Hi all,

thanks for the input, very helpful! After reading your posts, I think what Phat suggested might ultimately be the way to go. I guess I sorta knew it in my heart already, I was just in denial about it. The reality is i won't be camping often in the snow often, but I wanted to be sure I didn't overlook something that the experienced guys knew about.

I find myself enjoying solo trips, or with my girlfriend but I generally don't go in larger groups. So I was thinking of planning for little load sharing. Like JohnDavid said, I too am reluctant to go exposed or in a tarp tent - bug literally feed off me and I need refuge beyond constantly applying jungle juice <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The Hubba Glenn mentioned looks like not a bad option, but it really seems to small if Im stuck inside it for any length of time (not sleeping). I think i might go crazy. But the HubbaHubba might be spacious enough, although if two people are inside it we still might drive each other crazy hehe.

http://www.msrgear.com/tents/hubbahubbahp.asp

So, I've been particular to Mountain Hardware stuff, because they seem to offer some really nice stuff at weights that I think aren't excessive. One I've been specifically eyeballing is the MH
Skyledge 2.1 .

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Product....p;viewAll=False

Do you these this would work well for long exposures to rainfall? I prefer dome tents and especially ones with a separate rain fly. Would there be other options in this sort of vein you might consider if not these?

I guess I should have mentioned earlier, cost is not an issue for me. If my experience with hiking gear is any indicator, cheap rarely turns out to be a good decision, so if i gotta bite bullet to buy something expensive that will work well and last, then thats always my first choice.