ALPS Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy:

The tent is heavy, but to be expected with a 3 person. Not the greatest quality materials, tent walls are thin. No footprint available, I had to make one. Not a lot of gear space, small vestibules. Angled walls make 3 people feel very cramped.

These are just cons. I am VERY satisfied with the tent/price. The seams are good and I have stayed dry on rainy days. I feel its always better to hear about what people don't like about the product.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy:

I had originally wanted a "just in case of emergency tent" because living in Southern California you never know when you might need a tent. After doing a great deal of research on tents I purchased this one, based upon the previous reviews listed here on REI Outlet. I have been very pleased with the product. After picking up the tent and the footprint (also purchased from REI Outlet) I set it up in my front yard by myself in about 15 min.'s. As soon as I was done my roomates dog gave it a squirt so I knew I had a winner if she wanted it. After cleaning the outside (squirt did not penetrate the fly as it is very well coated and waterproof), I took it down and repacked it in about 7 min.'s.
I was very impressed with the materials and with the amount of room it has inside, also the vestibules are very large and can hold quite a bit of gear with room enough to cook in as well if need be. The tent has an included gear loft, 4 loops and two pockets located next to the doors. The poles are sturdy and easy to manipulate and they are color coded to the tent base loops which makes set up very easy. The included stuff sacks are ok but will probably be the first things to wear out. The stakes are standard aluminum wire looped and I will most likely replace them with the MSR Grounhogs when I can afford it.
I used the tent first in Josua Tree National Park in August (90% @ 8:00pm) with out the fly and was impressed by the amount of ventilation it has for a four sided fabic tent. Although the doors have a fabric door and a net door the small end windows do not have a fabric privacy flap, nor does the roof vent, so if privacy is an issue you might want to go elsewhere.
I have also used this tent @ Lopez Lake (again hot & dry) and at Oceana near Pismo Beach. This trip tested the rainfly and ventilation. The fog and drizzel did not cease from the time of arrival to the time of departure. The rainfly kept out all the moisture and the vents kept the condensation level to none. My buddy set up his tent that he swears by, and by morning was drenched from above and below by floor leakage and condensation. I was completely dry and comfortable, not a squidge of moisture inside. The fly sheds moisture well and the design of the fly doors keeps you from getting wet on the way out of the tent. The fly does have windows in it at the small ends so that you can check conditions before getting out of the tent.
My only suggestions for improvements would be that I would prefer to have privacy flaps on the small end windows and a clear isenglass panel over the roof vent in the rainfly so I could see the stars at night through the fly.
Overall after a long search, this was the best 3 person, 3 season tent that I could find for the money and I could not be more pleased with my purchase. Bravo to Alps Mountaineering and REI!

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy:

The second time I took this tent out, the "60% chance of scattered thunderstorms overnight" turned into nine hours of relentless rain and wind. This tent was sturdy through it all and kept all three of us drier than any person could reasonably expect a tent would have kept us. I'm really glad I had this tent over me that night!
Also, the tent is VERY breathable if you set up the rain-fly correctly; even in the humidity of the southern Georgia coast, we stay comfortable throughout the night. I've never had a problem with condensation. And the mesh is small enough to keep out all but the tiniest of no-see-ums.
My only complaint is that it is somewhat heavy and big, especially if you plan on carrying it very far. And go ahead and figure in the cost of a footprint: the floor on this tent is pretty thin.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy:

This tent is very reliable. I use it for just about everything. From backyard fun to Alaskan moose hunts in the frigid cold. I'm 6'3" and about 280 in weight and my bro is no different. We spent 10 days together in the northern parts of Alaska in this tent. We mostly had rain, wind, and slush. We had no problems staying dry and comfortable the entire trip. The fly gives you two different vestibules to work with and store gear. I really enjoy the duel door design and the sturdy 3 pole structure which works phenomenal in the wind. I hate when people have to crawl over you to get out and wiz, this tent has two doors on both sides so it makes it very conveinent. The fly does not touch the inside walls and it breathes very well. I've used it more then 50 times and have never been wet. Just make sure to buy the footprint for the tent and buy the larger fly to give you more vestibule space. And keep mosquito dope away from your tent fly especially the plastic windows that can melt from its chemicals. This tent isn't really designed for backpacking unless their are atleast 2 of you. Its a great tent and if set up right in the right place will always keep you dry and comfortable no matter the conditions. Enjoy the outdoors and take your kids out.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy:

I used this tent on a climbing trip to Yosemite. We set it up for the first time in the dark. It is a little confusing on how to set up based on the instructions. You will figure it out though.

The tent material is very thin in comparison to other more expensive options I have used. The mesh/screen placement is great for star gazing. The rain fly is amazingly easy to set up. It has plastic buckles that snap to the tent corners. The rainfly is large with reasonable sized vestibules.

The condensation seems to collect in the vestibules which is an outer wall versus on an internal wall to shower you upon first touch in the morning. The three pole design is sturdy. Inside is bare bones. No gear pouches.

If you are sleeping with someone head to head, pick the side without the door at your face. The weight of the zipper door makes that side slightly narrower versus the side with the zipper door at your feet. Ample head room for tent activities. :) Perfect for two adults. Great tent for the price...

