Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board tent rentals - 4 season.

Anyone know if there is somewhere that rents 4 season tents?
We are heading up main trail April 29th for 3 days - don't really want to risk using a 3 season tent and trying to avoid spending $'s on a 4 season - although keeping my eye on fleabay!

Thanks
N.

The risks of bringing a 3 season tent seem minimal, wind is the most likely element to fight against and a couple extra guy lines can solve that problem.

I'm planning to climb Muir, Whitney, and Russell, hopefully late next week. I have a perfectly good 4-season tent, and I'm planning to leave it at home. I'm bringing a new ultralight one-person tent and camping at Iceberg Lake. I'll build walls around the tent and stake it down with some homemade "stakes" that are more like ultralight pickets.

If you have a decent freestanding three-season tent, and you set up your camp carefully, you should be fine.

Thanks for the replies.
This is my 3 season tent:
http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Product.aspx?top=1623&prod=3406&cat=1646&viewAll=False

- it's very stable and waterproof, but it is a shame I can't close off the mesh door (but I'm working on it!) I think it should be OK as long as 'Blizzard 2009' doesn't appear!

The issue would be wind. On Tuesday we were leaving our camp and had gusts of over 60 mph. If you have winds like that you'll be happy you have a 4 season tent. If you aren't caught in high winds you should be OK. 4 season tents are heavier but are usually more stable in high winds.

I believe REI rents 4 season tents. I think you would be alright in the tent you have, if you took the time to build a good wall or dig a deep pit if the snow is deep enough.

By the time April has rolled around, my tents are in storage until next winter. I much prefer a simple bivy sack in a storm, because the profile is low. Wind is much less of an issue, and the weight saving is considerable.

I know that I seem to be in the minority, but you might give it some thought.