When it gets cold out, yet you still want to enjoy camping outdoors, what can you do? Sure, building a fire will help some as will blankets and other forms of cold-weather clothing. However, what you truly need is a tent made to deal with the elements. Cold weather tents are amazing and a lot of them are within most price ranges.
Table of Contents
Brand vs Value
The brands ultimately are not as important as some think. There are some impressive brands out there in the tent market, of course. However, that is the big mistake people tend to make when searching for a great tent. When it comes to a cold weather tent, you’re looking for how it’s made. Can it handle high winds? Can it close completely? Is it waterproof?
This is what’s truly important. Obviously, this can be considered highly important for tents you’ll want to use year-round too.
Of course, most of the top brands make a terrific cold weather tent. Yet we’ve combed through the best of the best and have narrowed down the best seven that can handle the chilly outdoors as well as other times of the year.
When searching, we had a criterion that we stuck with. We wanted to find the best overall value along with the best make and model. This meant we had to leave some top-selling tents off of our list. Remember, you’re looking for a cold weather tent but you want to make sure you’re getting a tent that you can use any time of the year.
The 7 Best Tents For Cold Weather
Let’s break down the best tents made to combat cold weather to keep you warmer.
Tent | Capacity | Composition | Weight | Cost |
Geertop Toproad | 4 | Polyester | 9.1 lbs. | $$$ |
Naturehike Cloud-Up | 3 | Polyester | 5.3 lbs. | $$ |
Ayamaya Pop-Up | 4-6 | Polyester | 11.9 lbs. | $$$ |
Luxe Tempo | 2 | Polyester | 5.95 lbs. | $$ |
Camppal Mtn. | 3 | Polyester | 8lbs. | $ |
Desert & Fox | 3-4 | Polyester | 12.4 lbs. | $ |
Crua Duo | 2 | Polyester | 19.8 lbs (both) | $$$$ |
GeerTop Toproad Large Family Lightweight Backpacking Tent
- 4 People
- Aluminum Poles, Nylon Mesh, Polyester
- Double-Stitched To Ensure Waterproofing
When looking at the GeerTop Toproad Family Tent, we were struck by not only the value but also the high quality. It's clear that this is a 4-season tent, which they make sure you know right off. GeerTop claims that this tent can handle extreme weather conditions - anything from snowy cold weather to hot humid weather.
It ensures itself as a great cold weather tent due to this. However, they also added a snow skirt just to make sure you could handle the white stuff. They also added 2 large ventilation panels along with 2 doors and 2 windows. This allows the family to have some separation on their adventure together.
Due to the two doors, the parents and kids could enter and exit as they please. This also can work for couples that want to go camping together and use the same tent.
This tent is waterproof, as mentioned above. They were able to do this due to their double-stitched seams being perfectly sealed. They claim this also improved durability. In some ways, the latter is true. When a tent has high-quality stitching, it's able to handle much more punishment than tents without this. However, severe storms may still cut through a tent.
Likely the best part of the tent is how lightweight it is. Since this is technically a tent for backpacking, it's made to be easy to travel with. This means that you won't need one big strong dude to handle it. Seriously, it only weighs a little over 9lbs. It also takes a few minutes to put together. That is our type of tent!
Thank the heavens that back problems will be a thing of the past due to GeerTop!
Naturehike Cloud-Up Tent
- 3 Person Tent
- Nylon Ropes, Nylon Carrying Bag, 7001 Space Aluminum Poles, Aluminum Tent Stakes, 210T Polyester
- Double-Layered For Ensured Waterproofness
Yet another tent for friends and even some families, the Naturehike Cloud-Up tent can handle anything. While it is made for all 4 seasons of the year, we believe this is also one of the best tents for cold weather you can find. The reason is how the tent is made.
Made for 3 people, it's lightweight and easy to move around. In fact, it weighs a little less than 6lbs, making it one of the lightest 3-person tents on the market today!
However, this is a tough tent capable of handling rainstorms as well as snow. The tent also uses aluminum poles and stakes, helping it remain in place. In fact, this tent is both waterproof and windproof when putting both the inner and outer tent to use.
