How to Choose a Backpacking Tent
REI Co-op Arete ASL 2 Tent
$449.00
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Tough enough to handle any weather, but lighter than most 4-season tents, the REI Co-op Arete ASL 2 tent gives you all-season lightness (ASL) and sturdy, comfortable room for 2 in any season.
- 4-pole design increases structural stability for dependable all-season use, and increases both internal living and storage space
- Large door makes it easier to get in and out
- Wide vestibule provides sheltered storage space for gear
- Adjustable vents create cross-flow ventilation that releases condensation
- Dead-end pole sleeves and color-coding make setup quick
- Adapts to a variety of seasons and climates: Inner tent is fully closeable, with zippered panels that cover the mesh panels and vents
- Unzipped vestibule overhangs tent door so the rain stays outside
- Multiple storage options include corner pockets, roof pockets and hang loops; use the door pocket to hold door out of the way or for storage
- 40-denier nylon rainfly is lightweight yet strong, reducing sagging in damp conditions
- No-wick welded construction ensures that moisture won't sneak through susceptible areas, such as guyout points, pole wraps and zippers
- Reflective trims and detailing help spotting of tent guylines at night
- Vestibule stake-out loops can accommodate skis or splitboards
- Comes with guylines and tighteners, stakes, pole and stake bags, pole repair tube and lightweight stuff sack
- Footprint not included
- Canopy mesh is solution-dyed, which supports reduced water and energy use compared with a conventional dyeing process
- REI Co-op brand is certified to The Climate Label; we actively fund efforts to reduce carbon emissions across our business and support climate projects around the world
Imported.
View all REI Co-op Backpacking Tents| Best Use | Backpacking |
|---|---|
| Seasons | 3 - 4-season |
| Sleeping Capacity | 2-person |
| Minimum Trail Weight | 5 lbs. 10 oz. |
| Packaged Weight | 6 lbs. 5 oz. |
| Packed Size | 20 x 6 x 6 inches |
| Floor Dimensions | 88 x 57/60/44 (L x W head/shoulder/foot) inches |
| Floor Area | 32.9 square feet |
| Vestibule Area | 8.7 square feet |
| Peak Height | 43 inches |
| Number of Doors | 1 door |
| Number of Poles | 4 |
| Pole Material | Aluminum |
| Canopy Fabric | 40-denier ripstop nylon |
| Floor Fabric | 70-denier nylon taffeta |
| Rainfly Fabric | 40-denier ripstop nylon |
| Footprint Included | No |
| Design Type | Freestanding |
| Sustainability | From a Climate Label Certified brand |
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Most Helpful Favorable Review
Perfect Ventilation! Sturdy and Awesome!
Wilson Cook4 years ago
I got this tent for Christmas, and as it happened we got a pretty good snow/ice/sleet/rain storm last week. I decided to give it a test run in the backyard.
Conditions: 25 up to 33 degrees F, 20 MPH winds, 5 in of snow followed by ice in the early morning then turning to rain.
Setup: It was simple, just 2 main poles and 2 subsequent ones to strengthen the roof. With the wind, it was a little bit of a pain in the butt for one person, but not more difficult than expected. Getting the ends of the poles into the eyelets is a challenge and takes a bit of force. (Note: in the morning, it was far, far easier to put the poles in and out. Whether this can be attributed to the fabric stretching a bit or the aluminum shrinking a little due to freezing temps, I don't know.) I highly recommend keeping all windows zipped up if it is precipitating during setup, as a handful of snow found its way inside before I got the fly on due to my negligence. Rain fly went on easy and fits pretty tight. The tent comes with 6 stakes for the main stake out points, as well as some extras with cord for guy-outs and the vestibule. However, there is still one loop on the back of the tent I didn't get a cord for, plus the extra guy-out points higher on the tent don't have cordage or stakes included for them.
