7 best tents for rain and wind: extreme weather tents for 2023
Our round up of the best tents for rain and wind
The best tents for wind and rain are low, geodesic dome tents or canvas frame tents. Which one you need will depend on your primary use.
Low to the ground dome tents are aerodynamic, preventing your tent from being a wind block and ultimately blowing away, collapsing in on you or being extremely loud and cold inside.
While low dome tents are ideal in rain and wind, they are better suited to backpackers who will primarily be in their tent for shelter and sleep only.
If you’re looking for the best tent for rain and wind for a holiday car camping trip, where you have headroom to stand and walk around, you’ll need a canvas frame tent.
Canvas tents offer the convenience of comfort, space, and movability while being able to withstand extreme weather conditions.
In a hurry? Here’s our top 3 picks for the best tents for rain and wind.
Best extreme weather tent for families
The Kodiak Flex Bow Deluxe will be the last tent you’ll ever need to buy. Its heavy canvas and durable frame can withstand harsh weather easily, its 4 season capability means you can use this tent all year round, and it’s vast size and space means you and your family will be comfortable when hiding out from the wind and rain.
Best extreme tent for backpacking
Available in 1-person and 2-person capacity, the Hubba Hubba NX can easily withstand the worst weather conditions. Super easy to put up and take down with color-coded grommets and poles.
Best budget tent for rain and wind
The Alps Mountaineering Lynx is a fantastic budget tent suitable for rain and wind. It’s a perfect first buy for anyone looking to get into backpacking, bikepacking or solo camping.
7 best tents for rain and wind
The North Face Stormbreak
A BOMB-PROOF tent at a budget price
The North Face Stormbreak 2 is the cheapest tent for rain and wind to make it onto this list. But don’t let this fool you. The North Face is one of the most respected outdoor gear makers for good reason, and the Stormbreak has become quite the hit with campers looking for a cheap tent that will protect against wind and rain.
Although created primarily as a summer tent, the Stormbreak’s ergonomic design is perfect against high wind and rain.
The Stormbreak is a proper double walled tent featuring full rainfly. It has factory sealed seams and a bathtub style floor with an added polyurethane coating to prevent water penetrating through.
The supplied rainfly has a storm flap that prevents rain and water from entering the vestibule area. Perfect if space is tight in your sleeping area and you want to store your belongings in the entryway.
There are plenty of anchor points to tie down securely, and using all of these and the provided guyline points you have a BOMB-PROOF tent.
It is strong and durable enough to withstand severe thunderstorms of 30+mph winds and sideways rain. You’ll feel secure, cozy and safe in the harshest of weathers and, most importantly, stay completely dry throughout the entire night.
Despite its ergonomic design, it has enough headroom to allow you to sit up comfortably and potentially crouch if needed.
Weighing in at 5lb, the Stormbreak 2 is a relatively lightweight and compact tent. While it’s not the most lightweight on this list, it’s still an acceptable choice for backpacking and bikepacking if weight is not your deciding factor.
If you plan to use it for car camping, the weight is fine, and the compact design when folded into its bag means it won’t take up much space in your boot.
Its low price, astounding features and durability are a fair trade-off for its weight
The Stormbreak features four oversized pockets for secure storage and a loop at the apex of the tent to hang a small lantern/light.
If the 2-person tent is used as a 2 person tent, then the vestibule will likely need to be used to store larger belongings such as your backpack and boots (the superb rainfly will keep them dry). However, if you plan to use it as a solo tent, then the interior room will likely be large enough to store all your stuff too.
Kodiak Canvas Flex Bow Deluxe 8 Person tent
A natural cotton canvas option for larger families
The perfect tent for families looking for a tent with wind and rain protection. The Kodiak Canvas Flex Bow provides ample room to walk, live and socialize in. If you’re looking for a proper camping holiday tent that won’t blow over in a storm, this is your best option.
The Kodiak Flex Bow can withstand almost anything and is one of the only tents that is easily capable of 15+ years of use. It’s the most bomb-proof holiday camping tent you will ever purchase.
There’s a reason many armies use duck canvas tents.
In heavy wind and rain, the sturdy canvas ensures the tent barely moves so you can get a restful night’s sleep or a safe space to sit and relax during a thunderstorm.
The 100% cotton duck canvas is coated with a waterproof HydraShield coating.
