by Ben Nachie » Tue Jan 01, 2019 6:58 pm
Getting the right tent for you can be really tricky. My first tent was a Vango Hurricane Alpha. Great tent and I used it all year round. In retrospect I wish I'd got something lighter, like a Saunders Spacepacker.
About ten years ago I bought a Terra Nova Laser Competition 1. Great wee tent for backpacking and although it's technically a three season tent I'd happily use it all year round. It wouldn't cope well with much snow loading however.
A few years ago I set up a search on fleaBay for the Laser Comp 2 and eventually one turned up at less than half new price. It was in excellent condition but missing the stuff sack. I tried to get one from Terra Nova but they said no, they couldn't supply one, which I thought was a bit rubbish.
There are plenty of other good lightweight tents in your price range now, so you need to prioritise what you want from the tent to narrow down your selection. For me, weight was the priority, followed by season rating, then space. Your priorities may vary.
The biggest question, already asked above, is do you really want a four season tent that will stand up to a winter storm, or are you looking for something useable in winter under 'sensible' conditions?