IMO these are my favorite types of winter shelters (anytime there is plenty of snow to sculpt). Spent the most time in a Mountain Hardwear Kiva (5 corner vs 4 corner footprint) but I currently own the Black Diamond Mega Lite. This MSR Front Range looks excellent as well. I believe it may be larger than the Mega Lite which could be nice. It’s cheery color is similar to the color of the Kiva, great during storm days.
I considered the Black Diamond Mega 4P as well. It is very similar to the MSR Front Range and I think that they are both good shelters. Color is an interesting option. Back in the day, most winter use tents were either orange or red, the idea being that those colors have a psychological effect to make one feel warmer, blue having the opposite effect. I plan to use my MSR Front Range tent as a base camp shelter on multi day ski tours. I prefer a free-standing fast pitch tent for solo outings where the camp is moved daily. At any rate, thanks for tuning in and for posting feedback.
I've missed most of your content this year as I was hiking the PCT for a bit too long 7 months. Coming back to see what I missed, noticed a very familiar shelter. Nice! I have used pyramid-style shelters for winter tours for a few years now. My main shelters currently are the Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid Xl and Supermid. XL for single person, Super for two. The MSR is a great shelter too. I did go ahead and sew on some more linelocs, to those mid-hem tieouts just to make operaring a bit easier. A friend of mine also added mid-wall tieouts that the MSR is lacking, compared to MLD, Locus Gear and other manufacturers. I like the zipper on the MSR as it is a normal one, easier to operate in winter compared to waterproof zippers. What I don't like is that the top vent is on the opposite side, which you typically would face against the wind. This creates quite a bit of ventilation - which can be good or bad. The vent also cannot be closed so I was thinkin to add a solid-fabric zippered flap to it, like in real expedition tents. I have found a fitting solid-wall innertent for this shelter. Unfortunately you can only get these from China shops, and it needs slight modification. I added another zipper to the door to make it a full inverted-T style opening. Easier to use with two people. There is also a half inner which fits these 4p pyramids well, and the Duomid XL too. Did the same thing with it. Solid inners add a lot of warmth and you do not need to worry too much about spindrift. What you lose with the full inner is the ability to dig down - however I rarely miss that as it is spacious for two as is. Word is, that in the comign years Ukranian tent manufacturer Liteway may have pyramid tent solid-wall inners available. I'll be testing their shelter this coming winter Here is a link to the inners. The full inners do not seem to be in stock anywhere right now but it can change: a.aliexpress.com/_mto71N6
Congrats on your PCT adventure and thanks for posting your experience with these pyramid type tents. I don't envision myself using it during the bug season but I'm looking forward to using it for ski touring this winter. I appreciate the feedback and I'm sure others will find your information useful.
I bought this for day long snow shoeing. I or my gf and me use it for a break in the day to cook and rest I have a snow peak portable firepit that I put in the pulk and I use the thermarest chairs with the pads and we sit on the snow and make a fire and cooked and relax Haven't used it over night though.
That sounds like fun. A pulk sure adds to the amount of gear that one can bring along on a winter outing and I should probably do it more often. Thanks for tuning in and for posting feedback. Have a great winter.
It might be nice in mosquito season but it really adds to the weight and price of the set up. I try to keep an eye out for an inner tent for a really cheap price, otherwise I’m not likely to bother picking one up myself. Can use an actual tent if I want to be enclosed.
I bought this last year and practiced setting it up and sleeping in it a few times in my backyard this winter. (I'm working up to an overnight winter backpacking experience.) Seems like a pretty solid tent, don't think I'd want to use it in really windy conditions. I probably wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't deeply discounted.
Great Tom! After watching your video on your -20 bag test, and your winter trip video where you realized your zero degree down bag wasn't cutting it, my actual first thought was tent camping in winter is more than a bit damp, cold and a bit depressing, actually without some kind of heat source. That day I watched your sleeping bag test, I researched the newest floorless shelter tents and I saw the one you have set up there. I didn't notice a roof/peak vent though. Does it have one? I have camped in the winter more than a little, and I like a well vented floorless tent so as to have both a lantern and a small stove: this is where Jetboils really shine.. It actually saves a lot of weight in extra clothing too: because no need to stand around in the cold cooking and such. Anyway, I have tried several combinations. The floorless tent I still have is a MSR Twin Peaks I bought 20 years ago and it has seen many deep snow adventures. I don't recommend this setup for the inexperienced or people who drink alcohol on their trips because of the indoor heat and light setup requires finesse.(Disclaimer) So, this is me essentially saying I do not recommend open flames in tents. With that new setup you would probably be comfortable in your Zero Degree Phantom. BTW ..jeesh, my biggest trip in a long time was to a ski hut last night in the Cascades. It had solar lights, water pump and a propane fireplace. And, amazingly enough. I had it all to myself even though it berths 14! It was the last night of the season. My complete pack weight was 19 lbs. It could have been lighter, but one has to carry enough to survive an emergency bivy. Talk about roughing it--not!
Good to hear from you Robert and thanks for sharing your experience. I did buy a different bag and went on an overnight ski trip. Stay tuned for next week's video.❄️❄️
![The Front Range Floor Insert & Tarp Shelter by MSR [Review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/gZxMmdFxwKk/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Front Range Floor Insert & Tarp Shelter by MSR [Review]](/img/tr.png)
IMO these are my favorite types of winter shelters (anytime there is plenty of snow to sculpt). Spent the most time in a Mountain Hardwear Kiva (5 corner vs 4 corner footprint) but I currently own the Black Diamond Mega Lite.
