Reviews > Shelters > Tents > ALPS Extreme 2 Tent > Owner Review by Eric Frank

Owner Review- ALPS Mountaineering Extreme 2 Tent

Picture courtesy of ALPS Mountaineering

Date: August 28, 2006

• Name: Eric Frank
• Age: 20
• Gender: Male
• Height: 6 ft (2 m)
• Weight: 180 lb (82 kg)
• Email address: franked@muohio.edu
• Location: Oxford, Ohio, USA

Backpacking Background: Growing up in a family that camps and hikes, I can not say for sure when I started backpacking. However in the last four years it has become my own passion, and now I spend as much time as I can outdoors.   I enjoy fast-packing,  mountain biking, and rock climbing.  My favorite wilderness area is without a doubt Glacier National Park in Montana. My current style of backpacking is midweight, but I am gradually switching over to ultralight.    

Product Information

• Product: Extreme 2 Tent
• Manufacturer: ALPS Mountaineering
• URL:  http://www.alpsmountaineering.com
• Year of Manufacture: 2005
• Made In: China
• All Actual Measurements within 1 centimeter of Manufacture Listed Measurements
• Base Size: 5'2" x 7'8"  (1.57 m x 2.34 m)
• Center Height: 42" (107 cm)
• Vestibule Depth: 18" (46 cm)
• Tent Area (sq ft): 35 (3.25 sq m)
• Vestibule Area (sq ft): 18 (1.67 sq m)
• Tent & Fly Wt. (lb-oz): 5 - 12 (2.61 kg)
• Total Wt. (lb-oz): 6 - 8 (2.95 kg)
• Packed Size: 7" x 21" (17.8 cm x 53 cm)
• Listed Weight (lb-oz): 6-8  (2.95 kg)
• Measured weight (lb-oz): 6-2  (2.78 kg)
• Manufactures Seasons Ratings: 3
• Style: 3 pole dome 
• Pitches: Inner first, then rainfly over top
• Sleeping capacity: 2
• Color: Blue
• Fly fabric: Polyester
• Floor fabric: Nylon with urethane coating
• Inner fabric: Nylon
• Factory seamed sealed: Yes
• Doors: Two, on each side of the tent.
• Gear loft: Yes, approximately 6 x 12"  (15.3 x 30.5 cm)
• Storage pockets: Two, one next to each door.  Approximately 6 x 8" (15.3 x 20.3 cm)
• Zips: Size #8 on doors and rainfly.  Manufacturer not specified.  
• Number of tent stakes: 12
• Vestibules: Two, one on each side of the tent.
• MSRP: $149.99 USD

Product Description

The Extreme 2 is a two person, free standing, three pole dome tent designed for three season use.  The poles are aluminum.  There are dual doors, one for each occupant.  The inner of the tent is composed of nylon and no-see-um mesh.  The polyester rainfly covers almost all the tent, making this a double skinned tent.  It contains a vent at each end as well as a small window.  There are medium sized pockets on each side of the tent, across from the doors.  I use them to hold my contact case, headlamp, and anything else I could need in the night or early morning.  

Choosing this tent

Packing
Every tent that I have ever bought comes with several bags to store the different components.  The Extreme is no exception.  Personally, I throw away every bag except for the stake bag and the outer bag.  I find it hard to pack a long thin bag inside certain packs and prefer small round packages.  After I strike the Extreme, I fold both the tent body and the fly into thirds the long way.  Then I roll them together and fold the bundle in half and strap it tight.  I have found this technique provides the best compression.  I store the poles apart from the rest of the tent on the outside of my pack. They can be awkward inside my pack.   

Set Up
The Extreme is one of the easiest tents to pitch that I have ever owned.  The three aluminum poles snap together quickly because of the stretch shock cord inside.  The center pole is pre-bent to accommodate the shape of the tent.  By placing the poles in the correct ends and snapping about 20 plastic clips the shelter is ready for accommodation.   I can easily set the tent up in 3-4 minutes by myself.  The rain fly sets over the tent and is held down by 8 stakes around the perimeter. It connects to the inner by hook-and-loop strips near the top of the dome and four plastic clips around the perimeter.  The inner must be pitched before the fly can be placed on top, and the fly cannot stand alone.   The stakes are round aluminum 8 in (20.3 cm) shafts.  I have not been overly impressed with them.  They hold adequately in soft ground, but I have had them pull out in mud and sand.  I also bent one into a horseshoe on snow covered ground.  

Construction
When I initially encountered ALPS I was skeptical of the quality of their products due to the noticeable low prices.  I thought they might be another knock off company that puts the word "Mountaineering" in their name to sell more gear.  However, the price of the tent was only $149 USD, and with their pro-tester program I picked one up for a little over $100 USD.  I have been extremely impressed with the quality of the construction.  In the past I have used tents from numerous other manufactures.  This tent is the same, if not better, quality for a fraction of the price.  The corners and seams have a high stitch count with heavy thread.  The material is a ripstop nylon that is typical for this type of three season tent.  

