Alps Mountaineering gear

[Deb]

This is a company in Missouri, you can check out their gear at www.alpsmountaineering.com (http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/).
I didn't know anything about this company. I bought one of their tents from Sierra Trading Post an overstock, only $50. This is a great tent with excellent materials. The full coverage rainfly is the real deal. They have two solo tents, the Mystique and the Taurus, pretty roomy and under 4 pounds for $99. Anyone have any experience with these?

[Jeremy]

I own the Alps Taurus 1 tent. I have used it on a 50 mile section of the AT between Damascus and Kincora. I only used it once on that hike, but I have used it around a dozen times on shorter, weekend trips close to home. I live in St. Louis, MO, so I am close to where the company is located. The tent performed well in rain and heavy winds, it never leaked. Alps is a good value brand, I also own a large Alps pack, which I used on my very first long distance backpacking trip @ Philmont in New Mexico. I no longer use the pack, because it is way to big(5200 cubic inches) and way to heavy(over 6 pounds), but I keep it for sentimental reasons. I still use the tent, but not for backpacking. It is light, but recently I have switched to a silnylon tarp and a bivy sack for my shelter. I hope this helped you out a bit. It would be a smart decision to purchase the Taurus, if you want to stay with a tent and not a tarp.:D