There are many tents out there designed with winter camping in mind. They come outfitted with special defenses against cold, wind, and moisture, and they make camping possible in any season!
However, not all of these tents are ideal for winter backpacking trips. They can be heavy-duty and bulky, making them difficult to fit in your backpack or carry for long distances.
Luckily, there are some tents out there that are well-suited to both! Here are our top picks for the best winter backpacking tents!
Our Top Picks
Best Overall
GEERTOP 4-Season Tent
Best for Groups
Mountain Hardware Trango 4 Tent
Best Lightweight Option
Hillman Backpacking Tent
Best Overall
GEERTOP 4-Season Tent
At the very top of our list is the GEERTOP 4-Season Tent!The GEERTOP checks the most boxes required for an ideal winter backpacking tent.
Firstly, its size and weight make it easy to pack up and carry with you on your backpacking adventures. As the name suggests, backpacking is usually done by packing all your supplies into one backpack…including your tent. Because of this, smaller tents are more ideal.
Broken down, the GEERTOP is only 17 inches long and seven inches wide, so it won’t take up much of the precious space in your backpack.
It’s also lightweight for a winter tent–at six and a half pounds, it won’t weigh you down as you’re trekking on the trails to your destination.
It also comes with winter-specific accessories. It comes with a snowskirt to keep your tent from being filled with snow when you open the “door,” and the tent itself is waterproof. If you choose the GEERTOP, you can rest peacefully, knowing you’ll stay warm and dry all night long!
One minor con to this tent: its storage bag has been known to wear down much faster than the tent itself. But if you can replace the bag with something sturdier, you shouldn’t have to worry.
Pros
- Four-season tent
- Includes snow skirt
- Waterproof
- Compact size
- Lightweight
Cons
- Storage bag wears out quickly
Best for Groups
Mountain Hardware Trango 4 Tent
If you and your friends want to cut down on your combined gear burden, sharing a tent can be extremely convenient. However, many backpacking tents are only made for one or two people, which can become a tight squeeze…
Luckily, the Mountain Hardware Trango 4 tent can solve that issue! The Trango tent sleeps four people, with plenty of room for you, your friends, and all your winter gear.
This winter backpacking tent is designed for ease of setup, preventing the intrusion of snow and other moisture, and giving you as much storage space as possible.
The poles and other pieces have been assigned different colors, making it easy to match the pieces of the tent with the instructions for setup. There are pockets installed in the side of the tent to let you get some of your gear off the floor, providing more sleeping space.
The tent also includes vestibules at the front and back of the tent. Both vestibules are included to provide more storage space. However, the front vestibule also functions as a snow-blocking feature, keeping snow from entering the tent with you.
The downside to this tent—its weight—is a natural consequence of its size. It can fit plenty of people and gear, but that advantage comes with a (literally) hefty disadvantage.
It weights almost 12 pounds, which is nearly twice the weight of the GEERTOP. However, if this allows you and your friends to disperse more gear, seeing as only one person will need to carry the tent, this can even out the weight.
There’s one more pretty sizable con to this tent: its price tag. It’s considerably more expensive than the other tents on our list. However, its quality, functionality, and storage space are worth the extra expense!
Pros
- Sleeps four people
- Two vestibules and inner pockets provide extra storage space
- Designed to keep snow out
- Easy to set up
Cons
- Heavy for a winter backpacking tent
- Expensive
Best Lightweight Option
Hillman Backpacking Tent
The Hillman Backpacking Tent is a more traditional backpacking tent. It sleeps two people, breaks down to only 19 inches in length when stored, and weighs merely five pounds!
It’s also a four-season tent, outfitted with all the accessories you need to make winter camping comfortable.
This winter backpacking tent comes with a snowskirt attached to a waterproof rainfly, so you don’t have to worry about snow sneaking inside your tent…or melted snow leaking through the top!
This tent also comes in multiple colors, which is a nice plus. You can choose whatever color scheme best suits your personal taste!
The downside to this tent is its material. It is lightweight, but because of that design, it’s made of very thin material. This can result in smaller bits of the tent, such as the loops for the stakes or poles, tearing off easily.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Compact size
- Multiple colors
- Four-season tent
- Includes snowskirt
- Waterproof
Cons
- Thin material
The North Face Mountain 25 Tent
The North Face Mountain tent includes many of the same features as the other tents on this list; however, it does include a couple additional bonuses that make it an exciting option for your winter backpacking tent!
Firstly, the tassels on its zippers are glow-in-the-dark, allowing for easy entrance and exit even in the dark. This comes in handy during the winter, as it gets dark much earlier.