Field Testing

In the three months that I have owned this tent, I have logged 17 nights in most every type of  weather condition. Temperatures ranged from 50 F (10 C) to 0 F (-18 C), and conditions ranged from snowy, to heavy wind and rain, to beautiful starry nights where I did not bother to put on the rainfly. Elevations have ranged from sea level to 5,200 ft (0 to 1585 m). This tent has been on a trip to the Appalachian Trail in Virginia totaling four days, one trip to the Red River Gorge in Kentucky totaling two nights, two weekend hiking trips in Big South Fork State park in Tennessee totaling five days, and one short kayaking trip of three nights.  The majority of the testing was done in March and April when the weather is noticeably warmer. 

+Design
The inner of the Extreme is basically rectangular when erected.  It is a tub floor design, with seams that come factory sealed.  The sides are approximately 4 in (10 cm) high.  This height keeps water out in all situations, except extremely strong horizontal rains.  The two doors contain dual layers with both mesh and nylon.  They are adequately large to make getting in/out easy.  The door zippers do not catch on the tent in my experience.  The top of the dome features a small, removable gear loft  I have found this useful to store water bottles and morning toiletries.  The rain fly contains a vent at each end, with a strip of hook and loop to hold it open to the desired amount.  The doors of the fly zip straight up from the ground, and roll back toward the side.  There are plastic hooks to hold the material in place, but only two choices are available - Open or Closed.  

+Design Issues
This is one area where I have several complaints about the Extreme. First, I should say that I think the inner tent body itself is well designed.  Except for the angle of the walls (See Size) and maybe the zip in nylon panels, I would change very little.  Most of my problems come from the rainfly.  I believe that its design could be improved significantly. First, the vents on each end of the fly are usually unnecessary, because the fly sits three inches off the ground.  There is plenty of air flow from that gap.  The only time I have actually needed the vents was during a snowstorm that sealed off the bottom of the fly.  A second issue with the fly is the size of the vestibules.  I can hardly fit a backpack in the large part.  It must lean against the tent, leaving little room for anything else.  I would like to see the vestibule size increased significantly. Third, there are only two loops to guy line the fly out and they are in the wrong spots in my opinion.  They are located at each end of the tent above the vents.  I would like to see several more guy loops placed evenly around the fly. The two that are in place to do little to hold the fly out taunt.  Finally, the zippers on the fly have an annoying problem of getting stuck in the flap that covers them.  The last thing I want to do in the morning when I have to go to the bathroom is fight with a zipper to get the door open.  With all of that being said, I have spent several nights in the rain, and the fly kept me dry each time.  Maybe I am being too critical. 

+ Size
The Extreme has adequate floor space for two people.   I have spent numerous nights in the Extreme with another guy who is also 6 feet tall.  We have never had trouble with the size.  I like the floor design.  The center pole pulls the middle of the tent wider then both ends.  This leaves a small space on the side to store a water bottle or other small necessities.  The roof of the tent is high enough that I can sit up in the middle without hitting my head. There is ample room to put a shirt on without disturbing my tent mate in the morning.  I have noticed that the entire floor space of the tent is not used.  The walls come off the floor at an angle that makes the last few inches of the perimeter useless.  I would like to see the angle of the side walls steepened to prevent this.  

Floor plan of Extreme 2 Tent from ALPS Mountaineering Website

+ Weather Resistance
The Extreme is very effective in shutting the weather out so you can get a good nights sleep.  The three-pole cross-over design provides a sturdy foundation against the wind and the rainfly sheds whatever falls on it.  The seams in the floor are factory sealed.  Only once have I noticed water coming through the floor.  That was most likely my fault, because I had pitched the tent on a slope where water ran under it once it started to rain.  After rainy nights, and the sun comes up, the tent is quick to dry.  I have not had the Extreme out in high winds yet, but from the experience I have with it I believe it would stand up to the wind.   

+ Ventilation
 One thing that I especially like about this tent are the mesh panels on the top and sides.  On clear nights they provide the best stargazing, and when the fly is on the tent still breathes well without forming condensation.  As mentioned earlier, the vents in the fly are almost useless because of the gap between the fly and the ground.  Plenty on air moves from along the edges.  Even on the most humid night, I have not experienced any condensation.  Having this much mesh and air flow can create problems on cold nights.  I do not expect the Extreme to keep me warm.  The temperature inside is the same at the temperature outside, but that is the trade off for exceptional ventilation.  

Summary

• Strong, Simple Construction
• Durable
• Inexpensive

• General Fly Design
  
• Stakes
  
• Weight
  

Reviews > Shelters > Tents > ALPS Extreme 2 Tent > Owner Review by Eric Frank