Customer Reviews

ALPS Mountaineering Zephyr 2 Backpacking Tent

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Took this tent out for the first time last weekend to do some hiking in the Daniel Boone Nat'l Forest with my girlfriend. Setup was very easy, it took maybe 5 minutes or so. Inside was a little cramped for two people, just make sure you're very close with whoever you're sharing the tent with, because you'll pretty much be sleeping elbow to elbow. We were both able to use a sleeping pad with a little bit of overlap in the middle. I'm about 6'1 or so and I did notice that when I laid down on my back my feet would graze the mesh at the end of the tent, not really a big deal though, at least not for me. There was plenty of headroom so I was able to sit up without my head touching mesh.

As far as rain protection goes, I was pretty impressed with this tent. We endured very heavy rain on and off throughout the evening and night. The tent kept us very dry. I only have one complaint, there was one spot where the poles crossed at the top of the tent where the fly seemed to leak a little. I think I may just need to seam seal the entire fly, even though ALPS says you don't have to. But other than that we had no water get in from the sides.

We had two weekend packs(3400 and 4000cu in) with us, with one in each vestibule. It covered these easily with room to spare for our shoes and did a good job of keeping our gear dry too.

Overall, this is a pretty good tent, especially for the price. And I would definitely recommend it, but I would also recommend that you seam seal the fly before taking it out.

At the price, this is a great tent. The quality is there and it compares well to tents twice the price for a weight penalty of only a few ounces. I set mine up side-by-side with my friend's $250 REI quarter dome T2. He was impressed, and the only differences I noted on his were reflective guy lines, an included pole splint ($5) and a lighter fly. Plus more footroom on his. However, his fly lacked the little windows on the Alps: I actually used mine to check on another camper who was near my bike in the morning.

Here are the only downsides I can find so far with the Zephyr:

1) The footprint is hard to find. Search for "floor saver."

2) There are partial sleeves so you cannot pitch the footprint/fly and then be sheltered to pitch the rest of the tent. However, you can pitch just footprint (not included) and fly for a light shelter.

3) With the fly door unzipped all the way, water can enter the tent. Just don't unzip all the way if it is raining.

4) The tapered design would leave things tight in the foot area if a second person were present. I plan to just use it solo or with one of my kids.

EDIT: I have now decided that #3 is not bad, as it allows a nice view straight up at the stars when you are laying down with the fly open.

All in all, I was very pleased. I found a deal on a Zephyr 3 and snatched it up without hesitation for the rest of the family, or if I need a tent for two adults.

UPDATE 05 JAN 2012

I still love this tent. It has been through some extreme wind and rain and held up great. On a windy beach I was thankful that ALPS included the 4 guylines which worked perfectly in the wind. My son sat in the tent to keep it from flying away wile I buried sticks in the sand and anchored the tent to them. We were also in an absolute torrential downpour for three hours and stayed nice and dry.

I do plan to add one guyout to the middle of the rainfly at the foot of the tent-- it touches the tent body at the foot and could allow moisture in. You can sort of see this in my customer photo which shows me using it on a bike camping trip. I also own a Zephyr 3 which allows a lot more room for two people for a pound more. I took it on a 5 day trip in the cascades with a friend who is pretty big. On an upcoming trip to Dolly Sods with my wife, I will take the 2 for the weight savings, and it is true, if you keep your pads toward the head of the tent two sleeping pads fit fine and there is room for gear at the foot. Love my Zephyrs. They have been canoing on the James River, VA, also Umbagog Lake, Maine. Backpacking in WA state, Virginia, and Assateague Island. I spent 15 nights split between my 1 and 2 last year without a single complaint. Great price for the value and superb construction. Good ventilation with no condensation. One example is the stakes... nothing fancy but they are lightweight aluminum and strong-- they do not bend like many other less expensive tents' stakes and keep you from having to spend more money.

I have not camped in this tent yet. I will give my first impressions and hopefully update the review after using the tent.
This tent has all the features of tents costing twice as much. It is a great value. The quality appears to be top notch. The aluminum poles are small and lightweight but fit together perfectly and are strong.
I did a lot of research before purchasing this tent. I liked that it has two doors and two vestibules. Also, I am very weight conscious and the 4.7 lbs is pretty good for this size tent. From my research I would have only saved maybe 3 ounces for a higher priced tent and would have had to settle for one door, one vestibule.
Overall, great value for the money. I am very impressed with the quality of Alps Mountaineering.
UPDATE 11/17/2008 - I finally had the chance to camp in the Zephyr 2. My 5 year old son and I hiked and camped with a friend and his boys. It was getting dark and starting to rain when we got to the camp site. The Zephyr went up very quick, kept us dry all night through some pretty heavy rain. I love the two doors and vestibules - lots of room for gear and you don't have to worry about brushing up against the side and getting wet from condensation. I slept well with no worries about the wind and rain.
I love the tent! I can't imagine a higher price tent being any better quality than this. Good balance between price, weight, and features.
UPDATE 1/3/2012 - I have had this tent for 3 years now. It is my goto tent. The tent did leak once during an all-night fairly heavy rain. It leaked at the top around the zipper track. Another coat of seam sealer and all is well (I recommend seam sealing any tent).

I just spent my first night out in this tent. My buddy and I were going to leave our rain flys off as the evening was cool and clear, but decided to avoid the hassle of a midnight scramble. At two in the morning the heavens clouded over, opened up, and poured down furiously. I had hoped for a more gentle trial of the Zephyr 2, but...
I woke up completely dry the next morning. I did find a bit of condensation had made its way through the floor under my sleeping pad, where a puddle had formed in a depression in the ground. It was nothing major, and next time I'll be sure not to set up in a hole. This tent is lightweight, coming in under 5 lbs., very easy and quick to set up, and most importantly, weather ready. This is my first introduction to ALPS products and I intend to consider more of their products in the future.

