Choose Your Right Winter Camping Stove
As Canadians settle into another winter season this month, many look for new ways to play in the snow and explore the beautiful landscapes our country has to offer. Whether it’s frontcountry or backcountry, hot tent camping provides a way to stay warm and comfortable while enjoying winter adventures. Choosing the right winter camping stove is essential for consistent heat, a dry interior, and a safe, enjoyable experience. When paired with a durable hot tent, the right stove ensures you can focus on the adventure ahead rather than worrying about the cold.
For Canadian winter campers, especially those using tents designed for stove use, selecting the proper stove setup is essential for both comfort and safety. Mid-sized stoves like the Esker Baffin stove, work well in smaller or mid-sized tents, while larger stoves, such as the Esker Hudson stove, are designed for mid to large-sized tents and provides enough volume for effective heating of larger spaces.
Tent and Stove Sizing: Finding the Right Balance
When learning how to choose a hot tent stove, size matters—both for the tent and the stove itself. A stove that’s too large will eat up precious space in your tent, while a stove that’s too small will make trying to heat the space challenging in terms of having to feed the stove constantly, making maintaining a constant temperature very difficult.
Similarly, a tent that’s undersized can feel cramped and limit safe clearance around the stove. Oversized tents will require more fuel and effort to maintain comfortable temperatures. The goal is a balanced system that allows steady heat, safe stove placement, and enough room to move comfortably.
The Baffin stove is ideal for smaller to mid-sized tents, including the Esker Arctic Fox 9X9, Classic 10X10, and Multi 10X10.
The Hudson stove is larger, suited for mid to large-sized tents such as the Classic 10X10, Multi 10X10, and other tents sized up to 14X16.
This balance is especially important when using a portable winter tent or backcountry camping tent, where pack weight and setup efficiency matter.
There is overlap as to what stove size (Baffin or Hudson) can be used in tents in mid-range sizes (i.e. 10x10). Both stoves are capable of keeping a 10x10 tent warm in cold weather. While the Baffin has a 16” long burn chamber, the Hudson sports a longer, 20” burn chamber - allowing for longer pieces, and therefore more material burning to provide heat. If you plan to spend a lot of time in your tent in very cold (-25C or colder) temps, the Hudson provides more capacity to deal with these conditions - however, it also takes up more room in your tent.
It is best to opt for the Baffin in a 10x10 tent, unless you plan to spend long periods of time in it, in very cold conditions, in which case the Hudson provides maximal warming capacity.
Stove Pipe Configuration and Airflow Management
Stovepipe placement plays a major role in the safety of the stove in operation. A straight, vertical pipe encourages strong draft, allowing smoke to exit efficiently, and ensures proper oxygenation and clean burn of the fire. Straight pipestacks are not affected by changes in wind direction, and provide peace of mind that when the fire is low, and draw decreases, smoke won’t be blown down the pipe, into the stove and tent. In some climates and conditions (very dry forest conditions, or in downpours) a spark arrestor may be recommended to help manage sparks, or stop rain from falling down the pipestack.
Side-exit pipe configurations allow the user to position the stove closer to the tent sidewall, allowing for grouped sleeping arrangements, and consolidated space in the tent, but is more affected by changes in wind direction and requires additional support of the pipestack outside the tent. Understanding wind direction and how to adjust pipe dampers and door air intake controls are key to maintaining a steady, efficient burn and avoiding smoke inside the tent.
Stove Materials: Weight, Durability, and Performance
Stove materials directly affect portability and heat performance. Titanium stoves are extremely lightweight but come with a higher price tag and can be hard to source. Stainless steel stoves are durable, rust-resistant, and more affordable than titanium.
Carbon steel stoves, such as the Baffin and Hudson stoves, are popular for their durability, efficient heat transfer, and longevity with proper maintenance. Simpler, all metal stove designs without glass parts often mean easier setup and fewer points for critical failure in cold or adverse conditions.
Choosing the Right Heat Source for a Hot Tent
Different stove types suit different styles of winter camping:
Wood stoves, like the Baffin and Hudson models, offer strong radiant heat, a cozy atmosphere, and a dependable cooking surface. With access to firewood, they can operate indefinitely, making them ideal for longer stays in a winter hot tent.
Gas stoves are excellent for cooking in winter but are not recommended as primary heat sources inside tents because of carbon‑monoxide and fire risks, and some gas systems require special techniques or liquid fuel variants to work well in extreme cold
Pellet stoves provide steady heat and long burn times but rely on dense, heavy fuel, that must be packed in, limiting their practicality and usefulness for hot tent trips where gear is packed in.
For most traditional hot tent camping setups, a well-sized wood stove remains the most versatile and practical option.
Safe Stove Use in Canadian Winter Tents
Always confirm that your tent—whether an Esker tent or another canvas hot tent—is designed for stove use. Follow manufacturer guidelines for clearances, stove jack placement, and ventilation. Safe operation is critical when using any winter camping stove inside a tent.
Getting the Best Performance from a Wood Stove
Efficient stove operation starts with proper fuel selection and fire management:
Use dead-standing trees that sound solid when struck.
Avoid rotted or punky wood, which burns poorly and produces excess smoke.
Split wood into small pieces to expose dry interior wood and improve combustion when getting a fire going. Once an active bed of embers is established, larger pieces can be added for longer burn times between feeding of the fire.
Pack in tinder to make starting fires easy, and as a backup if dry tinder is not readily available
Ensure you have generous kindling to get a fire going quickly and efficiently.
To help reduce creosote and sparks leaving the pipe stack, do not load the stove with bark, pine cones, boughs, etc.. as fuel .
Keep air intakes and chimney dampers open enough to maintain airflow.
Do not burn the stove too hot such that the metal glows red
Clear ash regularly and use a false bottom to allow proper airflow through the firebox.
Caring for Your Stove Long-Term
To protect your investment and ensure reliable performance season after season, always follow manufacturer instructions for operation, cleaning, and storage. Proper care helps extend the life of your stove and ensures safer, more enjoyable winter trips—whether you’re camping close to home or deep in the backcountry.
Closing Thoughts
At Esker Outdoors, we recognize that choosing the right stove and tent is a critical decision for a successful winter camping experience. Understanding factors like tent size, stove capacity, materials, and airflow allows you to make an informed purchase that performs safely and efficiently. Whether you are new to hot tent camping or a seasoned adventurer, dependable, Canadian-made gear lets you focus on exploring Canada’s winter landscapes with confidence, knowing your equipment will support you in all conditions.
