Camping Fail in a Violent Storm | ATMOSPHERIC RIVER BOMB CYCLONE | I Had To Retreat

[@sebastianwhpx298]

Hey bud wow that was crazy there's no way you could've pitched the tent in any way in that wild wind. Thanks for uploading. So many storms by you lately it's been a crazy winter.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

It sure has been a wild start of the year! Thanks Sebastian 👍

[@garynesbitt5078]

Hi Alex. Had a similar experience a week ago in 20f with 50mph freezing rain. Full goretex waterproofs and weather was so mad they just soaked through. Hands freezing and took decision to bail before I even tried to pitch the tent. In my experience the only way to keep pegs down in those winds and soft ground is to double peg every point. Back stake each peg through the first peg pull out line. Also a clip system tent built from ground up is easiest to pitch with guy lines tied up to stop them tangling. That’s the theory but pitching in high wind is never simple and I’ve broken 10mm poles trying! Take care. Gary

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Hi Gary, sounds like you went to hell and back! The windchill must have been dreadful. Thank you, that’s an excellent recommendation. I’ll bring additional pegs should I attempt this stunt again… You’re right about the clip system. My Hilleberg Allak is designed that way and it was a breeze to pitch in the wind. No pun intended. Cheers

[@edchapman9079]

You live to fight another day Al! I can imagine how soft the ground was being soaked like that. Maybe double pegging would have helped. Tough to say. Good one as always

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Thanks Ed:)

[@grantswheelstohills]

Hi Alex, a wise idea to bail. For all the right reasons. Its always disappointing though...we have to battle the inner kid inside us. Interesting what you said about the storm. It does look like our weather patterns are changing. Take care and thanks for sharing. Regards Grant.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Hi Grant! Very true… And yes the weather seems to be intensifying every few years or so it seems. All the best buddy.

[@hikesteepfishhigh]

on my Sierra Nevada thru hike last year I got absolutely wrecked by tropical storm Hillary on my way over kearsarge pass. ripped my tarp tie outs right off the tent. I had to build a rock wall around me to keep from being blasted by small twigs, pine cones, pebbles and dirt. it was a rough night.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Sounds like you got lucky to make it out unscathed. Hurricane Hillary was no joke! All the best.

[@valorian555]

Better safe than sorry - good you packed up.

[@willek1335]

16:00 Good question. Let's break down one component, and think of alternatives. About the tangled guylines, I've never experienced that with my hilleberg's thicker line, so smaller diameter guy lines might be a contributing factor. I know Helsport experimented with sown-in elastic bands attached next to where the guy line attach to the tent. Meaning, you could bundle the guy line up and keep them neat and organised. The elasticity worked well, until it got down to -20C pluss hurricane winds. That could be a realistic, easy, and cost free modification.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

That’s sounds like a good idea actually. You’ve got me thinking. Perhaps on a future storm camp, simply putting an elastic cord around the rolled up guylines will do the trick. Much appreciated 👍

[@nesvadi]

i had a tent in a top of the hill 2500 meters above see, in windy , crazy night but probably less then this storm, but similar. Mine tent was losing structure all night in the morning it was kreepy. I had to put all around the tent little rocks to put some weight to tent to keep it in the grass (combined grass with rocks).

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Sounds like you made it through the night! The rocks on the pegs is a good practice. All the best…

[@DaveCollierCamping]

Wow, be safe

[@Matthew-rh4nh]

I wonder if the Allek 2 would've been able to withstand the wind. That would have been my choice of tent.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

More than likely since the Allak has 6 guyout points and 12 guylines. Also, from personal experience, it’s easier to pitch in high winds. The Allak is a great tent. All the best

[@WildTreksAustralia]

well you tried.... You demonstrated quite nicely the limits of trekking pole tents.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

They’re definitely tougher to pitch in these conditions. I still think there was probably a way. Perhaps longer pegs or double pegging would have done it. That being said, a hilleberg Soulo or a Storm Starwould have been a walk in the park…

[@DrJimCares]

Great effort! What tent stakes were you using? I’ve got the same exact tent. Unsure if you could have setup between those trees?? Great job / great effort!

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Thanks Jim, much appreciated! Unfortunately there were too many widow makers in the wooded area and didn’t want to take the chance since the wind kept shifting and was expected to increase overnight. I used four 9” groundhogs (for the perimeter guy out points) and four 9” Easton ones for the apex and strut guy lines. Looking back, I think the tent would have have stood strong if I had double pegged it. Lesson learned… It’s a fantastic tent, the weight vs size… almost perfect IMHO.

[@journeywithnichole]

SO VERY glad you aborted mission! I said out loud, "Oh thank goodness!" Great to see another video Alex. Take care.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Thanks Nicole! Glad you liked it. This was a tough but it was great to be back out. Hope you’ve been well! Alex

[@rtg0616]

Alex what made you think a walking pole tent would be a good option. As soon as I saw your tent I knew you were doomed!

[@alexonthemountain8343]

You might have a point. But I will say that it’s more than likely doable. There’s a short clip on youtube showing 3 MLD Duomids holding up to 65 mph winds. Those shelters have a lot more guylines and attachment points. Perhaps that was part of the issue with the Dipole. Also the soil was extremely soft which made it a challenge keeping the pegs in the ground. Cheers bud

[@PHYSIZIST]

pegs are usually the ones to go on a trekking pole tent. i've got those 9 inch pegs for this exact reason when i go out in the scottish hills

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Agreed. I now double peg too when I think the winds might be strong. Cheers

[@recreepy]

This video is a blessing to my screen, offering a delightful and engaging experience

[@donaldjohnson9401]

Mission Impossible, better conditions and area next time camping

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Hopefully! Thanks Donald.

