BEST Tent Stove for Winter Camping in Comfort [2023]

Last updated: May 17th, 2023

Short on time? Our pick for the best stove for tents is the Winnerwell Nomad Stove and Camp Chef Alpine Stove.

We’ve found the best tent stoves to keep your tent cozy and toasty even in freezing temperatures.

Camping in cold temperatures is serious business.

If you plan to camp during the winter, the best way to stay warm in a tent is with a stove.

Stoves for tents perform multiple functions. Not only do tent stoves act as a heating system for your tent, but they also provide a cooktop. 

That way, you can stay in the warmth of your shelter while you prepare a meal or boil water for morning coffee. 

And a correctly installed portable wood-burning stove should keep your tent warm and cozy without filling it with smoke.

Ready to take your camping game to the next level? Picking out the best wood stove is tricky. 

Not only do you need to consider the cost, the quality, and the size, but you also need to take safety into account. 

But don’t be overwhelmed–I’m here to help. I’ve rounded up the best stoves for tents to fit your budget and your needs.

Note: this post contains affiliate links, which help run this site at no extra cost to you so I can keep providing free travel advice and tips.

#1 DANCHEL OUTDOOR Portable Titanium Tent Camping Wood Stove

Best Titanium Stove

Our rating: 4.5/5
Size: 14.7″ x 8.3″ x 10.8″
Weight: 5 lbs 
Best for: People who don’t like carrying heavy things

Titanium is a common material for many camping stoves. As opposed to the cast-iron stove that heats my grandma’s house, titanium is very portable. 

The Danchel Outdoor Portable Titanium Stove is a remarkably lightweight stove with a titanium body.

This handy little stove is only five pounds and folds up flat into its carry bag. 

The high-temperature glass in the firebox door allows you to monitor your fire without opening up the box, thus keeping smoke from leaking into your tent. 

The Danchel wood stove is available with either two legs or four legs. And it comes with a seven-foot chimney stove pipe.

Titanium has good conductivity and a high melting point, so it will heat up quickly but it won’t bend and warp under high temperatures. 

Overall, this lightweight camp stove is small and portable while remaining sturdy, making it our pick for the best titanium tent stove.

#2 LAMA 304 Stainless Steel Stove

Best for Family Camping

Our rating: 4.5/5
Size: 11.1” x 13.2” x 12.2”
Weight: 12.5 lbs
Best for: Camping with large groups in cold weather

Titanium isn’t the only type of metal used to make tent stoves. Another material that you commonly see for stoves is stainless steel. 

The LAMA 304 Stainless Steel Wood Burning Stove is a small yet heavy-duty stainless steel stove with a sleek, naturally silver finish.

It’s best suited for a stationary camping trip than backpacking. 

At 12.5 pounds, it’s quite portable. Still, it doesn’t collapse down and is best for a weekend family trip where you will stay in one place.

One thing to note is that the door damper doesn’t always properly seal closed, which can make it difficult to reduce airflow to the fire when you want to put it out.

Pay attention to this on your first cure burn. If there’s smoke leakage, contact customer service.

This stove also comes with a 5.5-foot stove pipe and offers an extra-large cooking space to make it easier to prepare a family-sized meal.

Plus, it has a high heat output and collapsible legs.

#3 CHANGE MOORE Titanium Ultralight Tent Stove

Best Stove for Backpacking

Our rating: 4.7/5
Size: 20″ x 13″ x 3.75” (Packed); 15.7″ x 7.8″ x 109.8” (Assembled)
Weight: 2.64 lbs
Best for: Backpacking, hiking, and trekking

The best backpacking tent stove needs to be super lightweight.

The Winnerwell Fastfold Titanium Stove used to be the lightest weight backpacking stove on the market.

But move over Winnerwell Fastfold Titanium! There’s a new sheriff in town.

Weighing under three pounds, the CHANGE MOORE Titanium Ultralight Tent Stove is by far the lightest weight backpacking stove on the market. 

It’s truly the most compact and portable wood-burning stove out there. 

Its diminutive size and high performance make it the best portable wood stove for backpacking. 

But check your tent features before purchasing. Most backpacking tents don’t have a stove jack or enough floor space to accommodate a hot stove body full of burning wood.

