REI Co-op  Arete ASL 2 Tent

We used the Arete on a 3-day camping trip on the Pacific coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. Set up was easy and fast. With the temperatures dipping into the 40's at night this tent kept us warm. However, it helped to keep the top air vents along with the front air vent open a bit for proper air circulation and minimal condensation. The condensation problem was also minimized once we used the guy lines to tie and extend the bottom of the fly to the ground. The Arete withstood extremely well under a 24-hour rain pour on the Island. While our neighbors' sleeping gear became wet and soggy, the interior of our tent remained dry and warm.

I wanted a tent that could do it all, and this ALMOST qualifies. This is a quality, well-designed shelter; very lightweight for its strength, great features, and a reasonable price. However, REI is being honest when they say "LIGHT WINTER WEATHER". The lightweight design and the sloped vestibule cause it to fail under heavy snowfall. If you plan to only experience fair-weather winter camping, this would work; but for mountaineering or stormy winter nights - spend the money and pack the weight of a proper 4-season. I exchanged this for a REI Mountain 2. 5 stars for 3.5 seasons, 3 stars for true winter = 4 star average.

Good design. Enough space for two inside with essentials. Relatively quiet in high wind. Only hiccup I've come across is that snow and ice collect in the rain fly attachment clips. This makes erecting the tent in freezing rain/snow somewhat more difficult. You'll need to purchase some additional stakes and guy rope if you want to effectively tie the tent down. The MSR Ground Hog Stake are complimentary to stakes that are included with the tent. Good price, good quality, good tent. My dogs like it too.

Ok so here is the deal. This is a 4 season tent. I took it up MT.Rainier. now it is a cramped tent and that is a negative as it allows condensation. and the other HUGE flaw is the Vestibule on the tent. For all intensive purposes, USLESS> it should be a larger one to be efficient and the tent should have 2 entrances. Now on the UP side it is extremely easy to set up. At hight camp we had HIGH Winds and I got to tell you the tent stood up and held up perfectly in high winds with no damage.. Would I recommend this tent.. YES for normal 4 season backpacking YES for mountaineering NO. Take it for what it is just my review.

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.

The Arete is a great tent for a number of reasons. It is very light and compact (easily fits in backpack), it is very easy to assemble quickly (helpful if caught in rain/snow/dark), and it is versatile for all seasons. I used it with a buddy of mine (both of us are about 5'11" and 180lbs. Note that if your backpacks are very large then they will have to sit in the vestibule rather than in the sleeping area. WARNING: There is one potential problem that could arise from using this tent improperly. When it is very cold outside the condensation from your breath WILL accumulate on the roof and floor UNLESS you vent it properly. I made this mistake the first night and woke up with .5 inch icicles hanging from the inside of the tent. If you have a down sleeping bag this poses a big problem because you will wake up cold, wet, and very unhappy. If you plan on using this tent in cold weather, it will do a GREAT job provided that you unzip the roof vents before sleeping (Don't worry, rain/snow will not get in). -Dave

I used this in Yosemite three days- Pros- Good for one person, VERY cozy for 2 Water tight Can close up, if cold weather- warm Easy set up Roomy for 1 Cons- Poor air circulation- It needs a zippible back window. Small vestibule, when wet almost none I am going to sew in a back zippered window. I'm not sure how to enlarge/prop up vestibule. I bought this for bike riding and camping in Europe. Many campgrounds are near or on rivers. That means either warm and humid (need air circulation) or cold and misty (need to be able to close up tent). Now days the fashion is mesh inside tents that can't be sealed up- no good for cool, misty river camp sites.

I have had this tent for about 6 years and this year when I went to set up my rainfly was no good!!! The outside part of fly was completely ruined. It felt almost oily. The window fell off when I opened it up and couldn’t even duck tape it back on. Nothing would stick to it. Very disappointing after all the money spent. Thought it would last a lot longer!! Brought it back to REI and they said only 1 year warranty. Thought they stood behind there products

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.

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!