Black Diamond Mega Snow Tent Review

As simple as it is, Black Diamond’s Mega Snow 4-person is a versatile tent for cold-weather camping. The floorless, non-freestanding design makes it a great supplemental tent for cooking and gear storage on multi-day backcountry missions, but it can also be used as a traditional 4-season tent in a pinch or on lightweight treks. My partner and I tested it on a two-day ski touring trip on Mount Rainier, where it withstood a wet and windy overnight storm. It’s not the most weatherproof design, nor the most comfortable for sleeping compared to traditional tents, but it held up well to the severe conditions and, more importantly, didn’t take up too much room in our packs. Below, I detail my experiences with the Black Diamond Mega Snow 4 tent. To see how it stacks up to the competition, see our article on the best 4-season tents. 
 

Table of Contents

• Weather Protection
• Livability and Interior Space
• Weight and Packed Size
• Build Quality and Durability
• Ventilation
• Storage
• Set Up and Take Down
• What We Like/What We Don't
• Comparison Table
• The Competition

Performance

Weather Protection

As its name suggests, the Black Diamond Mega Snow tent is a 4-season tent designed for cold and snowy conditions. That said, its tall profile doesn’t make it the best option for blustery conditions at high elevations. We recommend keeping it at treeline altitudes, where winds are less likely to be an issue. But in testing, we pushed it a bit beyond the treeline on a late-spring ski-touring mission on Mount Rainier, where it withstood a wet, windy snowstorm through the night.
 

Wind
The Mega Snow’s tall pyramid shape makes it more susceptible to wind than the lower profile shapes of traditional 4-season tents. That said, the Mega Snow held up well to the gusty conditions we faced on Mount Rainier. The guy-out lines on each side of the tent support the structure in the wind, and we were diligent in staking them out tight, using our skis as anchors. We also piled snow along the perimeter of the tent, which prevented gusts from blowing inside. For comparison’s sake, my partner and I had our Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid 4 tent collapse on us while camping on Mount Adams in a windstorm, despite building snow walls along the outside of the tent. The Mega Snow’s flaps provided a great barrier from the wind, which prevented the same issue from happening again (the Ultamid doesn’t have flaps). That said, I still wouldn’t recommend pushing this tent too far into high altitudes where gusts are more of a concern. A lower-profile tent is less likely to bend or collapse in high winds. 
 

Snow
The storm also brought several inches of heavy snow. In most cases, the Mega Snow's pyramid shape and sloped walls keep the snow from piling up, but on our trip, the snow was so heavy and wet that it stuck to the sides of the tent, causing the walls to sag inward. It also collected at the bottom of the tent where the flaps meet the walls, and we had to shovel it off to prevent sagging. The polyester fabric doesn’t shed snow as well as slicker materials, like the Dyneema on the HMG UltaMid, but I don’t think this would be as much of a problem in drier snow conditions.
 

 Livability and Interior Space

I agree with Black Diamond’s designation of the Mega Snow as a “cook shelter” over a camping tent, but we did spend a night in the tent to test out its livability. There is one important thing to note if you plan on sleeping in the Mega Snow: there is no floor. There are pros and cons to sleeping on the snow. The most obvious downside is that your gear is exposed to it, and it’s not unusual for sleeping pads and sleeping bags to get wet through the night. It can also be tough to dry out gear like ski boots and ski socks when there’s limited storage (notably, the Mega Snow has no interior pockets).
 

On the positive side, a floorless design gives you some versatility in your livability. For instance, we like to set up a cooking table and a designated area for our gear. Digging out the snow makes it easier to move around in the tent, and we like to keep our sleeping area on a platform so we can sit on the edge of our pads. The Mega Snow’s 78.2 square feet of floor space makes it easy for two people to sleep and basecamp in the same tent. And there are ways to mitigate the wetness: Bringing along a water-resistant tent footprint or tarp to put pads and sleeping bags on can keep them drier, though it won’t completely stave off gear getting wet. 
 

