Luke I think the country or area you are using them in makes a difference about what is a 3 season tent. In UK what you call a 3 season tent is really only a 1 season I.e. summer tent. Huge mesh areas mean you get cold quick in a breeze in spring or autumn. I take your point that knowledge is power but you can’t simply call a tent an X season tent really
I appreciate your viewpoint. We spent a bit of time and money chasing the right balance for our needs in the Northeastern United States. We looked to mesh for insect protection. Ventilation was almost secondary. Later in the season, we depended on the insulation in our sleeping bags and pads for comfort.
Canada too. By end of August we can have 4C nights and that can get cold. I have an MSR Elxir 2, it's about half mesh half fabric and I still can get cold then in technically still summer time. I bring the long John's, winter bag, and 2 mattresses one closed cell and one inflatable with an R4.4. 8:13
I'm in Sweden, and this idea that a four season tent is a "fourth season tent" is entirely alien to me as well. That mindset, at least such a black and white version of it, would not work here. As Luke himself says, it could even be dangerous.
3 Season use is just that, 3 seasons not just the hot summer. In the UK and Europe a non-full mesh tent is almost essential in spring and autumn still. So while I agree the full fabric inner is not useable in summer, tents that have half and half are needed in a lot of countries most of the year.
So true here in the uk you can have heat, rain and frost all in the same day. I’d rather be a little bit hot than too cold to sleep and it’s not practical to carry two tents about.
that's true but Luke is an American which means he doesn't have to know anything. US tents are very different, they are all made for weather where you actually don't need a tent at all. But how could he know? I would always go for a 3 season (World, not just USA) tent and add some reflective foil in winter. It took me years and 100s of bucks to learn it.
For tent camping, my vote for the season to avoid the most.... is Summer. I can not sleep in 88 degrees. I guess I am too old to get there, but I ain't doing it. If it is pretty cold outside, you can seal off a tent and if you have an air mattress, you will normally be OKAY. But if you are camping in Summer, and crawl in a tent when it is still hot at night? That is a prescription for MISERY.
I'm with you on this. I don't backpack at all in the summer or even very late spring or very early fall. I will backpack right through winter, though, because you can always get warm, but there's nothing you can do about the heat... except sweat.
Been to week long summer scout camps the last three years. First year hot as hades in the canvas tents. Sucked. Second head temp dropped enough at night to be ok. Third one it actually got somewhat chilly on one night. That was the best night sleep out of all of them.
Agreed I live in Missouri and it's been over 100° this week! I've been camping on my couch in the AC haha! I really only camp in the Fall months anyways.
I can’t blame you if you can’t take the heat. Try lugging an 80’s external frame pack with all the gear they had back then (about 65 lbs worth) for a three day trip at the end of June !! I will Never do that again !!
I've done a few July 4th tent camps, and two of them happened to have nights that never got below 94 and 92 respectively. Absolutely sucked! I took the rainfly off and slept naked on top of my bag hoping the RVers wouldn't look to close through my whole mesh tent 😓
You're speaking of the seasons you have in North Carolina but that's very different from the seasons I have in Northern Ontario. I can't justify buying a mesh tent because it's only useful for July and part of June and August. It gets cold at nights where you don't want one of those tents. I camp below rapids which create 100% RH condensing at night when the air temperature drops. That cloud will go right up under your fly and leave everything in your tent saturated. Then you're in big trouble if you're on a week long canoe trip. I also camp in September where it can dip below freezing at night and I've seen 5ºC at night in mid to late August. You need to pick your gear based on climate, location, use, trip duration, distance from help, among others. What I'd take car camping is not what I'd take in a backpack or canoe trip and I have very different tents and sleep systems for these very different activities.
Especially so for parts of Australia. I’ve set up a tent at night, and woken up in the morning, sun on tent, gasping for air! You feel like you’ve been a frog in a pot of water on the stove, unknowingly being slowly cooked. Versatility in tents helps, knowing where your going and weather predicted helps, and being able to adapt is a must.
Why don’t you ever mention REI? I have a camp dome 2 from them which I absolutely love. Don’t know why they discontinued it, to me it is the perfect 3 season tent. The only change I would like to see in it would be a vestibule. Why do I never hear you speak of REI?
So perfect that you uploaded this today! Because today as I cleaned and prepped my first ever bought tent for resale, it just came to me, it’s not mesh! I’ve known this the whole time but never really realized it. It was always bad with condensation and I blamed it on the weak and small ventilation. But today it totally dawned on me.
I just put an air conditioner in mine. But, then, we family "glamp" and avoid self inflicted suffering. No matter what kind of tent you have in full sun in the summer in the south or midwest in the US is gonna be hot.
coming from singapore, it doesn't matter if its fabric or mesh around the year; so long as there is an inner, it'll be a sauna in any tent.. for me, i either use my naturehike knight3 w/o its inner, or teton vista1 wif 3x3 lean-to wif lip combo.. 🤣😅😝
Thanks to your previous reviews I ordered a, TETON Sports Mountain Ultra Tents - 3 Person Backpacking Tent & the MU 3 footprint Waterproof tarp. To take in my Motorcycle trailer when camping.
@TheOutdoorGearReview I think you're right in what you said. The only downside of this video is that it is more than ten minutes long, althought you could have brought out the one point you made in a one-minute-video as well.
Go camp somewhere other than your property and then be honest of survival. You keep camping at lone wolf mountain and call it an adventure when in reality you just camp where nothing can go wrong lol what a joke.
I used to camp a lot when I was younger. In fact, my first wife enjoyed it as much as I did. My second wife thought roughing it was Motel 6. But in central Oklahoma where I am from, we can have subzero wind chill in the winter, 100°+ in the summer, and in between we can have all 4 seasons in the same week at any time. It makes it almost impossible to only have 1 tent.
On point Luke. The one thing I see more of, are the big backpacking channels using 3 season tents in the winter. Then they do a gear review and wonder why they slept cold, with quality pads and sleeping bags. I dont quite understand it and it’s bad info for the newb.
I was watching a British UA-camr doing some water craft camping, some of the people with him had tents with lots of mesh. He described them as "American style tents", and that rung true. I've used Hilleberg and Terra Nova four season tents in all four seasons in British mountains and never been too hot. Although climate is changing, so that may not be a forever thing. You just have to take your local conditions in to account too. I've recently bought my first three season tent, now that I live in the USA.
Great video. What are your thoughts on the store brand REI tents? Any chance you could review? Price is good, quality seems to be up there (maybe), and REI’s are everywhere.
REI tents are very good quality. Like every other brand they'll occasionally have a model that people just don't like for whatever reason, but as far as material and build quality goes REI tents are excellent.
I'm curious about canvas tents. I'm looking at getting a Kodiak vx , it has plenty of windows. I want it for the purpose of having an all season tent. That are people's thoughts?
Was thinking this myself… my first years camping as a toddler through until I was about 10 we had an old school canvas tent with a ton of heavy metal poles… 😆 There was a time before Dyneema and mesh everywhere.
I get what you are saying. You are a smart guy. And the mesh has many benefits. But when looking up close at some of our mesh tents, they don't look like the mesh will last very long. I'm curious what others say for this on how long mesh will last? Because it looks flimsy.
It'll last if you take care of it and because it's so much weaker than the surrounding material it's flimsiness is more a strength than a weakness because a lot of the force of banging into it or something is absorbed by the stretch. If you snag something on it it's likely to tear, but it's nothing a needle and thread can't fix. There's different weights and qualities of mesh, though. Ultralight tents usually have ultralight mesh, but something like, say, an MSR Elixir has much heavier, stronger mesh. Personally, whether it's an ultralight tent or not, I've never had mesh fail. I've torn it, but never had it fail on it's own because it was weak or flimsy.