Structure: This is a solid tent - far hardier than any of my 3 season models. I set it up right before we got 5 inches of wet snow over the course of 2-3 ish hours, and it shed it off no problem. The 20 mph winds weren't an issue at all especially with all the staking out I did, but around 25-30 is when I would want to fully stake it out. There are 3 vents in the rainfly, 2 above your head and 1 and the foot-end of the tent.
Inside: The vestibule is medium sized, roomy enough for 2 medium-large packs, boots, etc. I do really with the vestible had more of a "roof". It overhangs a little, but the door zips up pretty high, so there's only about a foot of overhang. Not super ideal if you wanted to use your stove and its pouring rain (but I would likely rig a tarp to act like a porch-roof if I planned to do this). Inside the actual tent there's an ok amount of pockets and loops for hanging things, but the pockets are a bit tight. As far as floor room, I'm 5'10" and had plenty of space at the head and foot end. There is fabric that zips off of the top half of the door, a huge window above your head, and a small triangle by the foot end vent. I had the top window mostly unzipped and with the little toggle in the middle still fastened, you can use the rest of the fabric as a bit of a clothes-line type deal (I hung my lantern from this in my pictures.) Overall, adequately spacious for 2 people and their gear.
Overnight: As I said earlier, I had the top window mostly open, plus the footbox window open, and the door window 1/3 open. I fell asleep with this setup, and was perfectly warm in my 0 degree bag. I woke up a few times in the night to the sound of snow and slush sliding off. I could have probably gone more conservative with the ventilation as I woke up with ZERO observable condensation on the walls. I was really surprised but its a positive for sure. In the morning, the tent was covered in tons of ice but didn't look saggy at all. (Sorry about the last picture being bad, it was dark and I was in a rush for work).
Overall: Solid, roomy, good features, and for about half the price of most dedicated 4 season tents, its a great deal. I would be comfortable in a pretty decent snowstorm in this tent. Highly recommended as of now, but I may come back and update it once I take it on more trips. I feel like this was a decent test of cruddy conditions though.
Note: You may also see another tent in the background of the pictures, its an old 3+ season tent that I wanted a comparison to. Needless to say, that one didn't fare quite as well.
Wilson Cook
Chicago, IL
117 people found this review helpful
Most Helpful Critical Review
Rain fly disintegrated
Bartley4 years ago
The tent is great, the rain fly “window” separated and all the seams are coming apart. Apparently the rain fly doesn’t like heat. I would rate it higher if they sold a replacement rain fly
Bartley
SC
42 people found this review helpful
Customer Images
Wilson Cook
Chicago, IL
Perfect Ventilation! Sturdy and Awesome!
4 years ago
I got this tent for Christmas, and as it happened we got a pretty good snow/ice/sleet/rain storm last week. I decided to give it a test run in the backyard. Conditions: 25 up to 33 degrees F, 20 MPH winds, 5 in of snow followed by ice in the early morning then turning to rain. Setup: It was simple, just 2 main poles and 2 subsequent ones to strengthen the roof. With the wind, it was a little bit of a pain in the butt for one person, but not more difficult than expected. Getting the ends of the poles into the eyelets is a challenge and takes a bit of force. (Note: in the morning, it was far, far easier to put the poles in and out. Whether this can be attributed to the fabric stretching a bit or the aluminum shrinking a little due to freezing temps, I don't know.) I highly recommend keeping all windows zipped up if it is precipitating during setup, as a handful of snow found its way inside before I got the fly on due to my negligence. Rain fly went on easy and fits pretty tight. The tent comes with 6 stakes for the main stake out points, as well as some extras with cord for guy-outs and the vestibule. However, there is still one loop on the back of the tent I didn't get a cord for, plus the extra guy-out points higher on the tent don't have cordage or stakes included for them. Structure: This is a solid tent - far hardier than any of my 3 season models. I set it up right before we got 5 inches of wet snow over the course of 2-3 ish hours, and it shed it off no problem. The 20 mph winds