Quote Originally Posted by kitsapcowboy View Post
Yes, it is overkill, IMHO. Technically, using all three poles simultaneously is feasible, but it would only really be practical under gale-force wind conditions, massive wet snow loads, or genuine blizzards with drifting -- or if your camp were left unattended at the mercy of Mother Nature during a heavy snowfall with no one to manage the extreme accumulations. Who really wants to carry over a pound of poles anyway, if it's not really necessary?

Having a tarp modified to accept both double and single (center) internal poles is cool, because it gives versatility to your weather protection system...

However, I have seen tarps with four panel pulls (external pole mod) and a single center internal pole that had similar versatility; the panel pulls could also be deployed with lightweight guy lines (instead of external poles) in conjunction with the one internal pole to provide a little extra space and stability without the weight penalty. I haven't tried this myself, but from all accounts it seems to be nice to have options.

HTH...
Another late post. First off I don't camp much when/where I have to worry about snow loads but got the WD12 for more wind protection after one particularly cold-rainy-windy trip in the clouds at 5000'. I chose to go with the dual pole mod and side pullouts. I figured the dual poles would provide the most room and the convenience-utility of an instant porch mode. If I was concerned about the weight of the poles I can use the pullouts to get a guestimated 70% of the extra volume. They also make handy door tiebacks.