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REI Alcove Shelter
The REI Alcove is a freestanding, floorless rain and sun shelter with substantial wind integrity—and it fits over a picnic table!
- Structurally stable pole design has convenient color-coded hubs and poles for a quick, clear setup
- Comes with durable powder-coated steel poles
- Polyurethane-coated polyester fabric resists harmful ultraviolet rays and resists sagging when wet
- Multiple guyouts secure the structure for added strength
- Includes guylines/cords, 4 steel stakes and a convenient duffle stuff sack
Imported.
Item 794290
REI Membership
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REI Alcove Shelter- $109.00
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REI Alcove Shelter Customer Reviews
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
- Easy to set up (62)
- Lightweight (48)
- Durable (31)
- Waterproof (28)
- Windproof (19)
Cons
- Flimsy construction (13)
- Leaky (8)
- Collapses in wind (7)
- Poor fly design (6)
- Condensation (4)
Best Uses
- Car camping (52)
- Backyard (31)
- Beach (24)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (54), Avid adventurer (16)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Comfort driven (44), Survivalist / minimalist (25)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (51)
Reviewed by 73 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-10
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Pros
- Easy To Set Up
- Easy to Use
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Day Trips
- Travel
Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:
only a few uses so far. very easy to set up, possible for one person.
leery bout the plastic hubs strength, but so far so good (really should be able to purchase replacements - How about it REI?)
have not had to deal with much rain or wind as of yet, tie downs are easy and accessible. we use this over our teardrop galley. and a way to keep out of the burning sun, or rain.
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Minimalist
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Compact
- Durable
- Good Design
Cons
- Difficult Setup
Best Uses
- Backcountry
- Day Trips
- Sports
- Travel
Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:
I have been using my Alcove for about 2+ years now and have been very happy with the performance. While I will contend the shelter can be a little difficult to setup - This is mostly due to the poles that all fold down to keep the canopy at a manageable size. We wanted to avoid the heavy and bulky 'EZ-UP' shelters given our limited car space at times.
We have had this shelter at camps, soccer games, backyards and beaches. I find the shelter is quite stable even in high winds if it is properly staked out using both the corners and guy lines. We have withstood heavy winds at camping trips and beaches with no tears or pole collapses.
I would like to see a future model with high strength aluminum poles instead of steel to help lower the weight. However, aside from that I still find this shelter is quite worth it.
The setup can be a bit longer than the 'EZ-UP' style shelters. I am usually able to do it with one person unless it is very windy out.
I would also recommend getting one of the Wind Walls to match the canopy. I have found these are very useful at the beach or in windy conditions. We have even been able to hide behind it for a quick shower when camping
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Comfort Driven
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Images shared by mr3wan
REI Alcove w/ Windwall on Beach (windy)
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
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Pros
- Easy To Set Up
- Sturdy
- Windproof
Cons
Best Uses
- Car Camping
Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:
My fiance and I were at Joshua Tree Music Festival 2010. It was unbelievably windy. We had a Kelty shelter that I had just purchased. Our $100 Kelty shelter, along with every other shelter (standard ez up shelters, etc.) was torn apart and blown all over J-Tree. Except, for our neighbors. Who had this shelter. Needless to say, before our next trip, we owned one of these - along with one of the walls. It is the absolute best for sun shade. And just one Alcove Wall shades 2 of the 4 sides of this shelter. With our REI dividends this year, we picked up another shelter and a set of walls. Highly recommend! (side note: I called and sent pictures of their sub-par equipment, and Kelty was absolutely un-interested in helping.)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Comfort Driven
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Set Up
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Backyard
- Beach
- Car Camping
Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:
I recently bought a Trekker Trailer, very small teardrop, and wanted a sitting area/porch for entering/exiting. Looked and or tried various EZ up types. but never convinced I could put them up by myself.
I read all the reviews about this and decided to give it a try. I put it up all by myself in the yard on a breezy day. I have not yet used it for it's intended purpose.
Doing it by myself on a breezy day was a challenge! as it is very light, but I managed it! yay me! so, it needs to be staked out well! I do not expect it to withstand much more than a breeze or light rain. But I'm a fair weather camper,any who.
