As much as each and every one of us hopes for it, not every camping day is going to be sunny, calm and filled with perfect weather conditions. If you’re camping in the real world, you’re bound to have some off-days on camping trips.
While all companies will proudly proclaim that their tents can withstand two earthquakes and a tornado to beat, we all know that this is simply not true. However, there are definitely some great tents in the market which will do the perfect job of protecting you in case you meet some serious winds on your camping trip.
Those below are our top picks which can help you choose the best tent for high winds!
- Teton Sports Mountain Ultra Tent
- The Coleman Evanston Screened Tent
- Kelty Outback Tent Grey
- Browning Camping Glacier 4-Person Tent
- The Slumberjack Trail Tent
- Hilleberg Janu Tent
Our Top Picks
Below you’ll find a list of some of the best tents in the market. Our review will also include the pros and cons of each tent so your selection process can run as smoothly as possible.
Teton is a versatile, durable and lightweight tent. It basically checks off most of the things every seasoned camper would want in a tent.
This type of tent is designed specifically for hardcore campers who know exactly what they’ll be up against – weather-wise. High winds are child play for these people.
Its versatility is shown in its different types. It comes in four different sizes, starting with the small one-person tent, all the way to the spacious 4-person one. Giving you the freedom to choose the size of the tent that suits your needs.
This very-well designed tent comes with a serious rainfly that prevents water very efficiently. It also comes with built-in vents that are designed to keep the interior cool during the summer’s hot and humid weather.
PROS
- Durable
- Leakage Proof
- Easy to set-up
- Lightweight
- Variety in sizes
CONS
- Sometimes liable to capsizing
- Tent pegs are susceptible to bending
- Zippers can be hard to close
- Ventilation can be weak
This durable tent can be one of the largest tents sold. It comes in two varieties, six, and eight-person. This is a fairly great tent if you’re a big family; the extra space certainly won’t go to waste and will come in handy!
With its high quality 75D polyester taffeta; the Coleman Evanston tent is definitely the kind of tent that leaves an impression only a next-generation camping gear can.
Shaped like a bathtub, with a patented floor made of 100D polyethylene tarp-type material, this unique shape combined with the material reduces all chances of groundwater seeping through the floor.
This dome-style tent blends construction, structure, and sustainability in an unusual way. 4 fiberglass poles made from 11 mm high-voltage, two curtain windows D-shaped zippered entrance on the deck. The two main poles are solid and designed to hold the main body of the tent while the legs carry the flap.
One of the unique things about this tent is the distinctive porch that’s situated in the front part of the tent. It gives you the opportunity to enjoy nature all around you without the risk of having annoying pesky bugs swarm you.
PROS
- Huge capacity, suitable for big families
- Water-resistant
- Easy to assemble
- Travel-friendly
- Good ventilation
CONS
- Users complained about the quality
- Zippers sometimes refused to zip completely
- Cheap mesh on windows
- Rainfly isn’t big enough to cover the screened area
- Flooding is imminent due to the size of rainfly
The Kelty Outback Tent is quite a good tent if one’s looking for an affordable option that can hold its own against strong winds, without breaking the back.
The wind protection in this tent can be attributed to the tough poles and the guy lines in the tent. When you combine these with the sturdy, good quality stakes, winds are no longer a problem.
Another interesting part of this tent lies in the design; its higher bathtub design prevents rain, damage, and drafts from reaching your tent.
It’s quite simple to assemble, and, to make things a lot easier, they color-coded the poles so as to ensure that you won’t get into serious problems when constructing the tent.
Furthermore, one other great aspect of this tent, is how roomy it is. Compared to other tents that offer just about the same sleep count, the Kelty Outback tent is pretty spacious; it has three varieties you can choose from the 2, 4, and 6-person tents.
While extra space is always a coveted feature, it might come at a certain expense, the taller the tent’s height, the higher the probability that it will catch the wind.
PROS
- Pretty Affordable for its features
- Offers great waterproofing
- Easy to set-up
- Has strong poles and guy lines – effective for wind protection
- Spacious
CONS
- Has only one door
- The Bigger versions can sometimes catch wind
- The zipper might not zip all the way
Considered as a very stable and great option for people who go car camping, the Browning Camping Glacier Tent is a spacious tent that can fit up to four people. Its high durability can be attributed to the very good quality of its materials, making it a tent that can last for years. It’s also very simple to set-up.
