Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Best 4 person 4 season tent ?....

Gear lab is independent and one of the better sites. I’ll wager nothing is completely unbiased.

You own a trango; and like it. They are good tents.

I own hillebergs; and prefer them. They are also good tents - and for my needs and uses - better.

Hilleberg Saitaris, I’ll most likely go this route
Gonna call them Monday to see what I can find out on one being available

I put in for it couple times then saw the cost for a lowly resident chit. I stopped and started putting in for kodiak lol. It’s definitely the place to go for a true big bear.

My buddy has a kifaru that did not survive infamous delta jct wind storms. They did warranty it for him..

Huh. That is the first I have heard of that happening.

I think I remember Vern posting a picture of a tipi shredded by extreme winds. Totally destroyed. Our SO tipi has withstood sustained 50+ winds, but it was spooky. We use long stakes and put short bungee sections on the guyouts, which I think helped some. I still take a backup tent if at all possible. It’s an empty feeling to know that no help is coming anytime soon.

Bibler/Black diamond "Bombshelter"

Product Details:

Expedition tested and trusted 4-person/4-season single-wall shelter
that's exceptionally stable in windy conditions.
Four-person, 2-door, 2-vestibule design
Four interior poles intersect seven times for maximum strength
Four interior mesh pockets
ToddTexTM single-wall fabric

Tech Specs:

Area
4.6 m2 (50 sq ft)
Average Packed Weight
4.42 kg (9 lb 12 oz)
Dimensions
229 x 203 x 203 x 112 cm
90 x 80 x 90 x 44 in
Packed Size
20 x 51 cm (80 x 20 in)


https://www.wildsnow.com/10259/black-diamond-bombshelter-tent-review/

Have you spent much time in a single wall?

Great tent for some applications, but it wouldn’t be my first choice for where the OP is headed. Think cold, windy, and wet; and then wetter.

I love those biblers. Pre-Black Diamond versions were epic. I am going to give you a different suggestion that is China Made but with extra rope power would be the way I would do it. Browning/Alps has a tent that is called the Glacier Extreme. It is a knock off of the Eureka bombshelter or the AO but it is less money. It has a Fly that is humungous and with extra tiedowns would weather Unimak. I have taken mine( I have two) to the North Slope for Caribou in late November /Early December and have had excellent luck with them dealing with an Arctic Storm. The winds get going faster on Unimak but I think that people underestimate the thickness of the Browning tents fly material. I would get freaking circus or two foot tent stakes and peg that sucker to the ground and I think you would be fine. Browning took that tent and did all of their product testing on Kodiak Island. They price them near 600.00 but you can find them for cheaper.

I have and use a Kodiak flex bow a bunch, for camping with my family in areas accessible by wheeled vehicle and not prone to huge winds.

For stuff like the OP is likely to see I’d be wanting some sort of dome with as many stakes and guys as possible. I’ve survived AK peninsula blows in Bombshelters and a Cabelas like 79S recommended. I love my Kodiak but have no illusions that it would have taken a couple days of those kinds of winds.

It can be a bad feeling lying in your bag watching your tent bow and bend and flap and squeal, wondering if it’s going to make it and just what you’re going to do if it doesn’t.

A lot depends on how you tie things off.

Going to play around with my tp the next big blow. I have been in it in some pretty good gusts but not a bit sustained wind.

I’m thinking a dome and a tp. Tp for gear and the nicer days. Dome to survive in if needed. Tp is only 8#.

This is what we did. Took the titanium stove for the tipi so we could dry things out. We had heavy winds for over 24hr. The next year the backup dome was a Hilleberg Staika. Never needed it but it was there just the same.

OP doesnt mention where he's headed in the opening question
.I responded according to what was asked ,nothing more nothing less.

Head to delta around Donnelly dome during moose season set up a tent. You will get a wind storm guaranteed.

Nothing worse coming back to a tent that is wet and all your [bleep] is wet.

Good info on the AO raghorn, thanks. That's been a dream tent for me in some ways.

My 8x8 XWT has done everything that I could ask for down here. OR coast winds and some high winds near the Snake River but not AK levels.

I only spent May - August in AK, one summer, but when I told the locals that I was living in my tent almost every one of them told me stories of 100 MPH winds. And people literally getting blown away, when their tent got ripped off of the ground with them inside

My vote: Pitched our Kifaru tipi in 80mph winds. It was nerve wracking but the shelter took the abuse on & off for hours. I’ve never appreciated the long oval tipi shape with the unique tent peg installation sequence and all the pegs until that day.

We had to take the stove pipe out because the wind worked the chimney more than the tent itself.

I’d rate it the best ‘lightweight’ 4 season shelter ever created…I’m biased though.

Do you bring a cot with your tp? I have a roll a cot but wondering if something new/better/lighter has hit the market.

I've got a Springbar Traveler that I spent a day or two in while in the Big Horns in the winter with 40-60mph winds. That tent will give in the wind, but not give way. I've never had any winds affect it. Wind is blowing 25-30 right now, with expected highs of up to 75mph the next day or two. While I'm not out camping in this weather right now, Wyoming winds can get tough. I later bought the Family Camper for more room and it is every bit as good as the Traveler.

Springbar came out with this one this one recently. I bought one but haven't had it out yet. I like the stove jack and the mouse hole for propane or electric if available, and the fact that it has more room for the same floorplan as the Family Camper.

You won't go wrong with a Springbar. All of the others similar are cheap chinese imitations, but if you really want a chinese model, they sell those as well.

I spent time on Afognak with that kind of bowing, bending and flapping. We chose a camp spot in some willows so we were able to shelter ourselves somewhat, plus we could tie off to the thicker willow bases to avoid using stakes. It wasn’t a super high quality tent but we survived. There were a few times the tent sides were flapping against my face, it was bowing so hard.

I guess that is my way of saying there are things a guy can do to minimize issues, but also that non top of the line equipment can be made to work. I think that storm lasted 4 days before a Beaver could come get us.