Eureka Spitfire 1 Man Tent In Cold Weather

[NorthGA_Hiker]

All,

Has anyone used a Eureka Spitfire tent in cold weather (below 30F)? I have a trip planned on the AT in January and I imagine temps will be in the mid to low 20's. I have an REI Arete 4 season tent but it is a good deal heavier. The Spitfire has walls that are almost all mesh and I am worried about being cold in it. Any thoughts? I can always carry the Arete, but its almost double the weight. Thanks for any suggestions.

Blake E. Gober

[paistes5]

My brother has that exact same tent and got a different one because he said that was too hot. Not sure if that helps or not but that was his observation.

[Toolshed]

Yes... I have used my Spitfire UL (before I sold it) in 10F and even below degree weather. It works fine. Where yo cvould fine a problem is in blowing and drifting snow. but just the cold won't really be a bother.... You will have mucho frost on the inside if it dips below about 25 degrees. You might nee snow stake if you are camping in teh snow (or deadman ballasts), but it should not be a problem. teh only other issue is when you take your tent down, you may need to put a glovless hand on each joint of of your tentpole to warm it up for a sec, so it separates. Othrwise, have fun!!!!!

[daddytwosticks]

Have this solo tent. Used in into the mid 20's with a good WM bag. I can't remember any problems with it. Was about five degrees warmer in the tent compared to the outside temperatures.

[Chaco Taco]

Had one in snow and it sucked. Foot of sleeping bag kept getting wet. Doesn't block wind very well either. Too small for me as well, dumped it and went with a small 2 person so I could keep my gear with me.

[Tinker]

The bottom line with any mesh inner tent is that wind will blow through the mesh - when it's cold out - too much.
When it's hot out - not enough.
Sometimes rain can splash up underneath the rainfly if it doesn't come all the way to the ground.
If the rainfly does come all the way to the ground (and if there's no way to raise it up), the tent, mesh or not, will be hot in the summer.
When condensation occurs with a mesh bodied tent, heavy rain can knock it off the inside of the rainfly and it will "mist" on you, even if the fly is completely waterproof.
If I was planning on a March start, I might start out with a three season (some solid fabric on the walls) tent, or a full on winter ultralight tent like a Stephenson or Hilleberg (I have an Akto).
(Starting with a tent instead of a hammock might be a good idea, as I found out when I hiked Georgia in 2006 because many of the trees appear to have poison ivy vines climbing up them).

In short, mesh tents are not ideal for cold weather, and
Solid nylon tents are not ideal for hot weather.
I haven't used the Eureka tent, but the above information pretty much answers your question anyhow. Eureka tents are generally of fairly good quality, more money will get more tent (for less weight), though.
Leaving in April simplifies many of the choices hikers need to make about gear, and they can start with lighter packs, too.

[/URL]
My akto tent.

If you hike without trekking poles, take a look at this tent: http://www.tarptent.com/moment.html
And the optional breathable liner to minimize the condensation misting inside.

www.lightheartgear.com/ makes a nice tent. I helped a little bit with the design (very little ). You'll need trekking poles for this one, and you won't regret all the mesh when the heat and bugs make sleeping nearly unbearable otherwise (no liner option available - yet, at least).

Budget beater: http://sixmoondesigns.com/tents/SkyscapeScout.html Single wall, requires trekking poles, floor may be more waterproof than silnylon, since it's pu coated.

[blackbird04217]

I was in mine in single digit temperatures, but like Toolshed said - the temperature isn't really the problem, a snow load would be. I never had much issue with wind with my tent, but usually avoided windy spots to setup - I imagine this could be a weak point as others have mentioned. Ultimately it is a three-season tent, so if your expecting a bit of cold weather without much wind/snow - it should hold up.

[Toolshed]

So, one other piece of info (I will try to remember to use spellcheck this time .....) Anyway a buddy of mine used to take his clip flashlight out in winter and he always build a little wall of snow around the tent, a couple of inches away from the tent. This always stopped blowing snow coming in thru the mesh and slowed down the heat loss from wind.. "Of course this was in an area where snow was always abundant from Late October thru May YMMV......