It's a two-person tent, but you better like the other person a lot. As an alpine tent, the Eldorado excels high above the treeline where a compact footprint is ideal, and you’re not going to encounter rain showers or warm weather. However, it’s important to remember that this tent is not a one-size-fits-all model. Trusted by everyone we talked to from weekend climbers to Sierra mountain guides, we feel very confident in the capabilities of this tent. As Outdoor Gear Lab describes, “all-around uses are this model's forte, but it's still robust enough for when the weather turns gnar” and saying “if you are only going to have one shelter,” the Eldorado is the way to go. It comes with two internal aluminum poles designed for easy setup (minimizing time you need to spend outside the tent to set it up).Īs a treeline tent, it's compact without too much sacrifice. With a minimum weight of 4 lb, 8 oz, and a footprint of 30.8 square ft, pros consider this a compact and lightweight tent designed for alpine conditions. It fits onto small ledges, has the length for taller climbers, and enough headroom for two people to sit up facing each other.
Mountaineers climbing in alpine style love this treeline tent. Earning top ranks at Switchback Travel (#1 Single Wall, #2 Overall), Outdoor Gear Lab (#1 All-Around Alpine, #2 Overall), and Business Insider (#1 4-Season Backpacking), the Black Diamond Eldorado is an alpine tent that is one seriously impressive piece of gear. Related: The Best Synthetic Insulated Jacketsīest Fast and Light Alpine Climbing Tent: Black Diamond Eldoradoįor mountaineering 4 season tents, you’re not going to find a better balance of weight, strength, and livability than the Black Diamond Eldorado. While prices remain fixed across retailers on Hilleberg tents and they can’t go on discount, one of the advantages of going with one of these retailers is they may qualify you for store-wide credit or rewards programs, which can function similar to cashback. See our links below for stores we trust that sell the Hillebergs tents. Still, we think the Jannu is worth the extra time spent finding a reputable retailer. One person makes each tent (the person even signs their name inside your tent). Hilleberg is a 45-year old family-owned company and their tents are handmade in Europe. One of the only major downsides of the Hilleberg Jannu 2 (like all Hillberg tents) is that it can be hard to find as it isn’t sold at most major retailers. Especially since the Hilleberg tents are known to last decades. For some, that weight savings on a mountaineering tent is worth it. If the 6 lbs 2 oz of this tent are too much, or if you’re heading solo, we recommend the new Hilleberg Soulo, which gets rave reviews from Backpacking Light, perfect 5/5 on Trailspace, and Rock and Ice and Backpacker magazines (see Sources).Ĭompared to the North Face Mountain 25, this 4 season tent saves two and a half pounds while costing a few hundred bucks more. But thousands of mountaineers have found that The North Face Mountain is the tent that can match a majority of the situations where a winter tent is necessary. Winter tents are all about knowing your use case scenario, conditions, and the projected weather. The Black Diamond Eldorado is better suited for lone mountaineers and alpine-style climbing and the Jannu is a better fit if you have a little more to spend. While we wouldn’t recommend this tent for quick and light trips or the solo winter climber, we chose the The North Face Mountain as the overall winner because it works in a majority of other winter or high altitude use case scenarios. Four and a half pounds for a winter shelter is reasonable - actually, excellent.
Most of the time you will split the weight between two people. Ski touring, mountaineering, and winter backpacking trips are safer and more enjoyable in teams. Even if you’re often a solo traveler during warm season adventures, you’ll most likely be with a partner in winter. So what are the downsides? At 8 pounds, 13 oz, this tent is heavy. Treeline Review senior editor Brandon Lampley, who spent the last several years working at the Khumbu Climbing Center in Nepal, says this is overwhelmingly the most popular tent he’d see Himalaya mountaineers use.