So what type of material is best for year-round use. I've been looking at the opeongo ariel hammock tent to purchase, but dont know if it's a good tent or not. If possible, could you do a review on it please and thank you.
I thought this dude always says that he doesn't make any money from these company's??? N yet he says it in description lol that he will profit if you purchase what he is testing lol what a hypocrite. Also this guy goes on adventure to some mountain that's his property and nowhere else and says it's an adventure lol go somewhere where you are not familiar with to survive then it's technically an adventure.
I read elsewhere that he makes quite the supplemental income from this channel. So make of that what you will. But to be fair not all his “adventures” are on the mountain. He does travel the country, (sometimes with his wife), to other national parks, (last one was in Hawaii). He does gear testing (mainly tent waterproof tests) on Lone Wolf mntn.
There's a bit of over-generalization going on here. We spent a week camping in Death Valley National Park at the end of January 2020, including 4 days/3 nights backpacking the Cottonwood Canyon/Marble Canyon loop. Technically, we should have been using a traditional 3-season tent like the BA Copper Spur with a 100% mesh interior. I'm glad instead that we had our TarpTent Stratospire 2 with 1/2 solid inner. There is a LOT of fine sand that gets blown around when you're camping in the desert. If you don't have a partial solid inner, that sand will get everywhere, just like spindrift can get blown into your tent in the winter. A partial-solid inner can really improve things when there's blown desert sand to contend with. Even with our partial-solid inner on our TarpTent, we ended up having zipper issues on the inner doors. That fine sand gets into zippers and can really do a number on them.
It's amazing how wind blown sand gets through fine mesh , not very nice ...... Just on the BA Copper spur , the 1 person model I bought last year is roughly 65% mesh , 35% breathable nylon , definitely not 100% mesh , also the coated nylon bathtub floor goes up a few inches to protect from drip splashing. Haven't used the copper spur in windy conditions yet , but for the mainly warm/ hot conditions I'll be using it in i would have prefered more mesh and less " breathable " nylon .
Felt the main point mesh vs fabric is primary concern for a summer tent. However, other features would have been good to also discuss: 2 doors, roof vents, etc.
Thanks Luke for your content on tents. I got a hilleberg 4 season tent and I thought you could use it for all 4 season I was wrong. They get so hot you can’t be in them AT ALL when it gets hot. And I made another mistake and had my tent up for 6 months in the direct sun and it dried out the outer shell. My tent ripped so bad I lost 2,000 on that tent.
“Stuff” and what to buy, particularly tents can be a minefield. I just went Hilleberg straight off the bat. I had to save for the tents I have admittedly, but it has ultimately been worth it 👊👊👊💥💥💥👊👊👊
I don't tent camp in winter, so I went with as much mesh in a tent I could find, with a removable shell too. Had mine for 2+ years now and am quite happy with it. I do carry a Aqua Defender tarp though, so I can make it quite comfortable in most weather.
I remember the days of cotton canvass tent camping, interesting times. With the choices today, a person can have a tent for every season. Thanks Luke👍👍
As someone who lives in the north, this notion of a "4th season" tent as you often have on the channel seem utterly silly to me. They just seem like really stuffy 3-season tents--not anything that would ever be smart to use in "real winter." I've been trying to wrap my head around being someone in a warmer climate with warmer winters who might want one of these "4th season" things, but I can't help but think that I'd still just use the same tent I use the rest of the year and supplement with warmer sleeping gear. Unless it can actually withstand and protect against snow, ice, and frigid winds, I just don't see the point in these tents you often describe as "4th season." The seem like a terrible solution to a problem that doesn't exist. These "4th season" tents just seem like cheap, bad tents. Here in MN, WI, MI I have my 3-season tent or hammock setup. When winter rolls around, I have a canvas hot tent or I have gear to make my hammock warm enough and sheltered enough even in sub-zero temps. These "4th season" things you've talked about do not at all inspire confidence that they could handle snow and ice accumulation and don't look at all like they would do squat to actually keep you any warmer either.
Meanwhile, I camp in northern Wisconsin with a tent that's nearly entirely mesh. I rely on my sleep system to keep warm regardless of temperature, and the tent exists for no reason other than keeping critters and water out. In the winter, the tent is largely optional. If there's no rain or snow I would still be warm without the tent at all. Trying to pack up a hot tent, stove, and all that extra crap just isn't necessary.
@@MastaSquidge Pretty much my point. Yeah, I have a hot tent (one made of canvas and not out of plastic like the ones so many people seem to want to use), but I don't NEED it. The hot tent isn't about being warm while sleeping (I do not feed it overnight); it is about having a warm place to hang-out and dry things during the morning/evening when it is -10, -20, -30 outside. I can and do just as easily winter camp in a hammock or on the ground under a tarp. "4th season" tents just seems utterly silly to me unless they're being built with stronger materials in order to withstand snow and ice accumulation without collapsing. If that's not a factor, I see no reason for a "4th season" tent at all.
Just stumbled across your videos today. Thanks for what you do. I enjoyed the tarp folding you demonstrated. Tents, ugh, hard to find one tent to check all the boxes. I had a Camel 60-second tent I picked up in Alaska and used for 25 years. Not very packable, but man great 4 season tent. Used down to -20°F in Alaska to 90°F + in Nebraska. I survived. I finally picked up another tent that I like. ONE Tigress Outback Retreat. Although not a first choice if you have to pack it. From a canoe or ATV it works well. has got enough room for a cot for me and bed for my black lab to be comfortable. I used it so far in Mid-November during Nebraska deer season for a week. With two vestibules I could keep my gear in one end and a heater in the other. Held the heat in very nice. Summer camping along the river, there's plenty of ventilation with the sides propped out and ends rolled up. OneTigris OUTBACK RETREAT Camping Tent, 2 Person Tents for Camping Waterproof with 4 Tent Poles, Perfect for SUV RV Truck Car Camping, Backpacking, Bushcraft, Travel, Canoeing a.co/d/gvnQnGU
The 2 mistakes I see ALL noobs make are: 1. Tent capacity. A 2-person tent is actually a 1.5 person tent. 3-person is 2.5. 2. Sleeping bag ratings. The numbers you usually read are not comfort numbers. They are "not gonna die" numbers. Look for numbers that have 3 levels.
Thanks for educating me, I am new to camping and would probably gotten the fourth season tent which would be a disaster since I live in Central Texas. Our seasons tend to be Spring, Summer, Unbearably Hot and Blast Furnace! I'll keep it tuned to your channel!
I’ve used my 3 season half dome tent in Wyoming in January… it was -18 f. Drop a bit of snow around the rain fly to lower wind movement. Sure, changing in the morning is cold… but it worked fine.
Man I have seen many of your vids in here. So far, you are the only one who gives realistic and sensible tips and good advice about everything when it comes to backpacking equipment. Man, I'm a FAN... 😀
Most of tents I have are 3 season tents. I also have a 4 season (lower 48) NorthFace tent. It’s a 3 man (I have a large furry friend) and weights about 3 pounds more than my 2 pound wonder, but it’s true I wouldn’t bring the wonder tent on any adventure where the weather could get frisky.
