When it's 22 degrees outside, this is bullshit. |
Price (with footprint) delivered to my door: $261.89
Why price with footprint and delivery? Because that's the real world price.
Retailer: REI
You can also find this tent at Amazon and other online retailers.
Intended Use:
Bicycle camping
Car and Motorcycle camping
Hunting
Backpacking
Roomy, lots of space even for my 6'2" frame
Heavy duty materials
Quality construction
Lots of pockets
Large vestibule
Cons:
Weight
Difficult to pitch and pack rain fly
Poorly designed poles
Conclusions:
I really wanted to love this tent. It was my first 4 season tent and I was excited to try it out in cold weather.
I appreciated the length and width of this tent and it's robust construction. It seems to be very well built. I also learned that the four season designation mostly means tougher materials and better ventilation controls. Although the heavier weight was a concern, using a BOB Ibex or a motorized ovehicle to haul gear negated this factor.
Sadly, after two nights of camping at 9400' in Colorado during September, I'm returning it. Here's why: The pole tips are badly designed. They easily pull out, both in-sleeve and while fastened to the footprint/tent. This makes it difficult to install or remove the poles into the rain fly sleeves.
In the comfort of my living room - no big deal. When it's 22 degrees and you're struggling to keep your fingers from going numb, it sucks. Big time. Stopping to pull your gloves off to re-insert the pole tips for the 5th or 6th time is annoying. It's also aggravating when the poles get stuck in the too tight rain fly sleeves.
Did I mention it was 22 degrees outside? Not fun. Especially when you're trying to get camp packed and rolling quickly so you can get back to town for a client meeting.
Hey Alps! Are you reading this? I wanted to love your tent. You need to redesign the rain fly and pole tips. This would have been a high quality purchase otherwise. At the price, you'll find it hard to find a better deal on a large four season tent.
About the author: I'm an avid outdoor enthusiast and have spent countless nights in tents in the wilderness. I hike, ski, ride mountain bikes and motorcycles, run, and love all things outdoors. Unlike many of the other reviews you'll read online, I didn't receive any compensation or freebies for this review, sadly. I make my living helping people make smarter real estate decisions.
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