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10/14/2016 02:08PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Alps Extreme 2 SOB pointed this out to me today, damn I've spent too much recently, it's been on my wish list for some time. Have had a selection of Alps tents some very good, Vertex 4 is a favorite. Mystic 1.5 and the Aries 2 somewhat oddly flawed. The Extreme looks strong and weather-tight.

butthead

 
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Grandma L
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10/14/2016 02:33PM  
The dimensions look really great with a 92" x 62" floor. Good if you are tall or have lots of stuff. Weight is only 5.75# and it has 2,000 mm coating. Nice price too. I am just banned from buying another tent for a while or it would be on my list.
 
LilyPond
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10/21/2016 07:11PM  
Great price, undeniably. I owned the 3P version of the Extreme and several other Alps tents. I kept buying them because they're rugged, cheap, and have funky designs, including more height than most. In the end I've kept only the Zephyr 2, which I think is the best CHEAP tent on the market and great for paddle and bike camping.

The problem with the Extreme is the hexagonal floor shape, which I found really inefficient. Take a look at the floor plan at http://www.alpsmountaineering.com/products/tents/backpacking-tents/extreme. It measures 47" wide at the feet. That means that if your mattress is more than 23.5" wide it's not going to fit, plus there's no room between the mattresses. The 3P is 62" at the foot, allowing 20.5" per mattress. But then you have unused space in other areas of the hexagon. A rectangle makes much better use of ALL of the space.

I've mentioned before what happens when you open the door of this tent in the rain, due to the steep inward slope of the door sides: rain falls directly on your sleeping bag. That shape also means the fly has huge wings that need a large tent site.

The REI Taj 3 is the cousin of the Extreme. Wanted to love both of them. Returned or sold both due to the hexagon. Still a big fan of Alps Mountaineering and I wish they would come out with some new tent designs.
 
LilyPond
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10/21/2016 07:31PM  
Another example of (in my opinion) poor Alps design: http://www.campsaver.com/gradient-3

A simple brow pole across the top would accomplish the same purpose as the more complicated third pole they added to the Gradient. And I guess pole sleeves give more structural strength, but I can't be bothered with pole sleeves in this day and age.
 
LilyPond
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10/21/2016 07:46PM  
Another great deal! Alps Zephyr 3 $112. 5 lbs 7 oz.

http://www.steepandcheap.com/alps-mountaineering-zephyr-3-person-3-season?skid=ALM000E-COP-ONESIZ&ti=UExQIFJ1bGUgQmFzZWQ6QUxQUyBNb3VudGFpbmVlcmluZyBPbiBTYWxlOjE6Mjc6

 
10/21/2016 08:08PM  
 
Grandma L
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10/22/2016 09:01AM  
LilyPond, I agree with your opinion of the hexagon floor plans - I have a Taj3 sitting on the shelf that almost never goes out. The tallest of the grand kids (6'5") likes it becayst he can sleep diagonally and make good use of the 95" floor but the rest of us love the rectangles!
 
LilyPond
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10/22/2016 10:02AM  
quote Grandma L: "LilyPond, I agree with your opinion of the hexagon floor plans - I have a Taj3 sitting on the shelf that almost never goes out. The tallest of the grand kids (6'5") likes it becayst he can sleep diagonally and make good use of the 95" floor but the rest of us love the rectangles!"


The Taj 3 and the Alps Extreme 3 are also the tallest 3Ps available, which is a great advantage. The height, the diagonal length, and square footage gives these tents an illusion of space that's tempting, but in the end people and mattresses are rectangular.

Someone needs to make a tall (50"), rectangular 3P with straight sides. Been looking for that for years.
 
Grandma L
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10/22/2016 02:15PM  
This is the best I have found - It is only 48" high but the new design gives much straighter sides and better usage of space. I just have to sell a few tents before I can buy any more. And this one is not cheap but good fabric and stats.

Marmot-newly redesigned Limelight 3P
 
LilyPond
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10/22/2016 04:33PM  
quote Grandma L: "This is the best I have found - It is only 48" high but the new design gives much straighter sides and better usage of space. I just have to sell a few tents before I can buy any more. And this one is not cheap but good fabric and stats.


Marmot-newly redesigned Limelight 3P
"


The tallest 3P I know of other than the Alps is the Kelty Gunnison 3.3. The specs state that it's 49" tall, but I set it up at Cabela's and measured it at 51". My goal (sorry, I know I'm going off the topic of the OP's original post) is to be able to use a 12"-15" cot in a 3P. I've had my eye on the Gunnison, but like you, I have too many tents already. In the meantime I'm using the Kelty Trail Ridge 3 with a Helinox Cot One, which is a painful 6" high.
 
10/23/2016 06:21AM  
One can never have too many tents! The problem is not enough time to use them all.
 
10/23/2016 09:38AM  
Agree. Seems to be a nice solo tent at a good price. We all know 2 person tents are mostly a roomy one person tent, so the shape of the floor need only accommodate a single sleeper. This tent would serve a solo camper quite well.
 
10/23/2016 12:17PM  
Not every one Andy, I do not mind tight tent space and hex vs rectangular is not an argument to many, my only consideration is will my bag/pad fit. Comparing a screen mesh interior, 2 pole 3 season, with a fabric and screen interior, 3 pole 4 season, is also foolish.
I am smart enough to not open the fly door fully in the rain.

This is still on my want list as I am spending more time fall, and winter camping, Strength of the frame, more fabric than mesh on the interior, and depth of the fly coverage.

butthead
 
10/24/2016 08:01AM  
Good price, little bit heavy for what I'm looking.
 
ozarkpaddler
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10/24/2016 09:33AM  
Picked up an ALPS Taurus last year thanks to someone here's suggestion. Bought it to replace my funky little NEMO Esprix 2 (NOT a 2 man tent IMHO) that I used for a solo. But we also used the Taurus a couple times for the two of us and were not too cramped, and I'm no "Lightweight." My wife went on a "Girls" trip and used it solo and found it to be roomy and easy to set up solo. I recall I payed significantly less than a "C" note for it, but cannot remember where I bought it from? Maybe someone here can remember? Best "Value" I've ever had in a tent, and we have used it in had some "Frog stranglers" since we had it too. My wife's "Girl's trip" trip had rain every night.
 
LilyPond
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10/24/2016 05:05PM  
quote AndySG: " 2 person tents are mostly a roomy one person tent, so the shape of the floor need only accommodate a single sleeper. This tent would serve a solo camper quite well."


Very good point.
 
Magnumb
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10/25/2016 03:00PM  
Mountainsmith Mountain Dome 3 Person Tent.
Best 3 person tent I have found for the money.
 
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