It also includes snow stakes, which will help secure your tent even in deeper snow.
You’ll also find a “footprint” included with this tent! A footprint is a tarp meant to prevent moisture in the ground from leaking through the bottom layer of the tent. It also helps keep it from getting crusted in mud or torn by stray sticks and other debris.
It will also help keep you warmer by adding an extra layer between the floor of your tent and the frozen or snowy ground!
However, as incredible as this tent is, it does come with one big con: its price tag. While not as expensive as the Trango winter backpacking tent, it still costs a pretty penny compared to most other backpacking tents.
Pros
- Glow-in-the-dark zipper tassels
- Snow stakes and footprint included
- Four-season tent
Cons
- Expensive
Amflip Ultralight Tent
Though described as “ultralight,” the Amflip is actually heavier than most other tents on our lists—it’s about nine pounds. However, this is still perfectly reasonable for a backpacking tent, and its other features make up for the weight!
This tent’s weight is partially due to the equipment required to make its most exciting function possible: it’s a “pop-up” tent.
This means you don’t need to worry about spending hours fumbling with poles and straps. All you have to do is press down on the pop-up apparatus, and the tent opens up all on its own. It’s a bit like an umbrella!
It is a four-season tent. It’s considered to be waterproof, and it does include a footprint. However, it does not include a snow skirt.
Pros
- Includes a footprint
- Pop-up makes set-up easy
- Waterproof
- Four-season tent
Cons
- Heavier than some backpacking tents
- Doesn’t include a snow skirt
Winter Backpacking Tent Buyer’s Guide
The first thing you need to look at when shopping for a winter backpacking tent is how many “seasons” it can withstand.
Most tents are designed for three seasons, at best. When shopping for a tent that will keep you safe and sheltered through icy wind and fierce snowstorms, you need to look for a “four-season” tent.
As this is going to be a winter backpacking tent, you’ll also want to pay attention to what you can fit in your chosen backpack. Some backpacks can hold more than others, and each has different size specifications.
You want to choose a tent you can fit easily into your backpack without having to remove other backpacking necessities.
You also want to take the total weight of your backpack into account. Always test your fully packed backpack on shorter trails before heading out on your trip. You don’t want to discover that you can’t carry your backpack long distances right at the beginning of your backpacking venture!
Winter Backpacking Tent FAQ
Can I convert my current backpacking tent to a four-season tent?
You are able to purchase add-ons to use with your current tent, such as footprints, snow skirts, and waterproofing spray.
You can also use a tent heater. However, these can be difficult to lug around in your backpack, as most require propane to run. There are electric ones available, but you’d need an electric hookup at your campsite.
In any case, the short answer is yes: you are able to convert your current backpacking tent. However, backpacking tents tend to be a bit flimsier than four-season tents, which can put you at risk for snow tearing or collapsing your tent.
Also, after considering the expense to add on winter necessities that most four-season tents already come with, it can end up being more cost-effective to simply buy a winter backpacking tent.
Is there a temperature threshold that is considered unsafe even for four-season tents?
This depends on a few factors, including whether you have a tent heater, the temperature threshold on your winter sleeping bag, and what kind of winter clothing you have on hand.
If you have an insulated sleeping pad to keep yourself off the frozen ground, a winter sleeping bag that can withstand severe cold, and can stay out of the wind, you’re in a good spot.
However, if the temperature drops below five degrees and you have no heater, that’s when it’s time to retreat to better shelter.
Can I use my winter tent in the summer?
You can use your winter tent in the summer! It’s easier to “de-winterize” a tent than to winterize one. In fact, you don’t really need to do anything to it.
If you like, you can remove the included footprint or snow skirt. However, these things won’t hurt anything if you leave them on during warmer weather.
In fact, they may even come in handy during torrential summer rainstorms out on the trails.
Bundle up Inside Your Winter Backpacking Tent!
Once you decide on the best winter backpacking tent for you, you can pack up your backpack and get ready to brave the frozen wilderness!
For more winter camping tips, visit our winter camping section now!
- About the Author
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Cassidy Eubanks is a proud Michigander, an avid reader, and a writer for Apple Pie Media. Her bachelor’s in Creative Writing has fueled her love of storytelling in all its forms…including campfire stories!
With many years of both tent camping and RV camping under her belt, the ability to roll her ankle multiple times without actually spraining it while hiking, and a foolproof method for making the perfect s’more, Cassidy loves sharing different tips, tricks, and tools on Beyond the Tent to make your camping trip as simple and stress-free as possible.