Selection criteria for four-season tents:
1. Wind resistance
Winter and spring are relatively windy seasons, and outdoor activities may encounter strong winds. I remember in May 2009 during the Wutai Traverse, I used a MobiGarden Cold Mountain 2air (mesh three-season tent). On the first night, while camping at the campsite below Xitai, we encountered strong winds in the middle of the night. The estimated instantaneous wind force was over level 8. How strong was the wind? I was lying in the tent, and the wind blew the tent flat, with the side wall actually pressing against my face, creating a noticeable sense of pressure. When the wind weakened, the tent stood up again, and this repeated all night without sleep. In the morning, we found ourselves buried in dust because the mesh inner tent had let in a lot of dirt. After taking down the tent for inspection, we found that the outer and inner tents were intact with no tears, the aluminum poles were not broken but were noticeably bent. I tried to straighten the bent parts with my knee and hands, but they were too stiff to bend back. From this, it seems that a two-pole aluminum tent is still quite safe. If it were fiberglass poles, they would definitely have snapped in such winds.
2. Dust and snow resistance
As mentioned earlier, a full mesh inner tent has poor dust resistance, and a lot of dirt can blow in during strong winds, so a four-season tent should still have a nylon inner tent to block dust and prevent wind from blowing inside. In early March 2008, during the Beer Creek–Haituo–Xidazhuangke trek, we encountered snow on the first day, and the mountain snow was quite heavy. We camped at the Second Platform campsite at night and faced strong winds, with an estimated instantaneous wind force of up to level 7 to 8. I was still using the MobiGarden Cold Mountain 2air. When I woke up in the morning, we were buried in fine snow. The strong wind blew snow onto the mesh, which then turned into fine icy powder upon impact and penetrated the inner mesh, falling onto our bodies. Therefore, it’s best for a four-season tent to have a nylon inner tent.
3. Spacious vestibule
Low winter temperatures combined with wind make cooking outside the tent very uncomfortable, so a tent with a spacious vestibule becomes essential. You can get into the tent and set up the stove in the vestibule to cook food. At night, the vestibule can also be used to store backpacks and other gear.
4. Ease of setup
When encountering sudden weather changes outdoors, the ease of setting up the tent becomes very important. Tents with more poles are harder to set up, requiring more time and effort. Moreover, in winter, your hands may almost freeze by evening, reducing flexibility and making tent setup even more inconvenient.
5. Types of four-season tents and their pros and cons
1. Dome structure
Representative models include THE NORTH FACE VE25, THE NORTH FACE MOUNTAIN25, and domestic models like OZARK MT100 and OZARK MT99.
Pros: With five poles, they offer excellent wind resistance. An independent vestibule support pole makes the vestibule spacious. The inner tent is supported by four poles, providing ample space and comfort. High-altitude mountaineering activities still predominantly use dome-style mountain tents.
Cons: They are very heavy. The MOUNTAIN25 is considered light among dome tents, yet it still weighs 3.8KG. They are also bulky when packed, making them inconvenient to carry. Prices are relatively high, generally ranging from 3000 to 5000 yuan. MSR’s mountain tents are slightly lighter in weight but cost about 1000 yuan more than TNF. For low-altitude winter outdoor activities, these tents offer performance that is somewhat excessive, and it’s extremely rare to see hikers using such tents for low-altitude outdoor activities.
2. Tunnel tent
Representative models include the now-discontinued THE NORTH FACE West Wind and MSR’s tunnel expedition tent.
Pros: Excellent wind resistance, as the number of poles is reduced to three, and the weight is also lowered to below 3kg.
Cons: The disadvantages are obvious. Tunnel tents cannot stand on their own, which is a major inconvenience, especially as four-season or mountain tents. Freezing ground in winter makes it difficult to drive in tent stakes, and sometimes you might try to use rocks to weigh it down, only to find the rocks frozen to the ground and immovable. As a result, tunnel tents are quite inconvenient to use and difficult to set up. Even on snowy high-altitude ground, driving in stakes isn’t as easy as on summer soil. Why was the TNF West Wind discontinued? It may have been due to its impracticalities—truly inconvenient. High-altitude mountaineering activities still predominantly use dome-style mountain tents, and tunnel tents are rarely seen.
3. Two-pole cross design
Examples include the Mountain Hardwear Direkt 2 single-wall tent and the domestic MobiGarden Cold Mountain 2puls. Although their prices differ greatly, both use a two-pole design.
Pros: With fewer poles, they are lighter, weighing around 2.6 kilograms—which is not light for a two-pole tent—but they are relatively easy to set up.
Cons: Wind resistance is not very good. Although I mentioned earlier that I once used a two-pole tent in strong winds without major issues, it doesn’t mean you’ll always be so lucky. Another downside is the very small vestibule, only 37 centimeters wide, which limits storage capacity and makes cooking in the vestibule difficult. There’s a risk of the stove burning the outer tent, and even when I cooked in the vestibule of this tent, I had to carefully shield the stove with a windbreak to avoid damaging the outer tent.
4. Three-pole tent
Representative examples include the Mountain Hardwear EV2.
Pros: As a single-wall tent, it is lightweight. With three 9mm poles, it offers decent wind resistance, and the hook-style pole attachment system makes setup relatively convenient.
Cons: Although it uses waterproof and breathable fabric and has ventilation windows, condensation can still be an issue, reducing comfort. Additionally, the price is quite high.
Overall, except for the high price, if you don’t prioritize comfort, this type of tent is still quite suitable as a four-season tent.
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