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Comfort Driven
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Images shared by Buffy
(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)
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Pros
- Easy To Set Up
- Lightweight
Cons
- Collapses in Wind
- Collects Condensation
- Leaky
- Poor Fly Design
- Rain Collapses Shelter
- Rain Puddles On Rain-fly
Best Uses
- Shade Shelter Only
Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:
I'm a scoutmaster and have used this shelter many times. It's useless for Southeast USA camping because of rain. It's great as a sun shelter for shade until it rains. DON'T purchase this looking for a rain shelter! The rain-fly design doesn't allow you to stretch the rain-fly "taut-enough" to prevent puddling in a rain storm. Consequently, in a rain-storm it will collect enough rain water to collapse the shelter EVERY TIME. REI needs to redesign the shelter with enough guy-wires along the sides of the rain-fly so that you can stretch the rain-fly taut enough to prevent puddling. If they corrected this defect, then it would receive 5 stars out of 5 stars! Checkout the photos that other previous reviewers have posted showing this shelter collapse because of rain-water puddling.
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Minimalist
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Set Up
Cons
Best Uses
- Backyard
- Car Camping
Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:
I use this shelter when car camping. I set it up for the first time in my yard just so I would know how it went together. The next time I used it was on a camping trip and one of the locking spring mechanisms in a pole was missing. I had to pay to have it repaired by REI. So much for standing behind the product.
I would probably recommend the product but be advised that if something breaks, you'll be paying!!
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Comfort Driven
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Set Up
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Backyard
- Beach
- Car Camping
Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:
I've only had my Alcove for 1 week and already it's been thru 3 days of storming wind & rain and I've slept in it every night without any problems. The windwalls are great and a must have if you're going to be out sleeping in the rain if you want to stay dry. I had very little condensation on the upper frame poles and it leaked a little bit at the guy-out points where it was sewn together, but that was minimal and not a problem. Overall, it's a VERY COOL shelter and have already recommended it to my friends. Go REI!
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Minimalist
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Set Up
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Backyard
- Beach
- Car Camping
Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:
I needed shade that I could set up using mostly one arm due to a disability. This met my needs perfectly.
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Minimalist
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Set Up
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Beach
- Car Camping
Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:
Others have commented that this shelter performs poorly in the rain. That has not been my experience. I've only used it on one camping trip so far, but for me it did well through a wet night with 12 straight hours of rain. Granted it was a light steady rain rather than a driving downpour but the shelter held up for me and kept stuff dry. I agree with others who say that it's critical to use extra guy lines and make sure everything is tightened down.
Tall people may struggle with this shelter. Peak height is around 6 feet but the sides are much less, probably only around 5 feet by the time you account for the fabric that extends down beyond the frame. How much you like it may depend on how fast you learn to duck when entering/exiting the shelter at the short ends.
We mastered the set-up of this shelter quickly although I would recommend a practice run at home just to make sure you understand how it works. We elected to move it once it was assembled and we were able to do that easily without having to take the whole thing down.
There are taller shelters which are probably sturdier and possibly better in heavy rain but they cost twice as much and weigh twice as much (or more.) So far I've had no reason to regret my choice of this less expensive, lighter shelter.
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Comfort Driven
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy To Set Up
- Fly Works Well
- Lightweight
- Sturdy
- Waterproof
- Windproof
Cons
Best Uses
- Backyard
- Beach
- Car Camping
Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:
To answer some of the things I have read that people complain about...
"Guywires loosen in wind." Make sure you use the correct loop for the stake leaving the proper one to tighten. I have survived a camping trip in North Wales, UK with this and it stood up to 75 mph gusts with ease! My tent however wasn't so lucky. Broke three tent poles and flattened.(Cheap non-name brand.) Even with the high winds, it did shake, but as long as you have it staked down proper, it won't move much. I even used it with the wind walls which I thought would act as a sail in high winds, but they held up quite nice!
"Water collecting on the top" - Again, this would have to do with the assembly. If you use the velcro the way they are intended on the horizontal bars, I had no water collect.
Bottom line, I will keep the one I have as a cooking shelter and buy another one for the chairs and table.
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Comfort Driven
- Was this a gift?:
- No
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