The duck canvas mixed with the HydraShield ensures your tent won’t leak even in the worst rain.
Its natural material also means it’s breathable, so ventilation isn’t an issue. Despite the bad weather outside, your tent will be cushy inside.
If you go on camping holidays regularly and don’t want the worry and hassle of your tent caving in in storms, this is the tent for you.
Weighing in at 79 lbs this is definitely a car camping tent. It’s weight alone is one of the reasons it can so easily withstand strong winds.
There are plenty of organizer pockets dotted around the tent and a large, customizable gear loft to store more bits and hang lights.
The size itself gives way to plenty of storage for larger items such as backpacks, heaters and cooking equipment.
The tent also has a head height of 6 foot 6 inches, allowing you ample headspace to comfortably walk around.
MSR Hubba Hubba NX
An all-round top choice for extreme weather
The Hubba Hubba NX is MSR’s best-selling, award-winning backpacking tent. Similar in almost every way to the esteemed Elixir, it’s durable, spacious and can handle wind and rain like a beast. Where the Hubba Hubba NX differs from the Elixir is in its weight. The Hubba Hubba was designed to be backpacking friendly and is much lighter than the Elixir.
From the moment you begin setting up the tent, you know it was made with windy conditions in mind. Unlike with other tents, you first stake it down and only start to raise it once the stakes are secured. This prevents your tent from blowing everywhere/away when you’re trying to pitch your tent in less than ideal weather.
As for how the tent stands up against wind and rain once erected, you simply need to watch one or two of Justin Barbour’s YouTube videos to see just how phenomenal it is in harsh weather.
It can easily withstand snow blizzards, thunderstorms and everything in between. And it stay standing. And dry. Bone dry.
Weighing in at 3.9lbs it isn’t the lightest option on the list but is light enough to carry on most backpacking, bikepacking or hiking trips.
The Hubba’s internal storage options are a weak point of the tent, with only two pouches at either end of the tent. While it’s not a deal-breaker, it’s certainly an easy fix that can go a long way in making tent life a little more comfortable.
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL
Ultralight backpacking tent for wind and rain
The Big Agnes Copper Spur is one of the most highly regarded tents for wind and snow. The HV UL 2020 (high volume, ultra-lightweight) is an upgrade from the original Copper Spur UL. The HV UL gives you more headroom to sit up comfortably while providing 25% more strength. All of this without adding any extra weight.
Despite its lightweight and super thin material, it’s insanely durable. It can withstand up to 60mph winds, snow and torrential downpours. You can’t say the same for many other tents.
The Copper Spur HV UL has a double-walled system and full rain fly. It’s the lightest tent in this category that features double walls. Double-walled tents are perfect for windy and rainy conditions as it means the rain fly is entirely separate from, and fully covers your inner tent. It allows the rainfly to take the battering from wind and rain while allowing your living area to remain dry and gale free.
When Big Agnes says the Copper Spur is ultra-lightweight, they mean it. Weighing in at 2lb 12 oz, it’s the lightest tent available that can withstand harsh wind and rain.
Storage in the Copper Spur is fantastic. The new 2-D bin ‘mezzanine’ in the foot of the tent provides a huge, off the floor space for storing items you really don’t want getting wet or damp.
There’s also an oversized ceiling pocket to provide additional storage for lights and lanterns such as the dedicated MTNglo light strip. There’s also a couple of media pockets to store phones etc with earbud cord-routing.
If that still isn’t enough, there are multiple loops for attaching some of Big Agnes’ extra gear lofts such as the wall, triangle, and square gear lofts.
For storage of larger items, there are 2 decent sized vestibules on either side of the tent.
Paria Outdoor Products Bryce UL
A budget Big Agnes Fly Creek with all the quality
The Paria Outdoor Products Bryce tent looks and feels very much like the much dearer Big Agnes Fly Creek. Its features and specs are out of this world for the price, and it’s one of the only tents that comes supplied with a footprint.
Despite its low price point, the Bryce tents materials are super durable and high quality. Paria has made a tent that’s suitable for harsh weather at a soft price point.
The included footprint is perfect for rain and wet weather. Even though the tent has a super waterproof bathtub style floor, extra water-resistance is always welcome. It ensures even in the wettest of conditions that water won’t seep through the floor of your tent.
