Tent on a budget

[vsigler]

I need a 4-season tent for about two Cascades trips per summer, but I am on an extreme budget. I have seen an increasing presence of Alps Mountaineering tents being sold online and I have even seen a few in action. The price is appealing, but are they any good? Does anyone have experience with these tents?

[Bronco]

I don't have any experience with those Alps Mtneering tents but commend you asking about them. The worst I've ever slept was in a tent that was not specifically designed for mountaineering in a fairly mild wind.

 

Have you looked at used tents? Look for used Walrus brand. It was bought by MSR a few years ago but they made great tents.

 

I have no idea about this particular tent or seller but there's a lot of solid tents on Ebay if you look: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walrus-two-to-three-person-three-season-tent-EUC-/121640603664?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c52585010

[abarlow]

Tell us what trips you need the tent for. The REI Half Dome is actually a great tent although a bit heavy and not 4 season. And would hold up to most abuses you can throw at it. It can work in snow conditions if you can shovel snow over the the edge of the fly. Where will you be using this thing?

[DPS]

Are you sure you need a 4 season tent? I use an inexpensive tarp for 95% of the trips I do in the Cascades year around. My expensive expedition quality single wall tent gathers dust in the garage.

[sportnoob]

I dunno anything about those Alps Mountaineering tents, but they look like something you'd see on the shelf at Fred Meyer and could be cheaply made. A famous member of this boards used to advocate for Wal Mart pup tents, though, so I shouldn't discriminate based purely on looks.

 

"Cascades in summer" is a broad category. Many would argue a 4-season tent isn't necessary for climbing applications, and I generally agree with them. If the weather is truly puking and bad, you're likely turning around and going home (or not heading out on your trip in the first place). This assertion may not be true for longer trips (or more generic backpacking trips where rain wouldn't necessarily cancel), but holds for most of us weekend warriors doing outings of three or fewer nights.

 

I think of tent sites in the Cascades as lumping into roughly three categories:

 

1. High camps on volcanoes (Rainier, Baker). High winds are a fact of life. This is the one place where I'd want something a little more robust. 4-season tents are nice here due to their sturdiness in the wind. That said, you don't need a MH Trango or some such stuff here. You could suck it up and rent a tent from REI for this since it'll be overkill for just about anything else in the area.

 

2. Exposed camps in the rest of the range - Eldorado, below Shuksan's north face, in general cols wherever. Wind can be an issue, but generally going out in stable weather and careful site selection keeps you out of the worst of it. Any 3-season shelter is generally fine here. You'll find TR's of folks camping under tarps, tarptents, lightweight single-walls, and the venerable classic REI Half Dome at these places. Nothing special necessary.

 

3. Anything else lower elevation and moderately sheltered. Examples include campsites below treeline, in valleys, or basins. Again, anything purporting to be a 3-season shelter is fine here.

 

If your goal was a tent for use solely in climbing applications around here, a lightweight single wall (e.g. BD Firstlight, old BD Lighthouse if you can find it, Mountain Hardwear Direkt2) is likely to be the most common recommendations from experienced folks. Sorry they're not cheap.

 

The budget option for anything short of the big volcanoes is a Black Diamond Beta Light or some other flat tarp, and some practice. It's spartan, and unforgiving of laziness (poor site selection or pitch technique), but a good option.

Edited May 7, 2015 by sportnoob

[bellows]

I've had good luck on Cascade volcanoes in all kinds of weather in an REI Arete ASL tent. The ASL stands for All Season Light and I think they sell it as a "3.5 season" tent. It's been a happy medium for me between my true four season tent (MH Trango) and my alpine climbing tent (BD Firstlight).

 

I have 50+ days in the Arete, including using it on Ecuador volcanoes, Mexico volcanoes, and plenty of trips on Rainier, Baker, etc. and it's held up great. Set up is a breeze with full sleeves/pockets for the two main poles. If the weather is decent you can consider leaving the fly at home and get by in light sprinkles with the full nylon interior. It can get a little hot in good weather but otherwise it's been my go-to general mountaineering tent for the past four years in all seasons. No issues with winds up to 40 mph or so.

 

Added bonus, if you don't like it REI has the best return policy around.

[jared_j]

+1 on the REI Arete ASL 2 tent for volcano use. It's pretty lightweight for being a 3-pole tent. It's more than you need most everything besides volcano high camps, but I don't think you'll ever need a more robust tent in the Cascades. It isn't cheap, tho.

 

Also +1 on the tarp camping. I've been happy with a flat tarp in summer conditions, and have been wanting something like the Black Diamond Beta Light for ease of use (pitching a flat tarp is a little more work / thought, sometimes more than I want to expend when I'm tired at the end of the day). The only downside is bugs / mosquitos during those intervals when they are particularly prevalent.

[DPS]

I disagree with the sentiment that floorless shelters do not work on big volcanos. I've been using a BD Betamid for 14 years, in all seasons, on many Rainier trips, and in very buggy areas (Boulder camp in the Bugaboos). Bugs, high winds, snow, heavy rains, and exposed camp sites have never been a problem. I don't spend any more time staking and guying than I would with any other tent. Unless you do something stupid like try to climb in a big storm, floorless shelters will work fine. Megamids are routinely used at 17k on Denali.

[vsigler]

Thanks for the great advice. I come out west from Ohio every year and spend a week climbing the volcanoes. Some years it's Mt. Hood, maybe Rainier, Baker, etc., so the camps tend to be high and windy. One year on Hood my MSR Skinny Two took on a lot of wind and 14" of snow overnight and held up beautifully, but it's too small for three people, hence my need for something else. I am a little gun-shy about a 3-season tent. Last June, I was camping at Torrey/Greys Peak (Colorado) in a rented REI Half Dome. It did not withstand the winds very well, and eventually collapsed with two broken poles, so I am hesitant to take a 3-season tent where winds could be high. I will check out the Arete, and I do scour the forums, so maybe someone will have a deal.

[genepires]

like others have said, don't scorn the 3 season tent idea. the key is to finding a 3 season tent with LOTS of guy points. That is one of the usual differences between the tents classifications but it is not a rule. I had a three season tent that went though hell and back in all manner of trips. Damn thing had 11 guy points on a small 2 person tent and those don't include the low worth bottom of fly guy points. High and lots of guy points will make any 3 season tent worthy.

 

buy used as long as it is not stinky.

 

What DPS is true too.

[abarlow]

I am really surprised you had a Half-dome fail in heavy winds. When properly staked out the new ones with the DAC aluminum poles can take some high winds! Did you have the guy lines attached?

[vsigler]

I did...every guy point was used. If I was on my own, I might have been a little more liberal and left some loose, but I had my son and his friend with me, so I went as bomb-proof as possible. I was very surprised. REI was cool about it, and absorbed the cost even after I offered to pay for damage.