The Best 4-Season Tents of 2024-2025

Best Overall 4-Season Tent: Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent
Best Budget 4-Season Tent: REI Co-op Arete ASL 2
Best Bivy-Style 4-Season Tent: SlingFin HotBox
Best Ultralight 4-Season Mid: Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid 4
Best Shoulder Season Crossover Tent: MSR Access 2
Best Hunting 4-Season Tent: KUIU Storm Star 2 Person Tent

Treading into the fourth season is no easy feat, and after you’ve slogged waist-deep, you’re going to need a shelter that’s as tough as the weather. The best 4-season tents are the elder shelters of the camping world and are toughened to put up with the worst of it on your next mountaineering, ski-touring, or alpine hunting trip.

After a few seasons spent in the high country, these are the tents we find ourselves reaching for time and time again. And while many 4-season tents can feel more like single-season tents, we considered shelters from all ends of the spectrum, from shoulder-season welterweights like the REI Co-op Arete ASL 2 that are keen to poke their noses into the alpine to expedition-ready brutes like the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent that will shoulder a 24-inch storm on Denali with ease.

Our experts are old hands at this and have tested more than 25 different burly shelters over the seasons — lugging them up the stratovolcanoes of the North Cascades and diving headlong with them into the refrigerated high valleys of Colorado. We sought out uncomfortable, persistent, and downright mean conditions to test these tents in and kept an eye out for important functional differences when it came to extreme weather resistance, durability, livability, and overall weight and packed size.

Below are the tents that not only survived but thrived during our climbs and ski tours. If you’ve only recently begun camping in the alpine, check our detailed Buyer’s Guide and Price & Value sections at the bottom of the page before scrolling through the top picks for 4-season tents. And if you can’t decide between tents, consult our Comparison Chart to get down to the nitty-gritty.

Editor’s Note: We recently updated this guide on November 1, 2024, to add the REI Co-op Arete ASL 2 as our new Best Budget winner, as well as The North Face Assault 2 FUTURELIGHT and a new Price & Value section.

Specs

Type: Basecamp and expeditions
Weight: 8 lbs., 9.7 oz.
Doors: 2
Sleeps: 2
Floor Area: 40 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: 12 sq. ft.
Height: 38"
Walls: Double

Pros

Wall-to-wall deep mesh pockets are convenient and add structural strength
Triple-reinforced window funnels in light and provides a bit of outdoor visibility
Loops for internal clothesline
Large vestibule entrance features a double door, so you can enter from either side
Extra stakes included

Cons

On the heavier side
High volume for a regular backpacking trip
Fewer ventilation ports on the fly compared to other designs

Now a standard-bearer for far-flung and deep expeditions, some iteration of the venerable Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent ($900) has been on the ground in places like the Kahiltna Glacier, the Khumbu, and in the Gilgit-Baltistan region since all the way back in 1995. This freestanding shelter is the ideal choice for lengthy, month-long expeditions when you have no idea what Mother Nature will throw at you, and shelter failure isn’t an option.

When you want to talk durable tent architecture, Mountain Hardwear is never far from the conversation, and the Trango is a large part of that reputation. The brainchild of tent designer Martin Zemitis (now of SlingFin Tents), the Trango series utilizes a four pole main structure that has become near-archetypal, and utilizes multiple intersections to create an extremely sturdy shelter free of the fuss of pole sleeves.

The interior design is also just as robust and provides pockets galore, which is a stellar feature for long durations in the field. The entire length of the walls is decorated with a total of 11 high-volume hammocks. For a two-person tent, this layout is generous with ample head, foot, and side space to protect your kit. During a ski mountaineering trip, our team found the setup was easy and intuitive thanks in part to the color-coded poles, rainfly, and canopy.

The fly can face in either direction across the Trango if you need to swap the orientation to better deal with gusts. And the fly connects to poles via gated clips, which are a bit finicky and not totally straightforward but nice to use when setting up in the wind. The materials are beefy, including the 70-denier nylon-taffeta floor. In fact, nearly everything from the buckles to the zippers is stout enough to withstand burly weather

The guy-out spots are placed 18 to 24 inches above the ground around the entire tent’s perimeter, which is the perfect height for securing guylines over any snow walls you might have to dig in at an advance basecamp — which is pretty much as far as you’ll want to take this shelter up the mountain. At 8.5 pounds, we found the build to be excessive in volume and weight for alpine routes where you’ll be camping on-route, but for established camps on popular routes, this tent shines. Still, our favorite way to carry the Trango is in a sled.

Given its history and performance, it’s unsurprising to note that this is one of the most popular tents that guide services opt to equip their high-altitude climbers with. When it comes to an unfailing indifference to the weather, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than the Mountain Hardwear Trango series.

Specs

Type: Mountaineering and shoulder-season backpacking
Weight: 6 lbs., 5 oz.
Doors: 1
Sleeps: 2
Floor Area: 32.9 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: 8.7 sq. ft.
Height: 43"
Walls: Double

Pros

Budget pricing
Easy to set up
Comfortable and spacious
Easy to pack
Handles winter weather well

Cons

Smaller vestibule
Height is a disadvantage in wind
Fly doesn't drop to the ground quite far enough

The ‘ASL’ in the REI Co-op Arete ASL 2 ($449) stands for All Season Light, meaning this shelter is best suited to near treeline where winds won’t blow as ferociously, but it’s also just as light on your wallet. The pole structure and materials are quite similar to the Trango series — just dialed back a bit to hit the price point. If you’re looking for a tent to try out winter camping, the Arete is the one to do it in.

For half of what our top pick asks, this tent really impressed us in terms of what it could handle. We tested the Arete most extensively in the shoulder seasons of the North Cascades, where precipitation ranges from liquid to solid on a daily basis. The four-pole structure of this tent sets up similarly to other shelters like the Trango or NEMO Chogori, but the fourth pole only reaches mid-panel, making it a bit less storm-worthy.

The tradeoff, however, is in ventilation, which the Arete does quite well. Humidity can range widely when you can’t bet on cold temperatures, and the broad ceiling panel of the Arete unzips when you need to bleed off some moisture-heavy air. The genius of this is that the entire panel can also be closed when you want to hold in more warmth, making this a really versatile design.

There are a few shortcuts taken to hit the budget price here, and they show up in the simple pole clips used, plastic hubs on the poles, and smaller vestibule. You also won’t get snow-specific features such as the skirts seen on the Trango tents, and while the fly on the Arete is well supported with interior Velcro tabs, it doesn’t quite extend down far enough to stop all gusts from reaching inside. Smart site selection can help remedy this.