Although it’s no longer the lightest, the Winnerwell Fastfold Titanium Tent Stove is still a good comparison if you like having choices.

And just like the Change Moore, the Winnerwell Fastfold Titanium also completely folds down for easy transportation.

#4 Guide Gear Outdoor Wood Stove

Best Wall Tent Stove

Our rating: 4.5/5
Size: 20 x 13 x 11 inches
Weight: 42.4 lbs.
Best for: Glamping, homesteading

The Guide Gear Outdoor Stove is the best wood stove for a wall tent.

Although it’s less portable, it has a high-volume firebox that provides ample space for firewood.

But first, what’s a wall tent? Wall tents are cabin-shaped tents most commonly used for longer camping trips and glamping setups where you won’t move camp often.

Instead of durable stainless steel construction, this stove tent heater is made of heavy-duty cast iron.

It has the quality look of a permanent fixture you’d have in your house.

There’s just one big design flaw with this stove.

The door sealant will likely shed off during the first curing fire. Keep an eye on it to make sure the fumes aren’t leaking.

With its otherwise aesthetically pleasing appearance at an affordable price, this is our pick for the best wall tent stove for your next luxury camping setup.

#5 TMS Portable Military Camping Wood Stove

Best Military Stove

Our rating: 4.5/5
Size: 18” x 10.25” x 11”
Weight: 24.55 lbs
Best for: Hunting, wilderness camping

The TMS Portable Military Camping Wood Stove has a heavy and stable alloy steel body.

At just under 25 pounds, it’s not too big to carry around but ample enough to heat a large tent. 

Although its cylindrical body prevents it from having a flat cooktop, it has cooking tubes running along either side. 

Fill these with potatoes for baking or meat and vegetables wrapped in foil. Then, sit back and let the stove do the work for you.

Afterward, dry your gloves on the fold-out racks and use the trap door for easy clean-up.

This portable military camping wood stove also features a spark arrestor and airflow regulators. 

Take note! The paint is not heat-resistant and must be burned off before use indoors or it will release toxic fumes into your tent.

Use it outdoors for the first time and the paint will flake off safely.

#6 Camp Chef Alpine Heavy-Duty Cylinder Stove

Best Tent Stove for Winter Camping

Our rating: 4.9/5
Size: 24 x 20 x 22.5 inches
Weight: 74 lbs
Best for: Cold weather, glamping, homesteading

Whatever your reasons for heading out into the snow, the Camp Chef Alpine Heavy-Duty Cylinder Stove will help you avoid hypothermia, cook your meals, and stay cozy on your camping trip.

This large stove features a barrel-shaped steel firebox where you can build a roaring fire inside the stove to heat your tent. 

The Camp Chef comes as a complete set with a whopping ten-foot flue pipe, a stovepipe damper, an internal log grate, a spark arrestor, and accessory shelves.

And a lengthy ten-foot flue pipe makes the Camp Chef the best canvas tent stove since you’re unlikely to need a chimney extender despite tall ceilings.

It even includes hooks to install a water heating tank. 

#7 WINNERWELL Nomad Medium Tent Stove

Best Stove for a Bell Tent

Our rating: 4.7/5
Size: 18.03” x 14.09” x 11.34” 
Weight: 20 lbs
Best for: Glamping and camping-in-style

Glamping is camping with at-home comforts.

Inside royal-esque glamping bell tents, there’s usually a queen-sized bed, a couch or a table and chairs, and a tent stove.

The stylish Winnerwell Nomad Medium Stove fits right in. 

Its medium-size stainless steel construction is rust-resistant, and with an 800 cubic inch firebox, it keeps you nice and toasty inside a yurt, bell tent, garage, or tiny home. 

It comes with a 6.5-foot stove pipe in five sections, a spark arrestor, and an ash scraper to help it burn smoke-free. 

Two stainless steel side grates create an added cooking area or fold into a carrying handle. Its four legs fold up flat too. 

This collapsible stove is petite enough to carry but still big enough to heat a bell tent effectively.

And if you really want to get bougie with your bell tent, pair the Nomad with the Winnerwell Pipe Oven.

No more tinfoil-wrapped cardboard boxes once you upgrade to a wood-burning tent stove with an oven.