My last tent was abysmal in summer, which is 90% of when I camped. It was also impossible when temps dipped below 40F. It was also heavy and a pain to set up. Basically, it just sucked at being a tent unless it was Autumn at an established campground
From what I was taught and understand. a 3 SEASON tent does Not necessarily have anything to do with temperature or venting or being cooler for summer. Although a tent made with mostly/ or a lot of mesh ventilation will "Only be a 3 Season tent." Because it is "not as structurally sound". A "3 season tent" may have good ventilation or not. A 3 season tent is "does not have to be that sturdy." It will generally be made of "lighter weight/not as strong of cloth/materials. The poles for it may be Thinner and Weaker, There also may not be much in the way /amount of tent poles. A FOUR SEASON TENT probably "CANT have to much venting/mesh/weak cloth." (And you don't need much in the winter.) It will be designed to handle more weight/SNOW and wind/storms. A 3 season tent will not be as strong, (and hopefully better vented and LIGHTER WEIGHT than a 4 season tent). Which is great if you don't camp in hard core storms/snow storms. A 4 SEASON TENT should be able to stand up and hold the weight of some snow on it. a 3 Season Tent will Not. I AM STILL PRETTY SURE that the quality of venting/"coolness of the tent" is NOT WHAT MAKES A TENT a 3 season tent. It is the seasons that it is capable of standing up to. A 3 season tent will not stand up to being snowed on, it will "collapse" and maybe quite possibly break the tent poles, maybe even tear seams and cloth. a 4 SEASON TENT is supposed to be able to stand up to getting snowed on or get caught in "WINDY blizzardy condition (Within reason.) A 3 season tent Will NOT. That is the difference between 3 season and 4 season tents. The fac that the 3 season tent does Not have to stand up to the WEIGHT OF SNOW or EXTREMELY Windy conditions is what makes it a 3 season tent. Not how good or how much ventilation/screen cloth that it has. BUT NOT having to be "as structurally sound" gives them the ability to make them lighter weight, "cheaper" and with better /more ventilation. Of course of once you put the rainfly on your are NOTICEABLY REDUCING its ability to 'breath/vent". Never use the rainfly if you don't need it. Oh and Always Make sure that your tent has "NO SEE UM" screen and NOT just Mosquito screening. Most/many? theses day will have "NO SEE UM" mesh. but make sure. "NO SEE UM's" are nasty more painful biting bugs, and they are small enough to go through Mosquito netting/screening.
Pretty much true, except for the caveat of some specific countries/regions. Brought my soulo with me on a 2-week hike through the Scottish Highlands during end of summer. Really no regrets there, especially during some nights with fierce wind and rain and battering gusts of wind. While warm (>20°C.) at midday on some days, quite a few mornings were chilly, Down jacket!-chilly. My 3-season tent (Ghost Ultralight 2) is nice in the Highlands on most days but just too cold at night and early hours, when cold air blows under the rain fly and through the mesh, on the other days. Alsof, it handles stormy winds not as well as the soulo does. If I'd go summer hiking in Mediterranean Croatia, yes, then I'd bring my 3-season 50% mesh tent. I'd guess, the type of tent depends on the answer to: "What weather can I expect there during my summer hike?"
All this is good advice if you're camping at 4-5,000 feet, where heat and humidity are a big concern. But if I had to pick which tent I'd take up to 10,000 or 11,000 feet, I'd go with the solid fabric one. Just as an example, the top of Berthoud Pass can easily drop below freezing in the middle of July, and rainstorms turning to snow overnight are not uncommon up there.
To add to that, pay attention to how tall the fabric walls are. This restricts airflow, and companies like Big Agnes are not immune to this design "feature". To give an example, the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2...super light weight, well that's because some of the weight cuts came at the expense of mesh. The fabric walls are around 40% of the ceiling height which limits the amount of air able to pass through. Compared to the BA Fly Ceek HV UL2 Solution-Dyed...it literally just has a bath tub of floor material that transitions to 100% mesh. It is possible to work around this buy adjusting the guy-outs to promote more airflow, and air flow is the enemy of condensation, but that's just an example of two models even w/ the same brand and their design choices.
Hey, curious where are you from. I assume the US, but where exactly? I'm from Ukraine and I'm a scout leader for a group of 8 boys. This video surprised me. Average temperature outside during summer in the mountains here is around 60°F, 16°C. While nights in early autumn/late spring can get as low as 30°F, -2°C. This is not the kind of weather where you want the heat to escape, or a breeze going through your tent. Actually at that temperature condensation becomes much more of an issue and in these conditions I prohibit my kids the use of single-walled tents for anything other than storing gear that is fine with getting wet. In addition storms and rains are quite frequent in the Carpathian mountains, so I would much rather use 4-season tents year-round, rather than anything ultra lite, that tends to rip in my experience. When Scouting I prefer something like Pinguin Serac 3+1 (marketed os 3 season). It's relatively cheap and durable. It's freestanding, doesn't need a footprint, and can easily fit 4 kiddos + gear. For myself while hiking I prefer something like Salewa litetrek pro 2. More expensive, but much lighter and smaller, yet still sturdy enough.
Already have a lightweight 3 season 1 person tent that i haven’t yet used in warm/ hot weather, mesh covers roughly 60% of the inner tent , hopefully it won't be too hot inside..... Been searching for a roomy 3 season car camping tent that is light ( under 7kg ) , min 170cm head height inside , aluminium poles , full mesh / fabric panels on 2 doors for good air flow in warm/ hot weather but also the ability to zip up the bottom half with a fabric panel to block the wind and wind blown rain in crappy weather. Couldn't find a tent that meeted those demands, settled on ordering a BA Spicer peak 4 , has more fabric than I'd prefer and no flexibility with the 2 inner tent doors . In my search i saw a comment on the BA Bunkhouse, the new 2023 model has a fair bit less mesh compared with the previous Bunkhouse, so yeah looks like cost cutting by Big agnes ........ Oh yeah i really get annoyed with sales pics showing the doors open !! In the areas i camp there is always something that will bite you !! I virtually never sit around in a tent with door/s wide open ....... marketing BS ....
A "Pro" is a Professional defined as 1. A member of a profession (which is defined by a number of characteristics, including self-regulation and a governing body). 2. a person who engages in an activity for compensation (someone who is paid to do something. - Think professional vs. amateur athletes). Someone who camps a lot regardless of experience is not a "pro". That said, all good info which people should pay attention to if they want to have a positive camping experience.
This guy is fixated on ventilation, which is important, but he left out so many more factors affecting quality - seam style and quality, stitching pitch and tension, seam sealing, cut and fastening of panels to control sag, pole attachment methods as they relate to strength in wind (and snow) loads, entry details as they relate to both ventilation and ability to enter/exit during rain while keeping water out of the tent, ability to remain dry in wind driven rain (and snow), materials durability under ultraviolet exposure, True 4 season tents also require ventilation, to control moisture buildup without excessive heat loss - as an example with solid fabric and waterproof walled tents this can be accomplished with proper placement of vents to allow moisture to be carried out by convection from occupants body heat.
Just get a Durston X-Mid and save yourself the time sorting through hundreds of tents. Trekking pole tents, especially the X-Mid, are just better in nearly every way than a freestanding tent. Fly first pitching for the rain, more rain wind and snow resistance, way lighter weight, oh and they look way cooler. Only downside is you can't pick it up and move it but that's not worth sticking with freestanding. Reasons the X-Mid is so good - unbeatable price to build quality, sag free polyester fly, much better doors.
The season design of the tent you use really depends on where you’re camping. L48 camping is much warmer and drier than say, Alaska camping and so you want more airflow and ventilation for L48. And that yellow 3 season tent is perfect for camping in Alaska but not during winter and probably not in the hottest months (but it can get cold even in the summer here). But look at the design and you know it’s not a 4 season tent: no way does that tent handle a snow load above a light dusting. That’s why it’s a 3 season or 3+. Even then, while these tents lack the large amounts of mesh of a cooler tent, most of them do have zippered vents at the top and sides to release heat and moisture and provide some airflow. As for the other tent, try sleeping in it in high winds and rain. It’s fine as long as the rain is falling straight down but add in high winds and the fly will not prevent rain from being forced under it and through the mesh. And it’s not fun trying to sleep in wet gear. I get it that you’re showing an example of what most people will deal with when camping, but I think you should have a few different tents and select the one that best meets your expected needs for each trip.
