Alps Mountaineering Aries 3 Tent Review

This Alps Mountaineering Aries 3 tent review is about a strongly built quality tent with aluminum poles, a full fly, 2 vestibules, and a great price.

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Key features & benefits

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What this Aries 3 Tent is about

Here you have the larger of the two tents from the Aries series. This is a dome-style tent that the manufacturer describes as freestanding, and this is so only for the inner tent with its frame shown in the picture below without the fly. In such a setup you can move it around and rotate.

But this is also a tent with a full-coverage fly, and this fly creates two very useful vestibules on the two sides shown in the picture below. So you have lots of storage space for boots and other gear, but these vestibules must be staked down. This is what makes the tent non-freestanding, the usual trade-off as you see.

The base is not rectangular as you can see from the floor plan below. This also shows the positions of its mentioned vestibules. Note that the tent is a low profile with a peak height of only 50 inches (127 cm).

They build the tent in two different colors, the picture below shows its orange version and you also have a view in through one of the vestibules.

There are two doors on the canopy and they are almost vertical due to the short ridge pole added here for this purpose, see the picture below. This creates more shoulder space inside.

Ventilation

You have already seen that the canopy is all mesh so air can flow in any direction. But the fly is full and it goes almost all the way to the ground, this is why they have added a roof vent shown in the picture below. This should be good enough to fight condensation in all weather conditions, and you can always experiment with vestibules to add some extra air flow.

So there is not much one could object here, this is all designed as it should be in the tent of such a type. With more people inside there may be more condensation, we normally exhale around 03-0.4 liters of vapor during the night.

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Materials

The poles

You have two main loops plus a short ridge pole, this is all shock-corded 7000 series aluminum, with pre-bent features that add more room in the tent, and with 9.5 mm diameter. You would not expect such great poles in such a budget tent, but the Alps Mountaineering brand is known for quality products and very reasonable prices.

The main poles attach to the tent’s base through grommets in the corners, and on the canopy you have clips.

The fabric

The same fabric is used for the fly and for the floor, this is a 75D 185T polyester. The fly is with 1500 mm coating and the floor with 3000 mm. The seams are all factory-sealed. So this is all properly done and you will not need more protection. The fly buckles on to the tent’s corners.

Other features

• Extra-large #8 zippers on doors and vestibules.
• There is a gear loft included, see the picture.
• Mesh storage pockets.
• 7075 Aluminum stakes.
• Guy ropes are included.

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Who is it for

Regarding the space, the tent is officially for 3 people, and for this, you have 49 ft² (4.5 m²) of the inner area. This means 16.3 ft² (1.5 m²) per person which is quite reasonable. But there are also two vestibules that together add 17.5 ft² (1.6 m²).

It has the same inner area as their Meramac 3 Tent which has no vestibules. But it has more inner space than their Chaos 3 Tent which also has two vestibules.

So for such a tent, this is a good space, just enough for sleeping and for the gear. In the case of two users, this is excellent, and for a solo use this tent is a castle.

Regarding the climate and seasons, there is no doubt this tent will protect you in any weather conditions. The materials are strong and durable, the tent is low-profile and aerodynamic so it can withstand lots of pressure from the winds.

The fly is a full-coverage type so you are fully protected from the elements. You can use it in any season, but clearly it is better suited for the warmer part of the year. In a cold environment, you will have to rely on a thick sleeping bag.

Regarding the weight, with its 7 lb 4 oz (3.29 kg) this is a lightweight tent but this is not for backpacking. But it can be carried on some shorter overnight hiking and mountaineering tours. I have included it in my list of best 3-person camping tents.

The packed size 20 x 7 inches (51 x 18 cm) is very good so you can transport this tent even on a bicycle, and it can be used also for kayaking and similar activities.

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Specifications

• Weight: 7 lb 4 oz (3.29 kg).
• Minimum weight: 6 lb 7 oz (2.92 kg).
• Tent area: 49 ft² (4.5 m²).
• Area per person: 16.3 ft² (1.5 m²).
• Vestibules area: 17.5 ft² (1.6 m²).
• Total covered area per person: 22.16 ft² (2 m²).
• Center height: 50 in (127 cm).
• Packed size (L x D): 20 x 7 in (51 x 18 cm).

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Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

Please see how I rate this tent. The same criteria are consistently used for all the tents here in the site.

You might want to compare this tent with the Big Agnes Van Camp SL 3 Tent and Big Agnes Copper Spur HV Expedition Tent 3 built in the same style; the latter has the same floor shape.

Thank you for reading. Note that we add texts here regularly, so bookmark this site and visit again. Have a nice day.