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy:

Perfect for someone who needs a sturdy tent but doesn't plan to carry too far. It's a little heavy on the long hike, but works great for the overseas backpack adventure that involves bus rides, motorcycles or cattle carts. That's the last place you want a breakdown and for its durability and materials and price, it's plenty light.

It's also surprisingly big, clearance enough to stand hunched over. Crawling not needed. And it'll definitely sleep three.

Also good in the rain. Perhaps a little warm, but without the fly it's good and breezy.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy:

Good tent, but the vestibule is lack luster as the rain fly fits kind of awkwardly.

Was a good buy though as it is my second tent and is not the one I rely on for everything.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy:

I got this tent here in the last Christmas sale. I have used for two weekend hikes and one weeklong hike so far. I like it quite much. The two weekends were in the cool locations (45F to 60F), and weeklong was in hot TN. We used this tent for two people only. In the cool/cold places, they were very good. But in TN, we set up without fly then we could sleep in the 85 F nights. A little heavy (our package weight was 8 lb, 2 oz) for two people tent (designed for real 3 people, 80" x 96") but so much room you can turn around while with all your gears in. So we divided it into two sacks when hiking. The height inside the tent is also amazing with 48" ceiling (another 2" between tent and fly).
Two doors are symmetrically located on the sides of the tent. So you don't need to find out which side is the head when set up, because they are the same. This is very good if the location is little sloped. I would also pick "BD Vista 3" which is lighter (1 lb less) with similar size but you need to pay twice of this tent in the original MSRP.

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy:

I live in Alaska and I wanted a tent that could withstand a sudden-onset snowstorm, stand up to multi-use, but was within my modest budget.I originally bought it for a trip down & back to Yosemite-area, where I lived for a month attending a NOLS WMI course. On the way down we were assailed by muddy sleet, stinging snow, white-out conditions, and roaring winds. We pitched on mud & rocks the first night, cheap aggregate the next, mushy moss after that, and so on. Other than the two ends that the fly doesn't fully cover, we stayed warm & dry inside. During pack up, I wiped & wrung as much of the mud & wet off as I could and stuffed the thing into its sack without rolling because... hello, friggin' cold. Other uses I've subjected this tent to: backpacking the Crow Pass Trail in the Chugach, sopping conditions near Seattle, baking to death in Yosemite, sand & wind along the N.Cal coastal hwy, the abuse of an over-excited German Shepherd with really long claws because I'm a bad dog-mom and haven't clipped them in a while, dragging it over rocks & jutting sticks/tree trunks.... Not a rip, not a tear, not even a worrisome wear-spot.For the Not-So-Great stuff....Keeping it off the ground: Someone posted that there is no footprint for this tent- there is: ([@]), and one of the cons against this tent is that you DO NEED a good footprint, unless you don't mind a scary-thin floor and a dirt-floor vestibule. The description for the matching footprint states that it is just a little smaller than the tent floor- I don't know if this means the tent itself or includes the fly as I haven't bought it yet. (I've been using a heavy-duty tarp that I cut, sewed & sealed to match the footprint of the tent + fly, but of course that just adds weight vs the 12oz matching footprint).Heavy: It's a dang 3-man (if you are all REALLY good friends & leave your gear in the vestibules) tent.. so ya, it's a bit weighty for backpacking. Not terrible, especially if you split it up. The rods are not cheap plastic, and they're much lighter than any other rods I've ever used. If you're a one-person lugging this out on a trail for some reason, do yourself a favour and bring along a dog or two to help lessen your load- have the dog carry the tarp & rods or something. That said.. you don't NEEEEEED the rods... you CAN set this thing up with rope & some decent trees if you don't mind how it looks.Fly/Vestibule Design: The doorway areas are great. Plenty of room for 2+ backpacks on either side and still room to take off your wet/muddy/dirty gear. It's the window ends.... grr. The ends don't go all the way to the ground- this is probably for ventilation, but it makes for irritation in very wet+cold conditions as if you stake the ends out to keep the fly from touching the tent walls then you get icy draft, but if you don't stake them then you DO get some (not terrible) condensation. Since I'm pretty crafty, I cut up a fly from an old tent, matched it to the ends of my tent, sewed it on and sealed it. To allow for venting, I also included some ties to roll up that portion. Works A-OK vs wet+cold for me.*****TL;DR- Needs good footprint, a bit heavy for backpacking solo, and you may not like the fly design, but this tent will stand up to quite a beating weather & use-wise. *****

Comments about Alps Mountaineering Extreme 3 Tent - Special Buy:

Great tent for the value. I'm a two-three times per year camper and was looking for a tent that I could grab and go to take my two teenage boys camping with me. At first I purchased one for use on a boy scout trip but when my boys got tired of scouts we still kept going out on our own so I bought a second one as well. I wanted a good tent at a reasonable price that was not too heavy but had all the bells and whistles. This tent is not too heavy for the price, is an absolute breeze to set up and over the last three years it's given me ZERO issues. Based on other reviews I bought the 3-man because I was told it was a bit cramped and we have two teenage boys and two toddlers. I'd suggest that the 3-man is plenty big enough for two comfortably, but if you'll be doing 80% of your camping either solo or with your spouse then you could probably get away with the 2-man and save some weight. The only reason I'm not rating it a five is because I'm not an all-season camper and if I was going to be hiking in the deep woods for weeks at a time in the winter I might consider something a little lighter with better wind resistance. But for a 3 season tent it's money well spent!