If I’ve learned anything recently is that even people that have been camping for years don’t even care about getting a truly quality tent. Seems like most people just go for what’s cheap which is why these tent companies can get by with this misleading information.
I see where you’re coming from. Literally. I would suggest to add some differentiation about the region you’re talking about. Having just completed the Cape Wrath trail - a solid inner tent is the best option by far. 50mph winds in the hauling rain on the Forcan and ridge are no joke.
I see the problem. The READY have the things. Nubbies don't care for long. They spent dollars, then they have what they have. It's a decreasing interest for new gear. Just a thought. Hope it made sense.
In Europe our definition of '3' and '4' season tents covers more than just temperature. Whilst all you say about the importance of inner tent ventilation for the summer months in warmer counties is valid, for any 'Newbs' from the UK or Northern Europe the definitions are more complex. We would class a three season tent as one which is suitable not just for the temperatures Spring to Autumn, but for the expected weather conditions - only moderate winds and no snow. Your yellow tent is not a '4th season' tent by our local definition as it would probably not be good against strong winds or heavy snow. It's a 'no season tent' really. Also in Europe commonly we have tents with big inner doors which are mesh with an additional layer of fabric so you can choose to vent or not to vent. In Spring and Autumn in the UK and Northern Europe you would not want a 100% mesh inner.
Hey, could You make some review about this tent? - 3F UL Qingkong 3. I know its a budget tent, but its weight is around of Mongar 2 weight and maybe it could be better option?
This is meaningless if you don't think of where you are going. Most high mountains in North America are cold at night, while strong winds and even snow are possible. The answer is simple: have openings that can be closed by solid fabric, but are also backed by mesh when preferred. Much better than all-mesh tents.
So i live in Ohio and we have gone through a day with a 35F temperature change. I 3 season tent with good sleep system covers most problems. Even a Coleman sky dome would work and they are not crazy high end. They do just work with a bit of weather proofing.
Mesh Caveat!! They suck in dust storms! Wind blown dust will penetrate through the mesh and cover all your stuff. If you camp in the desert (or in volcanic areas) even light winds can carry dust along the ground (easy not to notice when standing up). When the mesh walls go all the way down to the bathtub floor the dust will blow under the rain fly, through the mesh and right into the tent. In such cases a fabric walled tent can help a lot; until it gets sunny and turns into and oven. I find tents that have fabric walls at least half way up and mesh uppers to be a good middle ground, but I’m out West and don’t generally camp in humid places. Love to hear more about how your local weather and environment affect your tent performance.
The season thing has always confused me as I am not sure who's seasons they are taking about? In the Uk our weather is massively unpredictable and I am not talking about global warming. I have had a camp flooded out in June or snow in April more than once. In August I got caught in a Gale in Scotland and only 2 tents were left standing - A force ten and a Eurohike.
What you call a 4th season tent is what I call a 3 season tent, spring, fall, and winter. I don’t camp in the summer unless I know it will be in the low 60’s at night.
In Canada where in the mountains it might snow even in the summer. That's what those tents are designed for. Where it can get cold quick. I would not use it out in the prairies it can get ridiculously hot. My previous tent had lots of inner fabric it was awful out in the grassland where it was in full sun. But was great in the mountains
Luke. What do you thank about the kit at Academy, it has everything you need for a 1st timer? I get hot very easy. Not for back packing just camping sights.
Yeah, but then a car mechanic is going to tell me something similar about cars. That I should be a car expert in order to spot the liars. Definitely should be an IT tech or better before buying a computer. Its like we should have laws or something ...
I think tent manufacturers should refrain from dividing their tents into seasons but rather into a temperature range. That would be much more helpful and less misleading.
A pro or a professional is someone who gets paid for their services. How can a tent be a pro? I dont have an issue with the video... Just the 'pro' terminology.
Luke mate, I hate to say this, but this video could have been a 40 second short or reel. You took one simple (but poignant) observation and repeated it eight times.
You need to put some temperature guides in here. Talking about 'warmer' and 'cooler' months is relative to where you are. Warm months here in Northern England are very different to warm months in Greece. And which tent is best for both of those summers is very different!
they are both 3 season tents, one is 'spring summer fall', the other is 'fall, winter, spring'. they are just talking about different groups of seasons. it would be better to use the actual names of the seasons as a standard
Great video. I finally bought a "4th season" tent last year. It was cheap on Amazon but with the double fabric wall and flaps that extend to the ground it really does make a difference. Even closed up it has a bit of mesh at the bottom and top to circulate some air and avoid condensation. It actually seems to work. For warm weather give me a tent with plenty of mesh though.
Good luck in a mesh tent in the Netherlands 😂. In the night it's cooling down quick and the rain and wind wil make your tent a windy cold water palace.
Companies really should be liable if they market something as 3 or 4 season and someone gets hurt or dies from conditions that the tent should have been able to handle but couldn’t because of how sh*t they make the tent but market it as great.
Thank you! Would you consider doing a video on selecting tents, and securing them, for high winds/rain? I bought a non-dome tent that got crushed in 45 mph gusts and appreciate any perspective you have on tent camping in high wind situations.
Luke I think the country or area you are using them in makes a difference about what is a 3 season tent. In UK what you call a 3 season tent is really only a 1 season I.e. summer tent. Huge mesh areas mean you get cold quick in a breeze in spring or autumn. I take your point that knowledge is power but you can’t simply call a tent an X season tent really
I appreciate your viewpoint. We spent a bit of time and money chasing the right balance for our needs in the Northeastern United States. We looked to mesh for insect protection. Ventilation was almost secondary. Later in the season, we depended on the insulation in our sleeping bags and pads for comfort.
Canada too. By end of August we can have 4C nights and that can get cold. I have an MSR Elxir 2, it's about half mesh half fabric and I still can get cold then in technically still summer time. I bring the long John's, winter bag, and 2 mattresses one closed cell and one inflatable with an R4.4. 8:13
Yes same experience in NZ.
I'm in Sweden, and this idea that a four season tent is a "fourth season tent" is entirely alien to me as well. That mindset, at least such a black and white version of it, would not work here. As Luke himself says, it could even be dangerous.
In Canada we just take the fly off during our 1 warm week
3 Season use is just that, 3 seasons not just the hot summer. In the UK and Europe a non-full mesh tent is almost essential in spring and autumn still. So while I agree the full fabric inner is not useable in summer, tents that have half and half are needed in a lot of countries most of the year.
Yeah the yellow tent would probably be fine in all but the hottest days here in UK and even then in Scotland it might be fine even on the hot days.
So true here in the uk you can have heat, rain and frost all in the same day. I’d rather be a little bit hot than too cold to sleep and it’s not practical to carry two tents about.
Yep MSR had to reduce the mesh when they first came into the UK with the Hubba(s) range.
@@dorislyons6223 Sierra Designs did the same with the introduction of their '3000' line of tents.
that's true but Luke is an American which means he doesn't have to know anything. US tents are very different, they are all made for weather where you actually don't need a tent at all. But how could he know?
I would always go for a 3 season (World, not just USA) tent and add some reflective foil in winter. It took me years and 100s of bucks to learn it.
