Got caught in a surprise storm on Mount Hood and it changed my tent setup for good.

Was hiking up near Timberline Lodge last fall. Weather turned fast, heavy rain and wind. My old two-person tent almost collapsed, poles bending bad. I switched to a four-season model, the MSR Access 2, right after. Anyone else make a big gear change after one rough trip?

3 comments

3 Comments

drew_patel571mo ago

My buddy Dave had a similar thing happen to him up in the north cascades. He was using this cheap tarp setup he'd had for years, and a big gust of wind just ripped it clean off the trees in the middle of the night. @mark_cooper mentioned something about how a good system is worth it when the weather turns, which is exactly what Dave learned. He spent like 3 hours scrambling to get a basic shelter up with his rain jacket and some paracord, and he swore that night he'd never skimp again. He went out and bought a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL the next week, and now he's the guy who shows up with the fanciest tent in the group. It's wild how one bad night can totally flip your whole setup.

wendy_park762mo ago

My buddy had a similar wake-up call on Rainier. He was using this old synthetic bag that got totally soaked through in a sleet storm. Shivered all night, said it was the worst feeling ever. Came home and bought a high-end down bag rated for zero degrees. He won't even look at his old gear now, it's like he's a different person.

mark_cooper2mo ago

Yeah but that's rough, @wendy_park76. I mean sometimes a good synthetic bag is all you need if you're not dealing with extreme cold.