Whether you're camping in the middle of the desert or the snowy mountains, or most likely somewhere in between that's more comfortable like a campground or caravan park, your tent is your home away from home. It is crucial to do your research on your gear in advance to avoid being dissatisfied on such an important element of your camping experience.

Needless to say if you are a serious camper in Australia, you will eventually need to choose between a 3 Season tent and a 4 Season tent.

The choice is a continuing discussion, and there is no definitive answer as it ultimately relies on your unique situation.  For many of us attempting to decide what is best can rapidly get out of hand and overwhelming.  In this article we are here to help and will cover the pros and cons on each choice providing some helpful insights that hopefully help you with your decision.  

What is a 3 Season Tent?

As the name implies a 3 season tent Is designed for use in spring, summer, and autumn. Not requiring to handle extreme cold and wet conditions can mean that these tent are lighter weight and can protect you from mild rain and wind.
Usually there is only one layer of fabric used in the design that serves as both the body of the tent and the rainfly. There is a stronger focus on ventilation and there will be mesh netting areas to accommodate this.  Most 3 season tents are not free-standing, they will need poles or some other means to prop them up and stake out guylines.

Traditionally 3 season tents were mostly used for hiking and free camping where you have to carry in your gear given their light weight. They generally are made from non-breathable fabrics such as nylon, but are still coated with a waterproofing treatment. 

Pros

• No addition flysheet to worry about

• Weigh less

• Compact

• Quick and easy to set up

Cons

• Easily collect condensation due to little ventilation and non-breathable fabric.

• Usually no vestibule space to store additional gear dry.

Good option for long-distance hikes to save on pack weight in dryer areas, but not ideally as an all rounder tent.

What is a 4 Season Tent?

4 season tents are designed for use in spring, summer, autumn and winter. This means they need to handle more extreme conditions, including snow loads, high winds, harsh rain and sweltering summers.

They are constructed with a double-wall, that is two separate individual tent walls when combined make a complete tent. For most tents these walls are separate with the first being the main body consisting of netting and nylon. The second wall is the rainfly or flysheet that goes over the top. Because of the design they allow much better breathability, waterproofing and less condensation as more airflow can travel between the 2 walls.

4 season tents are also usually free-standing, with their own set of poles. This means, under calm conditions, you don't necessarily have to stake the guylines out. The good quality ones will have aluminum poles for lightness and structure, but fiberglass poles are also usually fine.

Pros

• Better ventilation reducing condensation significantly

• Increased waterproofing due to the additional wall keeping moisture off the inner body of the tent

• More likely to have multiple doors and rooms due to the structural components. making them more practical.

• Vestibule space for storing extra gear dry

• You always have the option to use the inner tent in warmer weather

Cons

• More weight to carry

• More setup time for the additional cover and guylines.

• May take longer to dry out.

They are a much better option than a 3 season tent if you are after an all rounder tent. They are ideal if you're sharing a tent and need the extra space or rooms / extra doors.  Browse our camping tents for more ideas on both 3 season and 4 season tents.

In dry arid areas such as a desert then a 3 season tent is a good option. But for most other cases where you will have the unpredictability of weather the 4 season tent is the way to go.  Especially for larger family tents.

Crua tents are a very high quality 4 season tent that is designed to last for years and handle the toughest extremes that Australia has to offer.