ALPS Mountaineering - Acropolis

HikerDirect has the Acropolis 4 person, aluminum pole with almost full mesh. I have 2 for scouts in central Texas and they are amazing during the summer. I also have their Glacier 4 person that I take out for colder nights. It has adjustable fly vents, total game changer. Also the Glacier has one of the biggest vestibules I have ever experienced. I'm 5'11" and can basically stand up in the vestibule area. Has extra guy line tie downs for high winds as well. Been using both for 5 years with no issues, just typical water proofing preventative maintenance. Another Pack got like 8 of the Taurus 4 person Outfitter tents almost a decade ago. I few ripped fly guy tie offs but HD customer support is incredible. Still going strong!

I actually purchased this tent and returned it last year. It’s big and sets up easy, but it’s not going to last. Bought it as a cheap tent just to use with my German Shepherd and we never went out and actually used it. I’ve been around a lot of tents, and this wasn’t a great one. Poor quality on the stitching all over, and the rain-fly is not good at keeping out rain. It will blow right in from the space above the door and get your stuff wet. Doesn’t come down far enough on the front for protection against the elements. I got it for $60 for the REI outlet and I returned it after setting it up 5 times just in the back yard. Stitching came out from the clip that attaches the tent to the pole on one side and that was that. The year before that, I had purchased a totally different brand’s green 4 person dome tent that was the same exact design. Exactly the same. Bad stitching, short rain fly, just different colors. So the design for this tent is a general cheap pattern that different cheap companies slap their name on and sell at cheap prices. I returned it and got one I absolutely LOVE for about $80 at the outlet again. ALPS Mountaineering- Acropolis 4. It’s a 4 person tent but I can still stand 98% all the way up (5’9”). Stitching is good, fabric quality is nice and hefty, and it’s got a nice vestibule on both sides. This year I was looking at the outlet again, and saw that the outlet had an ALPS Mountaineering 3 person backpacking tent. Seemed to be the same materials used in the bigger 4 person dome tent that I was already very happy with, so once again for a great price I ordered the Chaos 3 for the dog and I on a trail. Again, very happy with my purchase, and I’m extremely picky. I usually buy top quality stuff and love the phrase “buy once, cry once”, but I didn’t shed a single tear over these two. My NEMO Dagger 2 was very expensive but pretty worth it. So, I’d say pick a different tent, even though the price is enticing. All it takes is one bad camping experience for people to not want to go again.

I have a similar Kelty Gunnison 4 tent. Bought it 20 years ago so it is on it’ll last legs. Check out Alps Mountaineering. I bought a 2p and 5p and like them as much as my Kelty.

I love my Alps tent and they’re not too expensive.

Personally I have two Gazelle knock offs that are just absolute chefs kiss. Unfortunately that company sucks and they don’t make them anymore. I would be hesitant to buy an Ozark Trail tent, but I do have a $30 tent from Academy that I use for outdoor storage and it stays surprisingly dry. I love my Alps tent, and I think it was Eric on YouTube that did a budget trip and the Featherstone tent he really liked.

The kingdom tents from REI are great. the tubeshape and features are quite nice so are the extras.... but if you want easy to put up an down the instant tents from Ozark Trail I used with my family when kids were young in cub scouts for 5+ years. I the integrated poles made for putting it up and down very quick and easy even by myself, and I could stand up and had 4 cots in them. The may be cheaper than others but there are a few brands that make the instant tents with integrated poles. I was surprised how well my ozark held up. also check out the alps brands, they are built well, but heavy.

Anything by Alps mountaineering. Really good warrantee, great quality, good pricing.

Look into Coleman for decent and affordable. I've been happy with Alps Mountaineering on Amazon. Best suggestions I can offer.

All the tents from Alps mountaineering have treated me very well in wind and rain. Colemans not so much.

Yeah the marketing is so bad. There are 3 season tents that are better suited for colder climates but they aren't advertised like that. So weird. In the south, I recommend Kelty tents a lot because their 2 layer tents have almost-full mesh bodies. I notice that people in the northern US swear by Alps Mountaineering tents... their bodies happen to have a lot less mesh in the body. They're like 3.5 season tents, lol (but they'd be bad in the south).

The alps mountaineering tents are a solid option.