Customer Reviews

ALPS Mountaineering Vertex 4 Backpacking Tent

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

GREAT TENT-GREAT BUY! Alps has a great product line I didn't know about! This tent is more than I expected-lightweight aluminum pole system set up easily, especially with the clips that fasten the tent to the pole structure. Absolutely no problem setting up the tent by myself. The fly installed easily using a simple buckle system on the four tent corners. The fly completely covers the tent so there's no drip line on the tent itself. The floor space was large enough for a double-bed-size blowup mattress plus some. The two vestibules are key storage space outside the tent and not found on many tents. The zippers work well and didn't bind at all. I pitched the tent in soft soil, but in harder soil conditions I would recommend stouter tent stakes (short top-hook aluminum come with the tent). The guying that comes with the tent for the fly works well to hold off the fly from the tent to keep condensation and moisture out of the tent. I don't think this tent is heavy at all, and would carry it in/out of a campsite without hesitation. I'll still treat the seams for moisture penetration. There are two screened openings on the sides and one at the top that you can't close, just so you know. We camped out in 40F weather and were fine with good sleeping bags and down comforters though. Enjoy!

I have not used this for camping yet, but I'm sure it'll do great! The backyard test setup was quick, took me about 7 mins to setup while the wind gusts were up to 30mph. The tent held up strong with the gusts, didn't even flex...inside the wind noise was minimal. Due to the pack weight and size, I would not consider this a backpacking tent...I will use it mainly for car camping.

Here are some specs I got from the ALPS site that include packed size:
Vertex 4 Specs
Base Size: 7'6 x 8'6
Center Height: 4'4
Vestibule Depth: 35"
Tent Area: 64 sq. ft.
Vestibule Area: 31 sq. ft.
Tent and Fly Weight: 8 lb. 1 oz.
Total Weight: 9 lb. 1 oz.
Packed Size: 8" x 22"
Pole Diameter: 9.5 mm
Color: Sage/Rust
Style: Two-pole rectangular dome
Use Rating: 3 Season
Sleeps: Four

Vertex 4 Materials:
* Fly: 75D, 185T, Poly Taffeta, 1500mm Multi-pass Urethane coating
* Floor: 75D, 185T, Poly Taffeta, 2000mm Multi-pass Urethane coating
* Walls: 75D, 185T, Poly Taffeta
* Mesh: Nylon No See-um Mesh, 40D
* Frame: 9.5mm 7000-series aluminum

Included:
Rain fly, 7000 Series Aluminum Poles, Pole Bag, Stake Bag, 6061 Aluminum Stakes, Guy Rope, Repair Swatches, Gear Loft, Mesh Storage Pockets, and Tent Bag with Drawstring

I got this tent on Amazon for a little under $200 and for that price it is a good tent. My wife and two kids(4 & 7 yrs old) have backpacked with this tent twice already. It hasn't rained hard yet, but so far has been easy to use seems to be well made.

There are lighter, more expensive tents out there, but this one serves the purpose for <10 lbs.

The Alps Mountaineering Vertex 4 is a very nice tent, with some very well engineered features and only a few complaints.

When camping alone the 7.5'x8.5' floor space is very nice. When camping with a significant other, you also have enough room. However, as with any tent, you don't want to brush the walls or rain or even condensation from dew will wick through and you'll be damp in the morning. With the 4'4" height, the walls are at a fairly steep angle cutting back a little of the useable floor space. With a twin sized air mattress which puts you 6" or so off the ground, you lose 6-12" of floor space. With two twin sized air mattresses you better be on pretty close terms with your tent partner (after camping with a buddy over Memorial Day weekend, I thought about just using sleeping pads, but I'm now in the market for a larger tent for when I camp with friends). The 8"x22" pack size is nice and compact, and it is just small enough for motorcycle camping and possibly hiking.

I LOVE the pole design. For the size of the tent, the aluminum poles and shock cords are quite thick and strong. It is a very sturdy tent, and while I haven't been in a storm yet, I suspect it would hold up well to some fairly stout winds. I love the hub system, makes putting it all together quite simple. In fact, with a little practice, this tent can be set up in about 5 min (not counting the pegs I had it up in about 5min my first time, though I'm not a rookie in setting up a tent).

