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Thread: Using a 3 season tent in cold winter weather?

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    Senior Member jc1234's Avatar
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    Default Using a 3 season tent in cold winter weather?

    I really dont have the money to buy a 4 season tent. I do have a -30 sleeping bag and self inflating pad and a sleeping pad. Is there any reason that a 3 season tent wont due? My 3 season tent has plenty of attachment points for guying out and does well in the wind. My dog has a fluffy double winter coat and a self inflatable dog bed along with a few blankets.

    Any reason I cant make due with a 3 season tent?

    Temperatures would be -5 to +20 without windchill. Not less than -15 with the windchill.

    I know a few of you dont even use a tent when you camp, so Im figuring if you can do it with no tent, a 3 season will work as long as it will stay up under snow and wind?
    You can be prepared or be lucky and I'm not a lucky person.


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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    The big differences are in material weight/strength, poles, mesh panels. The four season tents will hold up better to the extreme conditions and higher winds. Your three season will work (hopefully your mesh panels have a zip up cover) but may not hold up as well to prolonged use.
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    The MAIN difference between a so called three season tent & a so called four season tent is: the four season tent Fly will come down and touch the ground, and the three season tent the fly will only come about six inches from the ground........I do hope this is pertinent.

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    Senior Member jc1234's Avatar
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    Yes, my tenet has the outer shell that covers everything including the fly and comes down about 6" above the ground. I am planning on going camping once or twice this winter for a few days each and I just dont have the hundreds of dollars that a 4 season tent costs.

    I figured with enough insulation around me, the tents only real use would be to keep the wind off (mostly) and keep me dry. I was thinking that I could pack snow around the gap between the outer shell and the mesh as an insulator against the wind. Do you think that would work?
    You can be prepared or be lucky and I'm not a lucky person.

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    Many times I've used a strong three season tent for winter camping. If it has a good frame system it will hold up just fine. Make sure you do use the guy-lines and stake it out. Most four-season tents are made for mountaineering and are over built for normal winter camping.

    The one problem you may have with a three-season tent is the sceen panels; the fine snow crystals will blow through them. No tent is really warm in the winter, it just keeps the wind and snow off you. Once your in your sleeping bag all is good.
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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jc1234 View Post
    Yes, my tenet has the outer shell that covers everything including the fly and comes down about 6" above the ground. I am planning on going camping once or twice this winter for a few days each and I just dont have the hundreds of dollars that a 4 season tent costs.

    I figured with enough insulation around me, the tents only real use would be to keep the wind off (mostly) and keep me dry. I was thinking that I could pack snow around the gap between the outer shell and the mesh as an insulator against the wind. Do you think that would work?
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    Senior Member jc1234's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by crashdive123 View Post
    Yes.......
    Cool. Snow is free...tents are not lol. Besides, I have a big furry dog to keep me warm. It was 8 degrees out last night with brutal winds and he kept closing my laptop with his nose until I let him outside to go enjoy the weather. Sometimes he makes me wonder lol. But he is an amazing heat generator...although he does snore pretty loud which can be annoying when Im trying to sleep.
    You can be prepared or be lucky and I'm not a lucky person.

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    Tents don't keep you warm. As long as your tent can hold the snow load, all is good.
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    Professionals here use Eureka "Bomb Shelter" tents. Or North Face VE-24 or VE-25.

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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Problem with snow, it may be there it may not when you need it to do your filling, but you don't want too much for snow load reasons.
    Not dependable.....so I would come up with some kind of skirt for blocking wind and such.
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    Senior Member jc1234's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sourdough View Post
    Professionals here use Eureka "Bomb Shelter" tents. Or North Face VE-24 or VE-25.
    Ive looked at TNF mountain 25, the Nemo 2p & 3p and some of the mountain hardware mountaineering tents, they all look great. I will get one eventually, but I upgraded most of my gear this year and I dont have another cent to spend on gear until next winter.

    Quote Originally Posted by hunter63 View Post
    Problem with snow, it may be there it may not when you need it to do your filling, but you don't want too much for snow load reasons.
    Not dependable.....so I would come up with some kind of skirt for blocking wind and such.
    Ive thought of getting a really big tarp, like the generic ones they sell for covering a car or small boat and. They have plenty of gromets on the edges that can be staked out and they are water resistant. Its certainly not a perfect solution and its not breathable, so condensation will be annoying, but it seems like a cheap bandaid for the time being.
    You can be prepared or be lucky and I'm not a lucky person.

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    Senior Member huntermj's Avatar
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    My three seasom, north face has done me good down to 5 deg. but i havent tried it here in 20 below, we will see
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    Senior Member jc1234's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by huntermj View Post
    My three seasom, north face has done me good down to 5 deg. but i havent tried it here in 20 below, we will see
    Thanks for the info. I tend to stay home when the high is below +5. Im just not man enough for hiking when its much colder than that...plus the cameras all seem to freeze up and get lens fog near those temps.
    You can be prepared or be lucky and I'm not a lucky person.