Currently, this tent has a PU3000mm water-resistant rating for the entire tent at large. This rating means it's proven capable by the experts in water resistance to be capable of handling some of the most severe weather out there. Don't think they only made this tent capable of handling water issues, oh no.
It has a UV 50+ sun protection guarantee, making it capable of camping in hot places without an issue. A lot of tents suffer from getting hotter and hotter as the day goes on. This only makes sitting in the tent miserable during the hot points of the day. Yet with Naturehike, that will no longer be a problem!
An easy setup, easy to move, and capable of handling ALL weather?!? Sign us up with great all weather camping tent!
Ayamaya Pop-Up Tent
- 4 to 6 People
- Polyester, PU-Coated Polyester Roof
- 3000mm waterproof PU-roofing, 4000mm waterproof oxford groundsheet, included rain-fly, heat-sealed seams
The Ayamaya Pop-Up Tent is a well-liked tent that, like some of the others on this list, is meant for travel and easy set-up. It's a large tent, easily capable of handling at least 4 people but large enough to hold up to 6. The added vestibule offers even more room and just makes this pop-up tent a must-have for couples who love to travel together as well as for family camping.
We love this tent for multiple uses such as small boys or girls camping trips for the weekend all the way to an extended stay in the mountains for a few weeks. Since this is a cold weather tent, some may assume that it cannot handle other elements. However, that is not the case at all. This is truly a 4-season tent.
This tent has 2 doors, hooded vents, and even 4 windows to ensure proper ventilation to avoid things getting stuffy. This can allow an entire side of the tent to be open at any point too. These same windows and doors have double panels to allow this. In the end, this will prevent awkward walking over issues during the night. We all know how bad those can be!
The tent is also extremely waterproof, ranking in 3000mm & 4000mm respectively across the tent. The company accomplishes this through heat-sealing it seems. If that's not enough, their double layering addition also helps to avoid condensation. Rain or snow, you're always good in the Ayamaya Pop-Up Tent.
Luxe Tempo Tent
- 2 Person Tent
- 210T Polyester, Aluminum Stakes
- 3000mm PU-Coating, 3000mm Fully-Taped Rip-Stop Rain-Fly
We're big fans of the Luxe Tempo Tent, as it's truly the perfect tent to use for a couple wanting to get away for the weekend. It's also great for a parent and child to take on a trip to the lake or anything else they choose to do. While this particular tent ranks among the best cold weather tents on the market, the people at Luxe have made sure to put it through tons of testing.
Due to this, they can say for certain that these tents are capable of handling weather all-year long, Plus, while some usually see 2-person tents as lesser than compared to the bigger versions, that is not the case here. All of the same great things you see in bigger tents have been added to this one too.
This tent is bigger than people give it credit for, assisted by 2 vestibules. It's also incredibly light at just under 6lbs. That makes it an easy tent to take around. This is better than lugging around a 30 to 50-pounder for sure!
The protection that this tent has is spectacular. The 210T polyester used is very breathable and perfect for cold weather. Plus, it keeps unwanted critters away with the mesh layer doors that can only be accessed from the inside. This is also useful when camping around other people.
Combined with this are the reinforced tent corners that are capable of handling lots of tension. Combined with this, the tent has been tested for proper water resistance. Also, the double-layered doors offer proper high-low cross ventilation, making this useful for warmer weather.
This is truly a tent that can be taken just about anywhere.
Camppal Professional Mountaineering Tent
- 3 Person Tent
- Polyester, Aluminum Pole
- 5000mm Outer-Fly Coating
You have great tent brands and then you have those who seek to be greater than great. Camppal is always pushing to raise the bar higher and higher for its competitors and it really shows. This Professional Mountaineering Tent really holds up to its name, as it truly is one of the best tents for cold weather that one can buy today. To top it off, they offer this impressive tent for just $99? What a steal!
Pay really close attention to all you can find in this tent.
First up, their Mesh Ripstop that offers proper protection against several animals and even some human intruders. Their anti-tearing Ripstop Fly is 68D, 210T, 5000mm waterproof. That's not including their tremendous floor, made with Polyester Oxford and given a 300D, 5000mm waterproof grade. This also comes with an 8.5mm aluminum pole.