[@nymuelovan]

Can I ask where did you get the tent from? And if you imported it, how long did it take to arrive? Crazy day to pitch the tent out in the open 😱

[@alexonthemountain8343]

It’s the Tarptent Dipole DW 1p (silpoly version). If you live in the US, you will usually get it within a week of less, I’m not sure about importing into another country. I’ve got another video with it coming out soon. It’s a fantastic tent in my opinion. Cheers

[@nymuelovan]

@@alexonthemountain8343 Sorry, I thought you were british, thats why I asked. I've been wanting to get my hands ln it, since I'm 6'5, but I'm afraid it might arrive too late for summer. Thanks for the response and the great content.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

@@nymuelovan I think it will works fine for tall people. Thanks to the end struts, it gives you more headroom at both ends of the tent. For reference, I’m 5’10” and I sleep comfortably in it with my backpack at my feet. If you do end up, ordering it, I would definitely get the foldable struts, that will allow you to pack the tent down smaller…

[@nymuelovan]

@@alexonthemountain8343 I appreciate the extra info and insight. I actually sent a message to TarpTent months ago, and Henry (founder), kindly pointed out that the dipole might be the most suited for taller folks. I also asked about the ProTrail, for a more minimalistic shelter, but it's another style of camping.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

@@nymuelovan happy to help! All the best…

[@cuprajake1]

Well I'd just got done watching your niak pitching in a storm and thought I'd research a dipole ermmmm maybe not 😂

[@alexonthemountain8343]

@@cuprajake1 having used this tent a good bit more since this video, I think it’s a great shelter. It just needs to be double pegged at the ends to handle severe weather properly. Also, Dan Durston just came out with a new tent that might be of interest to you. The only shame is that it isn’t available with a solid inner yet. Cheers 🍻

[@cuprajake1]

@alexonthemountain8343 yeah I agree it does look to have more storm worthy build than the nallo, I'm still out on the xdome just because of those carbon poles.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

@@cuprajake1 true. Dan claims that it’s very storm worthy, but those carbon poles would make me nervous in strong winds.

[@tt-of4xv]

I'm not a huge fan of a tip up design. One mistake or one stake getting loose in windy conditions and you're likely to puncture the flysheet. Even if this is a great tent, I'm not sure it can safely sustain that kind of wind anyway.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

@@tt-of4xv right, these trekking pole tents can be quite finicky... I still am planning on testing it out in another good storm, hopefully soon as I am itching to get out there! Glad you enjoyed the videos! All the best… 🍻

[@ruddyman]

I appreciate the attempt as I am considering this tent, coming from an xmid 1p. Given that the pegs wouldn't stay in place, I assume my xmid would have suffered a similar fate. Sounds like you still enjoy and recommend the tent so that's good to know. I guess I'll learn how to "double peg."

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Hi Jason, funny enough, I actually purchased the 1P Xmid (silpoly version) but found the inner too narrow so I ended up returning mine. Space wise, the Dipole is perfect in my opinion, the reverse taper footprint is a clever design. The more I use it the more I like everything it offers. If you do end up purchasing it, I recommend you go with the foldable struts, that way you’re able to pack the tent down nice and small. All the best!

[@ruddyman]

Thanks for the advice! The inner doesn’t bother me about the Xmid, and I’ll keep it as an extra, but I’m looking for a little smaller footprint and the diagonal inner is challenging to get right where I want it. I like to pitch outer first and separate.

[@jedsmith4988]

@@alexonthemountain8343 I wish more would test newer tents in real conditions, instead of just basic set up videos on nice, flat, wide surfaces. Looking at X-Mid 1 or Dipole 1 DW with solid interior for exposed camps in early fall conditions in the northern Rockies, like the Wind River Range. My SMD Trekker has been good, but no tie outs for serious wind. Lots of buried rocks and uneven ground make for few acceptable spots though. Still like the Dipole vs X-Mid? Issues with short lines at the corners? Know Dipole narrows to 28" but with a solid inner, I also thought the X-Mid might be seem too narrow.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

@@jedsmith4988 I appreciate it. Yeah that was a tough one. Looking back and thinking about how unusually soft the soil was (probably because it used to be farmland), I really think the Dipole would have made it. I don’t think I would have slept very well but that’s another matter. Before getting the Dipole, I purchased an Xmid-1p (silpoly version) but I returned it because I found the inner just too narrow. The Dipole inner feels about 30-40% more spacious if I had to put a number on it. Another idea would be to get an MLD Duomid and have Ron make you a custom inner that is wider. He charges $200 for if I recall. The only caveat is that he doesn’t do solid inners… I just came back from the Lake District NP in the UK and used the Dipole there (video coming soon) and personally think it is the perfect ultralight 1p, DW shelter currently on the market. Hope this helps.

[@jedsmith4988]

@@alexonthemountain8343 Thanks! Good performance in typical UK conditions says a lot. Think I'd be better with a solid inner. Have a 10F WM bag but really cold drafts and occasional snow spindrift are a reality in WY alpine Septembers. That said, lows usually range from 25-40F during a weeklong route, so want to make sure it's tolerable at the high end too! Based on posts of several users I'd need to lengthen corner lines a bit and split peak/door guys for more flexible staking. All manageable. At my age, this'll be the last solo tent I get. Look forward to your report and backpacking the UK myself in a year or 2.

[@somedavehikes]

Why not pitch behind the rock... where you were recording out of the wind? Just not making sense other than wanting to fail.

[@alexonthemountain8343]

Unfortunately there wasn’t a sheltered spot anywhere on that mountain other than the wooded area and I didn’t want to take a chance with widow makers. I touched on that at the end of the video…