4 Season Tent?
General Topic
I have an opportunity to go on a DIY Caribou hunt. I have been buying UL backpacking gear for elk hunting but I’m lacking a good tent. Would I be well advised to buy a heavier 4 season tent?
This will be an Alaska, early August hunt. I had been trying to decide between a BA Copper Spur UL2 or a Nemo Dragonfly 2 for my elk hunting. But this is Alaska! And I have “0” experience in Alaska!!! Any help from you guys that have been would be greatly appreciated.
Sorry, should have stated ...Backpacking and have a 50# weight limit for all gear.
Are you going alone? If not - You can split gear weight with your buddy. You both won’t be taking a tent.
There will be at least two of us.
Those are both good tents! I just bought the Tarptent Rainbow 2, and it's very roomy! 19oz I believe, but not truly a 4 season tent.
You can also share a stove and the fuel and a water purifier. Put an inline Sawyer on your water bladder.
Good Luck!
I would suggest going with a 3 person for 2 men. A 2 person tent "fits" 2 people but 2 grown men and gear is going to be tight. My western tent is what I would use in Alaska, I prefer a tent with a full rain fly and hit it again with water repellant.
I like Ermine's suggestion best for Alaska. I use a Nemo tent and it's bulletproof but I think I might want something with a stove. It gets wet in Alaska and having something that could help dry out your gear would be worth its weight in gold.
I like the stove idea too...but...it’s a 50# weight limit and there are “0” trees for a fire. The two man tent I’m looking for is for one guy. I believe the weight on two 2 man tents is lighter than bringing a 4 man tent.
I have a Copper Spur UL 2 for elk spike camping but would not consider it if going somewhere with high wind potential. It's great for elk hunting/camping in the trees in September where you have some windbreak shelter, but the pole frame is pretty spare (hence the UL designation). You could certainly make it work but if big wind came up you might have a problem.
Not sure why you think you need a 4 season tent? Even at it's worst, you don't need a 4 season tent.
I agree, I would expect August in caribou country to be pretty decent weather wise. Probably most good quality tents you would use on an elk hunt will work. I don’t think a 4-season tent would be required. I don’t know that I would be too concerned about a stove in August either. I am certainly not an expert but do have some experience. And I’ve been wrong a few times too. If you want a bad boy bulletproof tent to handle it all go with a Hilleberg. Good luck, sounds like fun.
—jim
Thanks guys, I appreciate all feed back. Jaquomo, that copper spur is exactly what I was looking at getting. However I read a couple of reviews where in wind driven rain water was gettin in and the tent was collapsing. My thought on the 4 season was it is much stronger and won’t collapse in high wind. I’ve been warned it will be vary windy. So Jaq what would you recommend?
I have a nice 2 person Hilleberg style tent that I dont use much. You can borrow it if you want. It has a vestibule on each end, but its not light.
Cnelk's tent might be great for you. I'm sure you would get by and probably be just fine in the Copper Spur too.
I took a copper spur ul on sheep hunt in the brooks- it survived but it’s a bit disconcerting hiking back to it to see it laying down in the wind, with stuff scattered and poles bent :( Had to move it to a more protected spot since the wind switched direction from day to day. Next time I’ll take a 4 season - maybe a hilleberg or try a Kuiu mountain star or storm star.
Cnelk that’s extremely generous of you. I will look up the Hilleberg tents!
On a late Aug/early Sep sheep hunt in the Mount Harper unit 80 miles north of Tok, we took a North Face expedition 4 season and a small dome tent.
We got caught out about 6 miles from the 4 season after killing 2 sheep. We laid in the tent for about 2 nights and one day. Wind and rain were extreme and we couldn't lay on our backs because the tent poles were beating on us.
The dome tent had 7 extra strips of strapping sewn on the fly by my wife. They had para cord sewn into them and we tied that to rocks which acted like bunjis as they were pulled up and down the bump we were on. It held up and the tent was dry. It was an old Walmart tent that cost about $40.
We were on the slope behind my son's right shoulder about 1.5 miles back and 15 years earlier.
I don't think you need a 4 season tent but get one with a very low fly and consider adding reinforcements to the fly, especially if you will be camping on open areas. How much wind you get will be dependent on the area you go to.
I'll echo that if you're hunting in August, even September, you don't need a 4 season tent. 50 lb wt limit is your main input into what you take.