For tent camping, my vote for the season to avoid the most.... is Summer. I can not sleep in 88 degrees. I guess I am too old to get there, but I ain't doing it. If it is pretty cold outside, you can seal off a tent and if you have an air mattress, you will normally be OKAY. But if you are camping in Summer, and crawl in a tent when it is still hot at night? That is a prescription for MISERY.
I'm with you on this. I don't backpack at all in the summer or even very late spring or very early fall. I will backpack right through winter, though, because you can always get warm, but there's nothing you can do about the heat... except sweat.
Been to week long summer scout camps the last three years. First year hot as hades in the canvas tents. Sucked. Second head temp dropped enough at night to be ok. Third one it actually got somewhat chilly on one night. That was the best night sleep out of all of them.
Agreed I live in Missouri and it's been over 100° this week! I've been camping on my couch in the AC haha! I really only camp in the Fall months anyways.
I can’t blame you if you can’t take the heat. Try lugging an 80’s external frame pack with all the gear they had back then (about 65 lbs worth) for a three day trip at the end of June !! I will Never do that again !!
I've done a few July 4th tent camps, and two of them happened to have nights that never got below 94 and 92 respectively. Absolutely sucked! I took the rainfly off and slept naked on top of my bag hoping the RVers wouldn't look to close through my whole mesh tent 😓
You're speaking of the seasons you have in North Carolina but that's very different from the seasons I have in Northern Ontario. I can't justify buying a mesh tent because it's only useful for July and part of June and August. It gets cold at nights where you don't want one of those tents. I camp below rapids which create 100% RH condensing at night when the air temperature drops. That cloud will go right up under your fly and leave everything in your tent saturated. Then you're in big trouble if you're on a week long canoe trip. I also camp in September where it can dip below freezing at night and I've seen 5ºC at night in mid to late August. You need to pick your gear based on climate, location, use, trip duration, distance from help, among others. What I'd take car camping is not what I'd take in a backpack or canoe trip and I have very different tents and sleep systems for these very different activities.
Especially so for parts of Australia.
I’ve set up a tent at night, and woken up in the morning, sun on tent, gasping for air! You feel like you’ve been a frog in a pot of water on the stove, unknowingly being slowly cooked.
Versatility in tents helps, knowing where your going and weather predicted helps, and being able to adapt is a must.
If it is warm out a tarp is better, I know exactly what you mean about waking up in hot sweaty mess...
If there are trees then hammock for the win.
Why don’t you ever mention REI? I have a camp dome 2 from them which I absolutely love. Don’t know why they discontinued it, to me it is the perfect 3 season tent. The only change I would like to see in it would be a vestibule. Why do I never hear you speak of REI?
So perfect that you uploaded this today! Because today as I cleaned and prepped my first ever bought tent for resale, it just came to me, it’s not mesh! I’ve known this the whole time but never really realized it. It was always bad with condensation and I blamed it on the weak and small ventilation. But today it totally dawned on me.
I just put an air conditioner in mine. But, then, we family "glamp" and avoid self inflicted suffering. No matter what kind of tent you have in full sun in the summer in the south or midwest in the US is gonna be hot.
coming from singapore, it doesn't matter if its fabric or mesh around the year; so long as there is an inner, it'll be a sauna in any tent.. for me, i either use my naturehike knight3 w/o its inner, or teton vista1 wif 3x3 lean-to wif lip combo.. 🤣😅😝
Thanks to your previous reviews I ordered a, TETON Sports Mountain Ultra Tents - 3 Person Backpacking Tent & the MU 3 footprint Waterproof tarp. To take in my Motorcycle trailer when camping.
How about some reviews on some products from a company called white duck outdoors, thanks !!!! 🇺🇲🇺🇲
@TheOutdoorGearReview I think you're right in what you said. The only downside of this video is that it is more than ten minutes long, althought you could have brought out the one point you made in a one-minute-video as well.
Go camp somewhere other than your property and then be honest of survival. You keep camping at lone wolf mountain and call it an adventure when in reality you just camp where nothing can go wrong lol what a joke.
I used to camp a lot when I was younger. In fact, my first wife enjoyed it as much as I did. My second wife thought roughing it was Motel 6. But in central Oklahoma where I am from, we can have subzero wind chill in the winter, 100°+ in the summer, and in between we can have all 4 seasons in the same week at any time. It makes it almost impossible to only have 1 tent.
On point Luke. The one thing I see more of, are the big backpacking channels using 3 season tents in the winter. Then they do a gear review and wonder why they slept cold, with quality pads and sleeping bags. I dont quite understand it and it’s bad info for the newb.
Thanks for your "NO B.S" candor/honesty when it comes to these products, Luke. Strength and honor!
I was watching a British UA-camr doing some water craft camping, some of the people with him had tents with lots of mesh. He described them as "American style tents", and that rung true. I've used Hilleberg and Terra Nova four season tents in all four seasons in British mountains and never been too hot. Although climate is changing, so that may not be a forever thing. You just have to take your local conditions in to account too. I've recently bought my first three season tent, now that I live in the USA.
The climate is changing only in the delusional minds of the leftists.
@@Dp1v You are correct that NO climate change is happening.
Great video.
What are your thoughts on the store brand REI tents? Any chance you could review? Price is good, quality seems to be up there (maybe), and REI’s are everywhere.
REI tents are very good quality. Like every other brand they'll occasionally have a model that people just don't like for whatever reason, but as far as material and build quality goes REI tents are excellent.
I'm curious about canvas tents. I'm looking at getting a Kodiak vx , it has plenty of windows. I want it for the purpose of having an all season tent. That are people's thoughts?
Was thinking this myself… my first years camping as a toddler through until I was about 10 we had an old school canvas tent with a ton of heavy metal poles… 😆 There was a time before Dyneema and mesh everywhere.
I get what you are saying. You are a smart guy. And the mesh has many benefits. But when looking up close at some of our mesh tents, they don't look like the mesh will last very long. I'm curious what others say for this on how long mesh will last? Because it looks flimsy.
It'll last if you take care of it and because it's so much weaker than the surrounding material it's flimsiness is more a strength than a weakness because a lot of the force of banging into it or something is absorbed by the stretch. If you snag something on it it's likely to tear, but it's nothing a needle and thread can't fix. There's different weights and qualities of mesh, though. Ultralight tents usually have ultralight mesh, but something like, say, an MSR Elixir has much heavier, stronger mesh.
Personally, whether it's an ultralight tent or not, I've never had mesh fail. I've torn it, but never had it fail on it's own because it was weak or flimsy.
So what type of material is best for year-round use. I've been looking at the opeongo ariel hammock tent to purchase, but dont know if it's a good tent or not. If possible, could you do a review on it please and thank you.
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I thought this dude always says that he doesn't make any money from these company's??? N yet he says it in description lol that he will profit if you purchase what he is testing lol what a hypocrite. Also this guy goes on adventure to some mountain that's his property and nowhere else and says it's an adventure lol go somewhere where you are not familiar with to survive then it's technically an adventure.
I read elsewhere that he makes quite the supplemental income from this channel. So make of that what you will. But to be fair not all his “adventures” are on the mountain. He does travel the country, (sometimes with his wife), to other national parks, (last one was in Hawaii). He does gear testing (mainly tent waterproof tests) on Lone Wolf mntn.
There's a bit of over-generalization going on here. We spent a week camping in Death Valley National Park at the end of January 2020, including 4 days/3 nights backpacking the Cottonwood Canyon/Marble Canyon loop. Technically, we should have been using a traditional 3-season tent like the BA Copper Spur with a 100% mesh interior. I'm glad instead that we had our TarpTent Stratospire 2 with 1/2 solid inner. There is a LOT of fine sand that gets blown around when you're camping in the desert. If you don't have a partial solid inner, that sand will get everywhere, just like spindrift can get blown into your tent in the winter. A partial-solid inner can really improve things when there's blown desert sand to contend with. Even with our partial-solid inner on our TarpTent, we ended up having zipper issues on the inner doors. That fine sand gets into zippers and can really do a number on them.
