Is a $200 4-season tent really necessary when I stayed dry in my $50 3-season at Algonquin Park last November?

I spent three nights at Algonquin Park last November in a $50 3-season tent with no rainfly issues, but my buddy's $200 4-season froze up inside both nights - so which approach actually wins for shoulder season camping?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant13017d ago

Yeah that sounds about right honestly. My cousin once brought a $30 Coleman dome tent on a September trip up near Killarney and it held up fine through a night of solid rain, but then his buddy showed up with a fancy Hilleberg that cost like five hundred bucks and the zipper broke the first night. I think a lot of it comes down to luck and how you pitch the thing rather than the price tag. Condensation is a real killer in those four season tents too, especially if you're not venting them right. Your buddy probably had his fly too tight and no cross breeze, and that's what did him in, not the tent itself. Take this with a grain of salt but I've seen people survive in a tarp in a snowstorm while expensive tents fail just because of user error.

david_adams17d ago

Also worth noting that some of those budget tents use simpler materials that actually breathe better than the high-dollar laminated fabrics, so condensation becomes less of an issue from the start. Ever notice how the cheap tents sometimes just work better in humid weather?