ALPS Mountaineering Meramac 6 Tent - 2011 Special Buy

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Meramac 6 Tent - 2011 Special Buy:

I bought this tent because I loved the simplicity of it and I needed just a few more square feet. I liked the four corner shape with only three poles. Easy to set up even with only a 9 year old to help. I thought it looked like a good rainfly - good coverage. Didn't realize it had two door (cutting my rainfly coverage by 1/3), besides, why does a 10 x 10 tent need two doors?Took it on a three night trip this week. We had rain the first night. I didn't have any rain dripping on my head, but there was too much for me in the bottom. One of the zippers even leaked. The floor was wet and anything that touched the sides (the double coated nylon) was soaked. I was even more disappointed to see how wet everything was underneath when we took it down. I bought the footprint,too. Was not even impressed with the nylon screening, very flimsy. Overall, it has some nice features, but seems very cheaply made. After the rainy trip, this tent has already been returned to REI. [...] I won't be buying another ALPS tent, but I will try another tent from REI.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Meramac 6 Tent - 2011 Special Buy:

I've used this tent for my family of 4 on several outings and in several weather conditions including rain and high winds.

I did not experience any leaks or water problems on a 3-day trip with lots of rain.

In very windy conditions, the tent did rattle and sway quite a bit but it held strong and did a lot better than many of the other 2-pole tents I saw at the campground. Since that windy trip, I've learned how to make better use of guy-lines and I hope the tent will fare better during the next wind storm.

The rainfly and tent aren't really designed for extreme weather (the fly doesn't give full 'to-the-ground' coverage all the way around, and it's only a 2-pole tent), but I don't go out looking for extreme conditions so that's not a problem for me. It's held up in the worst type of weather that I'm likely to encounter during our family trips. If the weather got much worse, we'd probably pack up and head home or find a motel anyway.

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Meramac 6 Tent - 2011 Special Buy:

I needed to replace my old car camping tent. I wanted a taller, larger tent with 2 doors. From my scouting experience I have learned of this companies reputation for quality. Like you should do with any new tent you should set it up at least 1 time before heading out. We set it up on a evening when it was predicted to have 30mph winds with heavy rain. We wimped out and stayed in the house, the tent didn't colapse & when we checked in the morning the inside was dry.
It may not be a nice thing to say but, when we opened our REI card they gave us a gift card, so this tent was virtually free. A large comfortable tent, that stays dry, easy to set up & you don't have to stumble over others in the night because you have a second door. I hope to have many years of being a "Happy camper" with it

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Meramac 6 Tent - 2011 Special Buy:

I do not really write reviews here. I should because I buy a lot of gear from REI and around the web. I am writing this because I saw this tent slammed in reviews and I will tell you guys now, for [$] you will not get a better tent unless you catch one used in great condition.Ill give the cons first then we will talk about why this is not a bad tent.Cons:1) Fiberglass poles. These are THICK well made poles but I am not a fiberglass fan. I have never seen or had a fiberglass pole break on me, but I have heard a lot of stories.2) TALL. Taller than I wanted, but hey its a 6 person tent. Tall tents in windy conditions tend to act like kites.Pros:1) CHEAP price! 2) Fabric is well stitched. In lower cost tents you see a lot of factory stitch messups.. not so here3) Large if you need it.Ok, so here is the scoop. I needed a tent for the beach only. A large cabana type "Lets get out of the sun" sort of tent. This may or may not work for that. I have recently moved to Houston and we need a good beach tent for Galveston. I received this tent 2 days ago and last night spent the night on top of a 6 story parking deck in a light t-storm to test it out. I got a little wet, but heck this tent is not made for t-storms. The rain cover was easy to put up at last second. The seams all held well. This is a large tent, larger than some small bedrooms in a house. It caught the wind and I was afraid it would collapse. It did not.BUT I do not know how long this tent would hold up to weather and wind like this.The thing about hiking and camping gear is that it is so specialized now-a-days. I have more than a few tents. This tent is made for only the backyard and car camping. I suspect you would get 3-6 years from this tent with either.I honestly do not know if this will stand up to Galveston beach wind every two weeks this summer. I will take it to the beach this weekend and see.I think probably not and may trade it in. But I am telling you guys, for the price and if you need a car camping or backyard tent for the kids or a party, this will work.If you are wanting a 1 week adventure in a place where the weather can change quickly, well you are going to have to shell out some bucks for a tent made for thunder storms that is this size. And I am talking about 600-800 dollars type of bucks.For [$] this is a good tent to have in your collection. If I change for a different beach tent, I will keep this one as well.gl and play hard.Nobu

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Meramac 6 Tent - 2011 Special Buy:

Recreational use
It is easy to set up, ventilation is good, easy to take down, spacious.
I did not find any cons

Comments about ALPS Mountaineering Meramac 6 Tent - 2011 Special Buy:

Trying t6his for the third time.. REI doesn't like me reviewing this It seems.

Good tent for the price. Will hold up better thgan you would expect for a 6 man tent.. a lot better.

Probably the BEST 6 man tent for the price on the market.

cheers