ALPS Mountaineering Mystique 1.0 Tent

[zarzak]

Hey All,

Leaving for the trail soon and buying a few things. I was looking through tents and reading reviews and I was thinking I was going to get the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 for $350 (I may able to reduce that price to $300 through some coupons) ... but then I saw the ALPS Mountaineering Mystique 1.0 tent for $69.

Big Agnes is 2 lbs 10 ounces pack weight, the ALPS is 3 lbs 13 ounces pack weight (though advertised as less).

If anyone knows ... two questions:

1) Is the ALPS any good? Reviews on amazon.com are favorable, and one reviewer on this site seemed to like it, but never used it in inclement conditions as far as I can tell.

2) Is shaving 1 lb off of my pack weight worth ~ $250 - $300? I can afford it, but I'm not made of money.

[zarzak]

Sorry, I'm not sure how to edit ... I should note that I plan on hiking on the AT for a few months. Not sure if I'll do a through hike, but it will be a substantial hike either way.

[zarzak]

If no one knows if its any good I guess I can just assume that its not good enough quality for the trail that anyone has used it. :/ Ah well...

[Lostone]

relax, it has not been 24 hours since you asked your question.

Alps is decent gear. I have the tent you mentioned use it monthly to camp with the scouts. It does great and you cannot beat the price. I bought the footprint too.

It is a tight fit, but I just sleep in in, I might opt for something a little larger if you are long term hiking just in case your trapped in it for a day or two.

[Toolshed]

Alps is good. I was a tester for them about 6-8 years ago. the gear is a bit heavier and beefier for scout use, but one of the tents I tested was the Mystique 1.5 and I liked it very much. FWIW, Most of my life I have been a Eureka or Kelty tent person (I lived near the Eureka CampTrails factory, and I also used to get Kelty pro-deals). I also have MSR's and Sierra Design tents, while the Alps may not compare exactly to them, I believe it is of Kelty and Eureka quality and priced well.

[zarzak]

Thanks. Sorry for being impatient - I got on a nice gear buying spree and I guess I got over-excited.

I'm glad to hear about the good quality - I saw the price and was pretty worried based on how low it was.

Lostone, if you don't mind, how tall are you? I'm 6'3" - 6'4" (it seems to vary every time I get measured) so I'm a bit worried about the fit. On paper it looks long enough, but I've never seen one in person, and I don't know how tight it 'feels'. Getting trapped inside it for a day due to horrid weather is certainly a possibility.

[Chubbs4U]

Heard wonderful things about this tent and its cheap...

http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/images...e/VampTarp.jpg

[Graywolf]

I am an Alps tetser and have the Mysique 1.5 it is a very good rugged tent. A little on the heavy side than I lik but that is the only downside I see. The side doors makes it very easy to get in and out when you have been hiking all day and makes cooking a little easier too. For the money, it is a great tent and very strurdy..

Graywolf

[Waterbuffalo]

I have a 1.0 and use a 25x77 neo air mat with plenty of room i would reccoment different stakes but in all i would recommend. I'm also a big guy 6'0"
Happy Hiking

[vamelungeon]

Don't know about the tent but I have one of their backpacks. It is very comfortable. The chest strap came off on the first outing I had with it. I took a photo and emailed it to them. They sent me not just the chest strap but an entire assembly including the chest strap, hip belt and other parts I don't know the name of. I wouldn't hesitate to buy more of their products.

[Waterbuffalo]

I have a 1.0 and my cousin has a 1.5 he has had no probelms with his 1.5 however in 3 nights I have had zipper problems on the ddoor and fly problems It's now my back up tent and I have a Big Agnes well worth the $$

[Franco]

WB
The word is disguise...

[Graywolf]

Wish I saw this thread when it first started. I was given a Mystique from ALPS for testing on my 2011 section hike from the James River to Harpers Ferry. Here is my thoughts. The first time I sat the tent up, it was fast and quick. Very spacious on the inside. The vestibule was quick as well. Very comfortable to sleep in and I had evening, nightly thunderstorms almost every night. However, on the 3rd day, the rear pole tore from its foot post but even with that, the tent stood with no problem. During the 2nd week, one of the zippers tore, requiring me to use only one door. No problem. 2 nights before the end, another pole broke, and a zipper tore on the other door.

Wasn't a bad tent for its price but it is heavier then my likings. Is easy to setup, and for casual backpacking, it would be great, but for ThruHiking, NO!

Sorry this is a late post, just thought I would chime in..

[rgardn12]

I own the older version of the same tent but the 2 person version (Comet 2.0) I can say that it is an EASY to setup, comfortable tent. Two grown men can sleep in it without feeling awkward but don't expect to have room for 2 men and all there gear. I used the vestibule regularly for gear storage and thats what you should expect.

It isn't the lightest tent in the world but it isn't the heaviest either. I've been looking for a replacement for a while and unless you want to fork out double the cash or go with a tarp/floorless/single wall tent you won't find much.