The local Wiley's store is having their annual pre-inventroy sale, and I thought now would be as good a time as any to get a new tent. the two they've got left that i'm interested in are the ALPS Mountaineering Mystique 1.5, which is $100(retail about $130), and the columbus Explorer Camp set, which includes solo tent, sleeping bag, and backpack with water bladder, for $50(retail $126). I don't know anything about either of these brands, so i'm asking here. The columbus set is tempting given the price, but it seems to me like they must have sacrificed quality to offer all that for about the same price as just the tent from the other brand.

I found a review of the Alps tent, however it's the 2.0 which is the same as the 1.5 only a little larger:
Alps Mystique Review

So far I have two Alps Mountaineering tents and they are great high-value tents. I use the Merimac for warm weather and the Taurus for cold weather.

I think of them as the tents that Eureka or Kelty SHOULD be making. I've used Eureka tents for years, but their designs seem to have gotten too fancy/weird lately. For example, a lot of their current designs - like the Tetragons - seem to have the sides of vestibules, but no vestibules - what's that?

I've got to believe their other tents are as nice. The Mystique is very much like Eureka's Spitfire. I tried the Spitfire 1 and found it too small, so I got the Spitfire 2. That was before I discovered Alps. The Mystique 1.5 seems a more reasonable solo size.

I do wonder why Alps when with a pole sleeve when I personally would rather have clips.

I have a Kelty Gunnison 2 that I think is awesome. Full coverage fly with dual vestibules and doors. With the foot print it can bet set up with the fly only for a minimalist shelter. All told its under 6 pounds.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=kelty+gunnison+2&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f

I got mine for $104.00 on sale.

Blitz

Most of the time we go family camping and I am thinking replacing our cumbersome giant tent with a Eureka Timberline 4XT. It is a simple well ventilated A-frame looking tent that sleeps four. One of our Eagle Scout friends has one (2XT I believe) that has lasted for over six years of camping all over the world, without repairs.

I have a small solo tent from LL Bean. It is pretty good too and only a couple of pounds. I just wish the tallest part was about 6-8 inches taller, then I can sit upright in it.

My suggestion is to get a tent with aluminum poles. The fiberglass ones break way too easily.

Our Eagle Scout's tip is to have a ground cover under the tent and a cheap tarp on the inside to make cleaning much easier and to extend the life of the tent.

One other tip from another camper dad is to add paracord loops to the tents anchor points. That way, if you ever have to cut your tent free of a stuck peg, you just cut the cord and replace it without damaging your tent.

I only included the tips I learned since preserving a tent means not having to replace a tent.

Hi Aloha,

I have used the Eureka Timberline tents at remote fly-in camps for both working (timber cruising) and as a sleeping tent while moose hunting.

I found them to be a solid product and I do not remember having any trouble with them.

Mike

Take a good look at the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2... Awesome tent, I love mine!

Mahalo Mike.

I will likely get one before our next camping trip. What size do you have? We are a little spoiled with the vast cavern that we are currently using. But I have grown to detest fiberglass poles and our huge tent is heavy and a pain to set up and take down. But it is huge! And the camping kids have fun inside.

The more we camp, the more I value durability and simplicity. With all of the other tents we have used for family camping over the past few years, I carry a roll of duct tape and a tube of crazy glue for field repairs of tent poles that break.

A buddy of mine & I are both shopping for one man backpacking tents. Neither of us is ready to go to a tarp primarily due to bugs and heavy weather. He is more concerned about headroom and his primary contenders are the Sierra Design Velox 1 & the MSR Hubba HP. I would rather give up the headroom for the sake of saving weight and being more stable in winds. Right now I'm leaning toward the Sierra Design Lightyear 1. The Mountain Hardwear Skypoint 1, Mountain Hardwear Sprite and Marmot Eos 1P were also candidates.

I should say that we both spend time in relatively warm areas so a single wall tent is usually a very bad idea.

Aloha,

The tents we used on the job belonged to my employer, they were Timberline Outfitter 4 man but I thought they were all brown/tan so they must have changed the colour? They were tough tents as we used them a lot.

On our fly-in hunting or canoe-in fishing trips we used a Timberline 2 man tent with a vestibule on the front. It rained/snowed the entire week of our moose hunt and the tent never leaked but it got a little crowded with 2 hunters and all our wet gear inside. The other 2 hunters also had a Timberline tent but I think it was called an Alpine Meadows model, it just pulled the sides out a little for more elbow room. We (my 3 partners) missed the biggest moose I have ever seen on that trip (11 shots), we still don't talk about that one.

We don't go on the fly-in trip anymore and now moose hunt out of a 14' x 16' canvas wall tent with a woodstove and seperate 12' x 14' canvas wall tent for a kitchen, we are very comfortable. You do get some funny stares though when you put up a big wall tent in a summer campground with the family!

My wife hates the wall tent because there is no floor and she is afraid of spiders.

Happy Camping,

Mike

How about a hammock?

http://mosquitohammock.com/

A

Hi Ame,

I recievd a Hennessy Hammock, Expedition model this year for Christmas, but I have not tried it yet; my wife's idea of camping is cottage.

Mike

+1 on the Alps. My scout troop has several, my eldest has the Mystique 1.5... I would however, make sure you get the aluminum poles vs. the fiberglass.

Alps Mountaineering Here is the homepage... lots of products, great service, competitive prices.

alright, the Alps tent it is then.

Even the Alps Mystique 1.0 is more room than I need & more weight than I want. My two man tent weighs about five pounds so I would like a one man tent to be below three pounds.

Has anyone had any experience with OR found a review for the Mountain Hardwear Skypoint 1? The North Face Solo 12 looks good on paper too but I've read multiple reviews that report significant condensation problems.

I just haven't heard of a single wall tent that serves well in a three season role.

Alps makes good gear for a very reasonable price. I would discourage anyone from buying a "set" that includes tent, pack, sleeping bag, etc., especially for $50 or even $126. That's just way too cheap for good gear.

I own quite a few tents - a Kelty V4, which is a good tent but is too heavy for one person to backpack and an Alpine Meadows 6 from Eureka (similar to Timberline Outfitter 6) that was a great (and hugh) family car camping tent. I now use the Mountain Hardware Lightpath 3, which is also a great roomy but light (just under 5 lbs)tent for 2 plus equipment and an Outdoor Research Nighthaven Pocket Shelter, which is a siltarp configured as a tent good for 2 and gear. It has loads of room, good ventilation (single wall), light weight (less than 2.5 lbs), packs up to about the size of a 1 liter nalgene bottle, inexpensive ($115 - $150) and uses hiking poles as tent poles. The Lightpath and Nighthaven are great for lightweight backpacking, bugouts, etc.

I second that on the Big Agnes. I've got a Sunnyslope 2 which is a bit older, but that dang thing WORKS. I went through a hail/rain storm this past summer in Colorado. The wx was so intense, that mud was splattered multiple feet up the side. Inside were our down bags. Not an ounce of moisture!

The tent is vey warm, so I wouldn't recommend it for hot and humid climates, but for cool, cold, or high altitude use, it's a great tent.