The rainfly is a mixture of silnylon/PU, the perfect material to prevent moisture absorption. Instead, when rain hits this tent, you can see it immediately bead on the fly and roll away instantly.
A unique feature of this tent is that not only does it come with adequate guy lines and stakes, but the guy lines are also actually made from Dyneema composite.
Dyneema is a super-strong material, often used in climbing and canyoneering ropes due to its insane strength.
So, as long as you stake and guy out the tent with everything supplied, the tent won’t be going anywhere in decent winds.
The tent weighs 3.7lbs, not including the stakes or included footprint. While it’s not ultra-lightweight, for its price, it is fantastically light and more than suitable for backpacking.
There are a couple of small mesh pockets on either side of the tent to store accessories. The vestibule area is quite small but large enough to fit your shoes/boots and some other gear.
Kelty Salida
A budget tent that will outperform most others in rain and wind
The Kelty Salida is another great budget tent from a super respected brand. While not the lightest tent you could buy, it’s definitely one of the lightest tents you can buy in such a low price range.
The Kelty Salida will outperform most other budget tents in both extreme rain and wind conditions. The rainfly is super waterproof and when staked and guyed out correctly, sits away from the inner tent so that no water can seep into your living space.
The tent is a go-to budget tent when travelling to places with extreme weather such as Iceland.
The Salida can withstand winds up to 30mph+ without poles snapping, the tent sagging in or feeling like you’re about to take off. Add torrential rain into the mix and it will still perform. You’ll never get wet.
The tent weighs roughly 4lbs all in. Again, not the lightest, but being over $100 cheaper than most of the ultralight tents, it is a pretty smashing deal.
The Salida 2 comes with interior mesh pockets for storing your accessories and essentials. The ceiling also features loops to attach lights on to. The vestibule provides decent storage for boots, shoes and other things you don’t want taking up space inside your tent.
Alps Mountaineering Lynx
A great beginners tent suitable for wind and rain
The Alps Mountaineering Lynx is a fantastic budget tent suitable for rain and wind. It’s a perfect first buy for anyone looking to get into backpacking, bikepacking or solo camping. It won’t be a tent that will last you a lifetime, but it’ll get you through a couple of years of mild-moderate use.
The tent can easily withstand some decent rain and harsh winds. Tested to around 20mph winds, the tent stays strong, feels sturdy and remains grounded even when empty.
It also performs well in the rain, but would perform even better with a footprint underneath. While the flooring does keep out most moisture, it’s not as waterproof as some of the other tents on this list. It wouldn’t stand up to flooding or serious amounts of groundwater without some seepage.
The rainfly is super waterproof and fully covers the entire tent all the way to the ground. The included vestibule is decent sized and more than enough to protect your belongings, particularly if used with a footprint.
At 3.75 lbs, it’s nice and lightweight for its price. Again not as lightweight as more premium options on this list, but it’s a fantastic compromise.
The tent comes with 3 storage pockets, one at each end of the tent and one that you can attach to the apex of the tent. There are also loops suitable for hanging a lantern from the ceiling.
Recommended Accessories
Tent stakes suitable for high wind
Strong, quality tent stakes are equally as important as the tent you use when it comes to strong winds and driving rain. Most tents come supplied with cheap stakes that often aren’t even worth including. To ensure your tent stays grounded and you don’t wake up to your tent in your face, good quality tent stakes suitable for extreme weather are a must.
Eurmax heavy duty tent stakes
The Eurmax heavy duty tent stakes come in a pack of 10 and are the perfect choice for car camping.
Made from galvanized steel, they’re extremely strong, rust-resistant and can withstand high winds but are too heavy for use when backpacking.
MSR groundhog lightweight tent stakes
MSR’s groundhog tent stakes are lightweight enough for backpacking, but strong enough to hold down your tent in a storm.
They come in packs of 6, are made from aluminum and are available in either mini or regular sizes.
Besides their ability to withstand wind, they are also suitable for practically all terrains including sand and hard ground.
Footprints
Footprints are a fantastic way to protect and prolong the life of your tent. They prevent your floor from ripping on harsh grounds and most importantly, stop water seeping up through your floor during torrential rains.
Below are matching footprints for some of the tents recommended above.
MSR Hubba Hubba NX 2 footprint
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 footprint
Alps Mountaineering Lynx 1 footprint