My one big complaint, lack of sufficient mesh. There is very little mesh in this tent. Maryland summers can be brutally hot and humid (the Weather Channel just rated Washington DC as #6 for worst summers of U.S. cities). By myself, my body heat can make it uncomfortable, two or more people and it is stifling. For around here, it is more a 2 season tent (spring and fall), and you can make due with it much of the winter with a good bag.

Overall, I like this tent a lot. With a little more mesh it would be a great tent. Alternatively, if there was a way to close up the mesh there is, it would be better for the winter which would make it a great 4 season tent. It is easy to put up, it fits back in its stuff sack quite well, it is about typical on space for a 4 person tent (2 can be comfortable with air mattresses, 2-3 with sleep pads, 4 if you are VERY close).

I was looking for big 3 person tent or small 4 person tent, but found this one and since i was looking for kind of a light tent the weight did not seem too much for me so i decided to take a fly on it, anyway i thought i might return it if it was not what i needed, well its light, fits great in the sack, the material of the poles aluminum 7000 is really nice and they are anodized so no worry about rust or anything, i have not tried it with the rain cover or in rainy conditions ... so ill report later on that, the tent is light, has a couple of pockets and a canopy to put your lamp or anything that you want to locate fast.
Really good surprise, nice tent, good material, nothing to complain about!

This tent is awesome. It stays nice and dry even when you are camping in misty, foggy weather. It's roomy (large enough for an inflatable queen-sized air mattress and a 2ft. space on one side for moving) and I love the removable hood. The zippered doors on both sides was handy, and I love that the top half of the zipper door also zips down so you have a mesh window (on both doors). It was very easy to set up and take down and fit right together neatly inside its carry bag. Very lightweight. The only improvement that could be made is that I worried about the strength of the bottom and thought it looked a bit thin, although we've had no problems with it. I would suggest a floor mat if you are going to be setting up on anything even semi sharp to protect against damage. All things considered, I would say this tent is something I would recommend someone purchase if they wanted a nice, high-quality, lightweight tent for multi-season camping.

This is a great tent. Lots of room and very spacious for a light tent. The rain fly is awesome and has plenty of room for a couple backpacks on each side under the vestibule. I love the two door entry. It is tall enough to kneel in and have head room. Plenty of room for 4 people. I took it on a short hike with the family and it worked great. Easy and fast to set up and take down. I would buy it again for sure. Great value for the money. There are "expensive brand" tents out there that are better if you are in a super windy environment or if you have people getting in and out of the tent all night. They don't have the vestibule space and only claim quieter zippers and better in windy environments, but they are twice the money. I don't backpack on Wyoming sagebrush plateaus. I spent a lot of time researching the size of the vestibules for storage and the footprint for body space in a 4 man tent. Weight was also very important to me because I will only use this tent to backpack. It is a good quality tent. No regrets here. I will probably find something to put under the floor or on the floor to make it more durable, but all backpacking tents seem thin on the floor.

we got this tent to take on a motorcycle trip we are planning. The size and weight is perfect, set up took about about 10 minutes out of the bag. Very straight forward clip system. Good size for two people on two bikes with saddle and tail bags. The eye slit windows in the rain fly is a nice feature allows light in while keeping the weather out. Having 2 doors is also a nice feature. Looking forward to field testing this tent, it looks like it should get the job done.

Bought the tent on 9/22/2011 set it up in my living room to get a feel for it, easy set up with a no fuss clip system that worked wonders. Now for the bad news, my wife and I took this tent camping in the Pisgah National Forest over the weekend and the forecast was sunny, that all changed and it rained HARD all night. First off the tent was set up perfectly using all available hardware and guy lines to ensure the rain fly was secured properly. The tent would not cool down past 80 degrees inside(this is an estimate) when it was 55 degrees outside and raining. Then about 3 hours into the rain the rain fly began to leak at various seem locations especially the zipper area of the vestibule doors and soon there after the tent itself began to leak at the seams connecting the floor to the walls. It was a long night and everything was soaked that was in the tent including us. Long story short this tent only does one thing right, it sets up FAST just hope and pray it doesn't rain or get above 70 degrees outside. Look elsewhere for a reliable product because this isn't it. Thank you Amazon for having such great customer service and return policies.

We bought this tent as a canoeing/backpacking tent. I Took it up to the Boundary Waters for a 1 week trip in June. The tent was easy to set up, secure, and dry. I loved having the double entry/ double vestibule. 4 of us were able to sleep in it comfortably. I am very pleased with the design and construction, and it was an excellent value.