REI Arete ASL 2 Tent

Comments about REI Arete ASL 2 Tent:

I do recommend the Arete. It serves as part of a two-tent system I recently adopted to camp year-round. Hot weather tent is a sil-nylon tent that REI does not carry, so that is all I will say about that.Back to the Arete…. This tent is quite ‘variable’ in it’s protection and ventilation, so within a given temperature, you can take this tent along with different sleeping bags and maintain comfort based on how you button up the tent. Understand that the Arete is a 5lb, [$] true four-season tent, when most on the market are 6-10lbs and [$]. Compromises must be made to achieve that weight and cost, and I highly recommend listening to the “product video” in the web site to understand the intended purpose. My Fall, Winter, Early Spring tent is the Arete. I used to tent in a Half-Dome (great REI tent), which has huge mesh inside and a rainfly, but just could not sleep comfortably in the Fall and Winter with all the cold air rushing under the fly, through the mesh and onto my face. I am just sensitive to that.The Arete, while not perfect (and none is… more on that later), is really a great tent and serves a great role. It has upper vents and a wide open front one can use for good ventilation. Now, to properly vent the tent of moisture, the upper vents are pretty much mandatorally open. Fair enough on that. The tent is not made of exotic Gore-Tex variations. The price reflects that. What's great about the tent is that you can zip up a nylon shelf over the mesh front of the tent, or the upper vents, to achieve the level of air flow or comfort you need at the time. And that's the great trick this tent can do. It can vent well fully open, but in cold or nasty weather, or if you miscalculated, and Mother Nature just throws a cold snap with tons of wind or snow at you, you can totally steak down and button up this tent to be comfortable until you go to sleep. You will want to eventually vent the tent a little, especially with two people in the tent. Seriously, if you want, you can have zero wind coming through the tent. Zip everything up in a cold snap, and it warms things up in a jiffy. Open the upper vents and the condensation flows out the upper vents and onto the outer fly, which is where is should be. As a cold weather tent, snow load can be an issue. The Arete has a three pole design (seriously different from a two pole design from a strength perspective, , and with the “air-lift” vents, should stand up to pretty good loads, unless you are in alpine or lake-effect snows. Being in the South, it should be all good. Look at where the vent fabric is putting the stress, and with a geometry course, you can see how the fabric attached to the spreader bar is vectoring any load on the top of the tent to the two main poles. Pretty cool. So the tent is really pretty cool and functional in a range of temperatures and weather.Now to the imperfections as phrased through my intended use of the tent…First, the tent really is a true two person tent. I am 6”1’, and the length is snug. It is a standard 90” long, so you won’t find many that are longer. For my head to be off the front, the bag is brushing the bottom. No problem. The rain fly takes care of the condensation, if vented at the top. Second, REI makes no bones about this being a two-person tent. If you want room for gear, get a three person tent. Being closer to your companion than you would be in a king sized bed is not necessarily a bad thing in bad weather, but you have to judge that for yourself when you are camping in the woods.. Again, this is a coolish to cold weather tent, so having a smaller volume of air to warm is a good thing. Plenty of room for shoes or boots in the vestibule. Not packs. I carry a 5 square yard piece of waterproof Tyvek to cover stuff and weight it down with rocks. Food is up in a tree. Third, RIE did miss a smidge in the tent-stake department. Forgive them for it. It’s an extra dollar that I am not going to fault them for. All-in-all, I really enjoy the tent. It can establish a range of comfort with different sleeping bags and sleeping styles that is hard to match at this price.

Comments about REI Arete ASL 2 Tent:

Great tent overall but there are areas that need improvement. Instructions leave out a critical step, not enough stakes included, stuff sacks are too short, has no upper loops for a loft, is really sized just about right for a one person tent with room for you and your gear inside out of the weather. A friend called this a "honeymooners" tent because two people would have to literally sleep in the same sleeping bag in order to have room for any gear in the tent.

Instructions suggest staking the tent body first. This takes six of the eight stakes provided. The last two are needed to keep the vestibule extended. A minimum of four more stakes are needed if using the minimum four guy-out points on the fly. The fly also has three more points that can be used on lower edges of each side and the back for staking or guy-out points. I bought eight more of the MSR stakes that REI carries.

