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

For shelter/ tent… I will give you a pro tip…. Start with a 2man tent… I really like the Alps brand for entry level tents and here is why. We use them in Boy Scout troops where the kids are tough on gear…. They stand up…. You can get them off Amazon for the best prices and there is a huge selection…. They also back up their gear if something breaks- if the tents gets wet - set it up at home to air it out dry….

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

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

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

I kind of have a soft spot for and like this style of tent (I had an alps brand 2p version that i used for myself and my dog, it was reasonably priced), but I gave mine to a friend in favor of switching to an "ultralight" freestanding tent instead. If i was only planning to camp in places where i knew i would be able to stake into the ground I might have kept it.

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

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 second the Alps Mountaineering, especially the Tarus, built well, easy set up, and you're not going to be taking out a second mortgage to pay for them. We use them in my son's Scout troop monthly and they've held up for years of use (make sure you get the Tarus with aluminum poles, it's a bit more expensive than the one with fiberglass poles but they last)!

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.