But there are still certain qualities that you should look for in a tent that you use for hunting because you’re bound to find yourself in harsher conditions while pursuing elk or moose in the high mountains during the fall or winter season. Heavy rain or snow, fast winds, and cold temperatures are a given.
In this article, we’re going to go over 4 of the best hunting tents that will be able to protect you in these kinds of conditions, and then discuss the specific qualities that your hunting tent needs to contain. So let’s begin!
Guide Gear 10×10’ Teepee Tent
The teepee is easily one of the oldest designs when it comes to tents and housing structures in general, but it’s still going strong today. The Guide Gear teepee tent is built out of a waterproof and heavy duty 190 denier polyester material that will effortlessly resist both moisture and wind. At the same time, mesh windows have been built into the polyester to allow air to circulate inside and out of the teepee. Additional features of this tent include a built in polyethylene floor, a total height of six feet and six inches in the center, stakes and ropes to set up the tent in the first place, and a steel pole for the center that alone adds much stability to the overall structure.
Trek Tents 246c Cotton Canvas Cabin Tent
The Trek Tents consists of a wall and a roof made out of one hundred percent cotton and a floor made out of a vinyl coated heavy duty canvas floor. Both of these materials are long lasting and perfect for a hunting tent. This tent (see full specs) also has three large screen windows that are featured at various points along the wall to ensure proper ventilation. However, the windows also have zip flaps on the inside so they can be blocked off during a storm. This is easily one of the best hunting tents for the money.
Dream House Outdoor All Season Heavy Duty Shade Pinnacle Tent
As the name suggests, the Dream Season is an all season tent that works just as well during the summer as it does during the winter. The reason for this is because the heavy duty cotton canvas walls can be rolled up during the summer, but they can also be zipped down during the fall or the winter to shield you from rain and wind.
But the fact that this tent (see full specs) is all weather isn’t the only reason why it’s versatile. The other reason is because it has enough space to fit two queen sized beds and can comfortably fit up to eight people sleeping in cots. There are four windows in this tent and each has an integrated mosquito screen installed in it. The Dream House is also reinforced with double stitching, and what’s more, is that it can all pack into a small bag that’s small enough to strap down to the back of a motorcycle.
Elk Mountain Canvas Wall Tent and Angle Kit
The last tent we’ll look at is the Elk Mountain Canvas Wall Tent. This tent consists of a old and water resistant polyester canvas that will not shrink in the same way cotton canvas does. The tent requires poles, stakes, and ropes in order to be set up correctly. The stakes and ropes are included with the tent, though the poles need to be bought separately. Also included in the tent is a stove jack for you to run the pipe for a wood stove through; the stove inside the tent can then be used for both cooking food and heating the interior during winter conditions.
Qualities to Look for in the Best Hunting Tents
As we mentioned earlier, if you’re going to go hunting in cold weather, the tent must make it suitable for cold fall or winter environments. Being able to set up a heating system, such as a stove, in your tent is a must (both the Dream House and Elk Mountain have stove jacks, but not the first two items). With a stove jack or some form of hole for you to run the stovepipe through so the smoke can escape.
Something else the tent needs is a proper ventilation system so that air can circulate into and out of the tent and also so that the smoke can escape should you ever cook inside of the tent. The best ventilation systems are those that either have zip down windows or windows with mosquito screens.
Perhaps even more importantly, your tent needs to be strong enough to effectively deflect rain and wind. If the wind blows your tent away or if moisture seeps through hit, it’s going to be safe to say that your hunting trip has just been ruined. Some people like to set up a tarp above or around their tent for an extra level of protection, but your tent should still be strong enough on its own regardless.
Strong winds can treat your tent like the sails of a ship if they aren’t secured to the ground strong enough. For this reason, your tent needs to come with several heavy duty ropes that attach to the outside wall of the tent and are then secured to stakes in the ground a few feet away.
Finally, the last thing that you need to consider with the best hunting tents is how long or short it takes to set it up. Some tents can be set up in a number of minutes while others take several hours. There’s nothing wrong with either, but if you’re the kind of person who can become frustrated easily, a tent that requires a shorter amount of time to set up would be the better choice. As a general rule of thumb, teepee tents can be set up faster than large canvas wall tents, but on the flip side of things wall tents will be a better choice for deflecting strong gusts of wind.
