4 Season Tent Recommendations

Hello, I am looking too get a 2 person 4 season tent for some alpine expeditions I would like to make in the future. I am looking primarily at Hilleberg, BD, and Samaya. Right now, I am prioritizing weight so I can carry the tent by myself on solo missions without adding too much pain, haha.

 BD has the best prices, but the tents are heavy. Samaya is light, but is expensive. Hilleberg is heavy and expensive, but seems to be bombproof. Do you have any experience with these tents or have a recommendation? 

I have been using Bibler/BD tents for three decades. For many years an Eldo or I tent. I like the Eldo better because there is a wee bit more room. All of mine had two doors which are no longer made. I finally sold my last one an replaced it with an Ahwahnee which also has two doors. I also have Fitzroy which also has two doors. (See the pattern - two doors for alpine expedition tents is a must).

Are you looking for a basecamp tent or advance/wall tent?

Probably something closer to an advance tent. I am planning to use it in base camp, but tear down and move forward with it.

Why are two doors so desirable? Convenience of not having to crawl over your partner?

Alex C wrote:

Why are two doors so desirable? Convenience of not having to crawl over your partner?

Being able to enter/exit the tent on the downwind/lee side regardless of which you've set up the tent. Also, being able to open the downwind/lee side opening for ventilation, cooking, etc.

Hey Alex, it would probably be super helpful if you could give us some more detail about where and how you plan on using this tent.  "Alpine expedition" can mean a lot of different things and you might want very different tents for different situations.  All three of those manufacturers (and many others) make a wide range of tents for different things, so I think advice and feedback needs to be a lot more specific than just generic to brands.

I have done a decent amount of alpine climbing involving tents (Cascades, Alaska, Cordillera Blanca, New Zealand, etc.) and I have never used a tent with 2 doors.  I am sure there are benefits to 2-door tents, but it might be a bit extreme to say it's a necessity without any justification.

For some context, I have used a BD Firstlight as an on-route tent, several different 4-season "base camp" style tents, bivy sacks, tarps, and 3-season backpacking tents, each chosen for a certain objective's needs.

Kyle,

Over the next year I would like to do a Ruth Glacier/Denali trip this summer and a winter Rainier ascent next season. I am also planning a fall/early winter trip to the sierras. 

I have a nice backpacking tent (zpacks duplex), but I just don't think it is be suitable for alpine camping. I would like to replace it with a tent that can handle the extremes, without being too heavy for the trek in or the occasional backpacking trip. 

Alex C wrote:

Kyle,

Over the next year I would like to do a Ruth Glacier/Denali trip this summer and a winter Rainier ascent next season. I am also planning a fall/early winter trip to the sierras. 

Ok, so even with the above, you probably want to think with more detail.  What routes are you going to climb in the Ruth and on Denali?  Do those routes require on-route bivying, or are they either in-a-day routes or long expeditions with sleds?  The Sierra is a big diverse place too, what does that trip look like?  That being said, for some of these specific things:

• Ruth: Many routes in the Ruth (especially for a first trip) are going to be climbed in a day from a base camp on the glacier.  A big 4-season expedition tent is likely the play here (MH Trango, Hilleberg Nammatj, etc.)
• Denali: Assuming you're doing something like the West Buttress, you're hauling around a huge pack and sled and living for weeks at a time, you want a big expedition tent.  Some routes up there also require an on-route bivy tent, but you're not likely to run into that situations without a lot of previous bivy experience.
• Rainier in winter: A small bivy tent (Firstlight) would be my choice here, but you could certainly use a bigger expedition tent too since the climbing isn't super technical.

I have a nice backpacking tent (zpacks duplex), but I just don't think it is be suitable for alpine camping. I would like to replace it with a tent that can handle the extremes, without being too heavy for the trek in or the occasional backpacking trip. 

I think it's very difficult to replace a nice Z-packs tent with something that can "handle the extremes" and expect it to still be reasonable for backpacking.  All of the standard Denali basecamp tents, for example, weigh over 10 pounds and are huge when packed.  None of these is going to be nearly as fun to carry as a 2 pound backpacking tent.  Even a Firstlight, which is quite small for a mountain tent, is significantly heavier than the Duplex, and its single wall construction makes it a much worse choice for typical backpacking conditions.

You're probably better off keeping your backpacking tent and buying (or borrowing or renting) another tent for a specific trip where it's needed.

Jimmy Strange wrote:  Samaya all these things better, are far lighter...

