Everything You Need to Know About Tents - 2 3 3+ 4 Season - What Works and What to Stay Away From

Do you need a 4 Season tent?
Can you use a 3 Season tent in the winter?
What is a 3+ Season Tent?

This is the Ultimate Tent Buying Guide and in this episode Luke is going over everything;

2 Season Tents
3 Season Tents
3+ Season Tents
4 Season Tents
Single Wall Tents
Double Wall Tents
and more!

While covering every type of tent out on the market today, Luke will go over the pros and cons of each and what makes each type of tent a good one...and also bad!

He will talk about important features, how to use them, when to use them, when not to use them and how to look past the marketing nonsense and lies that companies tell.

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[vinnyfaxx]

Northeast US here.. Bought a Snugpak Scorpion 3 and has been a great investment. True 4 season beast, got it for around $280 delivered. Even at the current $330/340, it's an absolute steal for the amount of tent you get. Luke has had it out in 2 feet of snow, referred to it as a "hoss" and you frequently see the word "bombproof" used by others. I left it up for almost 2 weeks in rain, sleet, snow, freezing rain and high winds and EVERY time I checked... bone dry. Sheds rain/wind better than anything else I've seen. Especially wind, which is the real killer insofar as shredding lesser tents. The one knock on it is at the top, where people theorize too much heavy snow might collect. In practice, I have yet to find any amount of snow that'll collapse it. Sag a little? Sure. But there's an easy solution - knock some snow off with a tap every few hours. You have to do that with ALL tents BTW, as it's just good housekeeping so to speak. Did I mention how good it is in high winds? Feels like you're inside a tank.

Hilenberg? By all accounts, they seem to be great tents. But at 3 to 4x the cost and a 1 year wait, it's hard for me to justify. The material, stitching etc looks to be the absolute best. But I wonder after watching so many videos... how much of its strength comes from the numerous guy lines? It looks to be no small amount. The Scorpion 3 is free standing, and looks to shed wind better when compared head to head where NO guy lines are used. I'm saving for a Hillenberg... but can afford to wait a LONG time. This Snugpak kit is really dynamite. I fear no weather, which in the Northeast US is really saying something.

Finally, always carry a tarp. At least 1! They'll make any tent even stronger, can change the color of your tent to whatever you'd like or make dynamite shelters by themselves. Thanks to Luke for all that he does, couldn't have made my decision without you, and very happy with my purchase...

[Greybill]

Luke, you ROCK. 100% trust. I’ve used your recommendations so many times. Big thank you. Hey to the missus!

[mikeniemi]

I can always count on you and Susie for clear, unbiased information videos and as a bonus, they are also entertaining. Perfect combination.

[christopherwilson]

I have a Eureka tent I bought nearly 15 years ago and it is still going strong. It is a big 4 man tent used for car and canoe trips. It has nylon walls and a separate fly. It has large zip down windows and the airflow is great for my family. Sleeping inside. The bathtub bottom is really good in the rain And tall enough I can stand fully upright in it. The tent seems to be in a different class of tents that you don’t see today.

[Berniewojewski]

Love this guy’s honesty. NO BS! That’s what keeps me coming back. Thanks Luke.

[stevec]

I van camp and everybody seems to make their van inside be like a little room or mini house, but my minivan is really a sleeping pod and for winter & warmth I decided to make the inside a freestanding tent after first considering a winter tent for the inside. I used 3 half inch 10' pvc poles bending them in the back, front behind the seats & in the middle. I then use a 10x8' silver & black tarp using the 10' for the sides, the 8' back to front. With the silver side down, the black side hangs low enough to block the windows & doors providing privacy. The poles are flexible enough to bend against the roof as needed to keep it snug. I then used a 5x7 emergency blanket tarp and put that underneath the first tarp to reflect the heat back to me (your body is a furnace). I tried it just yesterday when the night temp got below freezing and I was perfectly comfortable.
So I was happy with my winter van tent/sleeping pod made better by the fact that I don't need to deal with wind or snow weight.
I prefer not to use any internal burning heat so as not to worry about C02, but I have a good solar battery that will power a heating pad for 8+ hours, staying on for 2 hours at a time before it shuts off. This would keep my body core or whatever part needed comfortably warm. If worse comes to worst and it's super cold here in Wisconsin I do have a Trangia alcohol heater and with the windows cracked it will raise the inside temp 15 degrees in 10-15 minutes.

