ALPS Mountaineering Mystique 1 AL Tent

PROs - Lightweight - Durable - Great Price CONs - Max height for user is 6'3" - Non-free standing tent - No manufacturer footprint available You should buy this tent if you: - Want to save weight and just need a tent for yourself. - Are not claustrophobic. But if you're claustrophobic then you're idea of a tent probably involves a bear riding a unicycle, a family of elephants, and a magic show. - Don't plan on spending any time in this tent other than to sleep. You can't sit up in this tent if you are over 6' tall so there's really no motivation to "spend time" in this tent. I mean, reading...and laying down listening to music is fine, but you're not going to break out a chess board and go over the most recent Anand v Topalov match. You should avoid this tent if you: - Don't care about weight, mostly because you'll be hiking/camping with someone else and can probably split up the tent and multiple people carry the load - Insist on having all of your gear inside the tent with you - Plan on spending time in the tent as part of your camping enjoyment scenario. This tent is for sleeping and that's about it. ============================================================================================================================== Ok, so let me start off by saying this is a great tent and I would totally recommend it to a friend. There are some things you should know about the tent to help you decide if it's the right tent for your needs, but none of the comments below are meant to lead you to believe that this is not a good tent...it's just not a good tent for every occassion. This tent is ideal for someone who just needs a place to sleep, to stay dry, to stay warm, and to stay out of the bugs. It's a no frills tent. Having said that - it's light, it's strong, and it's going to fulfill it's purpose which is to provide shelter for one person. You won't have enough room in the tent for you and your gear. You'll need to put the fly on the tent and place your bag in the vestibule. I carry a large, thick contractor grade trash bag and place my backpack in it at night to keep moisture off and bugs out. It's low-tech - but it works. I was looking at the Eureka Solitaire, but I decided to get this tent instead because it's a little bit roomier and it's about the same price. I'm glad I did, this tent is about as small as I want to go - but that's personal preference. Another bonus is it seemed like Alps worked a little harder to make this tent more durable. The seams are sealed to prevent leaking and the material for the fly and the floor of the tent is a tougher material. The mesh portions of the tent have a very tight weave so unless there's a bug the size of a few molecules of the element lead - it's not getting through. The mesh feels tough and durable. I'm 6'3" and I fit in this tent just fine. However, if you're any taller - it's going to get tight fast. I know 6'3" is fairly tall but I just wanted to mention it because the measurements of the tent make it sound like it would fit any player from the NBA...not so. The measurements are accurate, but a little deceiving because of the slope of the roof of the tent. Anyway, unless you're playing for the Orlando Magic - you'll fit in here just fine. Alps doesn't make a footprint for this tent, and I'm a big fan of footprints. They protect the floor of the tent from abrasion and add some longevity to your use of the tent. However, you can actually make a really good footprint by hand that exceeds the quality of most manufacturers. Go hit YouTube and do a search for "Build A Tent Footprint". You'll see an entry by the folks at BackPacker Magazine...I highly recommend this approach if you want to make your own footprint. The tent comes with two guy lines which aren't required for it to stand but will make the tent a little more sturdy if the wind really gets blowing. The tent is not freestanding, so it will require stakes in order to pitch it. Some people are dead set on freestand only tents - I don't see the big deal...so for me this is a non-issue. Inside the tent are a mesh pocket on each side of you and there are small straps on the roof to attach a light or some other device to help you stay organized. Again, overall - it's very well made and I like it. The only reason I would avoid this tent is if you forsee the need to have someone else in the tent with you (obvious) or if you are particulary tall (over 6'3"). One side note - the Alps 1.5 tent is only 2 inches longer and just a few inches wider. I find it hard to believe that you would actually have any more "significant" room in the tent, but I'm not writing a review on that tent so I'll just leave it at that. All I'm saying is...I doubt it's like the 1.0, but with enough room for you and your gear. It just doesn't sound big enough for that. Stuff sack is nice, and the tent comes with 3 different colored patch pieces for your tent. You'll need to purchase the patch "glue" from your favorite retailer, but you have the factory colored pieces to make your patches if you ever need to.