Samaya 2.0 is the same size as a Firstlight, costs $1,100 (!!!), weighs 1410g.  A Firstlight costs $450 and weighs 1545g.  $650 sure seems like a lot of money to save 135 grams...

Check out Slingfin:

https://www.slingfin.com/

Jimmy Strange wrote:

You’re right on the cost but you’re not comparing like for like. The Assaut2 Ultra goes down to 900g without getting the scissors out, is better featured, stronger in wind because it guys better, and is significantly easier to set up. It’s also more nicely made being seam sealed like a jacket and more waterproof if rain is an issue.
Worth it for some routes. 

$1900!!!!!

I suspect that the routes on which that tent is "worth it" are well above my pay grade; I also suspect that OP is not in the market for a $1900 bivy tent to use on Rainier.

I have loved my MH Trango 3 and almost got the ACI 3. The construction is good and is very spacious for 2 people. I have heard good things about the AC 2 and you can sometimes find a good deal on them or pro deals. AC 2 is a bit lighter than some of the options but I wouldn’t want to live in it for more than a week.

Alex C wrote:

Why are two doors so desirable? Convenience of not having to crawl over your partner?

That is certainly one. As noted above ventilation. Each person being able bring-in/pack-up their stuff from their own door during weather. May sound strange but being able to look out at the weather. I have also used a vestibule on mine. Certainly not necessity but the second door does not add much in weight but IMHO adds lot in flexibility.

What’s the old saying ‘strong, light, affordable… pick 2’

I’ve had a Hillberg Nallo 2 GT for years as a backing tent (carried between 2) not the model for alpine stuff but if it is representative of Hillberg build quality and strength then if you can afford them they are awesome. That thing has taken some proper ‘cant stand up in winds’ and kept on trucking.
Used to have a NH Trango 4, weighed a ton but proper solid in winter and up high, even managed to squeeze in 5 people very fun for the 1 girl in the party! Eventually the fly got degraded by UV but did well for many trips.
Also spent far few nights in various Terra Nova Quazers (sp?) back in the day they were solid too. 

None of the above really fit into the light category.

I just got a Samaya 2.0 that I found a very good deal on. It seems very good for what it is. You know that you are going to suffer in many ways when you pack it...

Thanks for the feedback, it sounds like the BD Firstlight or Slingfin Hotbox are what I'm looking for. Feel free to continue to post your faves though, I enjoy looking all of them up. 

A Samaya Assault Ultra would be pretty dang cool, but 1900 is a lot to spend. Also no bug net, which I understand, but for that much money, I would like to be able to use it year round.

Alex, If you are choosing between the Firstlight and Hotbox, I would pick the latter. I’ve owned a couple Firstlights, and they can be very difficult to pitch in strong winds. With the internal poles, the danger is puncturing a pole through the tent body, if it’s blowing out and the tent is buffeting around. At best, in winds, it’s a struggle and difficult, or simply impossible in a gale. I have a Slingfin Crossbow2, and putting it up in high winds is no problem at all, with the Webtruss system. I’ve completely stopped using the Firstlight since I bought the Slingfin.

The single wall Firstlight does not ventilate very well and there is quite a bit of condensation, especially in winter. The Hotbox double wall, if it works like the Crossbow2, will have very little condensation. The Slingfin has internal guylines, stronger poles, Webtruss system of support, and in my experience is a MUCH stronger tent than the Firstlight.

I bought the Slingfin Crossbow2, before the Hotbox was available. I might have bought the Hobox as it’s a pound lighter, but I do like that the Crossbow2 allows for a number of different set ups using different inner tents. I have the possibility of just the fly with a bathtub floor, or inner mosquito net tent, or four season winter internal tent, all using the same Webtruss system and fly. Considering its weight and feature set, the Slingfin is the best tent I’ve owned.

+1 for the hotbox

While they are long out of production, the Noall Mountaineer II is/was a fantastic option and (lightly) used show up online occasionally.  Mine is still going strong after 38 years, and if appropriately guyed it's rock solid in heavy snow and high winds.  Maybe a little on the heavy side (7.5 lb), but I have no complaints.  Steve Noall had a great product - sorry he's no longer making tents.

double wall is bloat.

MSR advance pro 2 any thoughts. I am also looking. From my research seems like my choice

The Advance Pro 2 is great for one person and his gear; two people are going to be leaving a lot of stuff outside. It's every bit as quick and easy to set up as MSR's marketing says it is. Not having a vestibule is tolerable for short trips (1-2 nights); for longer trips I would want a vestibule to cook in when the weather got bad.