Men's Journal

BD’s new 4-season tent may actually be light — and strong — enough to be the only tent you’ll ever need.

By Will Cockrell

It’s rare for a brand to instill so much confidence that you actually look forward to seeing it’s products get pushed to their absolute limits, but Black Diamond does just that for most climbers. So when we recently pitched its new Stormtrack 4-season tent on the flanks of Mt Rainier, which gets pounded by 50-mph winds daily, we couldn’t wait to see how the shelter’s worryingly delicate walls and innovative (if slightly confusing, at first) hubbed 3-pole design would handle it.

For years, 4-season tents were shored up by a comforting 6-pole lattice and a heavier gauge of nylon, but tent design has evolved just like every other piece of outdoor gear and most companies have found ways to lighten the load. None so effectively as BD, though. Black Diamond is a leader in fast-and-light single-wall Alpinist shelters so it isn’t surprising they’ve stumbled upon a superior material for their more mainstream double-wall tents. Add the perfect ratio of sleeved pole guides (for weight-saving) and clips (for stability) and you end up with an impressively strong tent for its weight, that’s easy to set up (after you’ve done it a couple times). The 7lb Stormtrack certainly bent and contorted every which way under the force of brutal nighttime gusts but never enough to worry us. While its weight is by no means impressive for an everyday two-man tent, it is remarkable for a shelter that can withstand the world’s harshest environments. [$500; bdel.com]