The cold weather is not ideal for camping, but it can be fascinating to watch the snowfall or to challenge yourself a bit, or just to have a new experience.
But regardless of your purpose, you need the best extreme cold weather tents to survive a camping trip on such occasions. In this post, you will know all the factors to take into account in choosing the right tent.
Here are the best extreme cold weather tents (2025 Update):
- Best Overall: Coleman WeatherMaster 6-Person Tent with Screen Room
- Best For Climbing: GEERTOP Backpacking Tent
- Best For Fierce Winds: MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person Lightweight Backpacking Tent
- Best For Camping: Snugpak Scorpion 3 Tent, 3 Person 4 Season Camping Tent
- Best For Hiking: ALPS Mountaineering Tasmanian 3-Person Tent
- Best For Hunting: PlayDo 4-Season Waterproof Cotton Canvas Bell Tent
| 6 Best Extreme Cold Weather Tents | ||
|---|---|---|
Best Overall | Coleman WeatherMaster 6-Person Tent with Screen Room | |
Best For Climbing | GEERTOP Backpacking Tent | |
Best For Fierce Winds | MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person Lightweight Backpacking Tent | |
Best For Camping | Snugpak Scorpion 3 Tent, 3 Person 4 Season Camping Tent | |
Best For Hiking | ALPS Mountaineering Tasmanian 3-Person Tent | |
Best For Hunting | PlayDo 4-Season Waterproof Cotton Canvas Bell Tent | |
Best Overall: Coleman WeatherMaster 6-Person Tent with Screen Room
- Let you stretch out – fit enough two queen-sized air beds
- Allows kids to bug-free play inside - provide a floorless screened-in porch
- Great weather-resistant and waterproof properties – strong polyester material, inverted seams, powerful, wind-responsive frame, & welding-inspired technology floor
- Convenient to use - e-port, spacious storage pockets, and a hinged door
- Screened-in section is not totally protected from the rain
- Pretty large and heavy
For family camping trips of 4 to 6 members, this tent provides a spacious room.
In the main zone, it fits nicely two queen-sized air beds, and on the floorless screened-in porch, it has pretty nice height – around 5’10”, where your kids can bug-free play around with their toys.
The entire tent is crafted from weather-resistant polyester with inverted seams and a more powerful, wind-responsive frame.
The floor is also good at waterproofing thanks to its welding-inspired technology.
Regardless, some other practical add-ons worth mentioning are e-port for bringing electrical power to your tent more easily, spacious storage pockets, and a hinged door.
| Coleman WeatherMaster 6-Person Tent with Screen Room Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 32.0 pounds |
Material | polyester |
Tent Area | 11 x 9 feet with a 6-foot 8-inch center height |
Capacity | 6 Persons |
Highlight Features | Fit enough two queen-sized air beds |
If you’re in need of a good cold-weather tent for 6 persons, this is the best overall performer.
Best For Climbing: GEERTOP Backpacking Tent
- Easy to pack – lightweight (6.4 lbs.) and compact packed size (17.3(L) x 6.7 inches in diameter)
- Superb protection against impacts and weather changes - free-standing poles, double layer design, and a waterproof floor sheet.
- Prevent leakage effectively - water-tight buckle close design and double-stitched seams
- Bang for bucks – include a snow skirt, L-shaped aluminum guy lines and stakes, and reflective ropes
- The ventilation system isn’t great
- The vestibules are not very large.
- The zippers could be higher quality
This GEERTOP tent provides enough room for two adults. It is lightweight and compact for backpacking, easy to set up, and once unpacked, it can withstand harsh conditions, like snows, downpour rains, and strong winds.
It is constructed from free-standing poles, double layers (including a breathable inner layer with two mesh windows and a UV-protection PU 3000 mm outer fly), and a waterproof floor sheet.
The tent prevents leakage so efficiently thanks to not just its high-quality materials but also the water-tight buckle close design and double-stitched seams.
It also has an additional snow skirt to keep snow and rain away from your tent so the ground underneath always stays dry. For extra windproof protection, it is added with L-shaped aluminum guy lines and stakes, as well as some reflective ropes.
| GEERTOP Backpacking Tent Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 6.4 lbs. |
Material | Rugged 210T anti-tear checkered polyester |
Tent Area | 78(L) x 55(W) x 41(H) inches |
Capacity | 2-person |
Highlight Features | Free-standing poles, double layer design, and a waterproof floor sheet |
The GEERTOP Backpacking Tent outperforms the rest in terms of lightness, compact packed size, and weatherproof performance, making it the best pick for climbing.
