If done any hunting out west, you understand how a base camp wall tent can start to feel like home. The white canvas walls, curling smoke from the woodstove, and the smell of a hot base camp meal are burned into the memories of many backcountry big game hunters.

Whether you’re hunting elk in the Rockies, Dall sheep in Alaska, or Eastern whitetails in remote areas of the Blue Ridge Mountains, base camp will fast become your home away from home. This semi-permanent set-up becomes a place to rest, refuel, warm-up, and plan your next bivy hunt.

The essential element of any base camp is a good, sturdy wall tent. These spacious tents are more comfortable than a dome tent, and their thick canvas walls provide a little extra protection from the elements. 

Best Wall Tents 2020

Not all wall tents are created equal, and if you’re planning a long hunt into remote areas, you want to make sure you’re getting the best. We’ve compiled this list of what we consider the best wall tents. Use it to help narrow your options, so you can rest easy at your hunting camp home away from home. 

White Duck Outdoors Complete Canvas Tent

This wall tent from White Duck Outdoors is as sturdy as they come. Made from 100 percent  army duck canvas with double-stitched seams and reinforced corners, this thing is built to stand up to harsh hunting environments. It also features military grade YKK zippers designed to stand up to years of rough use. 

This kit comes with just about everything you need, including color coded anodized aluminum poles, a six-inch sun shade, a waterproof tent bag, and a free-floating heavy-duty poly vinyl floor.  

For extra protection from the elements, the doors on this complete canvas tent feature a sturdy fastening system and an added flap across the panels. You will also appreciate the large triangular windows that let in plenty of natural light, yet feature a strong triple-layer construction to keep precious heat inside and cold wind out. 

White Duck Outdoors offers this rugged wall tent in several different sizes to accommodate hunting parties of any size. The smallest measures 10’x12’, which still provides plenty of room for four people. The largest size measures 16’x20’ and leaves plenty of space to fit all your hunting buddies and their gear. 

These tents also provide plenty of head room. Although the side walls only measure five feet, the center peak towers at almost nine feet. It is so spacious, you’ll easily forget you’re staying in a tent.   

White Duck Outdoors also offers a complete line of tent accessories so you can upgrade your base camp. Add-ons like a stove jack, mud skirt, porch, or fly sheet integrate seamlessly with your main wall tent for added comfort.

Trek Tents Cotton Canvas Tent

Built to be extra durable, this wall tent from Trek Tents features a one-inch powder coated steel frame. It is chain-linked for easy set-up, so you don’t have to worry about fumbling and cursing to set up your base camp. 

The walls and roof are made from 100 percent fire retardant cotton. The set-up also includes a fly cover and a heavy duty vinyl-coated canvas floor. The tent has three extra-large windows for plenty of natural light. However, the windows and wide front door also have durable storm flaps to keep out the rain and wind. On warmer days, you can open them up to let in a breeze, while trusting the mesh screens to keep out unwanted insects. 

Hunters will also appreciate the extra sewn-in pockets for convenient, easy-to-access storage. You also get 108 square feet of floor space, which should be plenty of room for you and all your hunting gear.

Guide Gear Canvas Wall Tent

With a durable yet lightweight frame, the Guide Gear Canvas Wall Tent is made for the mountains. It’s easy to get it to your base camp location and then built to stay there once it is set up. Plus, you don’t need any tools to get this tent properly set up, and the stakes and guylines are included. 

The walls and roof are made from 10.8-ounce cotton canvas that is waterproof, mildew resistant, and fire retardant. The spacious floor gives you 216 square feet of leg room, while you get 8 ½ feet of head room at the center peak.  

You also get a stove jack opening that fits a 5-inch stovepipe, so you can easily add a stove to keep you warm in colder weather. 

Outfitter Wall Tent by Montana Canvas

Made of tough 10.9-ounce white cotton duck canvas, these high-quality tents come in five sizes. The canvas is treated to be fire-retardant, waterproof, and mildew resistant, and it sheds rain and snow like a dream, keeping you warm, dry, and comfortable on the inside.

Other key features include an integrated window with a storm flap and mesh screen, stove jack with weather flap, sod cloth bottom for a water-tight seal, and reinforced seams and edges. You also get heavy-duty YKK zippers, 40 tent stakes, rope, rope tension adjusters, and a convenient storage bag.

This tent does not come with its own frame. However, some hunters prefer making their own, so this shouldn’t be a deal breaker. If you don’t want to make your own frame, you can purchase a good sturdy frame from the company for a little extra. 

Summing It Up

Any of these high-quality wall tents will help base camp feel more like home. With sturdy frames, thick waterproof walls, and plenty of head room, these temporary structures feel more like rooms than tents. Add a few creature comforts like a wood stove, camp chairs, and a sleeping cot, and you’ve got the perfect home away from home.

When planning an extended hunt in remote areas, it is important to invest in high-quality gear. While it can be tempting to pinch pennies and cut corners, your camping gear could literally save your life in the backcountry. You don’t want to get stuck in the wilderness with subpar equipment, so make sure all your gear is top-notch, including your base camp wall tent.