weren't an issue at all especially with all the staking out I did, but around 25-30 is when I would want to fully stake it out. There are 3 vents in the rainfly, 2 above your head and 1 and the foot-end of the tent. Inside: The vestibule is medium sized, roomy enough for 2 medium-large packs, boots, etc. I do really with the vestible had more of a "roof". It overhangs a little, but the door zips up pretty high, so there's only about a foot of overhang. Not super ideal if you wanted to use your stove and its pouring rain (but I would likely rig a tarp to act like a porch-roof if I planned to do this). Inside the actual tent there's an ok amount of pockets and loops for hanging things, but the pockets are a bit tight. As far as floor room, I'm 5'10" and had plenty of space at the head and foot end. There is fabric that zips off of the top half of the door, a huge window above your head, and a small triangle by the foot end vent. I had the top window mostly unzipped and with the little toggle in the middle still fastened, you can use the rest of the fabric as a bit of a clothes-line type deal (I hung my lantern from this in my pictures.) Overall, adequately spacious for 2 people and their gear. Overnight: As I said earlier, I had the top window mostly open, plus the footbox window open, and the door window 1/3 open. I fell asleep with this setup, and was perfectly warm in my 0 degree bag. I woke up a few times in the night to the sound of snow and slush sliding off. I could have probably gone more conservative with the ventilation as I woke up with ZERO observable condensation on the walls. I was really surprised but its a positive for sure. In the morning, the tent was covered in tons of ice but didn't look saggy at all. (Sorry about the last picture being bad, it was dark and I was in a rush for work). Overall: Solid, roomy, good features, and for about half the price of most dedicated 4 season tents, its a great deal. I would be comfortable in a pretty decent snowstorm in this tent. Highly recommended as of now, but I may come back and update it once I take it on more trips. I feel like this was a decent test of cruddy conditions though. Note: You may also see another tent in the background of the pictures, its an old 3+ season tent that I wanted a comparison to. Needless to say, that one didn't fare quite as well.
Age:18–24
Weight:150–175 lbs.
Height:5'10"
Yes , I recommend this product
Tayf_
Alaska
Field-Tested from Alaska to Argentina
1 month ago
I took this tent with me on a motorcycle trip from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, all the way down to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina—over 30,000 miles of adventure through every terrain and climate imaginable. From snow and freezing temps in Alaska and the Andes, to the scorching sun on the Bolivian salt flats, coastal winds in Patagonia, rainstorms in Colombia, and humid jungle conditions—this tent never let me down. It’s incredibly sturdy, easy to set up solo, and packs down compact. I pitched it on sand, salt, mud, rocky ground, high altitudes—you name it. It handled every weather condition I threw at it without a single failure. If you’re looking for a tough, reliable all-season tent that can truly go anywhere, this is it.
Age:25–34
Yes , I recommend this product
Boyan
San Diego
Incomplete fly coverage
5 days ago
The Arete is a member of a dying breed - the "almost true 4 season tents". 5-7 lbs, robust fabrics, will take a good snowfall, rainstorm and wind without breaking a sweat. I so much wanted to love it... Until I bought it and pitched it for the first time. The fly is a good 7 inches off the ground. Sure, it overlaps the tub by another 4 inches but now you have a single layer protection exactly where it is most likely to get wet. What I really wanted is the Mountain Hardwear Outpost 2 which does not have this deficiency, but alas it is no longer sold and the Arete was the closest alternative. I guess it is going back to REI.
Age:55–64
Weight:200–225 lbs.
Height:6'0"
No, I do not recommend this product
Junito54
Rochester, New York
It’s JANUARY, LET’S GO CAMPING !!!!!
1 year ago
In my opinion this tent is AWESOME. REI really hit a home run with this shelter. I’ve had this tent for one year now and it is by far my best investment yet. I would definitely recommend this tent for both beginner and experienced campers. You will be protected from the elements no matter the situation. It Loves Cold Snowy Windy conditions. 2 👍👍’s ⬆️
Age:45–54
Weight:200–225 lbs.
