simonov, Flickr

Imagine what it would be like to camp outside this winter — the snow gently falling outside the flaps of your tent, the serene beauty of an army of cedars, furs and pines blanketed in white. Now imagine you don't have the right cold-weather tent, and rather than enjoying the scenery you're freezing your limbs off. Here are six tough tents, coming in a variety of sizes, that will make sure this doesn't happen.

 

MSR Dragontail, Cascadedesigns.com

 

 

The MSR Dragontail two-person tent, one of the lightness tents, is perfect for winter camping, or any other season you choose to set it up. The tent poles pitch quickly, and the peaked center hood design sloughs off rain and snow with ease. This burly tent is great for winter expeditions, while the lightweight materials save you from the burden of having to haul around excess weight.

 

The North Face, Rei.com

Mountain 25 Two-Person Tent

 

 

This robust little tent was built for those of you who will have to battle the snow and the fury of the weather gods. The internal guyout system gives extra reinforcement to this shelter in bad weather conditions, and the high-low ventilation design lets moisture escape the tent with ease, preventing condensation inside. The tent is relatively quick to pitch, which is good news when you have to set it up in the middle of a winter storm.

 

Coleman, Coleman.com

WeatherMaster Six-Person Tent

 

 

Sometimes you want to take the entire clan camping, even in the winter. The Coleman WeatherMaster is just the tent to accomplish that task. While this two-room tent is too bulky to take trekking out into the wilderness, it’s great for campsites and car camping. Coleman’s weather protection systems will keep the seams leak-free, the floor dry, and poles standing in the wind, snow and rain.

 

Marmot, Marmot.com

Thor Three-Person Tent

 

 

Named after the Norse god of thunder, the Marmot Thor definitely delivers the goods. It was designed for longer expeditions out into the cold. The tent is easy and fast to set up, lightweight, yet rock solid. The knee-pole design gives the Marmot Thor steep sidewalls, which means extra room inside, while adding to the overall structural strength. This tent is a must for hardcore winter camping and hiking aficionados.

 

Black Diamond, Amazon.com

Squall Three-Person Tent

 

 

With only three poles to pitch, Black Diamond's Squall three-person tent sets up in a matter of minutes. The double-wall design can withstand a variety of harsh weather, no matter the season. Front and rear entry points make access a no-brainer. This tent is an excellent all-around shelter, which can be used in the mountains come winter, or by a cascading river or alpine meadow come summer.

 

Mountain Hardware Trango, Alpenglowgear.com

Three-Person Expedition Tent

 

 

So, if you plan on conquering the Himalayas or bagging a peak in the Rockies or Patagonia, this rugged mountaineering tent should do the trick. The Mountain Hardware Trango, which comes in a variety of sizes, was designed to take on whatever kind of weather the planet chooses to dish out. It’s a whole lot of tent, and not the lightness on the market, but if you truly want to test your limits against nature, you’ll be glad you brought this bombproof shelter along.

 

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