The Best Four-Season Tents to Bring Warmth to Winter Camping

When comfort is key and space is unlimited (at the campsite and in your car), a canvas tent with a wood-burning stove is second to none. 

This tent is much different than most others in this review, but it's a tent that we cannot live without for hunting. The four-person Regatta has a sewn-in groundsheet, heavy steel poles with a center support, and is made from a hefty, waterproof canvas. It features a 5-inch diameter stove jack to vent your wood-burning stove (sold separately) and does an excellent job at trapping heat inside when you need it most. 

Weighing over 50 pounds, this winter tent is a real behemoth. But it's one of the most comfortable options for a family, and well worth the setup time if you'll be out for more than a few days.

More: Camping Essentials to Use Year-Round

Setting up basecamp for winter excursions? You'll want a tent that will stand up to high winds and heavy snow, such as the Trango 2. This beast has a double-wall design with five lightweight poles that provide extra protection from the elements (compared to lighter, single wall designs), and it's been updated with a rainfly that connects to both the poles and the tent body.

Weighing in at 9 pounds, 10 ounces, boasting 40 square feet of floor space with two doors and two large vestibules, this tent is significantly roomier than most two-person tents. 

It's heavier than a lot of backcountry-angled tents, but we think the added weight is worth carrying for the extra interior space and peace of mind that you'll stay dry and cozy in below-freezing temps.

Hilleberg's shelters are a staple among winter campers and mountaineers, and the Nammatj is one of their most popular. 

The Nammatj features thick, 10-millimeter poles that create a low-profile tunnel design that shrugs off high winds with ease and prevents snow loading. The double-wall nylon body is treated with silicone, making it much more durable than most backpacking tents. And the rainfly and vestibule extend all the way to the ground, making it nearly impossible for snow to creep its way inside.

Weighing just 6 pounds, 8 ounces, this tent packs a ton of punch in a lightweight package. It's one of the few tents in this review that is genuinely comfortable in sub-zero, polar conditions yet is still light enough for one person to reasonably carry for long backpacking trips. 

Though 31 square feet of floor space is on the lower end, the high ceilings, nearly vertical walls, and oversized vestibule make this tent feel much larger and more livable than many.

By far the cheapest four-season tent in this review, we’d be crazy to recommend venturing out into the backcountry in the dead of winter with this tent. But if you’re camping in cold climates where light snow is a possibility, this tent will provide more protection from the elements than a three-season alternative.

It’s a double-layer option with a durable, waterproof rainfly, plus a breathable inner layer with mesh and windows for ventilation. The most notable feature is the built-in snow skirt, which keeps snow from infiltrating under the rainfly.

Weighing just 6 pounds, 7 ounces, this is certainly light enough to take backpacking. With nearly 30 square feet of floor space, it's similarly sized to many backpacking tents, but the side-entry doors and smaller vestibules make this a tight squeeze for two adults.

Though it's not quite as badass as their top-of-the-line Meter Dome Tent that you've seen in mountaineering films like Meru, this tent is still a worthy, more attainable alternative. It features a double-wall design with fabrics that are super durable and plenty waterproof for camping on snow. 

The four aluminum poles are stout, delivering a high strength-to-weight ratio, and it can be staked out for impressive resilience in high winds. Weighing just under 10 pounds, it's the perfect basecamp for winter adventures when you're not on a movie-making budget. 

Its 32 square feet of floor space is considerably less than the Trango 2 (above), but with two doors and two vestibules, the Mountain 25 is much more livable than many two-person backpacking tents without wasted space and, thus, body heat.

REI’s Arete ASL all-season tent is perfect if you’re on a budget and delivers solid protection in cold-weather camping. It’s another tent that falls in the “Treeline” category, which means it’s prepared to minimize suffering in cold temperatures, but not meant to be an igloo-like shelter in a blizzard. This tent has a stout, four-pole design that increases stability, while also maximizing living and storage space.

Weighing in at just 6 pounds, 5 ounces, it's much lighter than basecamp tents. Just one door provides access to the 32 square feet of living space, but the large vestibule offers plenty of extra room for gear storage. 

We like the Arete ASL for cold-weather backpacking (or car camping) when you'll be moving camps nightly, especially when cold temperatures are highly likely, but not guaranteed.

“Treeline” tents tow the line between three- and four-season tents. They’re well-equipped to handle cold nights near 11,500 feet and light enough for backpacking in the snow when winds are calm. For calmer winter nights where you’ll be setting up on hard-packed snow at or below treeline, this is the perfect middle ground of weight savings, price, and comfort.

With a packed weight of just 4 pounds, 1 ounce, the Access 2 is just slightly heavier than one of our favorite backpacking tents, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX, and it's the lightest tent in this four-season list. The aluminum poles are lightweight yet solid, and they form a unique shape with central support that cuts through wind and sheds snow better than most designs. 

With just 29 square feet of floor space, it's great for one person and gear, but you might want to consider the three-person Access 3 for the versatility of having a two-legged or four-legged partner join.