 or 7 ounces and some space in your pack.

I have the 2012 Firstlight with the new Nanoshield fabric, and I've been really happy with it. The tent comes without sealed seams, so I seam-sealed it. I stayed a week in the Bugaboos, it did great and handled high winds, hail, and rain. The Firstlight seemed to do better than most of the tents at Applebee camp. I had plenty of room to spread my gear out, sit up, read, etc...

Using it as a two-man tent I've done one winter trip and one summer trip in the Cabinet and Selkirk Ranges. With two guys its a little harder not to brush against the sides of the tent, and not as much room to spread gear around, but still do-able, especially for just a couple nights. The last trip was a week ago and involved a day of pretty hard freezing rain- everything inside stayed dry. An optional vestibule is available, and I'll probably get one for future two-man trips.

Edited November 26, 2012 by coldiron

[ADKMan]

+1 on the Hilleberg Tents. I have a Nallo 2 GT (larger vestibule version of the Nallo) which I used on Rainier in July and it worked flawlessly. It's light, lots of room for 2, and with proper setup almost no condensation to deal with. It is a bit pricey and you very rarely see them discounted but in my opinion they are worth every penny.

[AdventureRun]

I dig my BD FirstLight, but I don't understand how two grown men and gear can fit in there. My wife and I are a pretty tight fit without anything else. It does have an optional vestibule that adds an additional 22 oz that I've thought about getting for 2-man trips.

[Le Piston]

I have a BD Skylight that goes a bit over 4 pounds and really like for two people (a lot more room than the Firstlight and more stable in wind) but also have the Hilleberg Jannu which goes around 6 pounds and is a bomber 4 season tent which has great features. There are plenty more tents that could meet your needs, but I have had good experience with these two. Good luck!

[mneagle]

I've used a Stephenson Warmlite throughout the Cascades. It's been to 18,000 foot high camps in Bolivia and survived 100mph+ wind in Patagonia. It weighs about 3 pounds and with the large door and side windows can be adequately ventilated in warm/humid weather. Only downsides are condensation (have to keep a camp towel to wipe down inside in the morning) and not freestanding (3 stakes, pickets, rocks, etc required).

 

The Stephenson website is NSFW.

[Coldfinger]

A few suggestions from my experience.....

 

First, I would not get the lightest tent out there as you will sacrifice cost, weatherproofing and livability for ounces. Smallest will be a big pain inthe butt with a partner, and you will be up against the walls which will get you wet.

 

Get a dome! Hoops are nice too but anchoring can be a hassle and if you can't get a good anchor(or it melts out), look out! A few loops of 3mm cord on the corners are great for using rocks as anchors with either type if the ground is really hard glacier ice or rock slab.

 

Get bug netting. Cant for the life of me understand why tents come without. Even in winter conditions, netting will keep spindrift out as you vent.

 

Breathability only matters above freezing temps!

 

You can often get by with a bivy sack and a good spot in three season conditions. Much smaller/lighter than a tent. Good to have both options.

 

Make sure it has a bright interior color, dark colors suck when stormbound. Sounds silly but it is true.

 

Vestibules are great in foul weather as you can vent or get in and out without soaking the front floor.

 

I like Integral Designs single wall, Bibler too. Well built and designed.

[wetslide]

Another plug for Hilleberg. I have a 8-9 pounds 3-4 person and it is great for siege style climbing or a Rainier trip.

Not for everybody or every situation but it is nice to have it in my quiver.

[Woodcutter]

Integral Designs MK1.

The XL version is on the web here:

http://www.campsaver.com/integral-designs-mk1-xl

 

for $330, see if it's the new onemade by Rab in the land of the rising sun. Jim Nelson had some reservations about it, the poles were the wrong length to fit in the corners properly, probably been sorted, check it out. I love mine