All that said, I think the Mega Snow is best used as a basecamp shelter. It comfortably seats 4 people, and its tall height makes it easy to get in and out of. Having a dedicated sleeping tent also avoids the issue of wet camping gear. The downside is that you’ll have to haul an additional tent into camp, though the extra space is nice to have on multi-day missions. But if you’re only camping for a night or two and want to keep your kit as light as possible, it’s not the worst tent to sleep in, either. 
 

Weight and Packed Size

On my scale, the Mega Snow tent weighed 3 pounds 10.9 ounces (including the pole), which is almost identical to Black Diamond’s claimed weight of 3 pounds 10.2 ounces. Compared to more traditional 4-season designs like the Nemo Kunai 3P (5 lb. 10 oz.) or MSR Remote 3 (9 lb. 8 oz.), the Mega Snow is very lightweight, but it sacrifices weather protection and comfort in the effort. Samaya's 2.0 Dyneema tent is a nice middle ground, offering the protection of a fully enclosed design in a lightweight package (3 lb. 6.3 oz.) That said, the Samaya is cramped for multi-day missions and can't fit as many campers as the Mega Snow. And it goes without saying that none of these traditional tents can pull double duty as a cook tent.
 

Hyperlite's UltaMid 4 is very similar to the Mega Snow in shape and intention, but keeps things lighter by opting for Dyneema over polyester. The UltaMid 4 weighs just 1 pound 6.4 ounces without the carbon fiber center pole, and 2 pounds 1.1 ounces with it. Mountain Laurel Designs' SuperMid tent is also very lightweight at 1 pound 8 ounces (not including a center pole), though it's both shorter and smaller than the UltaMid or Mega Snow. If you're worried about weight, ditching the included carbon fiber pole is one way to keep the Mega Snow's weight more manageable (it can be pitched with two ski poles instead).
 

The Mega Snow packs down fairly small into the included stuff sack, and the carbon fiber pole straps to the outside of the sack via Velcro tabs. With the pole, I measured the packed tent at 19.5 inches long and 11.5 inches wide. In my experience, it’s easiest to pack the stuffed tent separately from the pole. I had luck securing the tent near the bottom of my backpack and then sliding the pole vertically alongside my other gear. 
 

 Build Quality and Durability

Overall, the Mega Snow held up well during testing. All zippers worked smoothly, the guylines were sturdy even when fully taught, and the carbon fiber pole doesn't seem prone to snapping in blustery weather. The polyester fabric feels hard-wearing despite its thinness (30D) and it withstood contact with sharp gear. That said, the lack of a floor also helps prevent this tent from experiencing wear and tear. As mentioned above, the polyester walls weren't the best at shedding wet snow, and they held onto moisture more readily than other lightweight materials, like Dyneema. However, the Mega Snow is much less expensive than Dyneema tents, and it should have little issue shedding drier snow.
 

Ventilation

As a cook tent, the Mega Snow offers plenty of ventilation. A single vent at the top and a generous door provide more than enough airflow for dispelling cooking fumes (the door can also be cracked at the top if you're cooking in stormy conditions). For sleeping, however, it's not a standout breather. After just one night, the tent walls were soaked in condensation. To be fair, the snow that collected on the outside of the tent played a big role in the sogginess, but the Mega Snow's single-wall construction is no match for a double-wall construction in terms of breathability. I don't expect condensation to be a major issue if you're camping in drier conditions, but I wish Black Diamond had included another vent to help air move more effectively. 
 

Storage

In true ultralight fashion, the Mega Snow keeps things minimalist with no interior pockets. This means you have to get creative with the snow if you want to camp in the tent. As I described above, my partner and I like to dig out a section of the tent for our gear. However, if you’re using the tent as a basecamp shelter, storage shouldn’t be much of an issue. At that point, the entire tent becomes one big pocket, and you can organize your gear however you want—though I recommend only storing gear you don’t mind getting wet, such as cooking equipment, ice tools, crampons, and other hard goods. 
 

