ALPS Mountaineering - Taurus Outfitter Series (2/4-Person)

I like the Alps brand for car camping gear. They also have an outfitter line with heavier materials,  larger zippers, etc. https://alpsmountaineering.com/tents/outfitter.html

I have the Alps Mountaineering Taurus 4 Outfitter, but last week I wanted a bigger version so ordered the Taurus 5 Outfitter. I camped five nights in it last week, and it was very windy—gusts to 40 mph. The tent held up like a champ. BUT—here are my recommendations. 1) Take some paracord and two extra stakes along. The tent comes with cord to stake out the rain fly at each corner, but there are no stakes or cord to stake out the four side loops at ground level, two on each side. 2) Use some of that extra cord to make longer zipper pulls for inside the two vestibules. If the fly is wet with rain, reaching out to grab the vestibule zipper will bring you in contact with the fly, drenching you. Tie extra cord to those zipper pulls and leave it lying on the ground leading to the door for dry unzipping. 3) Consider bringing a push stick along for rezipping the vestibule. You won’t be able to push that longer string you just installed. I bring a wooden stick with a fork on the end for rezipping. It was sold to be an oven rack puller and pusher but literally any forked stick will do.

I have the Alps Mountaineering Taurus 4 Outfitter, but last week I wanted a bigger version so ordered the Taurus 5 Outfitter. I camped five nights in it last week, and it was very windy—gusts to 40 mph. The tent held up like a champ. BUT—here are my recommendations. 1) Take some paracord and two extra stakes along. The tent comes with cord to stake out the rain fly at each corner, but there are no stakes or cord to stake out the four side loops at ground level, two on each side. 2) Use some of that extra cord to make longer zipper pulls for inside the two vestibules. If the fly is wet with rain, reaching out to grab the vestibule zipper will bring you in contact with the fly, drenching you. Tie extra cord to those zipper pulls and leave it lying on the ground leading to the door for dry unzipping. 3) Consider bringing a push stick along for rezipping the vestibule. You won’t be able to push that longer string you just installed. I bring a wooden stick with a fork on the end for rezipping. It was sold to be an oven rack puller and pusher but literally any forked stick will do.

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)

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)

My first super-cheap Alps tent was a pleasant surprise, so I recently bought a Taurus 4-person Expedition tent for the fall/winter season. I needed a rugged tent that could manage heavy coastal PNW winds and torrents of rain. I haven't tried Alps gear other than their tents, but somehow they have managed to provide good value for a fair price.

First off, if you and your son are in a Boy Scout troop, you should be tenting separately. Your son should be tenting with fellow scouts within 2 years of age and you should be tenting with the adults leaders. This is part of the program. For 2 people you want a minimum 3 person tent, ideally 4-5 people if you want some room. I am a big fan of Alps Mountaineering and their Hiker Direct program. They offer great quality products to scouting families at roughly half off retail prices. I would look at the Taurus 4 outfitter or the Glacier 4 tents. Both are 4 person tents and do well in all seasons. The glacier is a tall tent that you can stand up in and is my personal favorite. The Taurus is a dome tent and not as tall but packs much smaller.

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)

Need more info. Is it just you or are you with someone? Alps Mountaineering Taurus4 outfitter is a very popular car camping tent. Very well made, durable and has a great rain fly.

Scouts also have to be within 2 years of age to tent together, making a 6-8 person tent unrealistic in most situations.

If you are scout camping, no one wants a 6-8 person tent. Trust me. 4 person tent at max. My personal recommendation is to register with Hiker Direct and purchase an ALPS Taurus Outfitter in a size you deem appropriate. Probably 2-4 person. The tent is very affordable through HD and is about as durable as you can get while still being easily packable.

[Hikerdirect.com](http://Hikerdirect.com) Make an account using your BSA credentials. All Alps Mountaineering gear at generally 30-50% off retail. The Taurus 4 is roomy but not tall for standing. The Taurus 5 is about 6' at the peak. Hot tents are a gimmick. There is a reason no reputable company makes one at a price under 1k.

Our Trail Life troop bought a bunch of the Alps Meramac 2-person tents for the troop. After a while I decided I liked the tent, but just wanted more room. So got the Taurus 4 person tent. Also switch from an air mattress to a cot. Now my back is happy, and because of the bigger tent, my head and feet are not poking into the sides of the tent.

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.

My Scout troop uses ALPS Mountaineering Taurus tents with aluminum poles. They're great and do not break the bank. We used to use Eurekas with fiberglass poles and were constantly replacing poles or complete tents when the poles eventually split. I think I've only replaced 2 or 3 poles since we switched.

any of the alps mountaineering 4 person tents. they're awesome for the money