Best For Fierce Winds: MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person Lightweight Backpacking Tent
- Able to withstand fierce wind conditions - premium Easton Syclone Poles
- Durable, waterproof, and weatherproof - a 30 rip-stop nylon 3000mm Xtreme Shield polyurethane floor sheet and Xtreme Shield Waterproof Coating
- The footprint is sold separately
- The outer tent is so close to the inner tent at the short sides
If your biggest concern when choosing a tent is the fierce wind, this option will give you more peace in mind.
Different from the ordinary counterparts, this highlights premium Easton Syclone Poles with enhanced windproof properties. It besides has a 30 rip-stop nylon 3000mm Xtreme Shield polyurethane floor sheet and Xtreme Shield Waterproof Coating.
A special thing about this coating is it can hold up 3 times longer than usual.
And, MSR also provides it with a 3-year limited warranty.
| MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2-Person Lightweight Backpacking Tent Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 3.5 lbs. |
Material | 30D ripstop nylon 3000mm Xtreme Shield polyurethane & DWR |
Tent Area | 29 sq. feet of floor area |
Capacity | 2-person |
Highlight Features | Premium Easton Syclone Poles |
Designed with advanced Easton Syclone Poles, the MSR Hubba Hubba NX is our proud choice for fierce wind.
Best For Camping: Snugpak Scorpion 3 Tent, 3 Person 4 Season Camping Tent
- Excellent windproof and weatherproof - DAC Featherlite NSL anodized poles, 5000mm water-repellent, and windproof PU coating, and more
- Easy to fix the tent – a simple kit is included
- Simple to set up & pack – measured by 17 x 8.3 x 1 inch
- The vestibule is a bit small
- Unable to hang items inside the tent
- The attached guy lines are easy to absorb water
For enthusiast campers, the Snugpak Scorpion 3 will definitely be your best companion that never let you wake up wet.
The DAC Featherlite NSL anodized poles combined with 5000mm water-repellent and windproof PU coating and 210t RipStop polyester flysheet creates an awesome shelter. It can resist strong wind without slushing up our bottles placed on the tent floor.
Setup isn’t a thing with this product, and it even provides you with a basic repair kit plus many other practical add-ons.
Take note that according to the interior area, it is perfect for three people or two with their gears.
| Snugpak Scorpion 3 Tent, 3 Person 4 Season Camping Tent Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 7.5 pounds |
Material | 210t Polyester RipStop with 5000mm waterproof and windproof polyurethane DAC Feathlerlite NSL anodized aluminum poles |
Tent Area | 43”x69”x87” |
Capacity | 3-person |
Highlight Features | DAC Featherlite NSL anodized poles, 5000mm water-repellent, and windproof PU coating |
Designed to be able to handle everything that Nature throws at it, the Snugpak Scorpion 3 is no longer a surprise to be our Best Pick for the Camping award winner.
Best For Hiking: ALPS Mountaineering Tasmanian 3-Person Tent
- Able to keep you warm and dry – UV- and water-resistant polyester material
- Able to handle strong gusts - good flysheet and strong poles
- Still allow for good airflow – a good gap between the tents and fly
- A bit heavy
- Not as durable as the higher-end tents
This extremely cold weather tent is our suggestion for multi-day hikes to keep you warm and dry each night.
While the price tag is a huge deal, it is very dependable in terms of quality.
It has a good flysheet with nice positions for guy lines to handle strong gusts and head height that you can easily move around. An A+ for its ventilation system, thanks to the perfect gap between the tents and fly (around 4”).
The installation takes around 10 minutes, which is acceptable in our opinion.
| ALPS Mountaineering Tasmanian 3-Person Tent Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 10 lbs. 6 oz. |
Material | Polyester |
Tent Area | 6'7 x 7'8 x 54" |
Capacity | 3-person |
Highlight Features | UV- and water-resistant polyester material |
For a 4-season tent at under $300 that can handle extreme cold conditions for multi-night hikes, we definitely recommend this.
Best For Hunting: PlayDo 4-Season Waterproof Cotton Canvas Bell Tent
- Easy to blend into the wildlife - five different beige tones
- Able to resist snow, rain, light wind, and light - 300gsm cotton canvas fabric with taped seams, waterproof treatment
- Allow for stove set up - a 5” stove jackhole
- Not ideal for a long term stove set-up – the fireproof material area is a bit small
The last option in this list is our recommendation for hunters who plan to sleep overnight in cold, wild environments. It offers five different beige tones to discreetly blend into the wildlife and there are lots of size options to choose from.