Set Up and Take Down

In a way, setting up the Mega Snow tent can be as time-consuming or as simple as you want it to be. There really are only a few steps you need to take to get it standing: stake out the four corners (burying the stakes in the snow ensures a solid pitch) and then extend the carbon fiber pole or a pair of ski poles in the center of the tent. We also recommend guying out the walls for extra stability, and we used our skis as the anchors, which provided a sturdy support against the storm. Optional but recommended steps include digging out the interior of the tent (this is easiest to do before you pitch it, though it requires knowing the floor area) and piling snow on the flaps around the tent. The tent is usable if you don’t dig out the interior, but doing so greatly improves livability and weather resistance. Taking down the tent is simple: just collapse the center pole, undo the guylines, and pack it all away.
 

Other Versions of the Mega Snow

The Mega Snow is the only 4-season option in the Mega tent series, but Black Diamond offers a similar 3-season design called the Mega Light. The tent is nearly identical to the Mega Snow, but it doesn’t include exterior snow flaps, making it a better choice for warmer, drier backcountry missions. The Mega Bug is an enclosed mesh tent that can be pitched on its own or inside the Mega Light Tent for more protection from pesky insects. Notably, the Mega Bug doesn’t include a weather-resistant fly, which limits its use to warm, dry conditions when used on its own. The bathtub floor does provide a ground buffer, however, and makes a complete enclosed shelter when paired with the Mega Light.
 

What We Like

• Lightweight and spacious tent provides an excellent basecamp shelter for cooking and storing gear in 4-season conditions.
• Can serve as a traditional 4-season camping tent for up to four people.
• Exterior snow flaps provide a barrier against wind and snow.
• Non-freestanding design is easy to pitch with the included carbon fiber center pole or two ski poles secured together.
• All materials are durable and a high quality.

What We Don’t

• Lack of a floor and interior pockets means gear is exposed to the snow.
• Single-wall construction and only one vent don’t provide enough airflow to prevent condensation from forming overnight in wet conditions.
• Polyester fabric doesn’t shed heavy, wet snow effectively.
• Tall profile isn’t the most wind-resistant, limiting the Mega Snow to treeline use.
   

Comparison Table

The Competition

The Black Diamond Mega Snow 4 is a great lightweight tent option, but there are several other similar designs to consider. Hyperlite Mountain Gear’s UltaMid 4 is a compelling alternative. Not only is it lighter weight than the Mega Snow, but it’s taller and has a bigger floor area. The Dyneema fabric is what makes it so light, but it also makes it more weather-resistant and better at shedding snow. Dual vents at the top provide ventilation, along with the open floor design. That said, the lack of snow flaps does leave the interior more susceptible to wind and snow. The biggest downside is price, which is considerably more than the Mega Snow without including a center pole. In our opinion, the Mega Snow offers better value as a dedicated cook tent, but the UltaMid is nevertheless a great option for ounce-counters and those headed into wet, stormy conditions.
 

Mountain Laurel Designs’ SuperMid tent gives both the UltaMid and Mega Snow a run for their money. Not only is the tent less expensive than both, but it weighs just a pound and a half packed in its stuff sack (not including a center pole). You do give up a bit of floor area and headroom, but it still has a similarly spacious, open floor plan. Like the HMG UltaMid, the SuperMid doesn’t have any snowflaps, which exposes the interior to the elements. However, its silnylon construction sheds snow better than the Mega Snow’s polyester. It doesn’t come with a center pole (nor the option to purchase one separately), so you’ll have to connect your ski poles together to pitch it. Still, for those wanting to keep things inexpensive and lightweight, the SuperMid has a lot going for it.
 

A final alternative to consider is the SlingFin Cinder Cone 4P Pyramid Tent. This silnylon tent weighs 2 pounds 7.4 ounces packed (excluding the center pole), has a generous 81 square feet of floor area, a 72-inch peak height, and two peak vents for ventilation. Like the options above, it sheds snow more effectively than the Mega Snow, but also doesn’t include snow flaps around the exterior. That said, the straight-cut sides do provide a close seal to the ground. It’s also less expensive than the Mega Snow, though it doesn’t come with a center pole. At the end of the day, it’s a tough choice between the Mega Snow and these similar options, and your choice between them will ultimately come down to use case and budget. The Mega Snow is nonetheless a great design for treeline 4-season camping, providing shelter for cooking and storing gear.
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