What's best, inside poles or outside poles? Is weight a factor? Cost? The inside steel is very heavy, the outside aluminum very light. The inside aluminum is quite light but spendy.

The inside frame can be put up by one person. The outside is easy for one. The outside always keeps the tent nice and tight, the inside never seems to fit just perfect. There is some chance that an inside frame can cause leaks in a heavy or prolonged rain. On a 21 or 24 foot tent the outside poles require an upright in the middle of the tent, the inside doesn't. With outside poles your tent looks like a traditional hunting tent should look.

One inch of powder dry snow, on a 15x15 tent weights over 200 pounds. One inch of very wet snow weighs about 1000 pounds. The answer to snow is to load your stove up and bank it down when you leave. If you're in a blizzard someone is going to stay in camp anyway and they can open the draft and feed the fire.

There are benefits to each style of frame, depending on your needs.

Here is a side-by-side comparison.