3 Room Tent: ALPS Mountaineering Vertex 2 Tent Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I was looking for a tent for myself and my son to go camping with his Boy Scout troop.I looked at the traditional "A" frame type that the Boy Scout purists recommend.But in the end I decided I wanted a more modern design after reading the pros and cons of the A frame tents.
The Vertex is a very nice tent.It has enough room for two adults.I bought an Intex full size inflatable mattress for it.Its width is perfect for the tent.And the mattress leaves a little extra room at the end of the tent for stuff.Of course the mattress lifts you 8 inches off the ground, so using it does reduce the space between you and the tent ceiling but it works fine.If you have an extra $100, maybe a highend camping pad would be best.If you need lots of room for stuff, I would probably go with a three man size tent.But for what I need, it is enough room.There are mesh pockets in the tent and thereare holders in the tent to hang stuff in a provided mesh bag.
The set up is very easy.You lay the tent on the ground.Then you assemble the aluminum tent poles.They pretty much assemble themselves because they are shock corded together. You lay the X assembly of the poles on top of the tent.Then you just place the 4 ends of the poles into the grommet on each corner of the tent.Then you just clip the tent to the poles.You see, whenyou place the pole ends into the tent grommets on the corners, the poles bow upwards and create the skeleton for the tent.By attaching the tent clips to the poles, the tent raises up.Once assembled, the tent can be lifted and moved around ifyou dont stake it down.
One person can put this tent together quickly. Its nice not to have to slide tent poles thru sleeves on a tent.The clips are just too easy. I put the rain fly on.You just lay the fly on the tent and clip the buckle on each corner of the fly to each corner of the tent.It takes seconds.I cant give an opinion on how well the fly works but from what I have read, the fly should be quite waterproof.

I did buy a cheap tarp at Lowes to place on the ground under the tent.You dont want to over stress tent floors.Better to cover the ground with the tarp and place the tent on top of the tarp.Also, one more thing.When I bought this tent, I bought it for my son and I.But I also plan for it to make a good backpacking tent for him when he's a teen and camps with his troop but not dad. Its not a very heavy tent.

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Product Description:
The Vertex 2 is a freestanding dome tent and uses a pole system that allows the walls to be more vertical to give you increased headroom when sitting inside the tent. The extra headroom is really nice to have if you end up spending much time inside your tent because of bad weather. We use aircraft alloy aluminum poles that are strong and lightweight. Assembly is really easy with the tent clips that just snap in place over the poles. The polyester fly and nylon floor are urethane coated, with factory sealed seams for maximum weatherproofness. The 2 doors make getting in and out of the tent much easier, especially in the middle of the night when you need to take a quick "break". You also get 2 vestibules (one over each door) that you can use for extra gear storage. The vestibules also serve as automatic guy-out points when the weather gets a little nasty, and since they have been designed to be a little larger than normal you will be able to keep all of your gear out of the rain. The fly buckles to the tent, offering a much more secure attachment when compared to elastic cord. Mesh roof vents increase ventilation and improve star gazing. Mesh storage pockets and a gear loft are included for organizing your stuff. Stakes and guy ropes are included. Base Size = 5' x 7'6". Center Height = 46". Vestibule Depth = 32". Tent Area (sq. ft.) = 37. Vestibule Area (sq. ft.) = 25. Tent & Fly Wt. (lb.-oz.) = 5 - 15. Total Wt. (lb.-oz.) = 6 - 13. Packed Size = 6" x 22".