It's amazing how wind blown sand gets through fine mesh , not very nice ...... Just on the BA Copper spur , the 1 person model I bought last year is roughly 65% mesh , 35% breathable nylon , definitely not 100% mesh , also the coated nylon bathtub floor goes up a few inches to protect from drip splashing. Haven't used the copper spur in windy conditions yet , but for the mainly warm/ hot conditions I'll be using it in i would have prefered more mesh and less " breathable " nylon .
Felt the main point mesh vs fabric is primary concern for a summer tent.
However, other features would have been good to also discuss: 2 doors, roof vents, etc.
Thanks Luke for your content on tents. I got a hilleberg 4 season tent and I thought you could use it for all 4 season I was wrong. They get so hot you can’t be in them AT ALL when it gets hot. And I made another mistake and had my tent up for 6 months in the direct sun and it dried out the outer shell. My tent ripped so bad I lost 2,000 on that tent.
Linen tarp has been calling my name just foe the durability
Luke you always do awesome review every time in your videos thank you for sharing this with me my friend
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“Stuff” and what to buy, particularly tents can be a minefield. I just went Hilleberg straight off the bat. I had to save for the tents I have admittedly, but it has ultimately been worth it 👊👊👊💥💥💥👊👊👊
I wonder how many other British people when he said there’s a time & a place for 4th season tents, were saying, “most of the time here” 😂😂😂
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I don't tent camp in winter, so I went with as much mesh in a tent I could find, with a removable shell too. Had mine for 2+ years now and am quite happy with it. I do carry a Aqua Defender tarp though, so I can make it quite comfortable in most weather.
I remember the days of cotton canvass tent camping, interesting times. With the choices today, a person can have a tent for every season. Thanks Luke👍👍
The good Ole pup tents
So do I, BSA, They had built in alarm clocks (sunup) LOL
Apart from being heavy and not that waterproof, i find them pretty comfortable in summer. Dark and cool.
@@bernielamont825 That, and the Scoutmaster trying to sing his get up song. Anyone within a hundred yard radius would get up just to make him stop.:)
Geography matters. Specific conditions matter. That's what real pros know.
I just bought an ICS for winter, I'll use my tarp the rest of the time
As someone who lives in the north, this notion of a "4th season" tent as you often have on the channel seem utterly silly to me. They just seem like really stuffy 3-season tents--not anything that would ever be smart to use in "real winter." I've been trying to wrap my head around being someone in a warmer climate with warmer winters who might want one of these "4th season" things, but I can't help but think that I'd still just use the same tent I use the rest of the year and supplement with warmer sleeping gear. Unless it can actually withstand and protect against snow, ice, and frigid winds, I just don't see the point in these tents you often describe as "4th season." The seem like a terrible solution to a problem that doesn't exist. These "4th season" tents just seem like cheap, bad tents.
Here in MN, WI, MI I have my 3-season tent or hammock setup. When winter rolls around, I have a canvas hot tent or I have gear to make my hammock warm enough and sheltered enough even in sub-zero temps. These "4th season" things you've talked about do not at all inspire confidence that they could handle snow and ice accumulation and don't look at all like they would do squat to actually keep you any warmer either.
Meanwhile, I camp in northern Wisconsin with a tent that's nearly entirely mesh.
I rely on my sleep system to keep warm regardless of temperature, and the tent exists for no reason other than keeping critters and water out.
In the winter, the tent is largely optional. If there's no rain or snow I would still be warm without the tent at all. Trying to pack up a hot tent, stove, and all that extra crap just isn't necessary.
@@MastaSquidge Pretty much my point. Yeah, I have a hot tent (one made of canvas and not out of plastic like the ones so many people seem to want to use), but I don't NEED it. The hot tent isn't about being warm while sleeping (I do not feed it overnight); it is about having a warm place to hang-out and dry things during the morning/evening when it is -10, -20, -30 outside. I can and do just as easily winter camp in a hammock or on the ground under a tarp. "4th season" tents just seems utterly silly to me unless they're being built with stronger materials in order to withstand snow and ice accumulation without collapsing. If that's not a factor, I see no reason for a "4th season" tent at all.
@@phasmata3813ah yeah I got ya now.
Just stumbled across your videos today. Thanks for what you do. I enjoyed the tarp folding you demonstrated. Tents, ugh, hard to find one tent to check all the boxes. I had a Camel 60-second tent I picked up in Alaska and used for 25 years. Not very packable, but man great 4 season tent. Used down to -20°F in Alaska to 90°F + in Nebraska. I survived.
I finally picked up another tent that I like. ONE Tigress Outback Retreat. Although not a first choice if you have to pack it. From a canoe or ATV it works well. has got enough room for a cot for me and bed for my black lab to be comfortable. I used it so far in Mid-November during Nebraska deer season for a week. With two vestibules I could keep my gear in one end and a heater in the other. Held the heat in very nice.
Summer camping along the river, there's plenty of ventilation with the sides propped out and ends rolled up.
OneTigris OUTBACK RETREAT Camping Tent, 2 Person Tents for Camping Waterproof with 4 Tent Poles, Perfect for SUV RV Truck Car Camping, Backpacking, Bushcraft, Travel, Canoeing a.co/d/gvnQnGU
The 2 mistakes I see ALL noobs make are:
1. Tent capacity. A 2-person tent is actually a 1.5 person tent. 3-person is 2.5.
2. Sleeping bag ratings. The numbers you usually read are not comfort numbers. They are "not gonna die" numbers. Look for numbers that have 3 levels.
Thanks for educating me, I am new to camping and would probably gotten the fourth season tent which would be a disaster since I live in Central Texas. Our seasons tend to be Spring, Summer, Unbearably Hot and Blast Furnace! I'll keep it tuned to your channel!
I’ve used my 3 season half dome tent in Wyoming in January… it was -18 f. Drop a bit of snow around the rain fly to lower wind movement. Sure, changing in the morning is cold… but it worked fine.
Man I have seen many of your vids in here. So far, you are the only one who gives realistic and sensible tips and good advice about everything when it comes to backpacking equipment. Man, I'm a FAN... 😀
Most of tents I have are 3 season tents. I also have a 4 season (lower 48) NorthFace tent. It’s a 3 man (I have a large furry friend) and weights about 3 pounds more than my 2 pound wonder, but it’s true I wouldn’t bring the wonder tent on any adventure where the weather could get frisky.
My last tent was abysmal in summer, which is 90% of when I camped. It was also impossible when temps dipped below 40F. It was also heavy and a pain to set up. Basically, it just sucked at being a tent unless it was Autumn at an established campground
From what I was taught and understand. a 3 SEASON tent does Not necessarily have anything to do with temperature or venting or being cooler for summer. Although a tent made with mostly/ or a lot of mesh ventilation will "Only be a 3 Season tent." Because it is "not as structurally sound". A "3 season tent" may have good ventilation or not. A 3 season tent is "does not have to be that sturdy." It will generally be made of "lighter weight/not as strong of cloth/materials. The poles for it may be Thinner and Weaker, There also may not be much in the way /amount of tent poles.
