If you are contemplating a really serious expedition to a high peak then you will have to look for a top of the range, heavy-duty mountain tent. These are typically classed one notch above 4-season tents (sometimes they are just called winter tents) and are known as expedition tents or mountaineering tents. They have sturdy frames with extra pegs, ropes, guys and poles to withstand strong winds and heavy snow. In many cases, unless you are climbing on a really high peak, you can often actually just get away with using a 4-season tent without having to splash out the extra money needed for a fully-fledged expedition-worthy tent. But if you are going to one of the major peaks (Denali, Everest, K2) you don’t want to mess around. Even Aconcagua or Mera call for proper expedition tents because if the wind picks up it can slam right through a tent that isn’t sturdy enough. In serious conditions you may also want to supplement the standard tent with extra ropes to stake it out. You may also want to consider internal guys or stays that help tie the tent together from the inside to improve its ability to shed wind.
Snow pockets and anchors
A good 4-season or mountain tent will also usually have deep snow pockets that can be buried into the snow for added stability and to prevent wind getting in under the tent and threatening to blow it away.
A typical modern high-mountain tent will have a frame made of aluminum or a similar, high-strength yet light-weight alloy. Whatever you do, avoid tents with glass fiber poles. This may be good for going on little fishing trips or to festivals but I’ve seen the poles on those babies snap in the slightest breeze. Aluminum or other metal alloys will bend rather than break, which gives the tent a much better chance of surviving a serious storm.
Frames and poles
There are a variety of different frame and pole systems out there from tunnels to geodesic domes. They each have their advantages and disadvantages yet all are designed with the same idea in mind, to shed wind and snow and to spread strong loads imposed by gusting storms. The better ones will also use advanced methods of joining poles to one another as this is a notorious weak spot in most tents. The Mountain Hardwear EV2 is one of the better ones. Its Atlas pole system has sophisticated engineered joins to reduce the risk of breakage at a point of likely failure.
In general you’ll get an expedition tent that can sleep two or three (though some solo versions also exist). Just remember that whatever the printed number, it can be quite a squeeze. I generally would prefer to go for a 3 man tent rather than a 2 man tent, because all of your gear can take up a lot of space and the extra weight is not that much. Manufacturers of quality mountain tents know that every ounce they add to the tent is an ounce you will have to lug up the mountain with you. There is also a bit of a virtuous cycle in being small as the bigger a tent gets the greater the stress that winds and snow can impose on it so tents get heavier a lot faster than they get bigger.
Vestibules
Still you will need some room and most have a vestibule, which is kind of like a porch on a tent. It is an extra extension of the tent’s main outer layer that helps make it more aerodynamic while also giving you place to store your gear and cook out of the wind (remember to be careful, I can’t tell you how many tents I’ve seen that have been burned through by an over enthusiastic gasoline stove that turned into a flame thrower).
And remember too that you will have quite a bit of gear with you on a serious expedition, so you’ll need all the room you can get. In many cases people will buy a tent supposedly rated for 3 people and use it for two to make up for all the extra space your gear will take.
Among some of the most popular expeditiong-grade tents are the North Face VE-25, which has been a stalwart of expeditions to the Himalayas and to Denali for years), the Mountain Hardwear EV2 or Trango and Marmot Thor. Each of these is a serious mountain tent that would likely see you through some of nature’s most extreme conditions. They are also made by some of the most trusted brands in outdoor gear. You find find reviews of them on this site and also get full specifications on the latest models directly from the manufacturers. If you are just planning on doing ordinary backpacking and hiking be sure to look at the range of lightweight camping tents and backpacking tents (some of which are also reviewed here) as you really need not spend the kind of money buying an expedition-grade tent that will be heavier and more expsensive than you need.
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