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    Coming through klkak's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sourdough View Post
    Professionals here use Eureka "Bomb Shelter" tents. Or North Face VE-24 or VE-25.
    Or Alaska Tent and Tarp's "Arctic Oven" tent.

    http://www.alaskatent.com/oven.html
    Last edited by klkak; 12-15-2010 at 11:39 PM.
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    the only problem I've had was trying to put one up or take it down when it's real cold and windy. Things ice up and seem to get brittle. I broke a tent pole on my dome tent taking it down in heavy wind with ice and snow.

    I use it for ice fishing and stay plenty warm with just a thick Mexican blanket to insulate the floor of it. If I have my one mantle lantern going I can sometimes lay there with my t-shirt on and boots off.

    I really haven't camped in the winter with it, but if I can sit on the ice all day and night in below zero temps with a severe wind chill I'd think it would work.

    Mine is just a cheapo dome tent with fly that only comes about 6" below the mesh. I've never had issue with snow forming on it, icy rain will though.

    I like the idea of using a tarp along with it, would make it more wind resistant and if you run it out front would make a portal to enter as well.

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    Senior Member jc1234's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rwc1969 View Post
    the only problem I've had was trying to put one up or take it down when it's real cold and windy. Things ice up and seem to get brittle. I broke a tent pole on my dome tent taking it down in heavy wind with ice and snow.

    I use it for ice fishing and stay plenty warm with just a thick Mexican blanket to insulate the floor of it. If I have my one mantle lantern going I can sometimes lay there with my t-shirt on and boots off.

    I really haven't camped in the winter with it, but if I can sit on the ice all day and night in below zero temps with a severe wind chill I'd think it would work.

    Mine is just a cheapo dome tent with fly that only comes about 6" below the mesh. I've never had issue with snow forming on it, icy rain will though.

    I like the idea of using a tarp along with it, would make it more wind resistant and if you run it out front would make a portal to enter as well.
    I have an REI quarter dome t3 tent that I really like, it seems pretty sturdy as long as its staked out well. I havent had to guy it yet, but in winter I would. I use a tarp inside the tent to keep my dogs nails from destroying the tent material and it just seems like a larger tarp on the outside would do pretty good. The downside is they are really heavy, much, much heavier than a 4 season tent when you combine the weight of my tent with a large tarp, but this winter I'll just be car camping, I wont be backpacking. Although I would really like to do some winter backpacking eventually. For the time being Im happy hiking my same set of trails because I like taking photos of the frozen waterfalls in winter, but eventually I really need to branch out and expand my hikes which will require more than just car camping.
    You can be prepared or be lucky and I'm not a lucky person.

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    Senior Member Stargazer's Avatar
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    The wife and I camped for our first anniversary.We had a 3 season EMS North Star. It was all mesh. And the rain fly came about the same 4-6 inches shy of the ground.We were the only ones camping on Mt Monadnock on March 31st.That night we got treated to 6 inces of snow.The tent held up great.And we didnt get any snow inside.Yes it was cold but once you were in your bag everything was good.

    I say try it in the back yard first.If you run into any problems just take the walk back inside.We have the REI Quarter Dome T2 now.Its got less mesh than the older EMS tent did and the fly comes closer to the ground too. I'd give it a shot.
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    Senior Member jc1234's Avatar
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    on our last camping trip it was 35 in the tent and the only issue I had was with my sleeping pad not insulating enough from the cold of the ground. Even when I get a 4 season tent, I think that will remain an issue. Has anyone had good luck with a particular pad? Id like something light enough that I could backpack with, but Im willing to compromise if I find something really cheap just to use for this winter.
    You can be prepared or be lucky and I'm not a lucky person.

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    Coming through klkak's Avatar
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    Here is a picture of an Arctic oven Tent with the discription.
    Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
    Alaska Tent & Tarp’s Arctic Oven tent is the premier cold weather camping tent. It has been in use for years as the elite winter camping tent from the North Pole to the South Pole. Although it can be used as a four season tent, the Arctic Oven tent specializes in winter camping with its condensation-free interior and the option of putting a stove inside for warmth. The Arctic Oven tent is a specialized piece of equipment that redefines the standard of quality, durability, and functional performance. Alaska Tent & Tarp has combined proven design, superior materials, and quality craftsmanship to create a truly no compromise, all-season tent.
    1. If it's in your kit and you don't know how to use it....It's useless.
    2. If you can't reach your kit when you need it....Its useless.

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    Senior Member jc1234's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by klkak View Post
    Here is a picture of an Arctic oven Tent with the discription.
    Guests can not see images in the messages. Please register in the forum.
    Alaska Tent & Tarp’s Arctic Oven tent is the premier cold weather camping tent. It has been in use for years as the elite winter camping tent from the North Pole to the South Pole. Although it can be used as a four season tent, the Arctic Oven tent specializes in winter camping with its condensation-free interior and the option of putting a stove inside for warmth. The Arctic Oven tent is a specialized piece of equipment that redefines the standard of quality, durability, and functional performance. Alaska Tent & Tarp has combined proven design, superior materials, and quality craftsmanship to create a truly no compromise, all-season tent.
    So how much does something like that weigh?
    You can be prepared or be lucky and I'm not a lucky person.

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