ALPS Mountaineering - Lynx 3-Person Tent

Www.hikerdirect.com. It won’t come up on a Google search, you have to type it into the address bar. It is a program for Scouts to buy quality gear from Alps Mountaineering and Browning at about half off of retail prices. You can create a free account and browse all sorts of camping gear. I highly recommend the Lynx 3 person. It’s a simple dome tent with a full rain fly and is perfect for 2 people. My wife and I have camped in it and been perfectly cozy. It does a great job of keeping the rain out and has excellent ventilation. Vestibules on each side allow for extra gear or muddy boots to be stored out of the tent and out of the rain. Buy a compression sack and it can easily be used as a backpacking tent by carrying the poles separately (usually the other tent buddy carries part of the tent) They often have sales or special runs of slightly used gear (used for promotional events). It’s an addicting site if you love camping and gear!

I am a big alps mountaineering fan as a scout leader. I have 2 of the Lynx 3 person tents and they are a fantastic backpacking tent for 2 people. I have been in very heavy rainfall and stayed completely dry (provided you set it up properly and in the right location).

Alps mountaineering Lynx series is a great option IMO. Our troop uses the 3 person variant but they do make a 1 and a 2 person size. You do sacrifice a little bulk and weight for very good durability. A lighter but less durable option would be the Alps Mountaineering Helix. Mesh walls and thinner nylon. I have the 2 person size and it’s perfect for 1 person plus gear. This one might be a little outside your budget though.

3 person minimum for two to sleep comfortably. Need to decide if you want room to stand up or not. Full size cots (normal bed height) or low profile cots (4” off the ground) or just sleeping pads on the tent floor? A couple options to look at. I own both and can confirm they do VERY well in Washington state. We use them once a month for Boy Scouts camping. Alps mountaineering Lynx 3 or the Taurus 4 if you want more room Browning glacier 4 if you want 6’ high for standing and full size cots. All those options have a rain fly that goes all the way to the ground with vestibules for keeping gear out of the rain (chairs, coolers, muddy boots etc)

Troop scoutmaster here. If you are in a troop (11-17 year olds). I strongly recommend getting two tents. One for you and one for your scouts. The scouting program wants to encourage SYT best practices and youth independence by having adults and youth tent separately if at all possible. The challenge is finding a tent that is big enough to be comfortable but small enough to pack and travel well. In general, a 3 person tent will be big enough for two people plus their gear. A two person tent will be big enough for one person and their gear. You can go smaller or larger but that’s a good starting point. If you’re just starting out, I might recommend looking at more car camping style tents which will be bigger, heavier but more durable and comfortable than more compact backpacking style tents. Depending on your area and typical weather patterns, you might want to look for something with a full rain fly that goes all the way to the ground and has covered vestibules. These will keep you the driest in rainy weather. As for specific recommendations, I strongly encourage you to create a free account/profile on www.hikerdirect.com. It is an unpublished website owned by Alps Mountaineering that is intended for scouts to purchase good quality gear at nearly 50% off retail prices. I have used their products almost exclusively in my 8 years of scouting with my kids and everything has been great quality. My favorite tents are the Lynx, Taurus, glacier 4 and Ranger 1. (I currently own over 7 tents)

I am a Scoutmaster for a troop in the PNW. Here are my recommendations. Talk with your troop leaders to see what other scouts are using. Do they truly need a backpacking tent because they are hiking several Miles into their campsite? Or are they essentially car camping on most campouts? This will greatly affect what tent you buy. There is a website called www.hikerdirect.com. It will not pull up on a google search, you must type it into your web address bar and go directly to the site. It is the Alps Mountaineering website specifically for scouts. You can buy brand new gear for half off retail or less. They have sleeping bags, pads, chairs, duffel bags, hiking backpacks and tons more. I recommend looking at the Lynx 3 person or the helix 2 person. The lynx 3 is a great tent for two people to share. It can be carried on a backpacking outing by dividing the contents between the two scouts who will be sharing the tent. The helix 2 person is smaller and lighter. Better for backpacking but it can barely fit two people with no room for gear inside. It’s great for one person with gear though. Tons of other options available but those are my favorites.

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

I highly recommend Alps Mountaineering. Their 3 person tents range from $220-$300. They have a 4 season option. But if you want a super cheap option Academy has the Tellico 3 person tent for $30.

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.

Ur tent is for sleeping on a sleeping pad in a sleeping bag. All other activities are meant for outside ur tent. If you have more gear than you can fit under ur fly vestibule, ur not camping, you’re partying. 2-3p tent for 2-3 people. It’s rated that way for a reason. My partner and I camp with our 3 large dogs. We have 2x 3p tents we’ll use depending on conditions. We use a The North Face Rock 32 if we want a bit of extra space, and a 3p ALPs Mountaineering one for a slightly smaller footprint. If ur on a budget, I’d go ALPS. If you’ve got some extra dough, go with TNF. I’ve had mine for 15 years. If ur just looking for a trash tent that you’ll store in the garage for 10 years until you eventually throw it away, get a Coleman or Ozark Trail.

I originally bought the Timberline 2 for backpacking in rugged terrain during Fall/Winter seasons in northern VT and NY. The simple A-frame style is superior to most designs in high wind or snowy conditions, but most folks today demand more space and comfort. As a retiree, with creaky bones, who can no longer manage hiking, I now normally use an Alps 3-man dome tent or a Core 4 cabin-walled tent. These two are not as rugged as the Timberline, but are spacious and inexpensive. I drive an F150 with a full 8' canopy so I keep the Timberline is case of full-storm weather. The Pacific coast can have wicked winds and sheeting rain during the colder months.

Alps Mountaineering Lynx has been a great tent for me. It comes in a bunch of sizes. I have a 1 person for backpacking and a 4 person for car camping. The bigger ones have a door on both sides which is really helps you make bette use of the space. It’s pretty cheap comparatively and reasonably durable. SUPER easy to set up. Basic dome tent with the clips instead of those cursed sleeves for the poles. Simple rain fly that works great if you stake it or tie it off in the middle and has a little vestibule thing for gear Full disclosure I am not a parent haha

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).