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SAGE/EARTH

REI Alcove Shelter

$109.00

(41)

Item # 794290

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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

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REI Alcove Shelter Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

REI Alcove Shelter

3.6

(based on 41 reviews)

71%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Lightweight (26)
Durable (19)
Easy to setup (19)
Easy to set up (17)
Waterproof (17)

Cons

Flimsy construction (8)
Leaky (4)
Collapses in wind (3)
Poor fly design (3)

Best Uses

Car camping (32)
Backyard (18)
Beach (13)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (29), Avid adventurer (10)
- What Is Your Gear Style:
- Comfort driven (24), Survivalist / minimalist (13)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (20)

REVIEWS

Reviewed by 41 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Mar

2010

(63 of 64 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Real shelter in a storm & versatile, too

By Linda

from Quincy, CA

About Me Environmentalist

See all my reviews

Pros

Comfortable
Easy To Set Up
Lightweight
Sturdy
Waterproof
Windproof

Cons

Best Uses

Car Camping

Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:

We've used our Shade Alcove with its windwalls 3 times. First 2 times were mostly for shade and privacy in summer campgrounds. Third use was over our teardrop trailer to protect cabin doors from rain & winds in a winter storm. We knew to monitor & prevent rain collection on the roof panels, and were very impressed by how well it rode out the storm. The windwall panels can be hung in multiple configurations to suit different needs, and are easy to change. A well designed, well made product.

Feb

2010

(18 of 82 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Spare Parts?????????? Bad, Bad, Bad REI

By shoogafree

from Atlanta, GA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:

I bought this item in the hopes that I would be able to contact REI to obtain spare parts for it in the event something went wrong. After all, on the storage bag it clearly states that there are 3 ways to contact REI to obtain parts. I used the telephone method, and much to my shagrin, there are no spare parts available for this item. I was given a contact for Tentpole Technologies to obtain new poles. When I contacted TT, I was informed that these items are NOT available and that REI has not provided the specs. So far, I've had to try to locate the original manufacturer of this item, who is supposed to be in Korea. Their web site is not user friendly, and there's no customer service information that is easily located. I've emailed someone at the company in the hope of finding someone who may be able to help me - but ultimately I am very disappointed in REI for not providing access to spare parts for their tents, nor providing easy access to them. I'm glad they don't make cars.

Apr

2010

(15 of 15 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Perfect for agility trials

By luvnagility

from San Luis Obispo, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Set Up
Lightweight
Sturdy

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:

This is perfect for the agility dog trials that I attend once or twice a month. It is lightweight and easy to put up by one person. It is surprisingly durable when the wind and/or rain come. The trials are usually 2 or 3 day affairs so the canopy stays up overnight with no problems. There is plenty of room for 4 dogs under it. This canopy seems almost too good to be true but it really is great. The price is right too.

Jun

2010

(13 of 14 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Love our REI Alcove

By pmblu

from Federal Way, WA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Set Up
Lightweight
Sturdy
Waterproof
Windproof

Cons

Best Uses

Backyard
Beach
Car Camping

Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:

We love our REI Alcove for shade when camping or at the beach. It is so easy and quick to set up (Watch the video first). We keep it in our vehicle to set up for shade whenever we stop for a quick picnic. We also use it for camping.

We have two of the shade walls (each one covers two walls) and have used them frequently. In the photo, we were at Lee's Ferry Campground near Page, AZ. Our tent was so hot. We used the Alcove for a shelter from the sun when we were outside. We didn't need the shade walls on the Alcove this time, so we used them as tarps to try to shade our sleeping tent. Not perfect, but we were glad we had them. They also work well on the Alcove to provide shade when the sun changes or to block an annoying wind.

