After picking up a great 2 person winter tent for my wife and I last season, a Hilleberg Allak (double doors help preserve marriages) we're very happy with, I'm looking for a solid winter solo tent that can handle snow loads for use mostly in the Sierras in Northern California.

I'm 6 ft 185-190 lbs (depending on season), and would appreciate a tent with the stability of the Allak and possibly the double walls, but lighter for a single person. I'd still take the Allak if traveling by pulk, but would like something lighter in a shelter just for me when snowshoeing or skiing without a pulk.

I'd consider the Tarptent Scarp 1 if Henry releases it with an extended fly that can snug down to the ground, as a fellow BPL member said Henry told him he would.

What other shelters would you suggest?

Ron at Six Moon Designs is working on the Vamp for taller hikers, but not sure if it's meant to be a 4 season shelter that can bear snow loads.

Have you checked out the Hilleberg Soulo? Freestanding solo dome. Good for snow loads and ridiculous winds. Kind of heavy for one at 4 lb. 10 oz.

Saw it in their catalog and read somewhere that bicyclists can even get their bikes into the vestibule. Though doesn't offer a huge weight savings over our Hilleberg Allak at 6 lbs 6 oz.

Also wondering what the Scarp 1 will weigh in at with extended fly and the crossover poles.

Any Black Diamond or Integral Designs recommendations?

This is a area I know little about as we dont get true winters where I live, but in addition to the Hilleburgs and Scarp mentioned above, you might also look at Warmlite.

I use the Black Diamond Hilight (3 lb 2 oz ) for winter camping with my wife. I was also looking for a winter solo tent, but found it difficult to find a tent significantly lighter with the same stability, so I'm stuck using it as a solo tent and having extra space. I plan on using it as a solo tent for climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in January:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=23697&skip_to_post=191733#191733
It's great at supporting snow and last winter did really well through some 50 mph winds on Mt Whitney. The Hilight is only 82” long. The Lighthouse is a longer (87”) wider version. I'm 5' 10” and am fine in the Hilight with my wife who is 5' 5”. A tall solo sleeper can always sleep in it diagonally.

Edited by ascientist on 09/14/2009 22:17:22 MDT.

I'm in the same boat as you. I am probably going to go with a Stephenson Warmlite. The double wall still comes in under 3 pounds. I just don't know much much snow/wind they can really handle above treeline.

The Golite Utopia 2 also temps me, but I'm not sure if it can handle the snow either.

A winter tarp with a bivy is a cool way to go. Something like the MSR Twin Sisters, the Golite Shangri La 1, or a Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid combined with an eVent bivy can be a really fun and versatile combination.

A Hilleberg Nallo 2 is a great option that weighs just a bit more than a Soulo but is good for two.

I have a Terra Nova Laser Competition that is a great winter tent, except for no vent which is bad in our really wet winter snow (Washington State).

Some people love the Black Diamond Epic tents but you have to be in drier conditions for those, I've found. My Lighthouse soaked through in our constant slush and wet snow.

I've also used the Integral Designs XL and it's great. The Rab Summit Extreme is an incredible tent, but very focused. If you are pushing the high country in the winter, this tent has no equal.

Best, Doug

I hope this isn't too OT, but if you were to have just one winter tent in WA, would it be double wall or single wall?

I think, considering the small weight difference between your Hilleberg and a comparably strong solo option, that I'd grit my teeth, carry the Allak, and spend the money on some other good winter kit and a great trip.

If money isn't a concern, I'd get a breathable single wall dome for compactness and better condensation performance.

http://www.integraldesigns.com/product_detail.cfm?id=735&CFID=897832&CFTOKEN=2523260&mainproducttypeid=5

http://www.rab.uk.com/equipment/bivvis/new_summit_mountain_bivi---140/

A thought, maybe a crazy one:

Have to wonder how the new Tarptent Moment will do as a winter tent. If you include the crossing pole for extra support and also stake it down, it looks like it could withstand a good deal of snow, and it certainly does look wind worthy.

At under 36 oz, it's hard to beat the weight. Will that single layer of silnylon do, given the double support of the two aluminum poles at right angles to each other?

At 84 inches of usable length, it looks like it would hold a six-feet-tall person.

Stargazer

Edited by nerdboy52 on 09/15/2009 05:03:50 MDT.

