Those who have spent at least a little while camping, do realize the importance of having a little bit of indoor comfort. You need to escape from freezing cold in winter and keep cool in summer when it gets unbearably hot.
You can do various things: bring a woodstove, use bottles with hot water, buy a portable AC system, etc. These do work in a way, but how do you maintain the right temperature inside? It won’t work for you unless your hut has proper insulation. Please remember – not all of them do, as many insulated camping tents are suited for use during a particular season.
What should I know when buying a shelter with insulation?
When purchasing a shelter, you must be aware why you are purchasing it. If you are planning to camp on a year-round basis and wouldn’t mind staying outdoors for more than one day (hunting, fishing, recreational camping, etc.), start taking care of it right now.
- Pay attention to an insulated tent’s seasonality. There are one-season, two-season, three-season, and four-season (also known as all-season) shelters. The first two use light materials and therefore are off the menu. Three-season camps are good for camping in spring through fall and maybe in winter unless it gets freezing cold. Four-season shelters are designed to withstand heavy precipitation, hard frosts, and high winds, and they are good enough to shield you against a freezing wind in the uplands.
- Check the manufacturer and the quality of materials used in the product you are buying. There are several reputed manufacturers, and they apply effective materials and approaches in their products. Particularly, they make heavy-duty canopies and instant setup frames. Canopies are made of cotton, polycotton, nylon, polyesters, etc. and should be water-, UV-repellent, and breathable. High-quality canopies are treated with mildew-repellents and fire retardants.
- Be sure how you are going to heat up or cool down your shelter. Many campers use woodstoves. You can choose a camping tent with a stove jack – a hole, through which you run the chimney pipe and which is equipped with a heat-resistant ring that holds the pipe. In any event, you must be sure the canopy has an insulation that keeps the air inside warm or cool, so you and your team/family can feel comfortable inside.
- Provide appropriate flooring for your shelter. You don’t want to sleep directly on the cold ground or snow and wake up shaking with cold in the middle of the night, do you? To avoid the trouble, you can spread a rug or blanket over the bottom or bring a camping bed, so you will be able to sleep above the ground.
- Keep the indoor area well ventilated. If your shelter has insulation, there is the reverse side of the coin: there is little air exchange between the inside and outside. Without that, the air inside will grow stuffy, and you will end up with condensation on the inner surface of the canopy. Please open vent holes and windows from time to time, especially before sleep.
- Buy a hut of the right size. You should be aware how many people are going with you. Are you a solo camper or do you appreciate family camping trips with kids and pets? In any event, you should take care of everyone’s comfort, especially for those who have spent most of their life indoors.
Insulation in camping tents
All-Season Tent with Stove Jack Cuboid 2.20
RBM offers a lineup of insulated all-season camping shelters that differ in shape and size. However, they have one thing in common: they use the same approach to insulation, and it has proved to be very effective. The Cuboid 2.20 is just one of them.
This shelter has a two-layer canopy. The outer layer is made of Oxford 300 PU 4000, a sturdy water-resistant material with a polyurethane coating. The inner layer is made of Oxford 210 PU 2000 – a similar, yet a little thinner material. There is some air between these two layers, which does poorly in heat conduction, but it does very well in heat insulation. This method allows you to keep the right temperature inside for a long time, and it solves the condensation problem.
In winter, you can heat the inside up with the help of a woodstove. The shelter is equipped with a safe and heat-resistant stove jack. The company offers a range of woodstoves (optional). All of them are designed to ensure safety, as they feature protective shields that prevent charcoals from falling out. The canopy has four 5-layer windows with mosquito nets and transparent PVC sheets, so you can ventilate your place at any time in your preferred fashion.
The canopy is supported by a heavy-duty instant setup frame made of AA7075 aviation alloy, which is resistant to temperature falls. The floor is zipped to the canopy, and it will protect the inside against water and animals. The luminous elements on the guy ropes make the shelter visible in the darkness for snowmobile and car drivers. The Cuboid 2.20 has a square shape, and it can accommodate up to 3 campers with extra space for gear. It is great for hunters and fishermen.
Crua Outdoors Insulated Tent
It is another example of manufacturers’ care about a camper’s comfort. Crua is renowned for the use of exceptional quality materials, so it produces user-friendly and long-lived shelters. It can be erected almost instantly, so it is one of the user-friendliest all-season shelters.
The product features a canopy made of a kind of material (polycotton) that boasts exceptional insulation, light-blocking, and noise dampening properties. If you appreciate a good sleep without getting bothered by noises from outside, the Crua Outdoors Insulated Tent will provide you an almost indoor atmosphere.
Apart from being a great insulator, the polycotton demonstrates high breathability. This minimizes condensation, so the air inside will be fresh throughout your stay. On the other hand, the material demonstrates effective water- and wind-resistance, so everyone inside will feel just like indoor during heavy rain, snow, or high wind.
The aluminum poles ensure great stability. This all-season shelter is 60 inches high at the peak, so it can be home to up to 3 campers, plus some space for gear. It weighs some 48 pounds, which is not really much if you have a vehicle. The biggest drawback is that it is a little hard to pack it down, and the pack turns out to be a little bulky.
Gazelle T4 Hub Tent
It is a bright example of Gazelle’s fine work, as the firm uses unique approaches when producing high quality instant setup huts. They do not make many shelters, but the high quality, which their products demonstrate, trumps that.
The canopy is made of a water-repellent and very strong type of polyester. It will protect you against heavy precipitation and very high winds, so you will feel like you are indoors even if you go high up in the mountains.
With a little practice, you can enjoy an almost instant setup. It will spare you a lot of time and save you the hassle of putting poles and bars together. The frame is made of fiberglass and withstands drastic temperature fluctuations and physical loads.
This all-season instant shelter has 2 doors and 4 windows. You can open and close them and thus regulate ventilation. Thanks to the canopy’s great insulation capacity, you have a good choice and can maintain optimal temperature inside no matter what is going on outside.
The shelter is 78 inches tall at the peak, and it easily accommodates 2 campers and offers a good amount of space for your gear: there are several pockets in the walls, so you can arrange your belongings without cluttering the interior. The T4 Hub Tent is a little heavyweight, but this appears to be the only disadvantage. The product has a very attractive price/quality ratio.
FAQ
🏕 Is insulation important for a tent?
Yes, it is, especially for an all-season shelter designed to keep campers warm during inclement weather. Manufacturers use different techniques and approaches that help maintain optimal temperature inside on a hot summer day and in a cold winter night.
📦 Is camping in cold weather possible?
Yes, it is. There are shelters with canopies that are made of materials (polyester, nylon, cotton, polycotton, etc.) that are breathable and water-repellent, and capable of retaining warmth for a long time. They can protect you against heavy rain, snow, and wind.
💡 How do I keep my shelter warm in winter and cool in summer?
It depends. You can heat it up with hot bottles and/or a stove in winter and use bottles with cold water or an AC in summer. To retain warmth and coolness for a longer time, ensure that your hut is insulated properly.
