Does anyone have experience with the Alps Taurus 4 tent? I can get one at a VERY good price and was just curious if anyone has used one before.

Taurus Tent

Thanks

I don't own one but from it's features it looks like an OK tent. I would prefer a little more screen during the mid summer months and prefer aluminum poles vs fiberglass. The weights are a little high probably because of the fiberglass.

Chuck

I know its a bit heavy, but for the price I can get one for I might just have to get it. I can get one for under $50!

I would get it! Yes, they are a bit on the heavy side, but very well made and highly weather-resistant. Mine is almost 10 yrs old and still keeps me dry even when sitting in a puddle. Can't reccomend it highly enough.

I have an Alps Tauras 5. Which should be similar to the 4. I have used it on a river trip in a snow storm, and on a one week BWCA trip where it rained 5 out of 7 days. The tent performed very well. It shedd the 2 inches of snow, no leaks. It did well in the BWCA we stayed dry the entire time. It was stable in 25 mph wind gusts. It is a tall Tent so we did not put a tarp over it or the entrance. THe rainfly did its job, we had zero leaks. We also did not have a problem with accumulated water vapor. The height makes it easier to move around and change your clothes. I will keep using it and would recommend it.

I have the Alps Taurus 5 Outfitter. Great tent!

I have lots of other tents - mostly Eurekas - and I can say that the Alps has equivalent quality and much better - simpler - design.

Last spring I was out in EXTREMELY high winds in a large field. The wind was knocking all sorts of gear around. At 6' high the 5-person tent is a big sail. I had two storm guys on each corner at 90 degree angles or so, and with some gusts it still bowed in pretty far. It started making me pretty nervous. I really thought the aluminum poles would snap.

Afterwards I looked over the tent and the only damage I could see was a bit of the mosquito netting that had stetched a little near one of the pole clips such that there was a 1/8" hole. Not even enough to have to stitch up. Whew!

As I said, I like the simplicity. Insert the two poles in the corners, snap on the tent, put the fly overhead, fasten the Velcro tabs, pull the vestibules out, stake it down, and you're done. The 5-person version may be too tall for some to put the fly on solo, but I'm 6'5" so its not too hard for me.

I especially like that with the vesibule and tent door open I can stand upright with my feet just inside the door and my head outside. This makes it easy to put on boots without doing funny dances.

The vesibules are big enough to store a fair amount of gear out of rain. I store lanterns and camp chairs and other gear under the unused side.

Oh, the other thing I like is that it doesn't have too much netting on the tent body. I had the Alps Merimac first, and it has lots of netting on the body. That's good for ventilation in hot weather, but when it gets cool out that leads to a LOT of draft. Ventilation is one thing, but having cold air blowing through the tent is not fun. After my complaining, my wife OK'd my purchase of the Taurus. With the two upper popout vents, the mosquito netting on the doors, and the breathable nylon walls, the Taurus has plenty of ventilation.

I strongly suggest you invest in the aluminum poles, though I have the fiberglass poles for my Merimac (I still used it for summer camp due to the very warm weather), and the poles have done VERY well.

I wouldn't hesitate to highly recommend the Alps 4-person Taurus. You'll love it.

For under 50? Jump on it. You can always order aluminum poles if you wish; especially at that $ ! I have an alps merimac 4 aluminum outfitter model and no complaints after 20-25 nights.

I would be all over it for that price. Used one from an outfitter and had some real bad rain and it performed fantastically.
Boppa

I have the Taurus 5 Outfitter as well. The design is clean and simple as kenk already stated. The vestibules are large enough to store our boots and other small items. So far it has withstood one wicked rain storm. The ventilation has also been fine but I've only camped with it in 40-70 degree temps so far. For the money it is a great tent for my three children, wife and myself. A little tight but cozy while the kiddos are small.