The tent itself is crafted of 300gsm cotton canvas fabric with taped seams, waterproof treatment, and resistance to snow, rain, light wind, and light.
Completed with nets, zippable windows, and vented top, it provides good breathability to the inside whereas keeping you from mosquitoes or other insects efficiently.
The biggest bonus is the 5” stove jack hole made of fire-resistant materials and placed in the roof.
| PlayDo 4-Season Waterproof Cotton Canvas Bell Tent Specifications | |
|---|---|
Weight | 42.4lbs. to 132.3lbs. |
Material | 300gsm cotton fabric |
Tent Area | Floor-9.8x9.8ft to Floor-23x23ft |
Highlight Features | Five different beige tones |
The PlayDo 4-Season is our favorite choice for hunting in extreme cold weather conditions.
How To Choose The Best Extreme Cold Weather Tent?
Material
When camping in extremely cold weather, the tent material must be strong enough to withstand snow, heavy rain, and strong winds, and thick enough so you can stay warm inside.
There are three best materials you can choose from:
Nylon: This material is fairly strong, lightweight, waterproof thanks to coatings.
Silnylon: It’s made of nylon fabric woven into a thin layer with liquid silicone from both sides. The material is very strong, tear-resistant, and highly waterproof. It’s also lightweight.
Polypropylene (PP): This material is known for its toughness, it can deform without breaking, but it’s not as strong as nylon. It also offers waterproof ability and high resistance to moisture absorption.
Construction
The construction of a tent refers to its poles and how they are organized to form the tent’s structure. You should get a tent with more poles that cross each other for maximum stability.
Shape & Size
You need to choose a tent with steep sides instead of flat ones as they don’t hold snow on the top. Go with either an A-shape tent or a dome-shaped one, they are the best choices for extreme cold weather.
As for the size, a smaller tent is better, it’s easy for you to handle and has a better chance of surviving in the winter. But make sure it provides enough space to keep your personal gear.
Poles
While more poles and crossing poles bring about more stability, you should also pay attention to their material.
Aluminum: great strength and flexibility
Fiberglass: the most lightweight and affordable
Steel: the strongest but heaviest
Composite: super flexible, quickly returns to the original shape after being bent or pressed
Among these four-pole materials, composite is the best choice but also the costliest. Meanwhile, aluminum is the most widely used and most practical.
Insulation
A well-insulated tent keeps you warm in the extreme cold. You can opt for a double-wall tent as it holds heat better and a single-wall one. Also, consider getting a rainfly that extends to the bottom of your tent, it helps insulate more effectively.
Which Brands Make The Best Extreme Cold Weather Tent?
Coleman
This is one of the best outdoor gear brands on the market, well-known for the innovation it makes to every product, and you will surely find a good tent for extreme cold weather here.
GEERTOP
Since 2012, this brand has been dedicated to providing people with high-quality, ultralight, and portable outdoor gear, including tents. If you are a camping enthusiast, you should definitely check out its products.
MSR
Founded in 1969, MSR specializes in making outdoor gears with an exclusive competitive advantage in terms of safety. Its products, like tents, are also appreciated for reliability, simplicity, and functionality.
Snugpak
If you are looking for a long-standing brand for extra reliability, this is your go-to brand. Over the past 200 years, Snugpak has excelled in making outdoor gears thanks to its state-of-the-art sewing techniques.
ALPS
With more than 20 years of experience in the business, ALPS offers customer-centered products. That means it knows exactly what you need for extremely cold weather and its tents will deliver just those things.
FAQs
How cold is too cold to camp?
If the night temperature is lower than 40 degrees F, it’s too cold to go camping outside.
How do you insulate a tent for winter?
Here are what you can do to enhance insulation for your tent.
Use the smallest tent possible
Use a ground blanket, mat, or rug for ground insulation
Cover the tent with a tarp or rainfly
Set up the tent behind a large rock formation or shrubs for natural windbreaks
Use heat packs inside the tent
Are 4 season tents warmer?
Yes, they are. They keep you warmer in cold weather.
What materials insulate cold the best?
Wool, nylon, and PP seem to be the best materials for insulating cold.
Can you survive the winter in a tent?
Yes, you can survive the winter in a tent as long as it is well-insulated, strong, and durable.
Conclusion
Now that you know what to search for in the best extreme cold weather tents, we hope that you will have an enjoyable, safe camping trip with the right tent. If you have more questions or need guides with other products, let us know. Good luck!
