Snow Shelters
aka Expedition Tents

Snow Shelters

In the winter, storms can be harsh and snow can dump on you.  More so in the Pacific Northwest, we can get 2 feet of very wet and heavy snow accumulate overnight.  This amount of snow will easily crush many tents.

Recommendation

• Take our Winter Camping Course offered every February

• Talk to our Winter Camping Team before shopping for a winter tent

• In most cases, you can make a 3-season tent work in the winter

  • Plan to dig in

  • Build a wind wall

  • Plan to shake off snow from the inside of your tent during the night

  • Sleep with shovel in tent, in case you need to dig out

4-Season Tents

3-Season Tents are made for outings without snow or heavy winds.  They are lighter and generally more affordable.

4-Season Tents need to be able to hold their own against snow and harsher weather.  These are often broken down into 3 types:

Treeline Tents

1. • More like a 3.5 Season tent

   • Heavier duty fabric than most 3-seasone tents

   • Designed for light snow

Basecamp Tents

1. • Most sturdy subcategory of shelters listed here

   • Heavy duty fabrics

   • Tents are very heavy and not ideal for long treks

   • Can withstand heavy snow loads and high winds

Mountaineering Tents 

1. • Designed to withstand heavy snow loads and high winds

   • More transportable than basecamp tents

   • Generally very tight living areas

Designs

Dome Tents

• Popular in the US

• Self supporting

  • Don't need to be staked down, unless it is really windy

  • Can be used on a rock surface, boardwalk or even a concrete sidewalk

• Take up less surface area on the ground than tunnel tents 

  • Easier to find a camp spot

• Smaller vestibule or no vestibule at all

Tunnel Tents

• Popular in Nordic countries

• When facing the wind and staked down, these are able to withstand gale force winds

• Very roomy with large vestibule 

• Requires a larger footprint, which may limit campsite options

• Must be staked down

Teepee Tents

• Structure great for shedding snow

• Must be staked down

• Center pole makes for strong and rigid structure

• Great sitting up space

Example Tents

These tents were designed to survive harsh weather and snow accumulation.  For the most part, these are heavier than 3-season tents.  All are VERY expensive.  Before you rush out to purchase one of these, come talk to our winter camping team. 

Dome Tents

• Mountain Hardwear Trango 2

  • Category: Basecamp

  • Heavy at close to 10 pounds

  • Spacious

  • Double crisscross poles offer excellent support

  • Proven durable in extreme weather

• The North Face Mountain 25

  • Category: Basecamp

  • Heavier than other tents at around 9 pounds

  • You get more for your money for this tent that other options

  • "Roomy" compared to other tents

• Hilleberg Jannu

  • Category: Treeline/basecamp

  • Hilleberg is known for their stormproof tents

  • This is Hilleberg's "minimalist" version their expedition tents

  • "Lightweight" for a basecamp tent at under 7 pounds

  • Heavy for a treeline tent

  • Quick setup from outside

  • Very Expensive

• Samaya2.0

  • Category: Mountaineering

  • Single wall design

  • Lightweight at just over 3 pounds (without vestibule)

• MSR Remote 2

  • Category: Mountaineering/basecamp

  • Lighter and less rugged than North Face Mountain 25

•  Alps Mountaineering Tasmanian 2 

  • Category: Economy Treeline

  • Great bang for buck

  • Heavy

  • Not as durable as other options, but will work if you take care of it and are smart about how and where you pitch it

  • Not bad for a $150 tent is you get it from hikerdirect.com

Tunnel Tents

• Hilleberg Nammatj 2 GT

  • Category: Basecamp

  • Weighs in a just over 8 pounds

  • Supper roomy tent

  • Vestibule roomy for gear or cooking

  • Shape sheds off snow and is aerodynamic and resistant to high winds

  • Bombproof design and build

  • Sold at Feathered Friends if you have lots of money (over a thousand dollars)

• Black Diamond Mission 2 

  • Category: Basecamp

  • Close to 9 pounds

  • Uses crisscross poles hooped in a tunnel shape

  • Limited interior space for a tunnel tent

• Helsport

  • High-end Norwegian Company 

• Fjällräven

  • Swedish Company (made in Ching and South Korea)

Teepee Tents

• Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 2 and Ultamid 4

  • Category: Basecamp/treeline

  • Dyneema fabric is lightweight and durable

  • Tepee design is great for sheading off snow

  • Light weight for even a 3-season shelter

  • Floorless - allows you to dig down or tunnel into snow

• Black Diamond Mega Light

  • Category: Basecamp/treeline

  • 30-denier canopy

• Bergans WigloLT 4-Person Tent

  • Not a typical teepee/pyramid tent

  • It uses a center pole, but also 2 looped poles to give sides of the tent structure

  • Norwegian Company (made in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey, Norway, Korea and Japan)

  • We barrowed some of these tents while in Iceland - they worked great against the fierce winds there and should shed snow

  • Good luck finding one of these in the US