View Full Version : Alps Tents Do you have any experience????
Hello,
Does any one have any experience wit the following shelters?
http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/alps/products/tents/backpacking-tents/chaos#.UpOiDJGEwYU
(Chaos Series)
or
http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/alps/products/tents/backpacking-tents/aries#.UpOiSpGEwYU
(Aries Series)
I am looking at the two but besides the shapes I really can't tell the difference between the two except the Aries has more mesh than the Chaos.
MuddyWaters
11-25-2013, 21:42
Nope, no experience.
Alps stuff is OK quality. But its heavy.
You should neverr pay retail price for Alps gear either.
All scouting people get it thru scoutdirect at substantial discounts, 30-40%, or even more.
I thing scouting is the majority of Alps customers.
Not sure about the 2 you picked but muddy is correct. They are solid and although on the heavy side, they are not overly so for the price. They are durrable. I used my mystique until I developed a hammock addiction.
mister krabs
11-26-2013, 07:42
My favorite Alps tent is the zephyr, it's almost light enough for hiking. The others are great for canoe or car camping. I have 3, a zephyr for car/canoe camping with my son, a Taurus 5 for family camping and just bought my son his own taurus 2 for scouts. They're all great tents from a family owned company. Like everyone said, don't pay retail and they're mostly a bit heavy for hiking.
Old Hiker
11-26-2013, 12:14
My favorite Alps tent is the zephyr, it's almost light enough for hiking. The others are great for canoe or car camping. I have 3, a zephyr for car/canoe camping with my son, a Taurus 5 for family camping and just bought my son his own taurus 2 for scouts. They're all great tents from a family owned company. Like everyone said, don't pay retail and they're mostly a bit heavy for hiking.
I used my Zephyr 1 for most of my attempt after my epic hammock failure. I liked it. It was solid and well made, I thought. Little heavy, but I didn't care at the time. Asked a couple of people about them here on White Blaze. Bought a couple more as well. Loaned them out to another thru-hiker.
Not sure about the new ones. Keep checking Steep and Cheap dot com for pretty nice prices.
Amazon has reviews: http://www.amazon.com/ALPS-Mountaineering-Chaos-2-Person-Tent/dp/B00BEST3QE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1385482460&sr=8-3&keywords=alps+chaos+tent
You should neverr pay retail price for Alps gear either.
agreed......steepncheap has this brand on special all the time at deep discounts.......at least it did a few years ago.....my credit cards dont like steepncheap anymore so i dont look there......
also, i would say dont pay retail price for a majority of outdoor gear........one can find discounts on about anything they want nowadaze....
Joe Shug
11-30-2014, 01:18
I have to say the Zephyr 1 might be the roomiest, sturdiest, and lightest one-person tent for the money. I think I paid $79 on Steepandcheap. It was my go-to before I discovered a used Tarptent Contrail. Still, the Alps, for the cost, is a solid tent.
slbirdnerd
11-30-2014, 10:16
Our Boy Scout troop has some ALPS tents (and Eureka). They are great, but I personally wouldn't backpack with them--bit heavy.
Old Hiker
11-30-2014, 11:01
Sent to GaryP, but just in case others are looking:
Found this on steepandcheap with about 24 hours left as of 1000:30 Nov 14.
http://www.steepandcheap.com/gear-cache/find-campout-specials-on-camp-goods#?brand=ALPS%20Mountaineering
HooKooDooKu
12-01-2014, 14:55
You should neverr pay retail price for Alps gear either.
Yea... they seem to ALWAYS be on sale or clearanced at REI.
colorado_rob
12-01-2014, 15:03
Alps tents are great for car camping, way too heavy for backpacking. We've owned a couple of them over the years (again, strictly for car-camping), they always have screaming deals on them at REI outlet. our Alps tents have held up very well with rough Utah-desert use.
Some of them aren't that horrendously heavy. I grabbed a Zephyr/Zenith 3 from Sierra Trading Post a year or two ago. It's not for lightweight solo trips, but at about 5 pounds it's an easy carry for my wife and I to split. Lots of room, double doors, and seems very durable. I think it was $75 after coupon? For the price it was a steal.
Just Tom
12-02-2014, 09:57
We use them in our scout troop. Some of the adult leaders use a Lynx 1, where are I favor the Mystique 1.5 for the extra room. Haven't tried the Zypher 1, but it looks good too. No, they are not super light, but their not bad either for their price point. They are all around 3 and a half pounds, and you you have to pay another $75 or more to shave off that next half a pound with a different manufacturer.