Height:5'5"
Yes , I recommend this product
punga
Maryland
Does it all
5 months ago
This tent has continued to over deliver and out perform my expectations. I've never been disappointed over a wide variety of conditions: snow, freezing rain, wind, summer, you name. It's versatile and light enough to take along on our east coast adventures: bike packing, kayak camping, backpacking. For bike packing, I'm able to fit the posts along the downtube of my frame pack, though just barely and may not fit in smaller frames. Knocked off one star because of a few downsides which are minor and noted elsewhere: not enough stakes or tie down lines included and the included lines aren't long enough for really windy conditions. A bit annoying, but definitely not a deal killer. Also, the price has gone up some since 2022, so it's not as great of a value as it once was.
Age:45–54
Height:5'11"
Yes , I recommend this product
867534
Southern California
*Update* 3 Years of Extensive Use
2 years ago
Unfortunately, the REI site won't let you update an old review, so I'm adding a new one (you can see my old review under the same username). I've been using this tent regularly for the past 3 years in all manner of conditions. From summer mountaineering in the Cascades to the Sierras to winter in the San Bernadino Range. It has never disappointed. 3 years later, it has quite a few more patches and wear than it used to, but it's still going strong. I really like the excess of guyouts that I've put to good use in some hefty windstorms and the smart venting options that I can open when it gets too warm. being able to seal up the inner tent completely is invaluable (which I learned on Rainier when wind started blowing snow up under the fly and through the mesh). The interior pockets are also really well thought out. I've fit two people in the tent with full mountaineering equipment without it feeling too cramped because we could spread out personal gear in all the pockets without it draping down on us. The rest fits perfectly well in the vestibule and still leaves space for a stove to cook when it's too windy outside. This really is a perfect tent for someone budding out into more extreme outdoor activities who's looking for a do-it-all tent. You seriously can use this tent for nearly everything in the lower 48 (use your best judgement, of course). The icing on the cake is it's relatively affordable and only 5lbs (if you strip off some unnecessary bits). I've added some pictures from some of the trips I've taken this tent on: 1st picture: Camping on the top of Mt. Baldy in Fall 2nd picture: Camping at the base of the Baldy Bowl in January 3&4th pictures: Camp Muir on Mt. Rainier in July, we also camped at Ingraham Flats where the Arete survived a pretty gnarly windstorm while we were summitting, and the tent was still standing when we got back down. As a bonus there was another person with an Arete up there!
Age:18–24
Weight:150–175 lbs.
Height:6'0"
Yes , I recommend this product
Michelle
San Luis Obispo, CA
Great First Winter Tent
3 years ago
I just experienced my first winter/snow camping trip. I did a lot of research ahead of time, and for my purposes this seemed to be a good value winter tent. I read the past reviews and the problems the first version of this tent had with its seam sealing. Obviously, having only gone on one 3-night trip my experience is limited, however, it seemed to be a good quality tent. It was super easy to put up and take down, and the ventilation options were excellent. Since there was no chance of rain in the forecast, I attached the rain fly but peeled it back to expose the mesh for maximum views and maximum ventilation. It got down in the twenties at night and I was very comfortable and perfectly dry in my nest. I would say that this tent would be good in moderate winter temperatures and cool shoulder seasons. I always believe in upping the person capacity, so the two-person version of this tent was perfect for me solo camping. It does have small vestibules, however, I always do keep all of my gear inside of my tent. I even brought in my snowy boots which I placed in an open plastic shopping bag to keep my tent clean and dry. I liked the side pockets as well as the overhead pockets, where you can place a light as well as stuff the mesh coverings when you want to open up the tent. The materials and construction of this tent seemed strong and of high quality. I have hopes that I will enjoy this tent on many trips for years.
Age:45–54
Weight:125–150 lbs.