#8 DOALBUN Outdoor Tent Camping Stove

Best Budget Stove

Our rating: 4.6/5
Size: 18.14″ x 10.92″ x 11.89″
Weight: 14.77 lbs
Best for: People who are on a budget but still want a quality product

If you’re looking for the cheapest tent stove and still want a quality stove, look no further than the DOALBUN Outdoor Tent Camping Stove. 

This is the best tent stove for the money and features drying racks on either side and generous cooking space.

Although it’s a small stove, it can put out high heat at a significantly cheaper price than most of the other available portable tent stoves.

It also includes a flame-retardant fiber cloth, a flue brush, and a pipe damper tool, so you won’t need to spend extra money to get it up and running.

Before use indoors, do an initial burn outside. It’s advertised as having heat-resistant paint, but the paint is known for flaking off.

This is no trouble in the long run. Let the paint burn off in a well-ventilated area and then it should be safe to use indoors.

You can repaint it with high-temperature stove paint from the hardware store or enjoy the aesthetics of the classic heavy-duty steel body.

When you pack it up, all seven of the 11.8″ tubes that connect to make the flue fit inside the stove.

This way they’re protected and organized instead of scattered around the garage.

#9 WINNERWELL Woodlander Medium Tent Stove

Safest Tent Stove for Beginner Campers

Our rating: 4.7/5
Size: 15” x 8” x 8” (Packed); 25” x 20” x 94.5” (Assembled with chimney)
Weight: 20 lbs
Best for: Camp-stove beginners and experienced campers alike

If you aren’t an experienced camper, tent stoves might seem a little intimidating, but, trust me, they offer a more comfortable and relaxing cold camping experience.

The Winnerwell Woodlander Medium Tent Stove is an excellent choice for first-time campers.

Winnerwell is a leading brand for wood-burning tent stoves, so you know you can trust the quality. 

Like other Winnerwell stoves, this one comes with a chimney pipe and spark arrestor. 

This stainless steel wood stove has a glass window, so you can keep an eye on your fire while safely keeping the smoke sealed away. 

It also features tripod legs that are more stable on even ground than four legs.

And this is the best folding tent stove on the market with folding side shelves for drying clothes and a collapsible body.

Stoves from Winnerwell tend to get rave reviews, and this one is no different, making it the best wood-burning tent stove for people new to camping.

#10 Russian Bear Camping Stove

Best Luxury Stove

Our rating: 4.9/5
Size: 15.75″ x 25.98” x 23.62″
Weight: 30.42 lbs
Best for: Experienced campers, glamping

Maybe you’re an experienced camper, and you’re ready to upgrade your gear stash. 

After all, sitting in a warm tent next to a fire is a luxurious experience. Why not spring for a camping stove that reflects that?

The Russian Bear Camping Stove is significantly pricier than its competitors.

The reason is that both sidewalls and the door are made from special heat-resistant ceramic glass. 

Compared with stainless steel, this ceramic glass offers a higher heat output.

Additionally, you’ll have a 360-degree view of the fire inside the stove as it fills your tent with an orange glow.

This stove also comes with a carrying bag and spark arrestor with an advanced coil-type design for efficient and even heating. 

This stove performs well as both a tent heater and a cooking surface.

#11 Kcelarec Camping Tent Stove

Most Durable Stove

Our rating: 4.2/5
Size: 15” x 14” x 11”
Weight: 7.8 lbs
Best for: Wilderness camping, backpacking

The Kcelarec Camping Tent Stove is a small titanium stove with a glass window. It features a practical design coupled with quality craftsmanship. 

Like other wood-burning tent stoves, this portable wood stove does the double duty of both cooking and heating. 

Something unique about this stove is that it features a side warmer and a tall rectangular cage located towards the back of the cooking surface. 

You can fill the cage with stones that will heat up and help radiate the heat, not unlike a traditional sauna heater.

And if you’re on the go, this wood stove folds up flat and fits conveniently into a carry bag. 

It comes with all the necessary parts: a chimney, a damper, and the hardware to assemble them.

In addition to that, Kcelarec also includes tent stakes and rope for securing the chimney.

Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best Stove

What to Look for in a Tent Stove

Here are a few things to look out for when you’re trying to decide on the best tent wood stove for camping.

Materials

First of all, you want quality materials for your stove.

