Elixir 4

Wife and I have a nice msr elixir 4 that we took to yosemite and sequioa in april one year for her birthday trip. Brought 2 of our big wolfdogs with and needed a bigger tent n one i didnt care if they destroyed. Got the 7 person teepee tent from walmart clearance 2 days into the trip for like $40... Got a huge snowstorm in sequioa and it held up to over 2' of heavy snow in one night. Was insanely surprised and still use that tent for family camping trips today. Some of the ozark stuff is surprisingly decent for the price.

to summarize what you probably want in a good tent, especially one as versatile as you want: strong pole structure, more solid body than mesh, enough mesh and vents for proper airflow, and portability. increased visibility is also always a plus, especially if you’re camping in wintry climates. generally, for something that will be tested by harsh conditions on a regular basis, it’s good to stick with the established brands rather than rolling the dice with amazon-affiliates: they’ve been around for a long time, and they’re a lot more likely to stand by their product than a shifty company that has never heard of the phrase “quality control”. MSR elixir is great, and usually is cheap. it’s very storm proof, does well in high winds, and can handle both texas heat and colorado blizzards comfortably. it’s a bit heavier than the REI half dome, but i’d wager it probably handles rough conditions far better. with gear, the cloud up 2 design is going to suck. you’re going to probably want two doors/vestibules if you have a lot of gear, and having the entrance like that seems like it would be far more annoying that a standard side entrance for a tent. also, there’s no such thing as a true all-season tent (at least one that can handle alpine conditions without being a sauna/greenhouse any other time of the year), but the elixir is one of the few that can come close to fitting the bill. if you want something that will let you do some serious winter camping (high elevations, high winds, high snow loads, etc.), you will need to go outside of that price range unless you find it used somewhere or it falls off a truck. i wouldn’t trust the onetigris “4 season” tent, since it looks like they’ve equated “4 season” with “no mesh”, allowing them to sell a cheaper tent at a higher price point. as a rule of thumb, i’m generally cautious about onetigris and other brands like them that try to market themselves as tacticool bushcraft warrior tent brands, since that’s usually compensating for shitty equipment. the north face tent you’ve shown might be a good mountaineering tent, but it’s probably overkill (if it’s any good) because you likely won’t be doing any alpine expeditions any time soon. a “treeline” 4 season tent like the MSR access 2 would be a better fit if you want a true 4 season tent, and it occasionally is on sale — i managed to get one used for $100 and it’s been a pretty good tool for camping in harsh wintry conditions. that said, it’s very expensive (for good reason), so you’re probably better off sticking with something like the Elixir, as you’re probably not going to get as lucky as i did any time soon.

The Elixir is a great tent - is pretty tough while still being on the lighter side compared to standard or cheap tents. I’ve had one for 5+ years and taken it on portage trips and car camping trips and it holds up well. The 2 is a good size for one person and some gear, and I bought a 3 to camp with my gf. My only reason for changing tents was weight. I recently sold both of them and upgraded to a Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL 3, a much lighter tent to make portaging and backpacking easier. They are a bit more delicate feeling than the elixir, so I am more gentle with them. The Elixir is the kind of tent people live in while tree planting for many seasons in a row. The single zipper door design on the Elixir is nicer / smoother to operate than the Tiger Wall. The fly also opens closer to the door, so it’s easier to get in and out, whereas the Tiger Wall you have to lean out pretty far to close or open the fly. My friend who is also a gear head bought the nature hike tent - he’s had it many years and it’s worked well. Basically an MSR quality tent without the brand name. Just make sure it’s not “used” and being sold as “new” - hold the fly up to the sky and loom through it to check the waterproof coating / pour water on it before your first trip to make sure. Use your footprint and it will last many years! TLDR; the Elixir is a great tent - buy it!

MSR Elixir is superior

i've been running a msr elixir for over a decade in all seasons and it's held up / required almost not repairs (one broken pole section from hastily carelessly setting up (not fully inserting which puts pressure on the meeting point)) It is a fortress in the cold & wet & wind. Its a bit hot in extreme heat though and I keep the doors open for airflow - which is fine until bugs are an issue. I feel like it will be hard to find something that is wind and snow proof but also good in extreme heat.

https://preview.redd.it/lsqbgkz5dj4f1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=844144fb179976bb6b0bf23849d3228715d37202 I really like the MSR Elixir.

Seems we have an elitist over here? I did multi day (5 till 10 days) hikes for years with an MSR Elixer to no problem whatsoever.