This MSR Front Range looks excellent as well. I believe it may be larger than the Mega Lite which could be nice. It’s cheery color is similar to the color of the Kiva, great during storm days.
I considered the Black Diamond Mega 4P as well. It is very similar to the MSR Front Range and I think that they are both good shelters. Color is an interesting option. Back in the day, most winter use tents were either orange or red, the idea being that those colors have a psychological effect to make one feel warmer, blue having the opposite effect. I plan to use my MSR Front Range tent as a base camp shelter on multi day ski tours. I prefer a free-standing fast pitch tent for solo outings where the camp is moved daily. At any rate, thanks for tuning in and for posting feedback.
I've missed most of your content this year as I was hiking the PCT for a bit too long 7 months. Coming back to see what I missed, noticed a very familiar shelter. Nice!
I have used pyramid-style shelters for winter tours for a few years now. My main shelters currently are the Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid Xl and Supermid. XL for single person, Super for two.
The MSR is a great shelter too. I did go ahead and sew on some more linelocs, to those mid-hem tieouts just to make operaring a bit easier. A friend of mine also added mid-wall tieouts that the MSR is lacking, compared to MLD, Locus Gear and other manufacturers.
I like the zipper on the MSR as it is a normal one, easier to operate in winter compared to waterproof zippers. What I don't like is that the top vent is on the opposite side, which you typically would face against the wind. This creates quite a bit of ventilation - which can be good or bad. The vent also cannot be closed so I was thinkin to add a solid-fabric zippered flap to it, like in real expedition tents.
I have found a fitting solid-wall innertent for this shelter. Unfortunately you can only get these from China shops, and it needs slight modification. I added another zipper to the door to make it a full inverted-T style opening. Easier to use with two people. There is also a half inner which fits these 4p pyramids well, and the Duomid XL too. Did the same thing with it.
Solid inners add a lot of warmth and you do not need to worry too much about spindrift. What you lose with the full inner is the ability to dig down - however I rarely miss that as it is spacious for two as is.
Word is, that in the comign years Ukranian tent manufacturer Liteway may have pyramid tent solid-wall inners available. I'll be testing their shelter this coming winter
Here is a link to the inners. The full inners do not seem to be in stock anywhere right now but it can change:
a.aliexpress.com/_mto71N6
Congrats on your PCT adventure and thanks for posting your experience with these pyramid type tents. I don't envision myself using it during the bug season but I'm looking forward to using it for ski touring this winter. I appreciate the feedback and I'm sure others will find your information useful.
I bought this for day long snow shoeing. I or my gf and me use it for a break in the day to cook and rest I have a snow peak portable firepit that I put in the pulk and I use the thermarest chairs with the pads and we sit on the snow and make a fire and cooked and relax Haven't used it over night though.
That sounds like fun. A pulk sure adds to the amount of gear that one can bring along on a winter outing and I should probably do it more often. Thanks for tuning in and for posting feedback. Have a great winter.
You can get the mesh inner as well for this set up…I found the Msr up here a little pricey for what your getting…
It might be nice in mosquito season but it really adds to the weight and price of the set up. I try to keep an eye out for an inner tent for a really cheap price, otherwise I’m not likely to bother picking one up myself. Can use an actual tent if I want to be enclosed.
Great video Tom, thank you for sharing and wishing you a great day. Take care
Thanks for tuning in and posting feedback. Take care and many happy adventures.
I bought this last year and practiced setting it up and sleeping in it a few times in my backyard this winter. (I'm working up to an overnight winter backpacking experience.) Seems like a pretty solid tent, don't think I'd want to use it in really windy conditions. I probably wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't deeply discounted.
That's great! It is always a good idea to do a backyard shakedown. I hope you have some great adventures. Thanks for posting.
Great Tom! After watching your video on your -20 bag test, and your winter trip video where you realized your zero degree down bag wasn't cutting it, my actual first thought was tent camping in winter is more than a bit damp, cold and a bit depressing, actually without some kind of heat source. That day I watched your sleeping bag test, I researched the newest floorless shelter tents and I saw the one you have set up there. I didn't notice a roof/peak vent though. Does it have one? I have camped in the winter more than a little, and I like a well vented floorless tent so as to have both a lantern and a small stove: this is where Jetboils really shine.. It actually saves a lot of weight in extra clothing too: because no need to stand around in the cold cooking and such. Anyway, I have tried several combinations. The floorless tent I still have is a MSR Twin Peaks I bought 20 years ago and it has seen many deep snow adventures. I don't recommend this setup for the inexperienced or people who drink alcohol on their trips because of the indoor heat and light setup requires finesse.(Disclaimer) So, this is me essentially saying I do not recommend open flames in tents. With that new setup you would probably be comfortable in your Zero Degree Phantom. BTW ..jeesh, my biggest trip in a long time was to a ski hut last night in the Cascades. It had solar lights, water pump and a propane fireplace. And, amazingly enough. I had it all to myself even though it berths 14! It was the last night of the season. My complete pack weight was 19 lbs. It could have been lighter, but one has to carry enough to survive an emergency bivy. Talk about roughing it--not!
Good to hear from you Robert and thanks for sharing your experience. I did buy a different bag and went on an overnight ski trip. Stay tuned for next week's video.❄️❄️