A FOUR SEASON TENT probably "CANT have to much venting/mesh/weak cloth." (And you don't need much in the winter.) It will be designed to handle more weight/SNOW and wind/storms. A 3 season tent will not be as strong, (and hopefully better vented and LIGHTER WEIGHT than a 4 season tent). Which is great if you don't camp in hard core storms/snow storms. A 4 SEASON TENT should be able to stand up and hold the weight of some snow on it. a 3 Season Tent will Not. I AM STILL PRETTY SURE that the quality of venting/"coolness of the tent" is NOT WHAT MAKES A TENT a 3 season tent. It is the seasons that it is capable of standing up to. A 3 season tent will not stand up to being snowed on, it will "collapse" and maybe quite possibly break the tent poles, maybe even tear seams and cloth. a 4 SEASON TENT is supposed to be able to stand up to getting snowed on or get caught in "WINDY blizzardy condition (Within reason.) A 3 season tent Will NOT. That is the difference between 3 season and 4 season tents. The fac that the 3 season tent does Not have to stand up to the WEIGHT OF SNOW or EXTREMELY Windy conditions is what makes it a 3 season tent. Not how good or how much ventilation/screen cloth that it has. BUT NOT having to be "as structurally sound" gives them the ability to make them lighter weight, "cheaper" and with better /more ventilation. Of course of once you put the rainfly on your are NOTICEABLY REDUCING its ability to 'breath/vent". Never use the rainfly if you don't need it. Oh and Always Make sure that your tent has "NO SEE UM" screen and NOT just Mosquito screening. Most/many? theses day will have "NO SEE UM" mesh. but make sure. "NO SEE UM's" are nasty more painful biting bugs, and they are small enough to go through Mosquito netting/screening.
Pretty much true, except for the caveat of some specific countries/regions.
Brought my soulo with me on a 2-week hike through the Scottish Highlands during end of summer.
Really no regrets there, especially during some nights with fierce wind and rain and battering gusts of wind.
While warm (>20°C.) at midday on some days, quite a few mornings were chilly, Down jacket!-chilly.
My 3-season tent (Ghost Ultralight 2) is nice in the Highlands on most days but just too cold at night and early hours, when cold air blows under the rain fly and through the mesh, on the other days.
Alsof, it handles stormy winds not as well as the soulo does.
If I'd go summer hiking in Mediterranean Croatia, yes, then I'd bring my 3-season 50% mesh tent.
I'd guess, the type of tent depends on the answer to:
"What weather can I expect there during my summer hike?"
All this is good advice if you're camping at 4-5,000 feet, where heat and humidity are a big concern. But if I had to pick which tent I'd take up to 10,000 or 11,000 feet, I'd go with the solid fabric one. Just as an example, the top of Berthoud Pass can easily drop below freezing in the middle of July, and rainstorms turning to snow overnight are not uncommon up there.
To add to that, pay attention to how tall the fabric walls are. This restricts airflow, and companies like Big Agnes are not immune to this design "feature".
To give an example, the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2...super light weight, well that's because some of the weight cuts came at the expense of mesh.
The fabric walls are around 40% of the ceiling height which limits the amount of air able to pass through. Compared to the BA Fly Ceek HV UL2 Solution-Dyed...it literally just has a bath tub of floor material that transitions to 100% mesh.
It is possible to work around this buy adjusting the guy-outs to promote more airflow, and air flow is the enemy of condensation, but that's just an example of two models even w/ the same brand and their design choices.
I use the Norton Gamme tent for winter, and the MEC Camper for Spring, Summer and Fall here in Canada. I haven’t died yet.
Hey, curious where are you from. I assume the US, but where exactly? I'm from Ukraine and I'm a scout leader for a group of 8 boys. This video surprised me. Average temperature outside during summer in the mountains here is around 60°F, 16°C. While nights in early autumn/late spring can get as low as 30°F, -2°C. This is not the kind of weather where you want the heat to escape, or a breeze going through your tent. Actually at that temperature condensation becomes much more of an issue and in these conditions I prohibit my kids the use of single-walled tents for anything other than storing gear that is fine with getting wet. In addition storms and rains are quite frequent in the Carpathian mountains, so I would much rather use 4-season tents year-round, rather than anything ultra lite, that tends to rip in my experience. When Scouting I prefer something like Pinguin Serac 3+1 (marketed os 3 season). It's relatively cheap and durable. It's freestanding, doesn't need a footprint, and can easily fit 4 kiddos + gear. For myself while hiking I prefer something like Salewa litetrek pro 2. More expensive, but much lighter and smaller, yet still sturdy enough.
Already have a lightweight 3 season 1 person tent that i haven’t yet used in warm/ hot weather, mesh covers roughly 60% of the inner tent , hopefully it won't be too hot inside.....
Been searching for a roomy 3 season car camping tent that is light ( under 7kg ) , min 170cm head height inside , aluminium poles , full mesh / fabric panels on 2 doors for good air flow in warm/ hot weather but also the ability to zip up the bottom half with a fabric panel to block the wind and wind blown rain in crappy weather. Couldn't find a tent that meeted those demands, settled on ordering a BA Spicer peak 4 , has more fabric than I'd prefer and no flexibility with the 2 inner tent doors . In my search i saw a comment on the BA Bunkhouse, the new 2023 model has a fair bit less mesh compared with the previous Bunkhouse, so yeah looks like cost cutting by Big agnes ........ Oh yeah i really get annoyed with sales pics showing the doors open !! In the areas i camp there is always something that will bite you !! I virtually never sit around in a tent with door/s wide open ....... marketing BS ....
A "Pro" is a Professional defined as 1. A member of a profession (which is defined by a number of characteristics, including self-regulation and a governing body). 2. a person who engages in an activity for compensation (someone who is paid to do something. - Think professional vs. amateur athletes). Someone who camps a lot regardless of experience is not a "pro".
That said, all good info which people should pay attention to if they want to have a positive camping experience.
This guy is fixated on ventilation, which is important, but he left out so many more factors affecting quality - seam style and quality, stitching pitch and tension, seam sealing, cut and fastening of panels to control sag, pole attachment methods as they relate to strength in wind (and snow) loads, entry details as they relate to both ventilation and ability to enter/exit during rain while keeping water out of the tent, ability to remain dry in wind driven rain (and snow), materials durability under ultraviolet exposure, True 4 season tents also require ventilation, to control moisture buildup without excessive heat loss - as an example with solid fabric and waterproof walled tents this can be accomplished with proper placement of vents to allow moisture to be carried out by convection from occupants body heat.
Just get a Durston X-Mid and save yourself the time sorting through hundreds of tents. Trekking pole tents, especially the X-Mid, are just better in nearly every way than a freestanding tent. Fly first pitching for the rain, more rain wind and snow resistance, way lighter weight, oh and they look way cooler. Only downside is you can't pick it up and move it but that's not worth sticking with freestanding. Reasons the X-Mid is so good - unbeatable price to build quality, sag free polyester fly, much better doors.
The season design of the tent you use really depends on where you’re camping. L48 camping is much warmer and drier than say, Alaska camping and so you want more airflow and ventilation for L48.
And that yellow 3 season tent is perfect for camping in Alaska but not during winter and probably not in the hottest months (but it can get cold even in the summer here). But look at the design and you know it’s not a 4 season tent: no way does that tent handle a snow load above a light dusting. That’s why it’s a 3 season or 3+. Even then, while these tents lack the large amounts of mesh of a cooler tent, most of them do have zippered vents at the top and sides to release heat and moisture and provide some airflow.
As for the other tent, try sleeping in it in high winds and rain. It’s fine as long as the rain is falling straight down but add in high winds and the fly will not prevent rain from being forced under it and through the mesh. And it’s not fun trying to sleep in wet gear.
I get it that you’re showing an example of what most people will deal with when camping, but I think you should have a few different tents and select the one that best meets your expected needs for each trip.
