SummitPost.org

I am looking for at light tent, that can stand the weather on 4000-6000 meter climbs.
Right now i´am looking at Marmot Alpinist 2 person and BD I-tent. I am not interested in the superlight tents from BD as they seem to have a problem with rain. And I want to be able to use mine under the snow line.
I have heard a lot of good things about the Skylight from BD though.
Please let me know what your experience are..

Mountain Hardwear EV2 is awesome and can handle pretty much anything you throw at it. You might try to find it on sale because it's pretty expensive... I don't have any experience with BD tents so I can't compare the two.

I have a BD Firstlight tent (epic fabric) and have not ever had any problems using it in the rain.

Other options are the Integral Designs tents or the Rab mountain tents. I own these too, and they work well.

I just bought a Brooks Range Rocket tent. It's light, but I haven't used it yet, so I have no idea how well it functions.

Kai wrote:I have a BD Firstlight tent (epic fabric) and have not ever had any problems using it in the rain.

+1

its been a great tent and we have used it in all kinds of weather

Yeah... I'm also in the 4 season/alpine tent market...

I was highly recommended the TNF VE-25 by several unrelated people, so that's another I've been looking at (its North Face's summit series...so hopefully its not made by old navy). Just a thought...

4-season tents are a lot harder to come-by down here in Georgia So taking a look at different tents is almost out of the question.

That North face is a nice tent, but I think its in a different weight category than what the OP is looking for. Bit heavy.

Sierra Designs Convert 2 - super versatile. Can go VERY light or a little more heavy duty, including the vestibule it comes with. Great tent!

JakobFisker wrote:I am looking for at light tent, that can stand the weather on 4000-6000 meter climbs.
Right now i´am looking at Marmot Alpinist 2 person and BD I-tent. I am not interested in the superlight tents from BD as they seem to have a problem with rain. And I want to be able to use mine under the snow line.
I have heard a lot of good things about the Skylight from BD though.
Please let me know what your experience are..

Above 4000m you're unlikely to have much problem with rain.

Look through the pages of Alpinist magazine, and you'll notice that many alpinist use either the BD Firstlight or Lighthouse at high altitude.

Check out the MSR Dragontail. My main climbing partner has one, and it's been great in all conditions. It's more livable than the BD tents (especially for tall folks), at the cost of 1.5lb. But, that also includes a vestibule and better ventilation.

kheegster wrote:Look through the pages of Alpinist magazine, and you'll notice that many alpinist use either the BD Firstlight or Lighthouse at high altitude.

And I'm sure that has nothing to do with sponsorships... <wink>

Would a bivy sack be a bad thing for high-altitude, cold weather climbing? Ultimate in lightweight.

Look into Hillberg tents, they have a growing following here in the PNW. It seems like most of the serious bad-weather tenting has been done in traditional single-wall tents or tough double-walls, and the light BD tents are mostly used when the weather is good. One commentator on the Firstlight remarked that if a storm comes in you would bail, so you don't need the tent to be storm-proof.

Personally, I like floorless pyramid shelters for most of that sort of camping, but I'm kind of crazy that way.

WML wrote:Sierra Designs Convert 2 - super versatile. Can go VERY light or a little more heavy duty, including the vestibule it comes with. Great tent!

I used to agree, but recently I've used this tent in a rainy environment and it failed miserably. The fabric has partially delaminated and it's now not much more waterproof than a piece of nylon. It's a well designed tent, but the fabric doesn't cut it. I used a Rab Summit Superlite tent made of eVent on the same trip and it was superb.

A friend of mine (a Karakoram climber) has a Hilleberg and really loves the design. However, like me, when you're expecting some serious weather and dont care to mess around with a complicated design or a wind-catcher, its Bibler all the way. He rocks the Fitzroy and I stick to the classic I-tent. You can't go wrong with Todd-tex. Period.

Bivy sacks are sweet, I prefer to use mine with the BD Mega Light shelter for a light and I'm-little-so-I-dont-take-up-much-space-in-your-small-pack combo. This worked well when I attempted the East Butt of Whitney in the winter.

I take a bivy sack with me wherever I go. It's small and light, all gore-tex and keeps me extra warm so I dont need a 9000-fill sleeping bag- whether it be on Ranier in February or in the Andes in the heart of winter.

Tents make being out in the wilderness for a while a fun endeavor. Over the years I have found my small but practical I-Tent to be a second home for me and Im not afraid to cook inside it or fear the elements when winds threaten to pluck you off the mountain and rime ice forms on the outside of your vesti it's so cold. Go through a few before you commit to buying one and don't be afraid to spend a little dough if your serious about staying out there for a while.