Columbia Frosty Ridge Tent

I purchased this tent before going on a backcountry hunting adventure in the British Columbia Mountains. Looking for a simple design that was light, compact, and moderately priced; Columbia’s Frosty Ridge tent met the criteria. Although there are better quality tents and higher priced tents out there, the Frosty Ridge was a good enough option for someone on a budget. Being a 3 season tent, I would not recommend going out for a mid winter snow adventure, but for spring, summer, and fall the Frosty Ridge will do the trick.

Setting up a tent should always be done at home on the lawn prior to commencing a trip. Just to make sure all due diligence is done, you want to ensure there are no missing parts and that you can in fact put together the contraption. I of course was much to hurried to do this step but was delightfully surprised that I could indeed assemble the tent in the dark with a head lamp while freezing cold at 6000’. I guess that is why it is important to have a good sleeping bag. The design is so simple that it literally takes 5 minutes to setup. 2 main cross poles provide the support for the tent, and the water proof fly clips around the bottom of the tent being supported by the 2 cross poles. In order to fully support the tent you need to pound the stakes around the tent to complete the setup.

Space is limited, barely fitting 2 people or 1 person and his or her gear. Weight conscience as backcountry explorers are, it does prove more efficient for 2 people than to carry 2 bivy sacs as it weighs in at just over 5lbs.

Here are the product specifications:

• Base Size: 8 x 5 feet
• Center Height: 36 inches
• 9.5 millimeter aluminum poles
• Total Weight: 5.32 pounds
• Sleeps: 2 (barely)

The tent did hold its own as we encountered monsoon like rain, snow, and extreme wind. No rain or liquid found its way into the tent. The Columbia Frosty Ridge has the GoBe Dry Ultimate Rain Protection System, which features their patent pending fabric, component, and seam technology that protects you from the conditions and elements I described above. The special protective coating: DryTek Fabric repels moisture. The DryFloor Tub design elevates the floor seams in order to keep moisture and water out, while the DryGuard Skirt deflects rain from floor the seams and stake loops.