One note, I did return the first Taurus Outfitter for a replacement because I was not happy with the stitching where the middle top clip was sewn to the body/netting. There were some large enough holes in the netting to allow bugs in and the workmanship was just plain sloppy. They were prompt with the replacement but I ended up paying extra for the shipping on the return which didn't make me happy. But, all in all I've been happy with the tent for our family. I would definitely get a smaller version of the Taurus for when just my son and I camp but the CCS Lean Plus is calling which is a whole other thread and topic of conversation.

good luck,
cw

I have 2 of the Taurus 4 AL tents, with aluminum poles, and really like them. Two of these tents on a four man trip gives everybody plenty of room, and if a tree falls on one of them, then we know everybody could squeeze into one tent. It's designed as more of a cool weather tent; the ventilation is adequate but not maximized. I tend to go to the BW during the hottest time of the year, and by leaving both vestibules open, I've never been too hot to sleep.

I think of these tents as being mid-range on the quality scale, but often available at bargain prices. If that sounds like what you are looking for, go for it.

I think every one else kind of nailed it. Our scout troop has 5 of the taurus 4 aluminum pole models. They have been good to us, although one floor just got a pretty big "mystery" rip in it, after it was taken out of the bag for the last campout. Likely duct tape fixable. They can be hot, but we just peel back the fly on 1/2 the tent for max ventilation. They aren't light, but durable, which works for most. I will be buying two more of them for our troop on the SD sale I think you are referring to. Too good a price to pass up.

If you're looking for a hot weather tent, I'll heartily recommend the Alps Mountaineering Merimac. The large tent body mosquito netting on the sides provides a ton of ventilation side-to-side, while the door netting provides ventilation door-to-door (front-to-back).

The hooded entrances loose the utiliy of vestibule storage, BUT they allow you to keep the doors unzipped in moderate rains, thus enhancing ventilation.

Eljer. I agree with O.T.H. Get the tent and you can always upgrade the tent poles if you need to.

I used the Taurus this past summer and really liked it. I did a lot of research earlier this fall, bought several different models and set them up in the living room to compare (Kelty, Eureka, etc.) and each of them has their good sides. I liked the Alps the best. I decided on the Alps Meramac because vestibules are not my favorite thing. To me, they are a hassle and I wanted to keep the foot print of the tent as small as I could, to fit into cramped camp sites if necessary. It has fiberglass poles but they are over-sized and "hearty". The "awnings" provides good protection for the 2 doors. On a recent trip report that was posted, the paddler used the Meramac - shows some pictures of it. On his trip it rained a lot and he stayed dry. I am happy with this tent.

Good advice on getting aluminum poles later. That's actually what I did for my Alps Meramac. At the time I bought it they didn't have the aluminum poles in stock, so I used the fiberglass poles for two or three years - they worked great - and only recently decided to purchase the aluminum pole set from Alps - I just called them and ordered it.

They are very nice people.

Here are some pics of my Alps Moutaineering Taurus Outfitter 5-person (tan) and my Alps Mountaineering Meramac 6-person (blue):

Just a little FWIW. When speaking to the Alps Mountaineering people they mentioned that the tents were made by the same co. that made the REI tents, in the same factory.
We had to purchase a replacement fly for our Outfitter 5 after a Laborador puppy mishap. My fault not his or hers. Lesson learned, never put said tent up in the back yard then let dogs out UNATTENDED, while you go inside to have a cup of coffee.
They were great to work with and it was cheaper to get a new fly than to get it repaired.

CB

"Lesson learned, never put said tent up in the back yard then let dogs out UNATTENDED"

I have the very same advice when putting up a Scoutmaster's tent too close to a group of young Scouts. Storm guylines or other pullouts are an invitation to a tripping disaster as Scotus tear around the place. Even the corners of tents - where the fly clips to the tent corner - can get clipped as a Scout runs past a tent.

I can yell "No running around tents" 'till I'm blue in the face, but it doesn't have much affect.

In general I advise folks in the troop to leave guylnes unstaked until just before bedtime in order to minimize the risk.

As I'd mentioned before, do keep in mind that the taller 6' tall 5-person and 6-person tents are bigger targets in strong wind. The shorter 4-person tents should do much better.