ALPS Mountaineering - Meramac 3-Person Outfitter

I've been using the Meramac 3 for two seasons now, and it's held up well. For about $110 it's a great deal.

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.

My Alps Meramac 3 \[not available\] was ridiculously priced at $109 plus about $35 for a footprint so on a whim I looked at the ratings from several sources and found that buyers liked the tent. It's an economy model for Alps, They have more expensive models with heavier fabric and aluminum poles, but the Meramac is a solid product and has served me well for 3 seasons on the PNW coast. I had been looking at tents in the $300 range and half expected to return the Meramac, but it's a conventional design and well-made.

Three years ago, seeking a tent with more space, I bought a cheap Alps Mountaineering Meramac 3 \[with a footprint $145\]. It's a solid - conventional dome tent, and has held up well. The only issue I had with the Meramac is that the tent fly doesn't fully cover the entries, and since it rains in sheets on the PNW coast, I bought an Alps Taurus 4 \[full tent fly/aluminum poles\]. The Meramac with excellent ventilation is for Spring/Summer, the Taurus with less ventilation is for Fall/Winter. Alps has several 6-man tents that you might like. I'd take a look at the Lynx 6 person. Between value and price, Alps has hit a sweet spot.

In my summer tents the inner tent is mostly mesh. This is great for ventilation and to keep cool, but in winter the coastal Pacific winds blow into the tent. I have 4-season sleeping gear but wind chill inside the tent seems foolish so when looking for something more rugged and less exposed I found the Alps Mountaineering Taurus 4 \[Outfitter Series\]. The Outfitter series also has a Taurus 5. I've had excellent luck with the Alps tents, and the Taurus is an obvious upgrade from my Alps Meramac 3 which was only $145 USD \[with footprint\]. The fabric is much heavier, the zippers are rugged, it has a full fly, and the aluminum poles are stiffer than the fiberglass one on the Meramac. The Taurus does have good ventilation but most of the inner tent is not mesh. I've seen the Taurus 5 Outfitter for just under $300 USD \[with footprint\]. [Taurus 5-Person Outfitter | ALPS Mountaineering](https://alpsmountaineering.com/taurus-5-person-outfitter.html)

Three years ago I tried an inexpensive tent from Alps Mountaineering for spring/summer camping. The Meramac 3-person tent was only $109 but has held up well through 3 camping seasons which included spring rain storms \[PNW\]. It's a conventional design with a rain fly that covers about 85% of the tent. The Meramac 4-person is about $145. Alps also makes a Taurus 4-person tent that has a full fly and 2 vestibules for about $170. Good luck.

Alps Mountaineering outfitter tents. Many Scout troops have used them for over a decade. Our troop has them from before 2015 and they have been abused but held up nicely. They’ve been used on over 90 Campouts.

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.

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.

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.

Kelty and Alps Mountaineering have both been good to me. Quality gear at excellent prices. I often reach for my alps gear more than my expensive MSR gear sometimes. Anecdotally, my Kelty Grand Mesa has lasted me almost 20 years. Still waterproof. My Alps Mountaineering tent has withstood several Pacific Northwest storms and many nights of absolutely frigid temps. Hasn’t let me down either. Check out discount websites like Sierra.com and Steep&Cheap for good sales.