Hot take: I picked a 3-season tent for a Colorado trip in late October and it was a bad call

Claire Scott · 2026-03-13T03:20:11.182153+00:00

I had to choose between renting a 4-season tent or using my own 3-season one for a trip near Telluride last fall, and I went with mine to save the $75 rental fee. We got hit with an early snowstorm and spent a cold, damp night listening to the poles groan. Anyone else pushed a 3-season tent too far and regretted it?

amy_cooper316mo ago

Yeah saw a video where a guy's 3-season tent totally collapsed under wet snow, looked brutal lol

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karenlane5mo ago

Damn, so did @kelly.robin's advice work for you in the moment?

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kelly.robin6mo ago

Have you considered that maybe the tent wasn't set up right for those conditions? I've used my solid 3-season tent in early snow by being very careful about site choice and knocking snow off regularly. A good fly and strong poles make a big difference. Sometimes the problem is pushing the tent past its design, but sometimes it's about how you use what you have.

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