I love the winter and have camped several times with no tent and just laid next to a fire. However, I would like to try to get my girlfriend and brother going with me. They are not nearly crazy enough to go up in the Rockies with no tent during winter.

So I have been looking at some four season tents. Its my birthday Feb 10 so I was able to pull some extra cash in. So I can spent $250.

So far I have been looking at:

Eureka Alpenlite 2XT
GoLite Utopia 2
REI Arete ASL 2

And any money left over will go to a new pack for my girl so the Utopia and Arete have some bonus points there.

I am a little concerned about wind and the Utopia since its only a shelter. During the winter I dont see this as a problem for I can just pile snow on the edges but during summer I am not so sure.

Any other suggestions or ideas would be greatly appreciated. Also if any of you have experience with these tents please let me know how you like them.

Devin

Speaking from experience there's a couple of pieces of advice I could give you..

1) Piling snow around the edges works fine in winter - unless you're bare and exposed where it only blows away (or worse, in..)

2) You said "your girlfriend and your brother" - and all those tents are two person or two+ person. If three of you are going, I'd have a 3+ or 4 person tent, or two twos. When I go out in winter with a generous three person tent with two people it's cramped. you often need room for gear and stuff - particulary if the weather is nasty.

3) You're talking about "in winter.. but in summer" - don't use a four season tent in summer. if they're right to take a snow load in winter, they're heavy, and hot, in the summer. if you don't want it to take a snow load, don't buy a four season tent at all.

4) I hope it's not your girlfriend and brother's first hiking experience - if it is, have mercy on them and take them out in the regular season first before doing the seriously hardcore stuff in winter

Oops sorry, Its either my brother and me or my girlfriend and me. Our schedules never line up for all three of us to go.

3) Good point, since I would plan on waking up every so often to knock any snow of anyway I dont really think that it needs to take a huge snow load.

4) I know, but I want them to come an experience winter with me. We have been many times during the summer. My brother an me have been camping/hiking since we were kids. I have been on five trips in the summer with my girlfriend but she said that winter was out of the question without a tent and nice sleeping bag.

Your girlfriend need more than 5 summer trips experience for a winter trip! You need to take her winter car camping first and teach her how to stay warm and be safe. You can choose weekends with varying weather - one wet-cold, one very cold (below 0deg F), another windy. She needs to learn how to survive and enjoy all these conditions in an environment where she can bail out to a warm car if needed. This also gives you a chance to test the gear. Winter in the Rockies on a backpack trip is not the place to learn this.

Yeah, I was planning on doing car camping with her. I dont have a pack that fits her anyway so we cant do any backpack trips yet.

I was planning on doing a couple of nights in the back yard with snow so that if she has any problems its no big deal.

I saw on another forum where some people cliped neting onto the doors of the Utopia 2 so that it was much more comfortable during the summer.

Though that this would be a good way to get a four season to extend into the summer better.