There are a number of other “all-season” tents on the market, such as the NEMO Kunai, Big Agnes Copper Spur HV2 Expedition, and MSR Access 2, and while each excels a bit more in different niches, none can touch the Arete ASL when it comes to price. This is the tent we reach for on mid-season volcano ascents with steady weather forecasts, and it’s a stellar budget option.

Specs

Type: High-altitude mountaineering
Weight: 4 lbs., 2 oz.
Doors: 1
Sleeps: 2
Floor Area: 26.8 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: 11 sq. ft. in side gear storage areas
Height: 41"
Walls: Double

Pros

Bivy-style tent footprint with a full double-wall build
Impressive resistance to condensation
Side vestibules accessible through internal vents
Internal guylines work with external WebTruss pole system for strong support

Cons

Slight weight penalty compared to single-skin bivy tents
Fly design requires smart set-up to avoid going broadside to the wind

Bivy-style tents — those you would use while on a long alpine route where you’ll be excavating your tent platform — all seemingly have the same issue: condensation. Thankfully, the SlingFin HotBox ($650) handily side-steps the problem with a double-wall design, as well as a bevy of other smart features that make this the best bivy tent we’ve ever tested. It is, as one climber delighted: “Finally, a bivy tent that doesn’t suck!”

Unlike many double-wall shelters, the HotBox can be set up with the fly already attached, making close-quarters pitching on hacked-out bivy spots feasible. The ‘WebTruss’ pole structure, too, is self-supporting and, in our testing, proved to be a robust design that stood up to multiple Himilayan tempests.

And while livability isn’t the priority in tents like this, the HotBox has it in spades. Eight internal pockets decorate the interior of the shelter, and twin drawstring ports provide access to the side vestibule areas — which are more of gear storage zones but massively useful for tucking away kit in. The 26.8 sq. ft. internal space is about on par with the Black Diamond Firstlight (and even a little roomier than the Mountain Hardwear AC 2), and for trips where we’re glued onto the wall, this is sufficient space.

In scenarios where we know that all of the precipitation we might encounter is going to be frozen (and the on-route time isn’t too long), we still reach for our single-skin shelters, but more often than not, we find a reason to pivot to the HotBox. For a handful more ounces, the added livability and thoughtful functionality it brings add a measure of civility to our alpine endeavors.

Specs

Type: Basecamp and expeditions
Weight: 1 lb., 11 oz.
Doors: 1
Sleeps: 4
Floor Area: 85 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: N/A
Height: 75"
Walls: Single

Pros

Very lightweight at sub-2 pounds
Versatile with multiple interior accessories
Four-season utility with correct guying out
Can use a number of different poles to suspend
Functions as a sleeping shelter, or group cook tent

Cons

Doesn't pack down as small as some ultralight tents
High price point
No internal organization features

While a tarp might not scream 4-season worthiness, properly-pitched pyramid shelters can be rock-steady against a serious blow, and the Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid 4 ($849) is the idea taken to the Nth degree, decked out in space-age Dyneema Composite Fabric which keeps weight staggeringly low, as well as providing a sturdy no-stretch canopy to dig out beneath.

Setting up with either your trekking poles or a separately available carbon fiber unit, the 769-gram shelter (read: 5x lighter than the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2) can provide cover for up to four climbers and packs down as small as a loaf of bread. The impetus is on you to shore up the shelter with things like snow walls, but when using all of the available guy-out points, we’ve seen mids like this weather storms on Denali.

The 85 sq. ft. of floor space may seem downright huge, but keep in mind that the angle of the walls will negate some of this space in your final setup. Still, digging down into the snow allows you to build out the shelter to your specs, whether that’s a couple of sleeping platforms and a kitchen area, or a stately pleasure dome to invite the whole crew into. Hyperlite also offers a number of different inner options (mesh no floor, half- and full inserts) but you’ll have to fork over the dough for them, with even the half inner demanding $299.

For some, the high-tech material (and brow-raising price tag) might take the UltaMid out of the running, but an equally burly pyramid shelter can be had in the Black Diamond Mega Snow ($450) and, to a lesser degree, the MSR Front Range Tarp ($380). Both of these mids use a more familiar polyester or ripstop nylon in their canopies. They are going to be heavier, but they will also pack down a bit smaller than the DCF UltaMid.

On long expeditions, overall weight typically takes priority over bulk, and as such, the UltaMid 4 remains our go-to for long stints on the ice.

Specs

Type: Treeline ski-mountaineering
Weight: 4 lbs., 1 oz.
Doors: 2
Sleeps: 2
Floor Area: 29 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: 17.5 sq. ft.
Height: 42"
Walls: Double

Pros

Minimal pack size that rivals some backpacking tents
Double wall and two door design bumps up livability
Impressively sturdy for the weight
Mostly solid interior fly holds in heat
Studded with guy-out points

Cons

Carbon fiber poles aren't the most durable, and need to be treated with care
No interior room for gear, has to be stored out in vestibules

More than perhaps any other tent, the MSR Access 2 Tent ($800) best represents the line between 3- and 4-season tents, and is designed for winter backcountry ski touring where you’ll be camping at the edge of the alpine, and exploring the high-country during the day.

While this tent is best thought of as a “treeline” 4-season tent, Senior Editor Nick Belcaster took the Access 2 to the land of very few trees for an alpine hike of the Laugavegur Trail in Iceland. “In short, this tent prevailed on the Laugavegur,” he reported. “Winds ripped across the island and buffetted the highlands all day and night, but the Access 2 stood tough.”

During his 3-day romp, Belcaster found the Access 2 to excel where other 4-season tents would have been dragged down, namely in weight and packability. Bundled up just as small as your leading backpacking tents, the Access 2 unfurls into a proper wall between you and the weather. The fly is slung low and is well guylined to provide good protection from spindrift (be it snow — or volcanic pumice), and the added mid-line pole that runs over the doors really sturdies up the entire shelter.

As it’s made for deep winter use, the walls and ceiling are fairly steeply slanted, which provides for good snow sluffing, but was a little tight quarters for true 4-season conditions. Thankfully, the twin vestibules jut out a good bit, and once you’ve dug some snow wells your gear has a perfect place to idle. This space-shifting is one of the concessions the Access makes to hit its low weight and bulk numbers, but for the conditions it’s made for, it makes perfect sense.

The carbon fiber poles will have to be treated with care (during his tenure as a mountaineering shop manager, Belcaster has seen more than a few guides limp home broken carbon poles), but taking your time with them is a low bar to hurdle in the name of tent longevity.

Similar tents of the same feather include the REI Co-op Arete ASL 2 and the Copper Spur HV2 Expedition, but we found the Access to edge out all of them for the title of best shoulder-season champ. We are already hatching plans to use the Access 2 during deep splitboard traverses in Washington’s Cascades this winter, and will update our review once this tent has done its time in the chill chest.

Specs

Type: Alpine hunting and backpacking
Weight: 5 lbs., 5.2 oz.
Doors: 2
Sleeps: 2 adults
Floor Area: 29.5 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: 16.4 sq. ft.
Height: 45"
Walls: Double

Pros

Spacious vestibules at each door
Eight interior pockets provide space to organize small items
Adjustable vents help manage condensation
Dimension-Polyant pole sleeves are rugged

Cons

Not an ideal construction for warm weather
Requires muscle to get the clips onto the poles

For high-alpine elk hunts in the Colorado Rockies and chasing bighorns in Wyoming, the KUIU Storm Star 2 Person Tent ($599) is the right choice for hunkering down while you’re tracking big game. We’ve notched our tags while testing this tent and find it to be the best shelter to use while hunting long into the shoulder seasons.

Why? Well, for one, this tent is burly. We tested this shelter on the top of Berthoud Pass in Colorado during a spring storm, and thanks to the high-tension design and sound engineering, the structure hardly budged under gusts and shed heavy snow well. The fly of the Storm Star uses the same Dimension-Polyant fabric featured in the structure of the Mountain Hardwear AC 2, and it’s obvious why: This tough, non-stretch textile doesn’t budge when gusts tug at it and makes a perfect attachment point for the pole structure to fasten to.

Moving below decks, the durable floor and tub are constructed with 40-denier ripstop nylon and extend a full foot up the side of the shelter for extra protection. The shape of the interior itself is asymmetric to provide extra width at the tent’s head, and with a waterproof rating of 3,000 mm for the rainfly and 5,000 mm for the floor, water has little chance of sneaking in. We also like the interior webbing loops to help hang soggy gear.

Compared to the Stone Glacier Skyscraper, the extended third vestibule pole of this tent greatly strengthens the design, and we noticed considerably less bowing when the wind was coming across the shelters at a full broadside. Also, because the poles are fastened externally on the Storm Star, you can leave the tent body attached to the fly during setup, meaning no more wet tent interior while you’re hustling to get your shelter built. While the Skyscraper does have it licked in a few metrics (slightly larger floorplan, cheaper), we’d happily trade it all for when things get truly medieval outside.

Our only guff with this tent? For one, the two interior zippered vents that open up to the outside aren’t guarded by bug netting, which simply won’t fly when confronted with an Alaskan spring. Also, at 29.5 square feet of internal space for a two-person (the Trango 2 has 40 square feet), you’ll certainly be keeping the majority of your kit in the vestibules. Still, the Storm Star has a near-permanent spot in our hunting load-outs and is a true 4-season tent for almost any excursion.

Specs

Type: High-alpine mountaineering
Weight: 5 lbs., 7 oz.
Doors: 1.5
Sleeps: 2
Floor area: 26.7 sq. ft.
Vestibule area: Unpublished
Height: 42"
Walls: Single

Pros

Removable vestibule allows to strip weight while on route
Tight footprint for setup on small ledges
Easy to set up body with unique interior pole design
Large vents and breathable fabric minimize condensation

Cons

Finicky vestibule setup
Vent construction causes snow to become trapped
Heavy compared to true bivy-style tents

There’s stormworthiness, and then there’s using a shelter made from a 100% waterproof-breathable membrane. The North Face Assault 2 Tent ($800) is in the latter camp and uses the brand’s uber-breathable FUTURELIGHT textile from its high-end hardshell jackets to keep the worst tempests at bay.

There are only a handful of tents on the market that use this construction (the Samaya 2.5 also does), and we most recently tested the Assault 2 by putting it in the hands of Eli Spitulnik, a mountain guide in Washington State, who used it during a week-long Denali Prep program where he trained climbers on what to expect on the High One. In typical fashion, it snowed near-constantly, and despite the huge pressure of nearly being buried, no moisture made it in.

The bivy-style single-wall tent is set up in the typical fashion with a set of poles crossed on the interior of the shelter. A short brow pole helps to bump out the headspace and covers two of the four vented windows — though it is pretty tough to get into place. The included vestibule is a left turn from most bivy tents and sets up with its own pole. This space is far enough for two climbers, and Spitulnik was able to fit his entire expedition duffel, and dig out a well for pulling on boots.

At north of 5 pounds, the Assault 2 can’t quite be lumped in with the true bivy-style tents like the SlingFin HotBox or the Mountain Hardwear AC 2, but it’s also a good bit more snug than other basecamp tents, putting this shelter in a unique place. We see it as a perfect option for folks who are doing long sea-to-summit type expeditions, where needs change constantly and protection is paramount.

Specs

Type: Alpinism and basecamp
Weight: 3 lbs., 12 oz.
Doors: 1
Sleeps: 2-3
Floor Area: 34.4 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: (Optional) 20.5 sq. ft.
Height: 47"
Walls: Single

Pros

Waterproof-breathable Nanovent membrane canopy
2.5-person capacity provides plenty of space for kit
Long and deep storage pockets
Smart overhead vent system
Self-equalizing guylines

Cons

Top-dollar price
Single door can lead to drips on entry
Finicky setup
Included stakes aren't confidence-inspiring

Hewn from an electro-spun and air-permeable membrane, the Samaya 2.5 ($1,200) cranks the dial to the extreme in not only overall breathability but also in weight. The full 2.5-person tent tips the scales at a staggering 3 pounds, 12 ounces, and is the expedition tent du jour if you are treading on the bleeding edge of alpinism and climbing deeper and further than others before.

But let’s start with that membrane. Samaya’s 3-layer polyurethane ‘Nanovent’ variant is a novel answer to the classic trying not to get soaked question, and is an air-permeable single skin that is laid up with a 7D exterior nylon and mated to a Dyneema Composite Fabric floor. This build puts it more so in the “supercar” than the “sedan” side of 4-season tents, and in our testing, it worked admirably.

Moving on to the overall structure, the dome-style design is basecamp-proven, and sets up with three DAC FeatherLite poles in a hexagon shape that sports 34.4 square feet of space. In practice we found this to be the perfect amount of space for two climbers and their kit inside, or for three close friends in less-desirable conditions.

During testing in the Washington Cascades this summer, Senior Editor Nick Belcaster used the Samaya 2.5 to summit some remote glaciated peaks, and found the small packed size to be a huge boon in keeping his pack as small as possible. “Some other tents might be smaller, but none provide as much breathability, which is typically where a lot of other bivy-style tents wilt.”

Obviously, all of this space-age tech comes with a space-age price, and at $1,200, it’s easily one of the most high-dollar rigs in our line-up today. But considering that oftentimes airfare alone to get into the remote ranges where this tent shines will cost you that, and the caliber of alpinist it’s aimed at, it makes a good bit more sense.

Sure, a tent of this magnitude won’t make sense for most climbers (we recommend the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 as a much better generalist), but if you’re going far and need to go light, the Samaya 2.5 is a 4-season tent to hang your alpine aspirations on.

Specs

Type: Alpine hunting and backpacking
Weight: 4 lbs., 3 oz.
Doors: 2
Sleeps: 2 adults
Floor Area: 32 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: 22 sq. ft.
Height: 41.5"
Walls: Double

Pros

Very lightweight compared to our other four-season tent picks
Eight interior pockets help with organizing gear
Internal guylines help reinforce tent in rough elements
Through vent in tent body is a novel way to add air circulation

Cons

Not a great choice for hot or muggy weather
Without much mesh, there’s less protection in buggy environments
Third pole doesn't reach the ground, which isn't quite as strong of a design

The Stone Glacier Skyscraper 2P ($645) is a great choice for backpackers and hunters who need protection year-round from snow and sunshine, especially in cooler, drier conditions. We found the ventilation system effective, enabling this abode to be comfortable in the summer, and the tent hardly wavered in 50 mph winds.

The backbone of this shelter is the unique WebTruss system, which takes the strength of a sleeve-pole design and removes it from attaching directly to the tent body. This means that the architecture is freestanding, and can then be clipped into the tent without becoming an alpine sail during a blow. In practice, we tend to think that the KUIU Storm Star is a bit more storm-worthy (as the third pole reaches the ground), but the Skyscraper still is no slouch.

The lightweight 20-denier ripstop nylon floor of the Skyscraper still felt tenacious, and the modular design makes the arrangement versatile. Overnighters can set up the full body and rainfly or save weight by using the fly and lightweight footprint. For checking out the now-cast, a single through-vent at the end of the tent opens up totally to the exterior for a quick survey, then cinches closed when it’s time to button up. We found this portal to not only be key in scoping out the latest, but it was also a huge boost in ventilation when condensation turned up.

Astute observers will notice that this tent is nigh-identical to the SlingFin Crossbow 2, and they’d be correct: Stone Glacier licenses the design and offers the impressive build at $75 less than the real deal, with the only major difference being a slightly thinner and polyurethane-coated fly. So in the end, it really all boils down to color, and for those who are using the Skyscraper for alpine hunting, the blue and dark gray hues may keep your profile just a bit lower.

Almost everything about getting outside in harsher conditions is more expensive, so we’re liable to take any break we can get. At $645, there’s no getting away with saying that the Skyscraper 2P is outright cheap, but comparatively, the tent hits a number of the high points without going north of the $800 mark. In the end, we tend to reach for the KUIU Storm Star more often for alpine hunts, but if you want a bit more room (and a bit less weight), this Stone Glacier tent is a great alternative.

Specs

Type: High-alpine mountaineering
Weight: 3 lbs., 15.9 oz.
Doors: 1
Sleeps: 2
Floor Area: 25.3 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: N/A
Height: 45"
Walls: Single

Pros

Tension Arch design holds strong against gales
Proper 10,000 mm waterproofed canopy
Bug-net second doors aids in ventilation
Many guy-out points for securing tent down to ledge
D-shaped door doesn't lay on floor when opened

Cons

Very minimal floor plan requires tip-to-tail sleeping arrangements
Ventilation won't be the best in liquid-precip situations

Ready to be shoehorned into your bivy ledge on the Cassin Ridge, the Mountain Hardwear AC 2 ($750) is one of our top choices for a small footprint on-route shelter that can be deployed near anywhere. Compared to the obviously similar Black Diamond Firstlight, the AC 2 has it just about licked in a number of different facets, and none of them minor — making this tent a much better bivy-style shelter in our opinion.

For one, the AC 2 makes use of a proper waterproof canopy (speccing out at a waterproof rating of 10,000 mm), whereas the NanoShield fabric of the Firstlight is only water-resistant and not seam-sealed. In ground-truthing, we found the material of the AC 2 to stand tall against the autumn tempests that roil the Pacific Northwest, while the Firstlight could not, leading to our guide pals to grace the later tent with a rather sorry nickname: the FirstWet.

While it’s true that tents of this stripe are best used in altitudes where any precip you might encounter will be frozen, practice has shown us that folks will use them just about anywhere, and having proper waterproofing adds a good amount of versatility. Moving on to the structure, the AC 2 erects with an X-patterned arch system of non-stretch Dimension-Polyant fabric, which serves as a strong backbone to suspend the tent on. We found this much easier to set up over the internal pole system of the Firstlight, and was a good bit sturdier. Another point to the AC 2.

Ventilation is the Achilles heel of any bivy-style tent, and while the AC 2 gained an extra peak vent over its predecessor, the Direkt 2, it still struggles in high moisture-content conditions to really move air around the tent. The second mesh screen door is a big help here (given it’s not actively raining), but in most other situations, you’d better hope it’s cold enough to frost, or deal with it. This is the main reason that we recommend the Slingfin HotBox as a bivy shelter over the AC 2 for most folks.

Granted, there are a few areas we’ll concede to the Firstlight, including a slightly larger floorplan (82” x 48” to the 81” x 45” of the AC 2), as well as a good bit cheaper price. The weight of the AC 2 is also approximately 10 ounces more, and for real ounce-counters, this might make a real difference when everything on-route is being accounted for.

Finally, while there are hyper-bivy tents that make use of Dyneema and carbon fiber poles, they demand you fork over two grand for the luxury, and we found the price tag on the AC 2 to be at least palatable for your typical expedition climber. When the route is steep — and the temps will stay low — the AC 2 is a great option.

Specs

Type: Mountaineering and expeditions
Weight: 6 lbs., 11 oz.
Doors: 2
Sleeps: 2 adults
Floor Area: 33 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: 22 sq. ft.
Height: 44"
Walls: Double

Pros

Generous headroom for sitting upright and changing layers
Reinforced guy-out points with interior Velcro to guy-out the poles
Large vestibule area on one side of the tent
Lighter than some comparable 2-person tents

Cons

Only two internal pockets for sorting belongings
Includes nine stakes for 11 tiedown points excluding guylines
Not as much floor space as some similar shelters

One feature that sets apart the freestanding MSR Remote 2 ($860) is the lofty overhead space. When we tested this tent on a ski mountaineering mission, we were impressed with the tent’s roomy ceiling.

While organizing gear and changing layers, it was easy to sit upright or move around and get dressed in a flat-footed crouched position without feeling cramped or head-bumping the roof. We also appreciated the large storage area for gear in one of the vestibules, which features additional loops to hang items.

To exit or enter each vestibule, there’s a side door, so half of the space remains shielded from the weather. Each door’s zipper is double-enforced with Velcro, which is a nice touch but tough to maneuver one-handed. We also liked that the fly featured four vents with snow flaps, which provide ventilation and help reduce condensation while keeping out spindrift.

Likewise, the upper portion of each door features a mesh or fully open window for cross-ventilation. The color-coded pole clips made the tent setup quick. The bathtub floor is waterproof and durable. And the rainfly is a 68-denier ripstop polyester fabric treated for waterproofness.

A cursory glance at this tent and the MSR Access 2 might lead you to think that they were fairly similar, but in pretty much every way, the Remote 2 is tougher. Where the Access uses a single forked pole over the canopy of the tent, the Remote uses the more traditional two crossed poles, in addition to the vestibule poles that both tents share.

In addition, the fabrics on the Remote are bulked up across the board, with a 68-denier fly protecting the tent versus the 20D ripstop nylon of the Access. When Mother Nature really comes knocking, we’d reach for the Remote.

We haven’t experienced harsh winds or heavy snowfall in the Remote 2 yet, but the construction is protective, warm, and strong. Our choice of the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 over this tent boils down pure floor space, and while the Remote is a few pounds the junior of the Trango, when we’re going all in on 4-season comfort, every inch counts.

Specs

Type: Mountaineering and expeditions
Weight: 8 lbs., 13 oz.
Doors: 2
Sleeps: 3
Floor Area: 44 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: 13 + 6 sq. ft.
Height: 44"
Walls: Double

Pros

Durable enough to withstand harsh winter conditions
Lightweight compared to many 4-season tents
Fast Fly mode allows for faster setup and lighter weight
Comfortably fits three people and gear
Self-equalizing guy points make it easy to pull tent taut

Cons

Heavier than most 3-season tents
Not super breathable in warmer months
Other comparable tents have more floor area

Another dependable, lightweight, freestanding four-season abode is the Big Agnes Battle Mountain 3 ($900). This construction excels in mountaineering trips and against super-windy conditions, and when we tested the shelter with ascents of both Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier, as well as during ski touring in Colorado’s Gore Range, it was unflinching in its performance.

The tent itself is supported by a set of four DAC NSL poles (in a similar configuration to the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2) that cross over one another in multiple areas to bolster strength. These attach to the tent body with both twist clips and wide-gated hooks, which makes for easy set-up even when wearing gloves. The fly itself requires one additional pole to set up, but gaining the large 13-square-foot landing area makes it all worth it. In deep snow conditions, we dug down into this area to make a perfect footwell for putting on boots and storing gear.

Similar to the design of the Stone Glacier Skyscraper, the Battle Mountain also makes use of internal guylines that can be cinched down to add further rigidity to the structure, in addition to the Velcro tabs on the underside of the fly that affixes it to the pole structure. These small additions really help shore up the Battle Mountain against harsh winds and snow loads.

At 44 square feet of internal space, the Battle Mountain 3 feels a bit snug for 3 climbers and their kit, but two climbers will find it downright palatial. For less weight, you can get more floor area in the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 — a shelter only designed for 2 people! Because they’re the same price, we tend to lean on the Trango more than the Big Agnes, but as a viable option from a legacy brand, the Battle Mountain makes the grade.

Read Review: Big Agnes Battle Mountain 3 Tent Review: Passing Alpine Blizzard Tests With Flying Colors

Specs

Type: Backpacking and mountaineering
Weight: 5 lbs., 3 oz.
Doors: 1
Sleeps: 3 adults
Floor Area: 36.5 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: 13 sq. ft.
Height: 45"
Walls: Double

Pros

Nice 3/4 season option for backpackers headed into winter
Good airflow and moisture management
Great headroom
Fairly lightweight compared to other options

Cons

Too short in length for some folks
Zippers aren’t all burly and seem a bit cheap
Only one door can be a drawback for some travelers

The NEMO Kunai 3-4-Season Backpacking Tent ($699) is a solid freestanding choice for a broad range of conditions from hot, humid environments to rain, high wind, or snowy blasts. Setting up the tent was super quick, and it has a number of features that boost the overall livability.

In a similar vein to the Big Agnes Battle Mountain 3, this is another 3/4-season tent from a brand with deep roots in backpacking shelters that have taken what they know there and applied it to the rough and tumble Kunai, a shelter that doesn’t shy away from a poor forecast. For summer and fall backpacking trips into the alpine, this build is light, strong, and a top pick. For a long mountaineering expedition, it’s a friendly weight for carrying up a mountain, but wouldn’t be our first pick for a 2-foot dump or hunkering down in an ongoing blizzard.

Laid out in a familiar manner, the Kunai uses a four-pole set up to bolster the ends of the shelter but stops shy of extending that fourth pole down to the middle of the tent body. This saves a bit of weight, but it does create a slightly less sturdy shelter overall. The Kunai also employs more mesh in the inner design over other tents, opting for two long windows along the sides of the inner. You can’t actually see out of these apertures, but they are great for optimizing venting when condensation might rear its head.

Turning to the interior of the shelter, we were impressed with the six passive vents around the fly, and along the walls, there are seven mesh pockets of varying sizes to help organize accessories. The canopy is a 20-denier nylon ripstop fabric, and the floor is even tougher, with a 30-denier rating. The single door will be a bit of a drag for the full complement of three climbers, but the vestibule does make a good staging area.

Perfect for extending your hiking seasons (or predictable weather on popular mountaineering routes), the Kunai 3 is an adaptable shelter that is lighter on the back but still puts up a good fight. It’s a good bit more out of pocket than our best budget pick, the REI Co-op Arete ASL 2, but if you’re willing to trade more dollars for less weight, it’s a viable option.

4-Season Tents Comparison Chart

4-Season Tent	Price	Weight	Floor Area	Walls	Type
Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent	$900	8 lbs., 9.7 oz.	40 sq. ft.	Double	Basecamp and expeditions
REI Co-op Arete ASL 2	$449	6 lbs., 5 oz.	32.9 sq. ft.	Double	Treeline winter camping
SlingFin HotBox	$650	4 lbs., 2 oz.	26.8 sq. ft.	Double	Light and fast alpinism
Hyperlite Mountain Gear UltaMid 4	$849	1 lb., 11.2 oz.	85 sq. ft.	Single	Alpinism and basecamp
MSR Access 2	$800	4 lbs., 1 oz.	29 sq. ft.	Double	Treeline ski-mountaineering
KUIU Storm Star 2 Person Tent	$599	5 lbs., 5.2 oz.	29.5 sq. ft.	Double	Alpine hunting and backpacking
The North Face Assault 2	$800	5 lbs., 7 oz.	26.7 sq. ft.	Single	High-alpine mountaineering
Samaya 2.5 Tent	$1,200	3 lbs., 12 oz.	34.4 sq. ft.	Single	Light and fast alpinism
Stone Glacier Skyscraper 2P	$645	5 lbs., 5.2 oz.	32 sq. ft.	Double	Alpine hunting and backpacking
Mountain Hardwear AC 2	$750	3 lbs., 15.9 oz.	25.3 sq. ft.	Single	High-alpine mountaineering
MSR Remote 2	$860	6 lbs., 11 oz.	33 sq. ft.	Double	Mountaineering and expeditions
Big Agnes Battle Mountain 3	$900	8 lbs., 13 oz.	44 sq. ft.	Double	Mountaineering and expeditions
NEMO Equipment Kunai 3	$699	5 lbs., 3 oz.	36.5 sq. ft.	Double	Backpacking and mountaineering

Samaya 2.5 Tent in Iceland — Four-season tents aren’t only for winter but rather for rough conditions, and we sought out the worst of it in our testing; (photo/Nick Belcaster)

How We Tested the Best 4-Season Tents

Proving the mettle of 4-season tents is no joke. From driving snowstorms to freezing temps — you have to be fully immersed in the conditions that make them expedition-worthy. To create this guide, the GearJunkie team does just that, and every year, we put each model through its paces in brutal conditions — trying to find the limit of these bomb-proof shelters so you don’t have to.

Field Testing

The majority of our testing occurs on Kulshan — also known as Mt. Baker — a 10,786′ Pacific Northwest volcano that churns up its own weather fueled by moisture-heavy storms off the Pacific. From this test bed, we are able to experience all manner of alpine conditions, including 24-hour snowfall measured in feet, gusts that will knock over rock walls, and sometimes — electrical storms.

During testing, we scrutinized each tent with some specific criteria in mind — durability, extreme weather resistance, and livability — to offer a variety of options for different objectives. We also strive to test 4-season shelters in a variety of climates, as the dry and frigid alpine of Colorado is a whole different ball game compared to the tempest-whipped western flanks of the Cascades. Our notes were also compared with the knowledge of experienced AMGA-certified mountain guides to ensure that these are the best 4-season tents available today.

Whether you’re making an assault into the Alaska Range or overlanding into the backcountry on a hunting excursion, we’d feel confident recommending anything on this list for the toughest of adventures.

We recently tested tents while guiding a Denali Prep mountaineering course near Kulshan, which holds the world record for most snowfall in one season; (photo/Eli Spitulnik)

Bench Testing

Out of the field, we also stacked these tents up side by side in a handful of bench tests to get the nitty gritty on specs, and ensure that manufacturers claims are accurate. This includes measuring weights in-house, comparing floor area when using standard and wide-width sleeping pads, looking at packed volumes, and comparing the ease of set-up when providing the tent to testers with no instructions.

Why You Should Trust Us

Our team includes mountaineers, alpine climbers, skiers, splitboarders, and high-country hunters of every stripe, living and recreating in the ice chests of the Rockies, Sierra, and Cascades. Senior snow sports Editor Morgan Tilton grew up in the mountains of Colorado and makes year-round travel into the mountains look easy — living and playing in the hills around Southwest Colorado. Tilton has been putting skis, snowshoes, and mountaineering boots on the ground for this guide since 2021 and began our look into 4-season shelters with a slate of 10 of the best from across the spectrum.

In addition, Senior Editor Nick Belcaster also tied in and punched in his fair share of the route in order to test these tents — climbing and mountaineering in the North Cascades of Washington State and British Columbia. Belcaster has a number of years of helping lead the Equipment arm of one of the larger mountaineering guide operations in the country, the American Alpine Institute, under his belt.

His experience also extends further to having coordinated the equipping of a season of guided Denali ascents for around 100 people, wrangling everything from rigging expedition sleds to ensuring it all had a ski plane to fly out on. There’s little space in a turbo-prop Beaver for sub-par tents — and even less in our closets — which demands a hard look at what really works out on the ice.

Kulshan makes the perfect standard proving grounds for our 4-season tent testing and can range from mild to downright miserable weather; (photo/Erika Courtney)

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a 4-Season Tent

The burliest four-season tents are constructed to withstand brutal winds, shed heavy snowpack or rain, and comfortably store gear in a protected cubby. The tradeoff? These designs can often retain summertime warmth and humidity.

Year-round tents are protective across variable and tough conditions, but they’re not the most airy for hotter days or nights. Also, the high-end construction requires beefier material that sports a bigger bill than most three-season builds.

All options considered, these heavier-set tents are a dependable choice for mountaineers, expeditionists, and other seasoned outdoor travelers who want a dependable structure any day of the year that provides protection in the harshest elements. If you’re looking for something that’ll be better for fairer conditions (and nicer to carry on your back), check out our guides on the Best Backpacking Tents and Best Ultralight Tents. And if you’re having trouble deciding what kind of tent you need, our primer on How to Choose the Best Tent for Camping or Backpacking is illuminating.

Seasonality

Tents are typically built for three-season or four-season conditions. A three-season tent will suffice if you plan on using your tent across the spring, summer, and fall.

The infrastructure of a three-season tent can handle rain and light snow. Usually, these builds are not ideal for heavy snow, super-high winds, or vicious storms — like the blizzard conditions you might face while ski mountaineering. A four-season tent is a better choice for full-on winter, the weight of snow, and strong winds.

Pyramid Tarp Shelter on Ptarmigan Traverse, North Cascades — The Ptarmigan Traverse in the North Cascades demands a shelter that is both lightweight and burly to see climbers through to the other side; (photo/Nick Belcaster)

Types of 4-Season Tents

A spectrum of designs exists within the four-season tent category. For instance, our lineup here includes year-round tents for vehicles from truck beds to rooftops. Folks often seek four-season tents for backpacking and hunting in inclement weather in the winter, along alpine routes, or during the shoulder seasons.

People need four-season shelters for mountaineering, with or without skis, or winter backcountry trips. Some of these tents are better suited above or below treeline, while others are perfect for polar exploration.

Mountaineering tents are often streamlined and constructed with a single wall to save weight and easily move camp day to day on a long, challenging expedition. In contrast, a basecamp tent is roomier and weighs more.

Basecamp tents are a comfortable choice for a shorter haul to a lower point where adventurers need to spend time acclimating to altitude or waiting for a safe weather window. Most of these designs are double-walled to help enhance ventilation and prevent condensation, and a broad range of capacities exist to house large groups or a ton of gear.