Apr

2010

(13 of 13 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

fun shelter, easy to use

By Barbara Arnold

from Berkeley, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Set Up
Sturdy
Waterproof
Windproof

Cons

Best Uses

Backyard
Beach
Car Camping

Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:

Great product. Can be set up by one person. I've used it during windy days and it performs, no problem. Guy lines was easy to set up if it gets super blustery. My companions have been impressed that the structure is so stable, stylish. I also purchased the windwalls, and they let you respond to weather changes. The only negative about windwalls -- loops provided need to be longer to secure center bottom of windwall to tent stake. Tent stakes are not provided with the windwalls, so if you spring for the whole package, you might think about investing an extra 5 bucks in mini-bungees and two extra tent stakes. Overall: great product for casual fun with friends.

Apr

2011

(11 of 17 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Only works in fair weather

By GA Cyclist

from Atlanta, GA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Setup

Cons

Guy wires slacken in wind
Roof pools rainwater

Best Uses

Car Camping

Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:

I've used the shelter on several ocassions. It works great as a sun shelter when wind gusts are less than 15 mph and if it isn't raining. Toss in a bit of moderate wind and rain, and the shelter fails. The guy-wires stay nice and tight only when there's no wind (i.e., when you don't need them). But when winds gust to 10 or 15 mph, they need repeated tightening. As the canopy rocks back and forth the guy wires loosen and become ineffective. Also, as the shelter slackens in the wind, the roof sags and retains rain water.

Jun

2010

(8 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Excellent Shelter

By Blueberry grazer

from Durham NC

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Set Up
Lightweight
Sturdy
Windproof

Cons

Best Uses

Car Camping

Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:

We bought this as a shelter for our car camping trips in the Smokey Mts/Blue Ridge on the East coast. My wife and I don't bring lots of stuff when car camping, but if you camp in this area, you're going to get rained on during most 3-4 day trips. This shelter worked perfectly. It is light and easy to set up. Wind walls make this a nice hide-away from rain and wind and give lots of flexibility - you can over 1 wall or all 4. It covered the picnic table with room at one end to stand and cook and put some fold-up chairs. If site has the big long tables, it would not cover the table and leave much room. The shelter held up to some pretty severe winds - the tent was bowing in on windward side. But shelter was fine, even though stakes were starting to come out of the ground from the heavy wind (had to remove wind walls - this was serious gale-force gusts. No way any shelter with walls would have stayed up). You do need to stake it out - all four legs at the bottom, guylines from higher up on each leg, and in windy conditions and to keep top taught, guylines from the sides of the roof. It only comes with 4 stakes, so you need 6 more. Also does not come with cord for guylines on sides, though it has attachments there. This is not a large shelter, so if you want lots of room protected from rain, this will not be it. Also is not a bug shelter. We camp in spring and fall in the Mts, and bugs are not a problem. So, know what you want a shelter for. This suited us perfectly and is high quality, especially for the price. No more being trapped in the tent when it rains.

Mar

2010

(7 of 8 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Very good shelter for the price

By Warprin

from Burke, VA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Set Up
Lightweight
Portable
Sturdy

Cons

May be flimsy for some
Need extra tension cords

Best Uses

Backyard
Car Camping
Covering a single table
Light shelter

Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:

This beats the heavier, more sturdy canopies that seem to weight 30 lbs. After some practice, I can set this up by myself now. It fits perfectly over one picnic table, but very tall people may be disappointed. I apply three coats of waterproofing and have never had a problem with leaking. After a year of use, however, I had to change the interior tension cord/elastic cords because they just didn't hold up. Easy to change, however.

May

2010

(5 of 7 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Good overall shelter

By Keeneav

from Chelsea, MI

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Set Up
Sturdy

Cons

Needs more tiedowns

Best Uses

Beach
Car Camping

Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:

sharp edges on some polls out of the box.
would be very good with a few more tiedowns and stakes.

Apr

2010

(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Love my REI Alcove Shelter!

By Camping Queen

from Southwest LA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy To Set Up
Lightweight
Waterproof

Cons

Best Uses

Comments about REI Alcove Shelter:

We do tent camping - but with electricity! The Alcove Shelter is light, compact and holds out the rain. I also have the walls, which are great to block rain. We use the shelter as a common area to hang out with protection from the sun.