Four-Season Tents

Recent Four-Season Tent Reviews

Hilleberg Staika

This is a great tent if you regularly experience heavy wind and/or storms. If not it's probably overkill. It sets up extremely quickly, and keeps the interior dry even if you set it up in a storm. Even though I'm not an overnight mountaineer or even much of a winter camper (not one for snow camping at least...) I have been using four-season tents for backpacking for the last fifteen years. The main reason is in the Mountain West USA, conditions are often very windy with pretty extreme weather, and… Full review

Black Diamond Firstlight 2P

Not waterproof, especially in heavy rain. Lightweight, compact, excellent space-weight ratio. Agree with most of the earlier reviews—great tent except NOT waterproof. Stopped being my go-to after my dogs, gear, and I were soaked in a 10,000-foot severe summer storm, trying to stay warm while wet in 40-degree F temps—will always remember seeing water mist blow through fabric and coat my dogs eyelashes and, to my horror, my down sleeping bag. Still like it for backpacking when weather forecast… Full review

Blacks Arctic Guinea

I bought one in a charity shop in New Zealand in the late nineties for NZ$5. Yes, five. At the time that was less than£2 !!!!!!!! Mint condition and amazing still today. It is heavy with poles, but I often suspended from trees pole-less which reduced the weight a lot. I have a few tents—mostly new synthetic ones as they generally are—but it’s great to get under canvas. It breathes and is non-toxic and this tent is super lightweight for a canvas tent and even with poles is acceptable if two… Full review

Black Diamond Firstlight 2P

A nice, lightweight winter tent that will stand up to tough weather. It was designed as a winter tent and in that environ it performs great I've used this tent a couple of dozens of times the last couple of winters and while not perfect, is a very solid winter tent. I've had it in strong winds and heavy snow and it does a good job of handling both. It's listed as a two person tent and while two could use it in a pinch, it's much better when used as a solo shelter. With one there is plenty of extra… Full review

Gonex Waterproof Camping Tent 2 Person for Winter

Surprisingly high quality, and decent design. A true four-season tent for people on a tight budget. Just replace the stakes and you're good to go. I own a Walrus Rapide XV winter mountaineering tent and it's a bomb shelter. But the tradeoff is poor ventilation, low internal volume, and low height. So I went looking for something in the same weight range that would address those issues. I also didn't want to pay a fortune. I found the, "Gonex winter camping tent," on Amazon and its specs looked good,… Full review

Hilleberg Nallo 3

The Nallo 3 is a well suitable tent for weight-conscious trips in severe conditions, offering comfort, weather resistance, and durability in a reasonably lightweight package. It's probably the best “compact” tent for my personal tasks. But the best tent isn’t good enough—I cannot get to become friends with its entrance. Also the living space is rather limited for three occupants. Background Me, my wife and son (he’s almost 5 at the moment of me writing this) enjoy year-round backcountry… Full review

Hilleberg Keron 3 GT

It’s a bit big and may not fit into the campsite that you want, which is a con, but once you fit it in the big size becomes a pro. The Keron 3GT is an amazing all-around tent that when put into its environment performs amazing. When it rains the big vestibule is a big plus and if you have way too much gear you can enter and exit from the smaller  vestibule. In bad weather you can put your stuff in the smaller vestibule and hang out with your friends in the bigger one. Another cool feature is… Full review

Hilleberg Jannu

If you want the absolute best and don’t mind spending the money. Best quality, best of everything, this is the tent for you. I made a review of the Hilleberg three-person Saivo tent a while back. Because I have already done all the research, when I was looking for a second tent I went right to Hilleberg without hesitation. I chose the Jannu, and as in the past I made the right choice. To recap: I did a lot of research into the choice of tents, as a matter of fact a couple of months or more. At… Full review

Macpac Minaret

Bomb-proof, four-season tent that is easy to pitch and take down. A true multi-pitch design. Just enough room for two. I bought the original version of the Minaret in 1994 and retired it in April 2019 after its final trip to Southern Tasmania. During that time it has kept me dry and warm (often too warm) in the worst weather and never did I feel worried it would not cope, even in high winds and driving rain. A true multi-pitch design where you can pitch just the fly, just the inner, both the fly… Full review