Tunnel tents can withstand brutal wind — think 70 mph — better than dome or wedge-style tents, which can hit a limit of around 50 mph. But tunnel tents are not freestanding.

Hilleberg Tunnel Tents on Mt. Shuksan — Properly guyed-out, tunnel tents like these Hillebergs can be some of the most robust in turning away wind; (photo/Nick Belcaster)

Capacity & Doors

Folks aiming for lighter-weight four-season tents can invest in a one- or two-person design. Three- and four-person tents are a common choice, too, while some four-season basecamp options are large enough to fit big groups of six or more people.

Your ideal tent capacity depends on the number of campers, their overall size, and how much equipment you need to store inside the tent or vestibule. Brands generally categorize their tents based on the number of people, but the dimensions — length, width, height, and vestibule size — vary from tent to tent.

The tent’s peak height, which is where the tent is the tallest, also differs between each model. It’s nice to have a generous height in a four-season tent when the weather turns south and you really need to hunker down.

Get out your tape measure as you research. If you’re tall or wide, pay extra attention to the width and length of the tent’s dimensions as well as the area of your sleeping pad. And consider how much storage space you’ll want for gear. It’s also a good idea to visit a local retailer where the tent can be set up for you to check out in person.

You’ll want to consider whether one or two doors are more functional for you. Two doors can be helpful for each sleeper to have their own exit and entry or to access gear organized in multiple vestibules. But, eliminating a door can cut weight and cost.

4 season tent - space — The 40 square feet of interior space in the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 was much more spacious than typical 2-person shelters; (photo/Eric Phillips)

Vestibule & Interior Storage

To help protect equipment, four-season tents have one or two zipper-enclosed vestibule doors — but not all vestibules are created equal. They each have a unique volume, height, and shape.

Some vestibule entries include a double door like on the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent or interior loops to hang items like in the MSR Remote 2. The Remote 2 also features a storm flap along the bottom and a ventilation window along the top, which are strategic additions.

Compare your body and sleeping pad measurements to the tent’s width and length. If your expedition requires a lot of gear, it can be nice — or necessary — to have extra room to bring cargo inside the cabin. Otherwise, the vestibule can be a great spot to leave the pack or boots. The foyer is also a good place to cook over a compact, portable stove if you’re stuck in the tent due to hair-raising weather.

Inside, four-season tents usually have mesh pockets along the wall to store items like a phone or headlamp. Again, these features are not universal. The Remote 2 only has two mesh pockets, while the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent has more than 10 pouches that line the walls and ceiling.

Generally, lighter tents don’t have as many storage compartments as heavier tent designs. Another nice touch is interior loops for hanging a clothesline, carabiners, or to clip a lantern.

Best 4 Season Tents — Storage — Keeping kit off the floor goes a long way in maintaining a tidy tent; (photo/Nick Belcaster)

Weight

A dwelling’s weight hinges on the materials, size, and whether the walls are single or double. Most four-season tent specs include a trail or minimal weight and a packaged weight — the former doesn’t include stakes, guylines, or stuff sacks. (We highlight the minimal weight of the products listed in this guide.)

One of the lightest four-season tents on the market is the Hilleberg Akto 1 Tent for a single person, tapping in at 3 pounds, 12 ounces. By comparison, the Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent is 8 pounds, 10 ounces, but significantly more storm-worthy and spacious.

The sizes and weights of the tents in our guide vary widely. The heaviest option is a basecamp tent with room for three adults that weighs close to 9 pounds. Our lightest choice is the Samaya 2.5 Tent, which utilizes Dyneema Composite Fabric and is only 3 pounds 12 ounces. Weight is most crucial if you’ll be hauling your tent for consecutive days and want to minimize the heft of your load.

Regardless of weight, you’ll need to select a tent that delivers the protection and features you need — like two doors, the capacity for three people, or a large vestibule. Generally, the lighter a tent is, the less headroom there is. But cutting ounces isn’t as important as being adequately protected in the conditions where you plan to go.

If you’re picking a four-season rooftop tent that will be stationary, the weight matters less but needs to be within your manufacturer’s roof rack requirements.

Ultamid 4 + half insert in Fairy Meadows, Cirque of the Unclimbables — The Cirque of the Unclimbables requires a bush plane to get in and a packraft to get out, and the versatility of the UltaMid met the uncertainties of the trip; (photo/Christian Black)

Ventilation

The nemesis of four-season tents is the challenge of providing excellent ventilation. While ultralight tents often feature walls constructed of mesh, storm doors that furl back, or no walls at all for airflow, four-season tents don’t. These structures feature minimal windows to optimize structural protection and warmth in wind, rain, and heavy snow.

Walls constructed of mesh decrease the overall temperature inside the tent, so the majority of four-season tent walls are solid fabric. Simultaneously, if you’re posted up inside your tent for a bout of stormy weather, you’ll want good ventilation to minimize indoor frost and moisture.

Well-designed four-season tents have integrated passive ventilation ports or windows in the tent and rainfly. These vents can keep out snow while minimizing condensation, so the inside of the tent doesn’t feel clammy. The MSR Remote 2 fly features four vents with snow flaps, which provide ventilation and help reduce condensation while keeping out spindrift.

SlingFin HotBox in the Indian Himalayas — Side ventilation port hole on the inner tent of the SlingFin HotBox; (photo/Christian Black)

Single-Wall vs. Double-Wall Tents

Tents are either single-wall or double-wall designs. Single-wall tents are lighter-weight, nonbreathable, waterproof, and don’t include a rainfly. They typically don’t offer as much storage for gear.

A double-wall tent actually contains two items: a breathable tent paired with a waterproof rainfly. The setup usually offers vestibule space to stash equipment.

The kit weighs more and requires more time to set up compared to a single-wall tent. Single-wall tents are less breathable and produce more condensation but can be worthwhile for light, fast, difficult mountaineering missions where minimal weight is preferred.

The single-wall North Face Assault 2 uses a waterproof-breathable membrane to keep moisture moving out of the tent, without letting any in; (photo/Eli Spitulnik)

Material & Durability

A price tag is usually reflected in the balance of the materials’ durability and weight. Ultralight, strong materials often cost more than heavier fabrics. The KUIU Storm Star 2 Person Tent is constructed with a 40-denier ripstop nylon tub and floor and a 30-denier tent body that has a DWR (durable water-repellent) coating. The tent is 29.5 square feet and weighs 5 pounds, 5.2 ounces.

In contrast, the NEMO Equipment Kunai 3 is 36.5 square feet but only weighs 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The tent is constructed with ultralight waterproof-breathable nylon and a polyurethane-coated floor.

