Page 48 - 2018 AMA Summer

KITREVIEW
WILD COUNTRY BLIZZARD 2
By Al Topping
What better way to test a tent than to take it out into a hurricane. A little risky, perhaps, but when the opportunity to test the 4 season Wild Country Blizzard 2 came up, really, it was all that was available – a night with Storm Dylan would have to do. I had hoped there’d be snow on the ground too, but it seems, arriving in the Black Mountains on the eve of New Years’ Eve 2017 was a day late for prime winter conditions and the snow had all but gone. Still, the wind speeds and arctic chill was sufficient enough to ensure gloves would be kept firmly on and a lot of time would be spent inside the tent making sure it met the standard expected.
The Blizzard 2 is a tunnel tent with a single opening at the front. It’s rated for 4 seasons, meaning it should be strong enough to withstand excessive wind (let’s hope so), a build up of snow on top, and be warm enough without being too heavy to carry. It is sadly only available in one colour – red but has been made available to AMA members with a hefty 27% discount. Hurrah!
Due to it being designed for all weather conditions throughout 4 seasons the tent has a low profile. There’s a modest porch that is separated from the main sleeping compartment by a single layer of material
that can be zipped off to one side and stowed away in the adjacent pocket. This makes getting in and out repeatedly quick and easy as you don’t have to fight with excess fabric getting in the way or being trodden on. There are 2 internal pockets per side for small items and a ring in the centre of the roof for suspending a torch, lightweight lamp, or in our case a cyalume.
48 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER