Black Diamond - FirstLight 2P Tent

I've been to the mountain 4 times and summited 3 times. 1st time, Hotlum Bolam ridge: Guide supplied a BD first light to me, some other clients got REI half domes 2nd time, Hotlum Bolam ridge: Guide supplied BD first light again  3rd time, Avalanche Gulch: I brought my MLD Supermid  4th time, Clear Creek: I brought my Nemo Dagger  My opinions on these tents: BD first light: Light, small, affordable, strong. But it doesn't have a vestibule, and feels really small for someone over 6 feet when your pack is inside because there's rain on the forecast. My head and feet were both touching the tent, which was covered in condensation (it's single wall...) MLD supermid: Spacious but a pain to set up. Not great as a basecamp tent because it needs your treking poles, although you can always remove them temporarily. Nemo Dagger: Very comfy and easy to set up, but not for harsh conditions. My partner attempted Avalanche Gulch (guided) earlier this year (June, but the weather was bad), the guides supplied a Mount Hardwear Trango. Indestructible but heavy. One of the guides had a Hilleberg Jannu get shredded, a Slingfin (unknown model) and the client Trangos survived. If I were looking for a four season tent right now, Id probably go Samaya if I wanted the lightest option and Slingfin if I wanted the comfortable of double-wall.

The BD First Light is a tried and true lightweight mountaineering tent. Fits 2 people tightly and assembles from the inside. We added guylines to the side walls and have spent numerous nights out at 12-13k. 

I’ve loved my Black Diamond Highlight 3P as a standard workhorse. I’ve used it for backpacking and summiting mountains for 8 seasons and have never had an issue. It’s light enough for me to carry by myself when I’m climbing with my daughters or wife, and it has plenty of room when the weather is bad. I also use a BD First Light 2P for solo trips, or winter camping. I purchased a BD Beta Light 2P this winter and am really looking forward to getting some trips in this summer, at under 2lbs.

Be more specific about what severe cold weather means to you. Winter in the mountains / arctic with sub freezing temps and no liquid water around or 40 degrees and constant rain in a coastal forest? Multi day / week trips or a quick night out? Floorless / meshless pyramid style tents are a popular light weight option with ski tourists and other winter travelers. They work well in winter conditions as they give you a lot of room for the weight, you can pitch them with your poles (and skis as stakes) and dig snow out from under to make more headroom. The black diamond mega light/ mega mid was the classic in this category but a bunch of brands make similar ~4 person square pyramid tarps now including some out of more exotic ultralgiht fabrics. Two person single wall mountaineering bivy tents are also an option but can be quite cramped. The lightest of these like the bd firstlight use a water resistant but not fully waterproof fabric and really only make sense in sub freezing temps or when the forecast is mostly good but you need a tent for a possible thunder storm.

Black diamond first light. Single wall. Used in the desert west a lot. Kept the sand and blowing dust out.

I have the diamondback first light, wouldn’t recommend it. Very light, that’s about it.

It’s what I’ve used for years, but I question how it would perform in high wind. Those sides are like sails. I only ever really winter camp below treeline and in calm conditions. Kind of tempted to test it in a storm this winter

Durston and Black Diamond make light 4-season tents. Not expedition tents but they get the job done. My BD FirstLight is ~3.6 ib. As others have said, forget trying to actually insulate. One hack I use is a light space/rescue blanket on the floor, heat reflective side up. Helps.

I've not been on Logan but done plenty of long cold climbing trips elsewhere. I'd take a spare stove, preferably an XGK, Whisperlite or Optimus as your main stove and the Jetboil as a backup. I always liked the metal pump on the Optimus and used one for years, but also used an XGK a lot and only ever cracked one pump. Consider making a stove board for the MSR for lower camps, a bit heavy but very useful. Light plywood or similar with a layer of foil glued/tacked on the top, bungee cord through two places to hold the bottle in place. Makes a flat, secure cooking platform. Doubles as cutting board. I've not used Samaya but plenty of Bibler/BD single walls and they all have bad condensation/frost buildup in real world use. Double walls are definitely warmer and more secure (if damaged) and much better to ride out several days for storm. Maybe take a Samaya for the highest camp, something like a MH Trango down lower. Personally I have valences sewn onto my expedition tents for such trips, but many don't bother. I tested but never used VBL liners. Modern 8000m boots made their warmth benefit redundant, and I never got very sweaty socks, but if you do they might be good. But for feet, they require planning and care to use properly - the right liner sock, changing them daily, maybe foot powder etc. Years ago I used basic old Asolo 101 plastic boots on Denali WB and they were fine, but they were nice comfy fit and I had 40Below overboots as backup.