A separate footprint, or groundsheet, isn’t required for an enclosed single-wall tent. Lightweight materials are pretty durable, but they tend to break down if they’re roughly handled. Investing in a lighter-weight bundle means the recreationist should be mindful with gear care.

nemo 4 season tent — The NEMO Kunai 3 lands closer to the 3+ season designation but is a much more versatile shelter for it; (photo/Eric Phillips)

Bathtub Floor

A bathtub floor means the waterproof fabric comprising the floor extends a few inches off the ground and up the tent walls. Often four-season setups have a bathtub floor for extra protection during a weather event.

Waterproofness

The material used in tent construction is either inherently waterproof or treated with a DWR coating to block precipitation. If the fabric is treated, it’ll eventually need a refresh, depending on the conditions faced, user care, and volume of use.

Tent Setup & Poles

The majority of our top four-season tents are freestanding. This type of skeleton takes more time to assemble because the ground needs to offset the stake just right — especially if it’s windy or rainy out.

In contrast, tunnel tents or ultralightweight tents and shelters are nonfreestanding, meaning they don’t include tent poles to be hoisted. Instead, one or two trekking poles plus stakes are used to elevate three-season tents. And four-season tunnel tents need to be staked down extremely well with rocks in summer or grippy stakes in winter.

Many four-season tents have color-coded poles and pole clips or pockets on the canopy and fly. That addition helps recreationists efficiently put up their shelter when time is crucial and they need to get out of the elements. These year-round designs also feature strategically placed guylines, often with reinforced attachment points, and many loops to stake down the tent.

The poles vary from tent to tent. The KUIU Storm Star 2 Person Tent features DAC NFL poles, which are a super-lightweight aluminum alloy blend that’s extra strong and stiff. The Big Agnes Battle Mountain 3 has the DAC NSL aluminum poles, which are still lightweight yet slightly stronger.

The freestanding North Face Assault 2 pitches with its poles on the inside of the tent, which is a bit tougher to do, but much stronger; (photo/Eli Stipulnik)

Price & Value

Protection from unkind elements comes at a price, and 4-season tents tend to be some of the more expensive shelters you might spend your money on. That said, there’s a definite range of options available and, based on your needs, a range of prices that its worth spending to get the right shelter for you.

Budget

If you’re more of a backpacker looking to tread into the fourth season or simply aren’t looking at overnight stays in the worst weather out there, there’s good reason to save your bills and spend them somewhere more wisely (such as on a warmer sleeping bag). These tents tend to be of the 3/4-season variety, meaning they utilize structures seen in more storm-worthy shelters but often using lighter materials.

The REI Co-op Arete ASL 2 ($449) is an excellent example and, design-wise, is similar to the battle-hardened Mountain Hardwear Trango series, just in a lighter cut. The KUIU Storm Star 2 Person Tent ($599) is also on the cheap(er) side of things, and the more minimal floor area of >30 sq. ft. is typical of this range of tents.

So-called all-season tents are often budget-priced compared to truly overbuilt shelters; (photo/Maddie Downie)

Mid-Tier

Your bread and butter 4-season tents will likely run you between $600-800, with some reaching a bit higher than that. This is some good coin to drop on a shelter, but you do get a lot in return: Thicker 10mm poles are common, along with more durable 70D+ fly materials that won’t shred under harsh winds. Vestibules will also be larger, meaning you can stash all of your kit outside the sleeping quarters.

The Mountain Hardwear Trango 2 Tent ($900) is at the upper end of this range, but we think it’s the best value out there for a tent with a serious lineage. The five pole design is very sturdy against hard blows, and the spacious interior is larger than most other 2-person shelters to accommodate large sleeping bags. You’ll also see more special use-case tents here, like the ski trip-worthy MSR Access 2 Tent ($800), and the on-route bivy style SlingFin HotBox ($650).

Premium

If you need the absolute best in protection, look for brands such as Samaya and Hilleberg. These $1,000+ shelters use cutting-edge materials and designs and are tested at the bitter edge to ensure they last. Hilleberg’s Black Label tents are made with the brand’s Kerlon 1800 fabric, which is coated on both sides with silicone to create an uber-tough fabric, while the Samaya 2.5 Tent ($1,200) uses Dyneema Composite Fabric — a superlight waterproof textile.

Frequently Asked Questions

When you shop for a four-season tent, you should first consider your preferred capacity for your size, any potential partners, and the equipment. Take a close look at each tent’s width, length, height, and volume in the central space and vestibules.

After you determine tent size, consider how far and often you’ll need to haul the shelter and if you’d appreciate fewer pounds versus a larger footprint and room to shuffle gear around or lounge. Another consideration of a four-season tent is how well-ventilated the design is and if it’s suitable for the amount of time you’ll be posted up in your tent.

When you examine the finer features, it’s nice to have interior storage space — pockets and loops — to help organize gear items and apparel.

A three-season tent is generally lightweight and breathable for activities like backpacking in the spring, summer, or fall. These versatile builds provide protection against insects, wind, and rain. Typically these packages have a tent body and a fly, so they’re a double-wall setup.

The weight varies from tent to tent, including a segment that serves ultralight trekkers. To learn more, check out The Best Ultralight Tents, According to Thru-Hikers buyer’s guide.

A four-season tent has more substantial, hardy shapes and materials to block snow, ice, harsh wind, hail, or even rock. As a result, mesh is not commonly featured in the body of the tent in order to maintain warmth and security. However, these tents still need ventilation, which is strategically placed on the main body and fly to help prevent the uncomfortable buildup of condensation inside.

Many four-season tents have one or two vestibules to help protect gear from the elements. Lighter weight models are single-wall for efficiency of setup and ease of travel.

Check the overnight lows and make sure your sleeping bag and pad are rated for the temperature swing. For extra comfort and protection from the cold, you can stack two closed-cell pads or layer a foam pad with an inflatable pad.

Dress in layers and don’t let yourself get too hot or sweat, which will become a downward spiral of getting cold. Keep a warm pair of socks for tent use only to prevent lounging or sleeping in damp socks, which can lead to serious foot health issues.

Make sure to eat a hearty dinner and hydrate well. Before dinner, you can top off with a cup of hot chocolate for calories your body can burn throughout the night. You can also fill a Nalgene bottle with hot water and put it inside your sleeping bag for a boost of warmth.

If you find yourself venturing to high-altitude, alpine, or remote environments in the shoulder seasons or during winter, it’s a good idea to invest in a shelter that will protect you in a blizzard. If you’re pursuing a winter hunting trip, polar expedition, or mountaineering adventure, a four-season tent is an obvious good choice.

A three-season tent is typically constructed with a mix of mesh and the structure is not engineered to withstand the weight of snowfall or extreme wind.