Height:5'3"
Yes , I recommend this product
Mike
Pittsburgh
Three seasons with the Arete 2
3 years ago
My wife and I used the Arete 2 outside the BWCA in Minnesota, the Porkies in Michigan, and in the mountains of West Virginia. While not truly winter weather, we did have low temps around 40 and highs near 75. Our Minnesota trip also saw very high wind gusts of 40 mph. Through it all the tent handled the wind load with aplomb and the temps quite easily. We did experience some condensation one night when we were pretty tightly buttoned up at 40°. The tent has been dry and comfortable throughout including a solid evening of rain. We hope to get away for some true winter camping after Thanksgiving, but so far the tent has been terrific. Here's a pic from the Porkies.
Height:6'0"
Age:65–74
Weight:200–225 lbs.
Andy C
California
Great winter tent
3 years ago
The tent worked out great for us during a 3 day ski trip around Crater Lake OR. It handled wind and snow well while we stayed warm and dry inside the tent. There’s plenty of room for two with gear and the vestibule is also roomy for additional gear. It’s very robust and well constructed.
Age:55–64
Weight:175–200 lbs.
Height:5'9"
Yes , I recommend this product
FadingHiker
Happy Overall
3 years ago
I've tried a few different types for winter camping and winter backpacking, and have found this to be a really good compromise tent for cold weather. I have not used this in the warmer months, but definitely ran it through its paces in the fall, winter, and spring and am overall really pleased. Ease of setup is pretty good. I was able to get the tent up and staked out in under 10 minutes without reading any instructions or looking at the pictures, so it's definitely intuitive to me. One minor issue I had was with difficulty getting one of the poles into the grommet at the front of the tent. It was so difficult I actually ended up bending the pole the first time I used it. I think another reviewer indicated the placement of the pole ends became easier with time, but after over a dozen times of setting it up it's still a super tight fit. Securing the fly to the tent body is super easy, and I think it fits really well. I definitely appreciate the buckles used to connect the fly - makes it a lot easier and it also feels secure. As far as the features of the tent, I love all of the stuff pockets and the MANY options for ventilation. You can really dial in how tightly closed up you want the tent to be. One minor quibble I have is that there is only one vestibule, and it's rather small compared to other tents I've used. Having one vestibule definitely helps keep the weight down, and it's fine for just one person, but if you have two people or use your stove in the vestibule during the winter, you might need to dig down into the snow a bit to make enough room for boots, bags, and cooking gear. While I think you could fit a couple of average sized adults in here, you better like each other. The two most important things to me when using a tent in winter is its ability to withstand harsh conditions and deal with condensation. The Arete handled freezing rain, heavy wet snow, heavy rain, and 40mph gusts exceptionally well when fully guyed out (and using bags of rocks during the windy conditions). One night I had at 3/4 of an inch of ice and slush completely covering the top of the tent and had no problems at all. I ran into one issue, and that was with condensation. I had two recent nights where temps were around 20F and basically zero wind at all. Both morning I woke up and tent was pretty wet on the inside. I tried sleeping with head toward the door and away from the door and it really made no difference, and that was with every vent open and every zipper but the door unzipped. On night where I had at least a breeze, I didn't have those issues at all. Given that, I would recommend attaching the fly to the sides and rear of the tent body and leaving the front half exposed if it looks like there won't be any precipitation over night. If some does roll in unexpectedly, you could just hop out and quickly secure the fly using the buckles and pre-placed snow stakes. Or live with the condensation - sometimes a good shakeout in the morning can go a long way. I attached one photo of the tent used in a wide open setting where I had severe gusts of wind with temps in the teens, and another showing the level of condensation I experienced in completely calm conditions. Overall, I'm happy with the price, features, weight, and durability - especially compared to more hardcore mountaineering tents I use.
Age:35–44
Weight:150–175 lbs.
Height:5'9"
Yes , I recommend this product
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