Priced at $400, Black Diamond Mega Snow made it to our top 4 as the best ultralight 4-season tent.
You’ll probably want a full-featured tent for sleeping in the snow, but the Black Diamond Mega Snow is a real basecamp luxury for eating, gear storage, or simply a change of scenery when cabin fever occurs.
And we don’t use the word “luxury” lightly since, with only one wall and no floor, it’s hardly the most protected tent here.
However, while camping on snow, the shelter’s true worth is revealed: the central pole prop doubles as a table, and you can dig out the outer sides to form seating for up to six people.
The Mega Snow has vents that allow you to cook inside this shelter, and a clever valence around the outside enhances the inside room while keeping the elements out.
Finally, you can use it as a lightweight overnight shelter in a pinch. It will allow you to accommodate four people in Black Diamond’s Mega Light, and the Mega Snow is even more significant at 78 square feet.
However, calling the Mega Snow a four-season tent is a stretch. Its strong 30-denier canopy resisted gusts of up to 50 miles per hour throughout our tests.
Still, it pales compared to burlier tents like the Hilleberg Nammatj 2 GT or even the single-walled Black Diamond Eldorado.
In essence, it’s a glorified tarp with no floor: in really cold or windy weather, it’ll flail around and feel pretty drafty. You may lay snow on the valance, but ventilation will be compromised.
Lastly, keep in mind that Black Diamond also produces the Mega Light at 2lb. 13oz. With no valence and the Mega Bug, which sets up beneath the pyramid shelter, adds a bug net and bathtub bottom for an additional 3lb—10 oz.