Which 3-4 season backpacking tent

[Platensek-po]

Check out mountain smith tents. I have a 3 season that is amazing and their customer service is great. I had the poles stolen from a campground in South America and they sent me new ones free of charge. It’s a great size and light but super weather proof and easy to set up. I’m a big dude and I fit with room for my pack at my feet.

[huntnnw]

I have a 3p Kuiu refuge. Plenty of room for my wife and I plus all gear inside. It is also capable of having a stove.

[jackelope]

I’d go Copper Spur. 2 Side doors with big vestibules. Get the UL2 for 1 guy and you won’t need vestibules.

[7mmfan]

Got him narrowed down to the Kuiu Stormstar, Copper Spur UL2, or a Luxe Minipeak XL. I may have him leaning floorless now, which I personally think is a good decision for him.

[highside74]

I thought I wanted floorless until I used it. No thanks.

Now I've never used one with a stove but if I'm by myself without a stove I want a normal tent design.

[Skyvalhunter]

There is the option of going with floor or not like with the Kuiu tent I have.

[jackelope]

I thought I wanted floorless until I used it. No thanks.

Now I've never used one with a stove but if I'm by myself without a stove I want a normal tent design.

This.

[highside74]

Got him narrowed down to the Kuiu Stormstar, Copper Spur UL2, or a Luxe Minipeak XL. I may have him leaning floorless now, which I personally think is a good decision for him.

Those are great choices. My thought is that the Kuiu is double the weight of the copper spur to carry around on the off chance that he might need a four season  for an October snow. I'd take my chances and carry the Copper Spur.

[blackveltbowhunter]

What terrain is he hunting in mainly? There is no way I would run a back packing floorless shelter in western wa, north idaho etc..... without a stove. Wet and muddy not great drainage, it's a mess. Even with a stove it will limit pitch locations and can still be a nightmare to get dry. I love tipi type shelters, but like everything else they have limitations.

[huntnnw]

I couldn’t imagine a floor less tent in rain or snowy conditions. No thanks . I’ll carry an extra 10 oz for a floor

[Skyvalhunter]

I have done floorless and stove less on a Kodiak Brown bear hunt in Oct where it rained and blew 8 of the 10 days. Its all about tent placement. I guess it also depends on your comfort zone.

[Mtnwalker]

I couldn’t imagine a floor less tent in rain or snowy conditions. No thanks . I’ll carry an extra 10 oz for a floor

It can go both ways. With proper setup it’s also nice to not have water puddling or mud tracking in that comes with a traditional floored tent in those conditions

[baker5150]

I couldn’t imagine a floor less tent in rain or snowy conditions. No thanks . I’ll carry an extra 10 oz for a floor

It can go both ways. With proper setup it’s also nice to not have water puddling or mud tracking in that comes with a traditional floored tent in those conditions

Can't beat a floorless tipi with a stove and a 3/4 or 1/2 nest.

More versatile than any other option IMO.

[7mmfan]

What terrain is he hunting in mainly? There is no way I would run a back packing floorless shelter in western wa, north idaho etc..... without a stove. Wet and muddy not great drainage, it's a mess. Even with a stove it will limit pitch locations and can still be a nightmare to get dry. I love tipi type shelters, but like everything else they have limitations.

This tent would mainly be used in East/Central Idaho, so generally dry when we're there, but every year we get some form of rain/snow/cold. This year we had an extended period of high winds, cold, and some snow and rain. His current tent did fine, but he saw the writing on the wall. I was camped 10' from him in my tipi with stove and he ended up storing all his stuff in my tent to get it dry and keep it dry. My guess is he would really like the Minipeak XL with a nest and stove. Even just a 1 man bathtub floor changes the whole thing as you don't have to worry about water in your sleeping area anymore.

His argument is that he likes the simplicity of a freestanding tent, which I understand, but man you don't get a whole lot simpler than a tipi with 4 corner stakes and center pole. You can have the tent erect in 1 minute and all your gear in the dry if you're setting up in inclement weather.

Either way, everyone has been a good help with this subject so far and I think I was able to narrow it down to 3 legitimate shelters that offer different pros and cons and will give us something to talk about.   

[kselkhunter]

The half nest option is nice to have.  I love it for my tipi during summer to keep the bugs out, and if it's raining hard.  In snow or fall when it's dry, I go without the nest in the tipi.