what makes a three season tent unsuitable for camping in the

4 seasons tents have proper support for the weight of snow and wind.

>>904722
i don't plan on using it in the snow and can't i just block any wind drafts with blankets?

>>904721
A mylar blanket will not insulate your sleeping pad. You better get you a closed foam pad. Best R value for the buck.

>>904725
thanks, i'll pick one up. i just can't however justify a specialist tent for the winter. there has to be some way to winterproof a three season tent. maybe a tarp hung above the damn thing at a steep angle.

i'm not climbing everest after all
last year had the least snowfall in my area for a hundred years

>>904724
He's not talking about drafts he means strong winds knocking your tent down. Sounds like 3 season is fine where you are

>>904724
>i don't plan on using it in the snow
not planning for snow, even if a slight risk seems kinda myopic.

File: tent01.jpg (60KB, 833x270px) Image search: [Google]

60KB, 833x270px

>>904721
I have some experience with this. In serious winter conditions (Cold and deep snow everywhere) you're going to spend a lot more time inside of your tent than otherwise. There are more dark hours and the nights are too cold to be inactive outside in the wind. That means that it is best if you're able to sit up comfortably and otherwise "live" in your tent. You also want to be able to store your backpack (which is large for winter use) inside your tent - preferably away from your sleeping compartment since it will sometimes be covered in snow. Lastly you want to be able to cook inside your tent - with side(s) open for ventilation of course.

Pic related is the tend that we used last winter. I'm not concerned about the brand, more the design and general quality. You can see that there is space behind the sleeping compartment: here we stored our backpacks (We dug a small trench to make more room there).
Where the woman in the pic is sitting we dug out a larger trench so that we were able to stand up and cook on the surface in the right end of the tent. This trench also acted as a could-air sink when we slept. You can also go full autist about carving out shelves in your "kitchen" which is kind of cool I think.

We were 4 people pr. tent.

>>904730
Supposed to be more snow this year.

>>904730
You don't need a 4 season tent.

Do you plan on climbing 3000+ m tall mountains?

Do you plan on camping in Alaskan winters?

If you said no to all of them, you only need a 3 season tent. Hell, you could probably get by with a tarp shelter lol. I bet you're from the south.

>>904721
4 season means arctic winter or high alpine, high wind, heavy snow drift, winter storms. in which case you need something extremly sturdy. Also, see here >>904857

If you do not plan to go to such extreme environments, a good 3 season tent will do just nice.

>>904724
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5thaD21X5Rs

This shows what happens in strong winds with a 3 season tent vs a 4 season tent. Personally, I'd recommend a 3-4 season tent, they're strong enough to hold up to high winds and snow without being as expensive or overbuilt as mountaineering tents. I have one similar to the one in the video and I love it

Its not the cold that breaks a man, its the wind

>>904857
Making shelves and carving a cool eating area in the snow is awesome man. I like base camp time for doing stuff like this.