Not only do you want this purchase to stand the test of time, but shoddy materials can cause a safety issue when there’s fire involved. 

You also don’t want a stove that will warp with heat.

Even if a stove has a heat-resistant paint finish, always burn it outside first. Check the paint, seals, and chimney.

You don’t want a stove burning all night to put out toxic fumes. Remember, safety is critical when dealing with fire.

Parts and Accessories

Look for tent stoves that come with everything necessary for installing a chimney.

Extra items like an ash scraper, a spark guard, and a damper give you more bang for your buck.

Size and Weight

Tent stove kits range drastically in weight. The lightest wood-burning stove on this list is two-and-a-half pounds, and the heaviest is 74 pounds. 

Neither light backpacking stoves nor heavy stoves are unequivocally better; they each serve different purposes. 

The best ultralight tent stoves for backpacking will probably be titanium. These are highly portable stoves that often also fold up.

Meanwhile, the best large tent stove is more likely to be made of carbon steel. It will have a higher heating capacity for homesteading.

Types of Tent Stoves

Heavy Steel

This variety of wood-burning stoves uses heavy-duty construction materials such as stainless steel or alloy steel. 

Stoves like this are still portable and often feature removable adjustable legs but are not lightweight enough for frequent moving or backpacking. 

Heavy steel stoves are suitable for longer-term camping in larger tents such as wall tents. 

Military

Military-style camp stoves tend to function primarily as stove tent heaters rather than cooking stoves. 

Often barrel-shaped and lacking a flat cooktop, they usually feature side racks for drying things like wet socks. 

Like all tent stoves, military-style stoves are portable, moderately lightweight, and made of something along the lines of alloy steel.

Backpacking

Wood stoves for backpackers are the most lightweight variety.

You can’t go backpacking in the wilderness with a 70-pound hunk of steel strapped to your back. 

Titanium is generally the preferred material for backpacking wood stoves, as it’s the lightest type of steel used in stove manufacturing.

Camp stoves for backpackers should also be collapsible, with foldable legs and a carrying case to make it easy to pack the stove up with your camping gear.

Glamping

Let the backpackers nerd out about the best lightweight tent stove.

The perfect portable stove for glamping sites can be heavier because they tend to be long-term setups.

And unlike military camping stoves, a wood stove for glamping should have a cooking surface. 

Viewing doors that give off light also create ambiance, making a camping experience more glamorous.

Tent Stove Safety

Tent stove safety measures are vital when dealing with fire and smoke. Here are some tent stove tips for finding a good tent stove and using it safely.

Toxic paint

If your stove arrives coated with paint, run a cure burn outdoors first. Even if it’s heat-resistant. 

Light a fire in your stove in the open air. If the paint isn’t heat-resistant, keep it burning until all the paint has burned off.

Some stoves claim to have heat-resistant paint, yet the paint will flake off during this first burn. You must do this outside so your tent doesn’t fill with toxic fumes.

Chimney

Chimneys are essential for making camping stoves safe to use inside a tent. 

All stoves come with some amount of flue pipe. However, it should be long enough to reach the stove pipe hole in your tent and extend out a safe distance away from your roof.

Chimney damper

Some stoves come with a chimney damper, which controls the airflow through the chimney. 

A damper prevents warm air from escaping the chimney when you’re not using the stove, but it also allows you to control how big your fire burns.

If you have the damper closed to keep the air in, you have to open it before starting the fire, or the smoke may leak into your tent.

Spark guard

A spark guard, or a spark arrestor, is a little cap on the end of your chimney that prevents sparks from flying out of it. 

Since the chimney pokes out of the top of your tent, you don’t want sparks dropping onto your roof and potentially lighting your tent on fire. 

If your stove doesn’t come with a spark arrester, consider purchasing one separately.

FAQs About Tent Stoves

Are stoves in tents actually safe?

Wood-burning stoves are safe inside tents if you’ve installed them properly and taken all the necessary precautions. 

Follow the safety tips listed above. If your chimney is working well, there shouldn’t be any smoke or fumes released into your tent.

How do tent stoves work?

Tent stoves radiate heat by burning wood in an enclosed metal firebox inside your tent. The smoke and fumes exit through a chimney.

Do I need a tent stove?

You don’t need a tent wood stove if you’re camping between late spring to early fall or live in milder climates.