[wyomingadventures]

Best explanation of types of tents I've ever heard. I have a Eureka Expedition 3 person tent from the middle 90s. Still using my tent because it's in excellent condition still. Take care of your tent and it will last for awhile. I wish Eureka still made that tent. I've had many tents. I do lots of backpacking and climbing. My Eureka 4 season was over 400. It has aircraft aluminum tent poles. Mesh pole sleeves. Before pre clip on tent poles. My rain fly has little roof extension over the doors. Inner tent has mesh only 1/3 down the top. I haven't found another tent like it yet. Anyone remember the Zeus? Single wall tent. It's a very hot tent in the summer even at 12, 000 ft. His guy is correct about tents do's and don'ts. I can use my Eureka Expedition here because I live in the mountains. If I camp lower elevations it's a no go. Pick your tent wisely. Or tents. Nothing worse than having a crappy tent. Happy camping! This guy knows tents.👍

[WardenWolf]

Certain types of 3-season tents are better able to be used in winter than others. The single biggest factors are wind and snow loading. A tipi / teepee tent is the best candidate for an all-season tent because its steep-sided design effectively makes it immune to snow loads and it doesn't catch wind. They do make all-season tipi tents where the fabric unzips to uncover mesh areas, but they are extremely expensive (in the $600 range). In a pinch, though, a 3-season tipi with a heater can function in the 4th season.

[beckyraskin]

I ALWAYS read the one-star reviews on amazon. They are soooo helpful. When people are angry/pissed off they are often FULL of great info!!!

[yihan]

most educated video about tent. Just had a broken tent in a wind storm with a three season tent. An RV saved me for the night. Now Ive learned so much about tent by this video

[sixtydegreesadventures]

Greetings from Norway. Great information indeed. Your comment on outside poles in the winter is on point. One design point is often missed is that some 3-4 season tents has double doors, one layer of mesh and one layer of solid material connected with a zipper. This solution offers the possibility to vent using mesh only, or close up the solid material if it's windy or getting colder outside. The weather up here, even in the summer, can be a challenge. So a good tent is a must. We even have people up here claiming that parts of Scandinavia has a 5th season.

[KaiExploresLife]

I’m so glad to have stumbled upon this channel. I’m on the path to becoming a backpacker and hiker and I don’t want to waste anymore money on products that are not helpful. Thank you for your expertise. I’m about to binge watch some of your videos before I create my wish list.

[mountain_man_darren]

Never felt compelled to leave a comment before so this is my first one having watched YouTube for years! Literally answered All by nagging questions whilst looking for tents for all seasons in the UK Mountains. Awesome content! Thank you

[Mtlk]

Would you consider a video on how to use guy lines appropriately for high winds? Either with a tent or tarp? The recent review of the tent with no high guy out points got me thinking.

[funsingleguy]

Thank you for clearing up all the information about these different tents. I'm sure you've saved a lot of people both in their safety and how they shop for tents now.

[iamapottymouth]

Man, this is just another reminder to me how lucky I am in Hawai'i. A 3 season tent does everything I need for the whole year. now it's just a matter of finding one that meets the weight/durability balance! Cheers for the fantastic video!

[robertalonzo]

81k views not a single thumbs down! That tells you what you need to know about the quality of info on this channel! Outstanding as usual!!

[franny]

I bought a 2 man ayamaya 4 season tent for winter outages to make a micro enviornment in my home and it works great for that. It wasn't expensive and it was on Amazon. I will keep what you said in mind though.

[SindyJ]

I appreciate how you give real reviews on products and don't succumb to sponsors. Thank you Luke and Susie for what you do

[BirdSpotter]

Really greatful for this channel. I bought the Lynx Mountaineer 1 man tent long before you reviewed it and I used it in summer. Almost gave up camping because of how miserable it was. I use it more for fall/early winter now.