UltaMid 4

I’ve never found vents that work in rain… In my experience, vents only work when it’s cold and dry and I’m using the fly for wind protection. In that case, the vents allow some of the warm, moist air to escape instead of condensing on the inside of the fly and forming ice crystals. I still get some ice formation, just… less. When it’s raining hard, the RH is simply too high for vents to allow enough air to exchange. Instead, I tend to look for a tent design that allows me to keep the fly as open as possible during rain. For instance, if there are generous vestibules on opposing sides, I can keep the doors partially open to allow a cross-breeze. That’s the only way. Right now, I’m using three tents that I think are quite good: The Two by Gossamer Gear, Unbound 2 by HMG, and, Ultamid 4 by HMG. Those tents can be pitched or configured to allow a lot of airflow when it’s lightly raining or closed all the way down for maximum protection when it’s wild. I’ve seen some intimidating videos out of Scotland, though. Depending on where and when you’re going, you may want a freestanding four-season tent that’s more capable in heavy wind. Sounds like a fun trip! Have fun. Good luck.

Ultamid 4 by HMG. I use it for snow camping on Mount Rainier all the time. Works fantastic.

>I don't know of any single-pole design that would perform better MLD Solomid/Duomid/Supermid HMG Ultamid 1/2/4 Locus Gear Khufu/Khafra Black Diamond Megalight Oware Pyramid Basically any single pole traditional mid with steep sides will do better with snow loading than the two pole and asymmetrical mids.

All of the ultralight tents especially dcf ones are expensive. I’ve got ones by Durston (XMid Pro 2), Hyperlite (Ultamid 4), and Tarptent (DR LI). I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of them but personally my favorite is probably the Ultamid but the DR LI is a close second. I feel like the Ultamid is bomb proof - with plenty of living space. But the DR LI has great headspace and smaller footprint. I found the XMid to be fiddly to setup compared to the other two but great space in the vestibule. For me it was worth the price … but I managed to find deals on all 3. And Tarptent has great customer service (had to have my DR LI) patched after a tree fell and put a hole in it. https://preview.redd.it/7roxru6cb8gf1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da37b103129e341f6977062c940e8cc7fb893cf2

Tarptent DR LI is great but for 2 people + gear it’s a bit cozy. I’d look at 3 person tents - ZPacks Triplex, HMG Ultamid, and I think Tarptent has some 3 person tents too. https://preview.redd.it/70ryh7hoa8jf1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b3eb6fca572dee4e6610c40b05fc5a63e3423ca

How many people you need to sleep mate? Unless your talking extreme mountain top camping you could just go with something like the north face storm break 2. Comes in at under $500. Or a mont Moondance for a little extra. Msr elixir for around $600. If you need it lighter for hiking you could go with Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid 4. Really 50km winds is pretty manageable for anything Mother Nature can throw at you any dome style tent that’s not so cheap rubbish. I myself use a hyperlight unbound 2 but again that was a little over a grand. I also use a durston x mid 2 in warmer weather, that’s around $500 and it’s probably my favorite tent of all of the ones I’ve accumulated over the years. 50k winds would be nothing for it but it may get a bit drafty inside. But it’s gotten more use than any tent I’ve ever owned! Light as shit and comfy!

We did 4 (2 adults, 2 kids) in an HMG UltraMid4 for 500 miles. Worked great. With 3 you’d have tons of space at a pretty light weight. Plus you can split the inner and outer as your kids get big enough to share weight.

I have experience camping in high winds and it is a pain in the ass to set up a tarp using trekking poles with wind above 30 MPH and no trees. Winds above 50mph will damage almost any UL tent or tarp unless it’s made for expeditions and fully enclosed so that wind cannot get underneath the edges and cause lift. My DCF xmid pro 2 and DCF HMG ultamid 4 both sustained minor wind damaged to the DCF around the 4 corners regions and top DCF around where the trekking pole sits from 50mph+ wind. I steak the edges as close to the ground as I can to prevent wind from getting underneath and causing lift but it will still be troublesome in winds above 40mph and you’ll need boulders to sit on top of the steaks in the four corners region in most cases.. Camping a few nights with 50+ mph wind may only stretch the DCF fabric but it will definitely cause damage that will reduce the lifespan. For extreme climates and high wind above 50mph I would only recommend an expedition style tent that is fully enclosed so that no wind can get under the outer edges and cause lift or blow the sand/dirt/rain inside. If you’re trekking pole tent gets blown over in 50+ MPH wind you’re going to have a hell of a time getting it set back up unless you’ve got some very heavy boulders to sit on the four corner stakes. In my experience most of the time trekking pole tents will blow over in winds above 40 mph if you don’t have boulders on the stakes however well packed Clay soils may hold a steak better.