At the risk of flogging a dead horse - it all depends on the weather.
If you have a fine calm night a simple tarp might do - a bit cool, but that's what a winter bag is for.
If you get a little snow falling dead vertically, most any single wall tent will do. You can always knock the snow off the roof...
But what happens when it is snowing hard and the wind is going 50 mph?

(That's INSIDE the tent, btw.)
Without a genuine double-wall snow tent you are going to be in a wee bit of trouble. Which is more important: shaving a few grams for boasting rights, or survival?

Cheers

Edited by rcaffin on 09/15/2009 05:10:52 MDT.

I did an overnight in Vermont a year ago March, where I tried to get the pack weight down to an absolute minimum - 14 pounds total. To do that I used an MLD tarp and bivy combo. It sleeted that night, with a strong wind blowing the sleet horizontally, getting around every opening in the tarp and covering the bivy. I was less than happy with this, and decided that the weight of a small tent would have been worth the extra comfort and security.

>(That's INSIDE the tent, btw.)

Ha! Point well taken. A picture really is worth a thousand words and a thousand cases of frostbite.

However, (and I'll shut up about this after this comment), the Moment does appear to be designed to take a pretty strong wind, given its slope from apex to end. Also, The end vents, which are small to start with, can be covered with its storm flaps. The side mesh can be pitched so that its vertical, and I assume that the sides can be staked to the ground, as well. The rounded shape is well designed to let the snow slide off with an occasional bang, and the crossed poles look like they add quite a lot of protection against the weight load of snow.

In fact, it's one of the most storm-worthy single walls I've ever seen.

Still, the proof is in the pudding, as Roger's image suggests. Our Ohio winters are not nearly so nasty as other places. I might try the tent in the Little Smokies of Shawnee State Park, where the weather is a bit more demanding, just to find out.

And that's all I have to say about that. (Oy -- three cliches at least in this post. Sorry).

Cordially,

Stargazer

I don't believe the Moment sides can be staked directly to the ground leaving no gap. The shelter is made to be several inches up. Show me pics that prove otherwise?

Edited by jshann on 09/15/2009 07:51:22 MDT.

I'll admit it will take a little finagling, but I'll wager you can get pretty durned close.

Look at http://www.tarptent.com/TTmomentInstructions.pdf

especially #3

Pull the adjustment straps all the way tight, and then push the aluminum pole ends gently but firmly into the ground. For an even firmer hold, you could also insert a titanium hook stake over the adjustment strap.

That and facing the foot end into the wind should provide a good deal of protection.

Again, I'm not arguing that anyone should buy the Moment as their only winter shelter. I'm just saying that I'll give it a go when I get mine and see how it goes.

Cordially,

Stargazer

Edited by nerdboy52 on 09/15/2009 08:17:18 MDT.

I think you would be really happy with a RAB Summit Extreme, perfect size for one person plus winter gear, completely waterproof and bombproof. I'm 5'9 and sleep comfortable end to end, at 6ft I might suggest sleeping diagonally. Otherwise the perfect winter tent as there is space to bring your gear in with you.

Cheers, Rob

I will second the RAB Summit Extreme. Here is Doug's review.
I am 5'9" 190# and find it has ample room for me and my winter gear.
Mike

From Henry Shire, supporting the Moment for in moderate snow without the crossing pole:

Edited by nerdboy52 on 09/15/2009 13:11:24 MDT.

I will second Roger's advice. If you are expecting heavy windblown snow, you ideally want a tent that completely anchors to the ground, eg a sod-cloth. A tent like the Moment, though it looks solid enough, even when pitched low to the ground will allow snow under the fly when the winds gust and lift the edges. I also would not go with anything but true double walled tent for winter. The Moment only has a mesh inner.

We use a Nallos 2 that I've added a sod-cloth to. It's a luxurious one-person tent, but lighter than the Soulo or Allak...

I have no doubts that the Moment is a very clever design and will do for some as an all season tent, however it is a 3 season design not a dedicated winter tent.
To me the problem here is that some will get excited about it as a very light winter solution, get into a "Roger Caffin scenario" and be disappointed (or in danger) and end up dismissing the shelter forgetting what it is designed for...
Franco
BTW HS, that extended PitchLoc (folded trekking pole) is pretty nifty...