This Tent comes in a traditional dome-style shape. After setting it up for the first time, the tent reaches 72 inches in height. A rather considerable size that will be able to hold itself well against high wind. With 2 doors and vestibules roll up, the tent is very secure. The tent is sturdy and long-lasting.
This campsite tent can hold its own for three seasons plus. For ventilation, the ceiling has a mesh part; this is quite an advantage because it allows fresh air to enter the tent. Nonetheless, it’s still not so wide so the tent can maintain warmth.
The tent structure also helps in resisting the wind from any direction. Other features of the tent include it being; sturdy, long-lasting and double-layered.
This particular tent is pretty tough and can withstand heavy winds as well as some snow and even a rainstorm. It also comes with a rainfly which is a great addition to any tent since it helps shield you from the rain, wind and in extreme cases; snow.
The tent itself is divided into two rooms and it weighs about 20 lbs, with 6 feet of center height.
PROS
- Full Coverage Fly
- Two Doors
- Can withstand heavy winter conditions
- Two large vestibules
CONS
- Is Pretty Pricey
- Heavy – Not suitable for people who hike
- No Vents on the fly
Another tent that easily withstands high winds and rain but also won’t cost you an arm and leg is the Slumber-Jack trail tent.
This smaller tent gives a lot of features considering its lower price. This tent can hold up to four people and is designed for 3 season use. Despite that, it might be able to withstand some basic winter conditions.
This tent is perfect for car camping trips, camping weekends or short bush trips. Since it is not as light as other tents, for long hiking trips, this is not the most suitable tent
If you can carry a tent weighing 11 lbs. on your back for a long walking trip as a whole, then definitely put this tent into consideration.
It has 2 doors and 2 different waterproof vestibule areas, which is perfect if you want to put backpacks and other loose things in your tent. The fiberglass poles are very solid, there are also two horizontal poles for greater stability.
During high winds, these fiberglass poles secure the tent quite well. This tent comes in two varieties: a 2-person or 6-person tent. The sloping contour and outline allow the wind to slide off, also the stakes are all right, but you might want to upgrade them to ones with better quality.
PROS
- Great value
- Good waterproofing
- Strong poles and structure for wind
CONS
- May want to upgrade stakes
- The material tends to tear easily
- Not the best choice for long hiking trips, unless you split the weight between 2-3 people
This versatile tent is the pinnacle of tents when it comes to withstanding the worst weather conditions ever, while, for instance, mountaineering or rock climbing.
It’s easy to set-up, offers bombproof storm protection and is of somewhat decent weight considering all these factors.
This particular tent is made climbing high altitudes, and/or mountaineering. It does, however, have a few disadvantages, this tent can be considered somewhat expensive, and it also can be a little bit less comfortable to sleep in if we’re putting other tents in the market into consideration.
However, this tent is specifically made to cater to campers who love going on expeditions in extreme weather. It’s a 4-season, two-person tent and it’s quite spacious for its size and has plenty of floor space.
It’s lightweight for its type, and it has one entrance as well as a vestibule made specifically for storing gear.
PROS
- Durable
- Stable
- Real Travel-friendly
- Built for Extreme weather
- Good ventilation
- Leakage proof
CONS
- Pricey
- Can be considered small in size
- Uncomfortable to sleep in, compared to other tents
How to Choose the Best High-Wind Tent
Since there are a lot of tents in the market, we know that this process can be pretty tedious, especially if you want something that’s guaranteed to work.
Usage
If you’re a family looking for a huge tent that can hold its own against high wind, then you must look for one that’s spacious enough to accommodate the members of your family. Those tents are usually quite heavy and they’re not made for solo travelers or people who enjoy hiking.
Budget
You also need to ask yourself whether you’re willing to invest a lot of money when buying or not. Some of those tents, especially the ones that offer a lot of features can be pretty pricey.
Therefore, make sure you know your budget and how much exactly you’re willing to spend before liking a certain tent that costs more than you bargained for.
Shape
Like many things, tents also come in multiple shapes. Each one comes with certain pros and cons that you should consider.
The most familiar is the A-frame or ridged tents. If you ask a kid to draw you a tent, this is the shape he’ll most likely go for. These tents aren’t as popular as they were back in the day, for good reason, because these tents aren’t the most durable.
The most popular shapes people go for, are the Dome-styled, and the Tunnel tent. These two come with enough headroom and are pretty stable when met with strong winds.
