G'day Paul,

For the conditions you might experiance in those regions I'd go for the Isopod. The full nylon inner will be much warmer than the mesh of the Grasshopper if you need it to be, with the option to ventilate by zipping the doors open. You also get more head room in the Isopod which will be nice if you do happen to get stuck in there during some foul weather. Sounds like a great trip, happy camping!

G'day Peter,

The Black Wolf Isopod tent is a popular choice for many who are undertaking the Overland Track. It definitely errs on the side of a 3-season tent, but with usual conditions on the Overland Track (except for those super cold and snowy days), the Isopod tent should be work beautifully.

G'day Pete,

The packed dimensions of the Black Wolf Isopod Hiking Tent are 52L x 18W x 18H cm. While it is a touch larger and heavier than other 2 person Hiking Tents, with good packing you should have no issues getting it and your other gear into a Black Wolf McKinley 75L pack.

G’day Roger,

The Isopod is actually the only four season tent that we have available. As for space, it looks like this tent will accommodate your height. You will get some ventilation from the mesh door, and there are two adjustable external vents and four zippered internal vents for air flow - so you can open those up when you hike in the spring.

Just keep in mind that while you can use this tent in summer - it's probably optimised for colder weather conditions, and so you may be a little warm in Summer. 

G'day Shaun, there is no specific footprint for the Isopod, so it's really just a case of finding a tarp, some fabric or mesh that will fit in line with how you would use the tent. We have a tarp that will be slightly bigger than the footprint of the Isopod, you can view it here. You could also repurpose something like the Oztrail Hiker Fly and remove all the guy ropes, it would then double as an emergency lunch shelter. Hope this info helps.

G’day Meaghan,

Both the Isopod and the Grasshopper models are well made tents that we receive great feedback on, so I couldn’t put one above the other in terms of quality or durability.

Keep in mind that your tent’s main job is to shield you from the wind and rain - your crucial warmth will come mainly from your sleeping bag and thermals.

In summer, the Isopod will have less ventilation than the Grasshopper so you are going to get more condensation build up in your tent - but if you use minimal sleeping gear you could make it work. And with the Grasshopper, if you use it with a lower rated sleeping bag, a great mat, and wear thermals - you should be plenty warm.

Having said that, I’d say (and I got a few opinions from the other staff too!) your best bet would be to go with the Grasshopper as it’s lighter, well ventilated, and you can simply adjust your sleeping gear according to the season. 

It will certainly do the job Gary, there are plenty of other options that will also suit. The Isopod is a sturdy tent that is best suited for cool to cold climates, it has a full nylon inner which will retain warmth. If most of your trips are in warm climates then you may prefer the Grasshopper 2 which has a full mesh inner, facilitating better ventilation in warm climates but lacks warmth retention in the cold. Both of these tents are suitable, it is just handy to know the limitations of each and adjust your sleeping arrangements accordingly.

Hi Simon, The Isopod is a 4 season hiking tent, which means it can be used at all times of the year. This also includes snow conditions, though I'd invest in a really good sleeping mat and sleeping bag to help keep you warm at night! Have fun camping in the snow!

Hi SImon, just wanted to jump in with my 5 cents worth here. There is a difference between four season and snow tents, whilst a four season tent like this is suitable for cold snow conditions, it will have limitations in heavy snow being that the frame will not withstand heavy snow loading. This is not likely to be an issue in many light snow conditions we have here in Australia, but if you plan on camping at altitude in conditions where the snowfall is heavy, then an alpine tent may be a better solution, these have a strong pole structure and shed snow better then the Isopod. We don't currently have these in our range, but give me a call on 1300 914 007 if you wold like to talk it over.