An Ultralight Four-Season Tent

Four-season tents typically weigh a lot, and for a good reason: that all-climate protection requires materials strong enough to endure any weather situation, from polar vortex blizzards to summer hail storms in the high country. Next season, Big Agnes aims to remedy that issue with their Shield 2 ($600), the first single-wall, two-person tent to use 37.5 waterproof Polartec NeoShell—one of the most breathable fabrics on the market—which should help vent moisture directly to the tent exterior. Weighing only three pounds and 15 ounces, the two-person tent boasts 28 square feet of floor space, with a storm flap on the door, a nylon laminate floor, taped seams, and a DAC Featherlite NSL pole system with twist clips and sleeves to attach the tent to the frame. Sounds promising, but we’re anxious to see if the Shield 2 will be breathable enough to avoid turning the tent into a sweatbox during the warmer months. Fly vents should help, but the single-door construction could impact the ability to really let things air out.
—Nathan Borchelt