Good four-season tents are expensive and you will hardly get your money’s worth unless you cold weather camp a lot! Winter tents are usually the smaller styles so that your body heat can be used to heat the smaller air volume of the interior, making it warmer. If you have a choice of a larger tent or a smaller tent, bring the smaller one. There are three ways around it if you don’t already have a winter or four-season tent. You can break down and buy one for about $300.00 or more. You can rent one. The prices are reasonable and everyone wins, or you can make tent you own work by making a modification or two.
The three and one-half season tent can be made this way. Get a piece of heavy-duty plastic drop cloth type material. It should be at least two feet longer and wider than the inside of your tent, after it is setup. Most inexpensive tents are only waterproof on the bottom and tend to leak from the sides. Use the plastic material as the main floor of the tent, putting it inside. The rain fly on most three-season tents is too small, only covering a part of the outer walls. Use a piece of the same plastic to make a larger rain fly that covers the tent from the peak to the ground
This sheet of plastic will help keep your tent warmer when it is occupied.