First off, this tent should only be considered for two people if you are A: Intimately related to your tent partner, and B: if you are both under 6'2". I am 6'3" and when I lay straight in the middle of the tent, my toes can easily touch the steeply-sloping roof at the foot of the tent. However, if I angle my body towards the corners, it gives just enough room to where my toes do not touch the fabric. All in all, this is a minor issue, and is just something tall people have to deal with. Other than that minor issue, the tent is extremely well designed and built. The materials seem to be very high quality, as are the stiching/seams, which are all factory taped. It has many features that come on tents that cost over twice as much, such as high quality aluminum poles, double doors/vestibules, all mesh body, multiple guy-out points, and a very compact carry size (if you carry your poles outside of the tent sack, it can be compressed much more than its stated pack size).

The only thing I do think is a necessity with this tent is a footprint, because its floor is basically made of the same material as the fly, and while it is not a weak fly material, it probably can be punctured quite easily by ground material. I cut a footprint out of a cheap Wallyworld tarp, and it fits right in the sack with the rest of the tent, sans poles (I carry those seperate anyways). At the end of the day, this is a fantastic little backpacking tent, and I highly recommend it if you want a solo tent with a little extra room than the average tomb-like solo tents. Thank You, Alps Mountaineering!

Easy setup, light weight, sufficient room for 1, 2 in a pinch. This tent has some features that I really like, complete 360 degree visibility and great ventilation when rain fly is not up, easy in and out on both sides, very light weight, easy and quick installation of the rain fly, and quality materials and construction throughout. This may not be the best tent for everyone, but for my needs, it is perfect.

I like a roomy tent that is not too heavy and is easy to transport. This item fits the bill. It is only 5 pounds and is simple to pack. The tent has ample room for me and all my gear. I can move in it without constantly brushing against the sides.

The Zephyr is easy and quick to pitch and offers fine protection from the elements. Zephyr has a polyester fly and provides a water proof abode.

I like this item.

I should point out from the get-go I have the Zenith 2 AL tent (which I purchased from Sierra Trading Post.com). It is the same exact tent except for the color of the rainfly. All I can say this is one excellent little tent. Very lightweight, has good ventilation, quick and easy set-up and holds up to adverse weather quite well.

I used my Zenith (Zephyr) in weather conditions ranging from hard rains and strong winds to light snowfalls. Held up and continues to hold up very well.

The tent's quality is very good. Hard to find a tent as good for the price. Beats any BIG name brand tents (such as Sierra Designs or Mountain Hardware) in terms of quality and price. A definate great buy in my opinion.

This tent is all you need for a trek into the backcountry, especially for the price. You will here people complain that it's really a one man tent with space for gear but this tent is designed for backpacking, not car camping. I'm yet to find a two man tent designed for backpacking with a ton of space inside, this is because the more space you get inside the tent means the more space it will take up in your backpack. Plus the two vestibules created by the rain fly creates plenty of space for your pack and boots, all at about a five pound pack weight which is killer for this price point. You can't beat the tent's breathability with the rain fly off because there is no solid material to block airflow, and an included crossflow vent in the fly means you'll get about as good of venting as you can for a $100 tent.

The tent sets up super easy since due to the shape there's no way to mix up the direction of the two poles, which are aluminum, a very rare feature for tents at this price. Plus a five pound pack weight when split between your partner (since it is a two man tent) means it takes up minimal space in your pack while adding only 2.5 pounds of weight. You also get fully sealed seams which are yet to leak on me although I admit being in California means the storms we get aren't the same caliber as the our brothers to the east. Now like many lightweight tents this lady is going to need a footprint since her floor while waterproof is not the bulletproof like many of the higher end tents. Now a foot print will add a bit of weight but since there is only about 5ft by 7ft to protect it minimally effects your pack weight. The tent also comes with quality guy lines which is a nice addition to a tent at this price. Other tents I have had at around this price like the kelty grand mesa while having the anchor loops for guy lines did not include them.

The stakes are your standard issue cheapo's that come with most tents but I have no problem since most of the pitching I do is in the soft soil of a redwood stand. If you took this tent out somewhere with drier or tougher soil I would recommend so upgraded stakes cause these will bend on you in a heartbeat. On last thing is the color is of this tent with the rainfly on is super cool! Color is a preference thing but personally I really dislike bright tent colors like orange and yellow, it kills the mood for one thing cause no-one likes a bright orange eyesore disrupting the hues of mother nature. Plus why draw attention to your self? Especially if the passerby is not the most upstanding individual. This may sound like paranoia but think about it, if you and your buddy go off away from the campsite and leave your gear at the tent, you don't want that tent to be so easily visible that someone could walk up and snatch your gear. the drab green means she blends in real nice with her surroundings, especially in a stand of trees or shrubs. There is a bit of orange on the top of the tent and where the vents are, but definitely not enough to gain the notice of someone far off.

I got this tent on a Friday and took it camping without trying to set it up first. It packs very small, the folded poles are a little less than 18 inches long per segment. Setup is pretty obvious, I did it without looking at the included instructions. I just looked at the picture on the box and went for it. Blame my recklessness on a childhood spent playing with Legos.

My only complaint is that the little gear shelf that you can clip to the inside top of the tent is slightly sloped so slippery can slide out and fall directly onto your face. Just don't store any bricks up there and you should be fine. The tent came with guy lines and aluminum stakes.

One last thing: A lot of people have mentioned that it is a little narrow for two people, but that is a relative thing. Two sleeping pads can fit side by side, and if you aren't comfortable enough with your partner to possibly bump elbows, maybe you shouldn't share a tent.