A critical bit of information left out of the setup instructions is the insertion of the vent bar. It is not mentioned at all. This silver bar goes through two small holes in the fly going across the top of the tent. It is relatively easy to insert once you know where it goes.

The stuff sack for the poles is too short. The silver fly vent pole sticks out of the sack about an inch when the sack is closed.

The stuff sack for the tent itself is also too short when you have the poles sack inside. It comes up about 2-3 inches too short. Also, the cover patch for the opening is too small and as a result of the poles sack not letting the sack close completely it causes there to be an opening that could allow poles or stakes to fall out. The saving grace for this problem is the cinching straps on the outside of the main bag keeps everything tight.

Without the ability for a small loft you cannot hang up any gear to dry. I did figure out that you can place a small penlight between the upper vent flap and the no-see'um screen. This lights up the interior nicely.

With the footprint attached make sure that you flip your tent over in the morning to let any condensation under the tent dry before rolling up the tent. The footprint can stay attached and rolls up very compactly with this tent.

The vestibule works great. It allows great ventilation and keeps your outside gear from the weather. It has two ways of opening. One is by pulling the zipper all the way up from the lower left (when viewed from inside) or by having both zippers positioned at the top just under the rain ledge. The first method causes you to have a large flap that must be folded back out of the way during entry and exit. The method with the zippers at the top works better for me. That way I can enter and exit the tent without the flap hassle because the flap naturally falls down and away from the tent. When entering or exiting the tent you simply step into or step out of the hole that is created. You can then turn around and easily close the door and vestibule flap to keep the weather out.

I am 5'9" and 240lbs so this tent is just right for me as a solo tent. I have just enough room for me and space to keep my gear out of the rain. I have used it on Boy Scout camping trips and on a trip to the Outer Banks here in North Carolina. See my review of the sand/snow anchors. I have stayed dry and secure on all trips.

Service and delivery comments:

I am an Industrial Engineer by training and a retired Mfg/Quality Systems Engineer. With this background I have a tendency to always look at how a product is made/packaged/marketed and how to make it better. Please forgive my directness in my reviews. I am a great fan of OUR Co-Op and just want to make things better for all of us.

This review was written due to the suggestions of the customer service department. Customer service uses OUR feedbacks to make improvements in the products that we use. So when you write a review don't just rave about how good it is. Be specific about the good and the bad. That way the next generation of the product is greatly improved. It is OUR co-op. Let's keep making it better.

Comments about REI Arete ASL 2 Tent:

I purchased this tent and went on a solo 100+ mile hike with it in the Alps. The tent was relatively light for a two person and packed up small. It was easy to set up for one person, it took me less than five minutes to put it up or take it down. Lots of space, handy mesh pockets inside for keys, wallet, etc. It rained 5 or 6 night of the hike and the tent kept me dry. There were a few damp parts in the morning, but no water inside. It did have a tendency of collecting condensation on morning with a lot of dew and that led to some dampness on the top, but once again nothing inside.

Most impressive, the tent withheld 1 inch hail like a champ. After that, I highly recommend it.

Comments about REI Arete ASL 2 Tent:

This is an amazing deal and a great example of how REI is offering big dollar function at affordable price points. I was looking for a "ultra-lightweight, 4 season, 2 person" tent and figured I'd be spending $550+ for a Bibler, Black Diamond or other high end brand. While at the store I was shown this tent and given the opportunity to set it / play with it. I could tell right away it was what I was looking for and at[$]it was a great deal.It has since proven to be reliable in the high Sierra sun, rain and snow. It's small like most 2 person tents but for backpacking with my girlfriend, kayak camping with my daughter and winter backcountry snowboard camping with friends (using it solo with my gear inside) it has plenty of room.Properly staked and vented it has not had any condensation issues. While the whole package (footprint, extra 8 guy-out stakes, stuff sacks) weighs a bit over 6 lbs it's still a very reasonable package and great for a 4 season setup. I highly recommend it (and so does my six year old daughter - she thinks it's a "cozy place to take a rest").The only negatives I have seen are reflected in one of the other reviews. It should come with all the stakes needed (7 more) and the pole and main tent stuff sacks should fit the length of the longest pole better. I think this issue could best be solved by making the sold roof vent pole have a center slide-apart point so it could fold in half and leaving the stuff sacks as they are. Inside loops for a gear loft and / or center lantern hang spot would also be nice additions.