One would assume that all of this would only make this tent heavy or bulky. In reality, it's truly around just 8lbs when you including the packing carton and even less without it for a truly lightweight mountaineering tent!
With this tent, you're getting a product made for the cold but also for the entire year. It's truly a 4-season product! Not all tents can handle the entire year, but thankfully Camppal makes sure you are not wasting your money on multiple tents for multiple purposes.
As an extreme weather tent, it can handle snowfall as well as rainfall without any real issue. Due to the waterproof nature, any sort of precipitation outdoors cannot break through this tent. They have also ensured it to last in strong winds, making this a great tent for pretty much any weather condition outdoors.
Desert & Fox 3-4 Person Camping Tent
- 3 to 4 people
- Polyester
- 2000-3000mm Outer-Coating, Waterproof Glue In Joints
Desert & Fox wanted to make their tent useful for multiple different purposes. They wanted to make it great for families as well as couples to use when going outdoors together. At the same time, they wanted to make it useful for small backyard fun too. Ultimately, this is truly a tent that can be used for anything. With a price of $87.90, it's hard to overlook for sure.
The set-up is a breeze, as this is a pop-up tent that makes it a nearly instant experience. No more attempting to get a tent together for hours at a time! This tent can be up in 60 seconds or less according to the manufacturer! Plus, it's a lightweight tent that can be taken backpacking with ease.
The space in this tent is tremendous, as it offers room for up to 4 people. This is only assisted by a few different vestibule poles. Plus, Desert & Fox included 2 doors at the front and rear that make this tent great for quick ins and outs.
While this tent is one of the top cold weather tents on the market, we've found that it's perfect for all seasons. In fact, it includes UV Protection to handle some of the worst heat you'll experience outdoors. This also includes some tremendous waterproofing that reaches 2000-3000mm. The tent has waterproof fabric as well as waterproof glue between the joints to ensure water will stay out! Plus, it's been proven as windproof!
Of course, Desert & Fox gave us a hexagon design with this tent. To some, this can be better than others due to rain not gathering as easy on the top. In reality, all designs can work well in this department. However, the tent looks a bit fancier to some which makes it a useful tent to take to picnics, the beach, and other public sectors.
If all of this was not enough, the company wants to make sure you're satisfied so they offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee. They claim that if literally, anything goes wrong, they'll respond to any concern you have within 24 hours. Now that's what we call great customer service!
Crua Duo Combo- 2 Person Modular System Winter Tent
- 2 Person Tent
- Polyester, Aluminum Frame
- HH5000mm
We should make sure upfront that you know that Crua made this a tent that is capable of much more than what you might assume. As a modular tent, it can be connected to others like it in order to offer a bigger camping experience. However, on its own, this particular tent can sleep 2 people with ease.
This tent is made mostly using Polyester and has a 450g/M2 insulation rating. This is why it is one of the best tents we've found and may very well be the best tent on this list in the extreme cold.
This setup includes the Cocoon with extreme insulation capability for comfort and noise reduction. You essentially not only have a tent for extreme winter conditions, but also a tent with noise-cancellation built-in!
However, that is not where the safety measures and amenities end with this spectacular insulated tent. It's also fire retardant and offers a B3 Bug Mesh to keep them far away from you as you try to sleep!
The tent is also water-resistant up to HH5000mm. Some may not know what that means, so let us explain.
HH stands for Hydrostatic Head, essentially meaning that your tent can gather up a huge amount of water on top before any sort of leak is even remotely possible. In this case, it can reach up to 5000mm, which is around 16 feet of water. It's unlikely you're ever going to experience that much water on top of your tent, but if you ever do, Crua has you covered!
This is also why it's often given a waterproof rating rather than a water resistance one. However, since the tent is not completely waterproof outside of this, it's technically only water-resistant. However, that should not steer you from it. As mentioned, it can handle water without an issue. This also includes snow and other forms of precipitation.
This is truly an all-weather, four season tent that is well worth the money. When you get so much with it, how can you turn it down? Plus, if you're not satisfied for any reason, the tent comes with a money-back guarantee. Crua truly stands by their quality and want to make sure you have the best insulated tent possible.
