Mega[mid/light] as winter tents

[hikingfish]

Hi All,
All this tent talk (and the severe lack of snow) has revived my interest in finding a decent, lightweight, shelter for next winter. I've been very, VERY, curious about the megamid (or it's newer cousin: megalight). I've been going through google images to find some decent shots of different setups and I was thinking surely some people on this board must have some of their own!

Here are the two I've found so far:

Awesome picture, best I've seen so far

Good bit picture is from further away

Good picture, since there are people inside the mid...

I understand that it's not double-walled, so it might be a couple of degrees colder in a *mid than in a normal tent. I also understand that...a couple of degrees or not...I'm still sleeping outside I read some people had a lot of problems with condensation forming inside and most people would cook in their *mids, so I was wondering: Is there a "vent" type opening near the top (I think I can see one on one of the pics)?

I was also wondering what alternatives are available: I've seen the Hex3 from GoLite and the Kiva from MtnHardwear (which I don't quite like, because of the inner tensioners, which in my opinion would cut down on the digging awesome-ness of these types of shelters in winter).

Cheers!

Fish

 

[Chip]

This is a good review. It's big, so it's being useful is assuming you can find adequate room to set it up and that you need room for more than 2 people. My concern with any style like this is the "what-if's", especially in winter. What if the wind blows hard, it snows alot, there's freezing rain, etc.
I like bomb-proof, free standing, double walled winter tents with a waterproof floor, a big vestibule and room for 2 or 3 people, so that's not a tarp type shelter. I'm probably wrong, but it seems that a shelter like the Mega would only perform really well in conditions that you really don't need a shelter for.
I think dave.m here likes the Mega Mid, perhaps he'll respond.

 

[AMF]

Having used one on several occasions, I will attest that they certainly are roomy. On one use, it weathered an ugly snow/sleet/rain/snow storm better than my free standing double wall tent. There will be some frost buildup in winter, but I have yet to find a tent that doesn't to some degree. The biggest drawback, imo, is the time needed to properly erect them, particularly in winter with shorter days. Not something I would plan on pitching & moving on with the next day, but it makes a great base camp. I imagine if you lived in a dry bug & varmint free area it could be a good 4-season tent, but I don't think that exists in the east.

amf

 

[hikingfish]

Well, for those that might be interested, I found some more pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mike-warren/466241594/in/set-72157600086740192/

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=466241596&context=set-72157600086740192&size=l

 

[Rick]

I used an Quest Nova for a number of winter trips throughout the 90's. It is extremely similar to the older style Megamid. I also ended up buying a used one a few years ago from VFTTer JohnnyQuest.

Anyway, I like the light weight for the winter - Use a trekking pole to set up.
What I liked - My dog could come in and out under the side of the shelter.
You can walk in with crampons or snow shoes.
You can cook in it easily (and you can spill food)
After you do it a dozen times, setup is a snap, even in winter. The longest time is spent awaiting the packed snow to settle around and firmly hold your snow stakes in place. But to get around the waiting time, set it up and keep the center pole lower and the tent a little looser - and after an hour raise it so the tent is taught against the stakes.


What I didn't like -
Unusable space 2' around the perimeter when pitched lower (such as winter) due to the slant of the walls.
Other dogs could come in and out under a side (and one did, numerous times one night)
If you are lying on a tarp, no matter how careful you are, snow gets on it and then slides downhill to the center, on and around you and your pad (as you sink slightly over the night.)

I never noticed it colder, as opposed to a double wall tent. The inner walls were always covered with frost, but the door is nice and high so that you don't brush all that frost off onto your or your bag when making night trips.
I do love the bombproof 4 season shelters (I use a 9 lb Kelty Windfoil 3), but for light trips, you CAN'T beat a Megamid.

Post edit - The photos showing the deeply dug hole make the Mid very usable on the side walls, but for one person overnight, I wouldn't expend the energy to do much more than stamp out a platform

 

[Maddy]

QUOTE
Awesome picture, best I've seen so far

This is the "mid" that our leaders had on my Outward Bound dogsled/ski expedition in MN. The students slept under blue tarps but I got to sleep in the mid between the two leaders after I screwed up on night one and made myself very hypothermic.
I liked it so much that I bought one when I got home and sleep in it wih the door open in summer here on my property and have taken it camping. You can use a ski pole to erect it. Works well.
Up and down in a jiffy once you get used to it.
We could not have put a fourth person in this mid. We were tight with the three of us.
Unfortunately, mine is now covered in duct tape because "Bernie" had a field day with it his first year. Those large, growing paws did a lot of damage. Need to buy a new one. I also bought a floor for it for summer use.
Not crazy about setting that up. Would rather just use is as is.