Comments about REI Arete ASL 2 Tent:

Absolutley super tent REI! A breeze to set up and take down and I love the ability to leave the fly attached. Went mountaineering a few time in this allready with 2 6'+, 200+ guys and it worked fantastic. Gear has to stay outside but you can hang the vestibule over the top of your pack and access anything you need. If your going to be snowed or rained in for any amount of time this is too small a tent. You have to vent it at night or it will collect condensation. Great 4 season tent!

Comments about REI Arete ASL 2 Tent:

My son (a boyscout) just took this tent to the Oregon Cascades in the middle of winter. The Arete did great. We setup on top of the snow at 5200' and received over 10" inches of snow each night. The tent shed the snow well and didn't collect condensation. Handled the wind well. Venting worked well during the day when the sun was shining.Extremely happy with this purchase.

Comments about REI Arete ASL 2 Tent:

I used the tent for the first time on an overnight car trip just to give it a try and was very impressed. My wife who had never set a tent up by herself got it up quickly with little use of the directions. It withstood about 8 hours of steady rain with no problem. This is a great all around tent for any use. It has ample room but its light weight would make it ideal for backpacking. I have not given it a try in snow but its design seems to be steardy enough for light mountaineering as well. REI continues to impress me with their bands products.

Comments about REI Arete ASL 2 Tent:

I bought this tent a few months ago from REI, and have used it a few times on some overnight excursions. I have been very pleased with it. It sets up very easily; the two longer poles go in one-way, and are automatically held in place at the other end (so this tent can easily be set up by one person). The only thing that was remotely difficult was putting the fly on. If you don't put it on right, you will experience condensation in the morning.


You must understand something about this tent; the tent itself has two crescent-shaped vents at the top, in addition to vents in the fly as well. Any form of condensation can be greatly reduced (if not eliminated) by adjusting the vents. With the rain fly properly installed, a foot print, the vestibule buttoned up, and the tent properly vented, I was able to stay completely dry in a hard downpour that lasted quite a few hours through the night. The next morning, I had no moisture inside the tent.

Overall, this tent has proved to be a great tent, and I will be using it for years to come. I bought it as a solo tent w/ room, so have no comments about room for two people (although me and my girlfriend had quite a fun night in it about a month ago). ;-)

Comments about REI Arete ASL 2 Tent:

I am writing this review while being buffeted by wind and light snow near the inland ice in Greenland. This is a truly awesome 4-season tent and my complements to the designers!
Space: We are 5'2" and 5'10" and we can sleep comfortably with clothes and boots inside the tent. The vestibule accommodates both packs, with room enough to cook. The vestibule door, with its isinglass window, can be unzipped to be completely out of the way, as can the door to the tent. There is an additional hood at the top of the vestibule door with a flexible wire that keeps rain from getting into the tent and allowed us to cook in comfort with a rainy crosswind.
Rattle: There is not a ¼" of out-of-place fabric in this tent! With the Velcro tabs and pull-outs employed, the tent hardly moves in strong wind gusts.
Set-up: This maybe the most ingenious aspect of this tent. There are 3 tent poles and a shorty for the fly; 2 poles slip into long sleeves from the front of the tent, and the third pole has a partial sleeve over the door. One person standing at the front of the tent can insert all three poles and have the tent erected in seconds! If the tent is dry when you take it down, you can leave the footprint attached to the tent-body when you roll it up; if you're taking the tent down in the rain, you can slip the poles out and roll up the tent with the fly still attached! Brilliant!
Ventilation: I've never had a tent with screened vents that can be operated from inside the tent! The two half-moon shaped panels at the apex of the tent are protected from the elements by a small hood in the fly, which is kept open by a short pole. We currently have the side facing the wind zipped up and the down-wind vent open to allow airflow.
We are warm and dry and well fed and this tent again proves that there is no such thing as bad weather, if you have the appropriate gear! Thanks to all who had a hand in designing this tent!

Comments about REI Arete ASL 2 Tent:

This tent worked great. I was with two other people and a dog in Southwest Washington (Gifford Pinchot Forest). When it began to rain heavily, the other two's tent began to flood from condensation we crammed into my tent. With 2 large persons, a small person and a dog. Although cramped we remained warm and dry, there was condensation on the inside but it stayed on the fabric and did not collect on the bottom of the tent. Saved my friends from a horrible freezing night.