Howdie - Alps Mountaineering Comet

[damcyclist]

Greetings -
Long time lurker, first post. This site is great, I really appreciate the sharing of information & experience. I'm a fairly novice hiker and it is great to be able to have knowledgeable persons to help.

REI outlet has a great deal on these two tents
Alps Mountaineering Comet 1.0 Tent 59.93
Average packaged weight 3 lbs. 11 oz.
Alps Mountaineering Comet 1.5 Tent 75.00
Average packaged weight 4 lbs. 3 oz.

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with either of these.

While the're not exactly light - they do fit my budget. The tarptent may need to wait a few seasons!

Thanks,

Don

[Toolshed]

I reviewed the Alps Mystique and the Alps Taurus several years ago.
While they are great budget tents, they may not hold up as well to long term use. The tents seem to be made more for scouting and the like.
The material was OK, but the stitching seemed to be lacking as compared to SD or TNF or MH (fewer stitches per inch, IIRC). The hardware (zipper) is much heavier, thought the poles seemed a little more flimsy. I also don't recall the PU coating to be as heavy as SD, TNF or MH.

Overall, You get what you pay for. I can see being happy with this tent as entry level for several years at this price. I'd recommend using a piece of plastic under it as a groundcloth.

P.S. the comet looks the be same as the Mystique- maybe a newer model. Either way it is pretty heavy compared to today's lighter standards.

Good Luck