If you’re a winter camper, a tent wood stove is crucial. In many parts of the country, nighttime temperatures during winter can be dangerous. 

These stoves protect you from the bitter cold and give you an enjoyably homey experience.

How do you keep a tent stove burning all night?

First of all, it’s important to understand the dangers of letting your wood stove burn all night.

While everyone’s asleep, no one will be able to watch for sparks or smoke escaping the firebox.

I recommend purchasing a hand-held carbon monoxide detector to monitor the air inside your tent.

Also, make sure there’s good airflow, even if it means leaving a window open.

If you do choose to keep your wood stove burning while you’re asleep, here’s how to prepare the longest-burning tent stove.

Before you go to bed:

1. Use a poker to push all the coals to the front of the firebox.
2. Add some larger logs to a stack in the back end of the firebox.
3. Shut the door tightly, and the fire should burn throughout the night.

Do camping stoves give off carbon monoxide?

Burning any fuel gives off carbon monoxide.

However, wood stoves are relatively safe if you’ve installed your flue pipe correctly and created proper ventilation in your tent.

I recommend ordering a carbon monoxide detector (linked above) just to be safe.

And just a note on safety, also never use fluid or canister backpacking stoves in your tent.

These produce carbon monoxide too but they don’t have a chimney to direct it outside.

This article, after all, is about hot tenting–not hot boxing.

Can you use a stove in a tent?

Yes, as long as you use stove-compatible tents with a heat-resistant stove jack. This is most common in canvas tents.

The stove jack must be the right height for the flue to spit all of the smoke out.

Also, make sure that your stove doesn’t leak fumes into the tent.

Even though your goal is likely to warm up your tent, make sure that there’s adequate fresh air.

Are tent stoves good?

Tent stoves are great! They give off heat and enable you to cook while camping.

As long as you take proper precautions, they’re safe and perfect for toasting marshmallows or staying warm on winter evenings.

Can camping stoves get wet?

A wood camping stove can get wet, but depending on what type of metal the stove is made out of, water may cause rust.

Can I use my wood stove at high altitudes?

Typically, liquid fuel stoves are considered the best stove for high-altitude cooking.

But if you’re willing to carry it, a wood stove will likely still be a better option than a canister stove.

This is because canister stoves struggle with low pressure caused by the extreme cold usually seen at high altitudes.

If you do choose to warm your tent and cook with a wood stove, make sure there are large enough vents in the firebox for the fire to receive enough oxygen since the air will be thinner.

What is the best hot tent?

Asking for the best hot tent is like asking for the best hot tent stove: it depends on what features you’re looking for.

Personally, if I go hot tenting, I want a large wall camping tent with plenty of room to cozy up.

In this case, the best hot tent with a stove jack is the WHITEDUCK Regatta Canvas Bell Tent. It’s sturdy, elegant, and ready for any weather.

What tents can I put a stove in?

You can put a stove in a tent as long as it has a heat-resistant flue pipe hole. Read our guide to the best tents with stove jacks.

Looking for more tent recommendations? Check out our guides on the best one-person tents, 2-person tents, 4-person tents, 6-person tents, 8-person tents, 10-person tents, 12-person tents, family tents, large camping tents, 3-room tents, instant tents, pop-up tents, inflatable tents, tunnel tents, canvas tents, waterproof tents, insulated tents, winter tents, glamping tents, SUV tents, motorcycle tents, tents for wind, tents with an AC port, tents with a screen room, and cabin tents.

Conclusion: Our Pick for the Best Tent Stove

Ultimately, the two best tent wood stoves are the Winnerwell Nomad Medium Stove and the Camp Chef Alpine Heavy Duty Cylinder Stove.

The Nomad Medium Stove is my first pick with a medium weight, a spark arrestor, and a 6.5-foot chimney. 

Winnerwell stoves aren’t the cheapest on the market, but they’re worth it for their quality craftsmanship.

On the other hand, Camp Chef Alpine’s stove is an excellent heavy-duty stove that won’t break the bank. 

The Camp Chef Alpine stove comes with abundant cook space and a whole host of extras: a spark arrester, a pipe damper, and even hooks to hang a hot water tank.

Investing in the best tent wood stove will keep you camping in balmy comfort throughout the winter months. 

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