Difference between a 3 season tent and a 4 season tent

[Blowmax10]

What is the difference between a 3 season tent and a 4 season tent?

I have a Coleman with a rain bivy that completely covers the tent and has flaps in the front that stretch out to make a door way - Is this good enough for some cold weather camping?

HERE is a link - I got it on sale 4 $60

[610Alpha]

3 Season vs. 4 Season
3 season tents will suffice for the majority of activities, but the 3+ season tent is an extremely versatile tent.

• 3 season tents are designed to be used in mild conditions in spring, summer, and fall. They will withstand rain and wind, but may have a problem with snow loading. Usually constructed of lighter materials or with mesh panels, 3 season tents are the perfect tent for those fair weather campers.
• Still can't decide whether or not you may do some winter camping, but don't want to go for the full-on winter tent? Many manufacturers offer 3+ season tents, a stronger version of their 3 season tents, usually with a reinforced floor and stronger design to withstand snow load and strong winds, but not full winter conditions.
• For those hearty souls who enjoy winter camping (going to bed at 5 in the afternoon when the sun goes down) or engage in alpine mountaineering, a 4 season tent is the way to go. Unfortunately, they do weigh more because they are built with heavier fabrics than their 3 season counterparts. In picking a 4 season tent, look for features such as a bathtub floor - wrap around, no seams; additional tie-downs - for attaching additional guylines for wind support; double vestibules - since you will be cooking in one vestibule, you need another for stashing gear; good breathability - your breath will condense on the inside of the tent unless there is good ventilation.

http://www.getoutdoors.com/go/golearn/227

Hope that helps

[EX121]

Usually the biggest diferences are the 4 season will have bit better/beefer poles & guylines, and more ventilation. The ventilation is in an effort to cut down on condensation on the inside of the tent. The tent looks like it should work ok except in maybe really harsh alpine like conditions.

[Blowmax10]

Thanks

I bet a 3+ season tent will do here in AZ - Little chance of getting enough snow to have a tent collapse on you

[Edgemont]

elittle is spot on! I am a very experienced mountaineer, with the majority of my climbs occurring during the winter. I have an MSR Hubba Hubba 3 season tent (I highly recommend MSR products!). I have made due with my 3 season tent just fine.

[Elpasotom]

When i'm winter camping above 9000 in N.M. and it get really cold and snowy, then it's snowcave time always 32-36 deg inside vs 0 deg plus windchill outside.... Course you do need a bit of snow :)

[WiseOwl]

Like they said, it all depends on ventilation and a good sleeping bag. We go every January to north Ga for our annual Freeze Your Butt Off camping trips...I use my 3 season tent and cover it with a tarp completely but I leave some vents open for airflow. I have camped in -10 degrees before in it and condensation will freeze to the top of the tent and drip on you if it melts. But 4 season tents are way more expensive and are only necessary if you do some serious cold weather camping.

[dieselkarl]

4 season tents are also heavier to haul around and in warmer weather, can be warmer than you want. While they are optimized to reduce condensation in cooler and fouler weather, they aren't optimized for cross ventalation as that would rob heat.

As far as cold weather conditions, it comes down to how extreme the wind and precip is, not so much the temps. If you're in cold but fair conditions, you should be ok. The description of the tent best fits a 3 season classification.

[jimmertoons]

My son used a Kelty Mantra2 3+ season tent for most of his Boy Scout career. He used it on 4 of 7 Klondike Derbys. He earned the Polar Bear award on 3 of those 4, with snow during 5 of the 7 years he attended. He and his tent partner also carried it on a 87-mile Philmont trek in 2004. Good, medium-duty tent that served him well. He also used it during a week-long leadership camp in the high Rockies where they had precipitation every day but the last. They even had about 6" of snow on Wednesday night. His was the only tent that stayed dry the entire week. I have one also, but haven't put it through the same paces.

[PerryJeff]

Thanks elittle. I always guessed heavy but the added ventilation makes great sense after you point it out... ;o)

[Matt In Oklahoma]

The condensation discussion is a good one. Many of our Army tents lacked the proper venilation and we would wake up soaked as everything was geared towards the desert then, by folks who had never served in the desert, and dont know how cold it can get and we werent in the desert but all this coolio gear started flowing in the pipeline so ya gets what ya gets. Even in the recent tent trip we had hunting it was a bit of an issue on the 2nd night as we didnt have enough airflow and we, well I, sealed it up to tight forgeting the # of people we had in the space. This is one of those things you cant learn from the keyboard and needs to be experienced.

[bcdallas]

If it wasn't so heavy the army GP medium with a pot belly stove was the best tent I ever used, but to be fair the alternative was sleeping in a M106A2 that leaked like a sieve but had a diesel heater in it.