What tent to use?

[foxyrider]

I'm looking at a summer trip to Finland/Sweden in 2018 so I need a bit of advice.

I've got a couple of tents, Vaude Taurus UL and Power Lizard UL which i've used 3 season UK / Germany / Alpine region. Will one of these be suitable or do I need to look at something 4 season?

I'll be going north as far as Tormio in Lapland.

[psmiffy]

Ive only been as far north as Vaasa but i cant imagine that the weather in the summer gets worse a few hundred ks north - 3 season should be more than good enough - check the integrity of mossy seal tho

[pjclinch]

Part of the game is that "4 season tent" means different things to different people. Some people say it's got heightened wind resistance, some think it's about snow loading, some say it's the flysheet going to the ground, and so on. So rather than look at a somewhat marketing-speak woolly definition see what conditions you can reasonably expect and think about whether your tents will be okay in them.

My guess is either of those should be fine, assuming you're pitching them with due care.

Pete.

[pwa]

Ive only been as far north as Vaasa but i cant imagine that the weather in the summer gets worse a few hundred ks north - 3 season should be more than good enough - check the integrity of mossy seal tho

Even in northern Scotland in August I have had hands so cold that I've warmed them up by immersing them in warm water in a camp site laundry. But tents do not keep you warm. Your sleeping bag and mat do that, along with your clothing. The tent just needs to be able to keep you sheltered. Will there be snow? Will wind speeds be greater than you get on the Cornish coast? If not, no problem with your tents.

[Chat Noir]

Coincidentally, I have exactly the same tents. We use the Taurus for 2-person touring, lightweight and spacious enough, never had an issue with rain or wind but never used in snow. Have used the Power Lizard 1P on many climbing trips in past few years, on lightweight solo cycling tours and when backpacking. Not sure this one is still available. Key features for me are lightness (well under 1 kg) and small packed size. Copes at altitude, in snow and in strong winds. You will know it is very small, the classic ‘coffin’ design, and you need to be able to bend double to get dressed inside if wet outside, but certainly better than a bivi bag, especially if you’re in for a protracted period. Downsides: can get condensation; heavy snow does mean inner and outer touch and gets bit damp; larger sleeping bags (I use expedition down bag when at altitude) takes up more space so more cramped. If the weather is settled I pull the flap out sideways to gain more sheltered space.

Here's photo of the Power Lizard + bike this autumn just below 3000 m

Don’t think there’ll be anything weatherwise that either tent won’t cope with, more a case of do you want to be so confined when the Taurus isn’t a lot heavier and doesn’t take up a lot more space.

Good luck.

[willem jongman]

To be honest, on my summer trips in northern Sweden and Finland, heat was more of an issue.

[foxyrider]

Coincidentally, I have exactly the same tents. We use the Taurus for 2-person touring, lightweight and spacious enough, never had an issue with rain or wind but never used in snow. Have used the Power Lizard 1P on many climbing trips in past few years, on lightweight solo cycling tours and when backpacking. Not sure this one is still available. Key features for me are lightness (well under 1 kg) and small packed size. Copes at altitude, in snow and in strong winds. You will know it is very small, the classic ‘coffin’ design, and you need to be able to bend double to get dressed inside if wet outside, but certainly better than a bivi bag, especially if you’re in for a protracted period. Downsides: can get condensation; heavy snow does mean inner and outer touch and gets bit damp; larger sleeping bags (I use expedition down bag when at altitude) takes up more space so more cramped. If the weather is settled I pull the flap out sideways to gain more sheltered space.

Here's photo of the Power Lizard + bike this autumn just below 3000 m

DSC06110.JPG
Don’t think there’ll be anything weatherwise that either tent won’t cope with, more a case of do you want to be so confined when the Taurus isn’t a lot heavier and doesn’t take up a lot more space.

Good luck.

Mines the 2p Power Lizard so I find there's bags of room, similar height at apex so no worse, for me at least, for dressing etc Have to agree about condensation, I'm veering towards the Taurus for this trip atm

[foxyrider]

To be honest, on my summer trips in northern Sweden and Finland, heat was more of an issue.

Now that is useful to know, which months are we talking?

[willem jongman]

It has been a while, but I think July/August, but it was apparently exceptional. However, do not forget that Finland has a quite continental climate, so with relatively warm summers. It really is not like Schotland (Norway is, but more so). Also, it does not cool down quite so much in the evening, because there is no evening... Finally, it does not have the higher elevations such as in Norway.
So, in short, any decent three season tent should do the job, apart from perhaps the very north, where an ordinary four season tent should still be enough. Rovaniemi's daytime summer max is 15 degrees, after all. I would take some warm clothing, to be safe. And insect repellent.

[syklist]

Ive only been as far north as Vaasa but i cant imagine that the weather in the summer gets worse a few hundred ks north - 3 season should be more than good enough - check the integrity of mossy seal tho

When the wind changes and blows from the North you notice it a lot more in Lofoten then here in Buskerud. I presume the same holds for Sweden and Finland.

[syklist]

To be honest, on my summer trips in northern Sweden and Finland, heat was more of an issue.

Let me know when you are planning on coming to Norway and what your approximate route will be. I'll plan my cycle tour to shadow yours

[psmiffy]

Ive only been as far north as Vaasa but i cant imagine that the weather in the summer gets worse a few hundred ks north - 3 season should be more than good enough - check the integrity of mossy seal tho

When the wind changes and blows from the North you notice it a lot more in Lofoten then here in Buskerud. I presume the same holds for Sweden and Finland.

West Norway I think is a different ball game - Bodo to Stavanger - It was freezing at night in the north and the southwesterly and the rain as I went south was - I think formidable covers it - Norwegians I met waiting for the boat were going to Scotland for "the good weather"

[khain]

I would be more worried about keeping mosquitoes out than weather-related problems.

There isn't really any night-time during summer so the temperature shouldn't drop too much. It was never cold or windy when I was there.

If anything you might want to look more at a summer tent with a thin mesh than a 4-season one. I had a Nallo 2 and found it uncomfortably hot.

[pjclinch]

But tents do not keep you warm. Your sleeping bag and mat do that, along with your clothing. The tent just needs to be able to keep you sheltered.

Hmmmm. It's all part of the same thing, really, with each element doing its bit to stop you losing heat faster than your body can generate it. By keeping you in a clam atmosphere and letting heat build up there (especially if you have company) a tent can do a lot to help keep you warm, and different design aspects influence how good it is at that.

I was doing some winter skills work with some folk up on Cairngorm on one occasion. It was a proper cold day and my four charges were reasonably equipped, but nowhere near as well as me. At lunchtiime I had them all go in to a 4-person bothy bag (a big nylon sack, held in place by the occupants sitting in a circle facing in, so a minimal tent with no intrinsic insulation value but total windproofing) while I put on all my layers, including a down jacket over my winter climbing salopettes and full-on double mitts . After lunch they were all fine and I was feeling really cold, so a bit of company and a thin sheet of nylon beat serious winter mountaineering equipment.

Pete.

[willem jongman]

Absolutely. So in terms of tent choice, a tent that protects you better against wind is better. In a different way, the size of the tent also makes a big difference. A few years ago I took our Nammatj 3gt rather than one of the smaller tents on a short solo tour, expecting relatively mild weather (so also taking only a summer bag and an Exped Synmat UL rather than a Downmat). Unexpectedly, night temperatures dropped rather badly, and I had an unpleasantly cold night. The tent did not keep me warm as a smaller tent would have done.