Super Quasar

I have been using a Terra Nova Super Quasar (now known as the Expedition) since 2010 for mountain wild camping in UK winters and has proven to be 100% reliable. The SQ is definitely a large two man tent (3 at a squeeze) and having the benefit of two entrances, kit storage can be neatly squared away. The SQ is very, very strong and even in extremely windy conditions, a decent night of sleep is achieved, providing ultimate confidence that you won't get blown away. Rain, or snow posses no issue to the SQ, in fact during a winter camp in 2024, my tent was virtually snowed in, the strength to withstand heavy snow build up is truly exceptional. Pitching is simple enough even in mild rain/windy conditions. Getting in and out of the SQ can be slightly awkward with wet clothing, perhaps made worse in my advancing age. The SQ is not a lightweight tent, but the offset is that when pitched correctly it will protect you 100%. I've had a couple of broken red/blue poles and carried out a service to replace the taped seams in Jan 2025 - this is all that the SQ has needed following multiple winter camping in the UK mountains. Just this month, I purchased a standard Quasar (slightly smaller and lighter) for £500 brand new. The main differences noted is the weight of the flysheets, SQ has larger entrances and 4 guy lines less on the Quasar. In my view, either of these Terra Nova tents are perfectly suited to UK winter mountain camping.

Have your locked a Terra Nova Quasar? Bombproof and very spacious. Perhaps a smidge heavy, but as others have mentioned, you’re always gonna have a weight penalty for a bomb proof 4 season tent. I have one and I love it.

I personally love anything that Terra Nova make.. also, check out the Nortent range. About the same price as the Terra Nova kit and very very good. I have a Quasar and a Verne1 and love them both! The Quasar can fit two people plus two dogs, although that is a bit cosy. Look out for a decent deal secondhand and you’ll be golden!

Terra nova Quasar. ~ 3kg £900 Hilleberg staika . ~ 3.5kg £1050 Hilleberg Jannu. ~ 3kg £1000 All of these are absolutely bombproof tents in Scottish winter and would do absolutely fine. Both hillebergs have 1 vestibule giving you a bit of space outside your inner to save space for the dog, i have a the Quasar and a 35Kg Viszla and we fit in there with plenty of space, the benefit of the Quasar is that it has 2 vestibules so you can get even more kit out of your inner fly (whilst still keeping it dry.

Pretty much all of the Hilleberg red and black label. Nallo and Soulo are classics. Nallo has more space for its weight and the GT has a wonderful vestibule. Soulo is the strongest 1 person and if you want to go overboard with the strength and camp in 70mph regularly then you can get black label version. Tarra if you want insane strength but will be heavy for one person. Unna is another good one, nice space, not as strong as a Nallo or Soulo but hardly weak, but it does like a vestibule (many unclip one corner). Terra Nova Quasar is another very strong tent, 7 crossing points in its geodesic shape so can cope with snow loading unbelievably well. But it is an inner pitch first which in rain isn't ideal. Slingfin make some good 4 season tents, the crossbow for example, contrary to common belief it isn't necessarily an inner pitch first but it is a bit of a hassle to set up the fly and then put the inner inside. But they use internal guylines as well so are stronger than the shape would suggest resulting in a spacious, relatively low weight tent. I personally have the Nordisk Seiland, more or less a Nallo GT. Slightly bigger and with better ventilation but slightly thinner fly fabric. I've had it in pretty high winds, but have seen a wind tunnel test up to 80mph with single poles. Have also used with friends a couple times and works well, lots of space in the vestibule. Tarptent Scarp is another UK classic, very strong for its weight, sorts out the space issues facing the Hilleberg Akto, just slightly bigger but makes a big difference in long nights, and the crossing poles allow it to cope with high snow loading. Also the Arcdome, very similar to the Unna, but has a vestibule, cheaper as well and comes with a 2p version. We'll see over the coming years, but looking at the design it might actually be slightly stronger than an Unna. Nortent does have strong tents, but they are a bit heavy on the marketing. The Vern is a bit well known for having some strength issues when it first came out, though looking at the Varde I can't see those in the same way (but the double door does mean that regardless of which way the wind is blowing one of the storm flaps will be in the wrong orientation). Almost anything by Samaya, but they make Hilleberg look cheap so there is that. They specialise in breathable single wall tents, and are the only manufacturer that is generally agreed to have manufacturing quality above Hilleberg. And lastly, possibly good fit, possibly not, the MLD Trailstar. When lots of people say four season here they just mean they want it strong for wind, in which case this is a large, very lightweight tent capable of performing in over 60mph. But it's design doesn't lend well to snow loading so if you will be doing lots of winter camps where it may snow heavily overnight it won't be a good option. But if all you care about is wind performance then you won't find anything as good for nearly the same weight. Tom Heaney on YouTube has some fantastic reviews of tents, buys all his tents or borrows from friends, no sponsorships. He's also the only YouTuber I have seen that holds the wind speed measure in the right place instead of walking off a few paces towards the ridge which results in higher wind speeds than what the tent faces. He has a wonderful video "the best two-person four season tent" comparing the Tarra, Quasar and Staika. And he personally loves Samaya. Really, there's lots of tents so I'd recommend choosing a type of tent, tunnel, geodesic, dome based on what you most value, be it strength, space, strength per weight. Then after choosing what type, choose the exact tent.

I started with cheap kit but could carry it. Now I’m old, I need the ultralight stuff lol. Most people end up with stuff like hilleberg, terra nova (I love my quasar) because they will take just about anything the uk can throw at them. But they’re not cheap. Typical beginner’s mistake is to underestimate how much a difference the mat makes, it’s worth reading a lot of reviews. Most of the time with camping gear the expensive stuff is worth it, at least. Don’t spend a fortune shaving a few grammes off your total unless you have to (eg long trip, niggling injury etc). Those tents are expensive and a bit heavier but they’ll last years and years. Have fun:)

I've got a Quasar it's unbelievably sturdy it's also very comfortable to live in for extended periods. Having the two porches one at each end is brilliant, and the entire sleeping area is about a meter tall. I had to kill a day in the Quasar while I waited for a storm to pass and it was very cosy! We use one porch for all our bags and the other for boots and cooking in (the sides come round so it's really protected even when the door is open. Honestly it's my favorite tent, it has so many features that are just fantastic. My mate has a hilleberg Staika or whatever the freestanding one and it is very nice but the Quasar is better and less flappy, it's actually unreal how good it is in wind, the wind just seems to glide over the Quasar I've often been lying there thinking there must be no wind and opened the door and just got smashed in face by a blizzard. Slightly harder to pitch in very high winds though, but still very easy. I would add the big difference between the two is inner or outer pitching first. Just my experience but both of these tents will often be pretty wet in the morning with condensation, it's basically unavoidable. The Quasar is easy to pack the outer separately when it's wet so the inner stays dry. The hilleberg is pitch all together so you have to go round and unclip the inner if you want to keep it separate, which is a pain. Downside of inner first tents like the Quasar can be pitching them in rain but I find if you're really quick it's not usually an issue or when it's really heavy rain but you can lay the outer over the inner and pop the poles through both eyelets at the same time.

When do pitched the MSR did you use the guy lines? All tents are shit if you don't use the guys. You don't need a hilleberg although obviously they are good. But in the wind the best tents are tunnel tents. So just get one of those. I've never known a correctly pitched tunnel tent have issues I the wind.Vango make some good more budget ones. Also make sure you have good tent pegs. Strongest tent I've ever slept in was actually a terra nova quasar though. Those things are very cosy in a storm