Portability
A factor that you must consider as well is portability. Some tents are specifically designed for car-camping trips. These tents tend to be on the heavier side and can be particularly hard to carry for an extended period of time.
Bigger tents are generally heavier, while smaller ones tend to be the opposite. It wholly depends however, on the material used. The material plays a huge part in regards to the weight factor.
Besides that, some tents can also be on the heavy side if they come with specific features. You also have to count for the weight of the poles, stakes and anything else that comes with the tent.
How Much Wind can a Tent Withstand?
It really depends, but upon research, it’s safe to say that a season 3 tent can easily withstand up to 35 mph winds. A particularly good high wind tent would be able to hold its own against winds up to 40-45 mph.
There are two other things that also play a role in this, tent positioning and stake positioning.
Tent Positioning
There are many ways to position a tent, but the most scientific method is to position it against the direction of the prevailing wind. This method, however, is quite tedious and it requires data that can take a year or more.
The safest choice for positioning is to the east. Almost all seasoned campers go for this option. This one has a slight advantage to it; you can watch the sunrise nearly every morning!
Positioning the tent to the east makes the sunshine fall directly on your tent. This is one of the best selling points of adjusting your tent to the east.
Stake Positioning
Stake positioning plays a huge role in the tent’s stability and its ability to withstand wind. Plenty of things can be done to ensure that the tent’s stakes are positioned well.
One of these things is to ensure that the guy lines are tied well. Tying these really helps give the tent structure and it also helps in expanding the interior area of the tent.
Another thing to do is to stake the corner guy lines at an angle. If you placed the guy lines at, say, 45°-angle from the corner, you will then be able to pull the line taught, thus allowing maximum room capacity in the tent. This also ensures that the tent remains waterproof once the wind picks up.
How Exactly Can a Tent be Strong Against the Wind?
Technically speaking, any good brand of tents will produce ones that can handle winds pretty well. There are however some aspects that you should consider, and that play an active role against high winds.
Durability
You’ll be able to assess how durable your tent is by checking out its price and weight. Durable tents tend to be on the pricey side, and they tend to be a little heavy. The more expensive your tent, the more durable it will be, up to a certain point.
Another point you should keep in mind when assessing durability is the material used. Each material requires specific treatment or care. Polyurethane fabric, or PU coating, for instance, requires you to keep the tent dry and clean when you’re storing it.
Also consider checking out the Denier or (D) which is the unit of measuring the weight and thickness of the threads used in the tent. The higher the Denier unit, the stronger, thicker and heavier the tent will be.
Durability is known to depend on the thickness and powerfulness of the tent’s fabric and threads. So keep that thought in mind when purchasing a tent.
Stability
The stability of your tent depends on its shape, its poles quality and how the guy lines are positioned as well as the quality of the stakes.
Stakes that are a bit longer than average are the ones you should look for. The stakes that usually come with a tent are made from metal alloy. These stakes, while cheap and lightweight, tend to get lost easily or damaged.
The best stakes to use are the steel ones. Go for the galvanized ones; these are quite heavy but they last long and are pretty durable. Stakes are extremely important, as these are what hold the tent to the ground, so ensure that the ones you choose will remain securely in place.
Also, remember this, the more guy lines, the better!
Rainfly, Mesh, and Bathtub Floor
While these can be slightly less important and have less emphasis on the tent, you should still consider them and they still count where it matters.
The rain fly, for instance, has to reach till the ground, if it isn’t, you’re setting yourself up for a long night where the wind will be billowing underneath the rainfly and your tent will end-up being a parachute.
Also, the more mesh, the more drafty your tent will be, especially in windy conditions. While the bathtub floor is always talked about when it comes to waterproofing, it also helps prevent drafts, so it’s a good addition to any tent.
Conclusion
For two-person tents, our personal choice would be the Hilleberg Jannu Tent. It’s small, practical and is a personal favorite to many experienced campers.
Our ideal multi-person tent would be the Kelty Outback tent. This tent is pretty versatile in its sizes, it comes in three different ones. It’s not that pricey, and its larger model will fit your family and might have some free space as well! It has a solid water-proof system and can be easily set-up because all the rods are color-coded!
Going camping is a fun and enjoyable way to pass the time, it’s also a very good opportunity to bond with your family or spouse, or to generally have a good time and embark on an adventure.
This shouldn’t be ruined by a bad tent that blew apart because of the wind.
Remember, it’s all fun and games until the wind blows the tent over. So have fun, stay safe and choose a good tent!