If I’ve learned anything recently is that even people that have been camping for years don’t even care about getting a truly quality tent. Seems like most people just go for what’s cheap which is why these tent companies can get by with this misleading information.
that yellow one tricked me. I thought it was super-fine (no-see-um) mesh or something. Thanks for sharing!
I see where you’re coming from. Literally. I would suggest to add some differentiation about the region you’re talking about. Having just completed the Cape Wrath trail - a solid inner tent is the best option by far. 50mph winds in the hauling rain on the Forcan and ridge are no joke.
I see the problem. The READY have the things. Nubbies don't care for long. They spent dollars, then they have what they have. It's a decreasing interest for new gear. Just a thought. Hope it made sense.
In Europe our definition of '3' and '4' season tents covers more than just temperature. Whilst all you say about the importance of inner tent ventilation for the summer months in warmer counties is valid, for any 'Newbs' from the UK or Northern Europe the definitions are more complex. We would class a three season tent as one which is suitable not just for the temperatures Spring to Autumn, but for the expected weather conditions - only moderate winds and no snow. Your yellow tent is not a '4th season' tent by our local definition as it would probably not be good against strong winds or heavy snow. It's a 'no season tent' really. Also in Europe commonly we have tents with big inner doors which are mesh with an additional layer of fabric so you can choose to vent or not to vent. In Spring and Autumn in the UK and Northern Europe you would not want a 100% mesh inner.
They trick with 1 word used incorrectly. 4-season ( incorrect ) and 4th - season ( correct ) implying it's meant for the 4th season...winter.
Hey, could You make some review about this tent? - 3F UL Qingkong 3. I know its a budget tent, but its weight is around of Mongar 2 weight and maybe it could be better option?
This is meaningless if you don't think of where you are going. Most high mountains in North America are cold at night, while strong winds and even snow are possible. The answer is simple: have openings that can be closed by solid fabric, but are also backed by mesh when preferred. Much better than all-mesh tents.
So i live in Ohio and we have gone through a day with a 35F temperature change. I 3 season tent with good sleep system covers most problems.
Even a Coleman sky dome would work and they are not crazy high end. They do just work with a bit of weather proofing.
Mesh Caveat!! They suck in dust storms! Wind blown dust will penetrate through the mesh and cover all your stuff. If you camp in the desert (or in volcanic areas) even light winds can carry dust along the ground (easy not to notice when standing up). When the mesh walls go all the way down to the bathtub floor the dust will blow under the rain fly, through the mesh and right into the tent. In such cases a fabric walled tent can help a lot; until it gets sunny and turns into and oven. I find tents that have fabric walls at least half way up and mesh uppers to be a good middle ground, but I’m out West and don’t generally camp in humid places. Love to hear more about how your local weather and environment affect your tent performance.
I agree man...their in_tent is not to offer obvious quality but lure noobs with colors and design.
Especially with 2second / instant options.
The season thing has always confused me as I am not sure who's seasons they are taking about? In the Uk our weather is massively unpredictable and I am not talking about global warming. I have had a camp flooded out in June or snow in April more than once. In August I got caught in a Gale in Scotland and only 2 tents were left standing - A force ten and a Eurohike.
A pro will know there is no 4 seasons tents. There is only 3 seasons and 1 season tents.
What you call a 4th season tent is what I call a 3 season tent, spring, fall, and winter. I don’t camp in the summer unless I know it will be in the low 60’s at night.
In Canada where in the mountains it might snow even in the summer. That's what those tents are designed for. Where it can get cold quick.
I would not use it out in the prairies it can get ridiculously hot. My previous tent had lots of inner fabric it was awful out in the grassland where it was in full sun. But was great in the mountains
Great video. Really like these kind of tips.
Luke. What do you thank about the kit at Academy, it has everything you need for a 1st timer? I get hot very easy. Not for back packing just camping sights.
Yeah, but then a car mechanic is going to tell me something similar about cars. That I should be a car expert in order to spot the liars. Definitely should be an IT tech or better before buying a computer. Its like we should have laws or something ...
What’s a good, yet affordable, tent for backpacking with good ventilation for a place like Florida?
so... how can you see ONLINE???
not until you get it in your hands can you tell if it's CRAP!
WTF! Luke’s pecs are popping. Boy is hitting the gym hard, and looking good.
I think tent manufacturers should refrain from dividing their tents into seasons but rather into a temperature range. That would be much more helpful and less misleading.
A pro or a professional is someone who gets paid for their services. How can a tent be a pro?
I dont have an issue with the video... Just the 'pro' terminology.
Luke mate, I hate to say this, but this video could have been a 40 second short or reel.
You took one simple (but poignant) observation and repeated it eight times.
Thank you, Luke, for your honest, real-hearted videos. ❤
Hoping for a big success for your channel.
Keep up the good work!😀
You are the gadget guy, I don't need any of the junk you test, lol. Haven't used a tent for 30 plus years. The outdoors are full of today's puppies!
Should’ve done a temp test inside each tent for example.
Good video though. Thanks for shooting straight and being honest
Northern Ontario at night even in the summer ? Mesh is your buddy , Florida not so much.
Super super hot and comfortable are not words that belong in the same sentence. There is no such thing as comfortable camping in the Florida summer.
You need to put some temperature guides in here. Talking about 'warmer' and 'cooler' months is relative to where you are. Warm months here in Northern England are very different to warm months in Greece. And which tent is best for both of those summers is very different!
they are both 3 season tents, one is 'spring summer fall', the other is 'fall, winter, spring'. they are just talking about different groups of seasons. it would be better to use the actual names of the seasons as a standard
Great video. I finally bought a "4th season" tent last year. It was cheap on Amazon but with the double fabric wall and flaps that extend to the ground it really does make a difference. Even closed up it has a bit of mesh at the bottom and top to circulate some air and avoid condensation. It actually seems to work. For warm weather give me a tent with plenty of mesh though.
Good luck in a mesh tent in the Netherlands 😂. In the night it's cooling down quick and the rain and wind wil make your tent a windy cold water palace.
Companies really should be liable if they market something as 3 or 4 season and someone gets hurt or dies from conditions that the tent should have been able to handle but couldn’t because of how sh*t they make the tent but market it as great.
none of those shown are 4 season tents, those would be terrible in below freezing temperatures, they are just cheap junk tents from amazon.
Hey review some drop leg bags. I need one that I can run in and doesn’t cut off circulation while being worn all day.
In South Texas, 3 seasons are from Sept-April. 😂 Too hot to camp from May-Aug.
Thank you! Would you consider doing a video on selecting tents, and securing them, for high winds/rain? I bought a non-dome tent that got crushed in 45 mph gusts and appreciate any perspective you have on tent camping in high wind situations.
Did you make a new channel, because I found a page with 2 of your old videos? It cut your face and voice out
Doesn't matter to someone like me who lives in Texas, nobody in their right mind camps in the summer here.😂
It would be nice if tent compaies could sell two types of inner layers seperately, so you could carry the right inner, but not need two outer tents.
Nice video but it’s almost embarrassing that such information has to be presented as if people were stupid.
carp fisher tents use a winterwrap in winter, cant i do that for my tent use a warm extra winterwrap over my cheap budget tent ????
It took you 10 minutes to share 90 seconds worth of information, and most of it was pretty standard fare.
I survived a 10 minute video that should have been a short... 😁
Good video though.
Caveat emptor. Let the buyer beware. The principal goes back to the Romans at least
At the risk of repeating myself: "thanks for a wonderful video."
Good time to be covering this with massive heat waves going through the country.
Luke is thia part 1 or part 2? Title says this part 2 but i cant find part 1 in your videos or playlist