What do you sleep in when out in the backcountry?

[mod7rem]

There's a lot of things to consider to recommend just one system. Over many years of mountain hunts I've used 3 season (including tarptent), 4 season (sierra and hilleberg), and used floorless with woodstove. When in the mountains you dont just need a place to sleep, you need a shelter. If you're tentbound for multiple days with bad weather, you need a shelter and not just a place that you have to be curled up in a sleeping. I've been in enough crappy situations that I personally wouldn't choose a tarp & bivy setup unless I knew I was going to be in sheltered timber the whole time and a reasonable distance to hike out to safety if things went bad. It'd be hard to ride out a storm in tarp and bivy. On 2016's sheep hunt we were in the worst storm I've ever been in, and even using a 4 season hilleberg we came very close to being in a life and death situation. Tent tore loose in the middle of the storm, this is with big rocks on top of all stakes, one pole bent very bad but luckily didnt break and tear the tent open. There was so much moisture in the air from the driving snow and rain, that it was literally raining in the tent. Everything soaked, we were borderline hypothermic and barely maintaining body temp and use of our fingers. If we'd have lost the tent completely it would have definitely been life threatening. Good thing the storm only lasted 12 hours and the weather changed to just light rain for a few days, giving us a chance to hike down low on the mountain and recover. A tarp and bivy would have become just a bivy very early on in the storm, and a 3 season would not have stood up to the storm.

So my preference is either a light weight 4 season (we have Hilleberg since 2008 ) or floorless with stove, depending on what type of mountain hunt.

[mod7rem]

One of the benefits I find about a lightweight floorless with stove for backpacking is not just the heat, but also the extra tasks. When the days get shorter, there is a lot of hours of darkness to deal with and having the stove keeps you warm and occupied.
The thing I dont like about 3 season tents for sheep and goat hunts is how ventilated and drafty they are. Even in august it gets cold on the mountain and a drafty 3 season can have you tucked into your bag the whole time just to stay warm. A 4 season can allow you to lounge a little more, maybe sitting on top of your bags playing cards while you wait out bad weather.
Some comfort allows you to stay mentally in the hunt and not give up too early when weather gets crappy.

[KBC]

A lot of replies, thanks. I was thinking about the shelters that use trekking poles and realized that a down side is that if you want to leave your shelter set up somewhere to come back to, you can't bring your trekking poles with you.

How often are you leaving your shelter set up for more than one night? Or are most of you keeping your camp on your back for flexibility?

[Stresd]

A lot of replies, thanks. I was thinking about the shelters that use trekking poles and realized that a down side is that if you want to leave your shelter set up somewhere to come back to, you can't bring your trekking poles with you.

How often are you leaving your shelter set up for more than one night? Or are most of you keeping your camp on your back for flexibility?

On 10 day flyin's usually maybe only a couple days in one spot. My Stratospire 2 has very light weight extendable poles that replace my trek poles on my tarptent if I need to use them. No where as sturdy holding the tent up as using the trek poles but havn't had a problem with them. If going to be dry a day while gone i usually just pull my trek poles out and leave the tent collapsed on itself for the day. Takes less than a min to re-erect tent using trek poles when I get back.

[digger dogger]

There's a lot of things to consider to recommend just one system. Over many years of mountain hunts I've used 3 season (including tarptent), 4 season (sierra and hilleberg), and used floorless with woodstove. When in the mountains you dont just need a place to sleep, you need a shelter. If you're tentbound for multiple days with bad weather, you need a shelter and not just a place that you have to be curled up in a sleeping. I've been in enough crappy situations that I personally wouldn't choose a tarp & bivy setup unless I knew I was going to be in sheltered timber the whole time and a reasonable distance to hike out to safety if things went bad. It'd be hard to ride out a storm in tarp and bivy. On 2016's sheep hunt we were in the worst storm I've ever been in, and even using a 4 season hilleberg we came very close to being in a life and death situation. Tent tore loose in the middle of the storm, this is with big rocks on top of all stakes, one pole bent very bad but luckily didnt break and tear the tent open. There was so much moisture in the air from the driving snow and rain, that it was literally raining in the tent. Everything soaked, we were borderline hypothermic and barely maintaining body temp and use of our fingers. If we'd have lost the tent completely it would have definitely been life threatening. Good thing the storm only lasted 12 hours and the weather changed to just light rain for a few days, giving us a chance to hike down low on the mountain and recover. A tarp and bivy would have become just a bivy very early on in the storm, and a 3 season would not have stood up to the storm.

So my preference is either a light weight 4 season (we have Hilleberg since 2008 ) or floorless with stove, depending on what type of mountain hunt.

Damned solid advice about storms and tents, I've had a quality tent get torn up in a crazy mountain storm up north.
I would never rely on anything but a tent for backpack hunts.

[JPG]

Seek Outside 6 man and the Cimarron when it’s only 2 of us.
Lite Outdoors 18” titanium stove with the baffle
Carbon pole in both