ALPS Mountaineering Trail Tipi 2-Person Tent (Floor & Vestibule)

ALPS Mountaineering Trail Tipi 2-Person Tent is a very affordable and reliable, fully floored and nicely ventilated structure that is supported by a trekking pole.

Key features & benefits

So what this is about

Here you have a modern version of a teepee tent. This is a single-pole construction and it is therefore not freestanding, so you realize immediately that it has nothing to do with real classic teepee (tipi) tents.

But there is no pole here, you are supposed to use one of your trekking poles, see its base on the floor with a sort of pocket to keep it in place. It works with any trekking pole longer than 51 inches (130 cm).

You have to stake its six corners before adding the central pole. The organization of the area is best understood from the floor plan below that shows its inner fully floored area and vestibule:

This is a single-wall design, but you have a large mesh door area. The shell creates a vestibule which you see on the top section in the picture above. It is 36 inches (91 cm) deep so it protects the door and it gives you also a decent storage space for gear. The picture below shows it from the front with the vestibule flap partly open:

Note that the tent is quite low, you have only 53 inches (135 cm), so with such an angled roof you do not have lots of volume inside. The larger ground dimension is 84 inches (213 cm) so the width/height ratio is around 1.57.

Ventilation

They have done this properly. You have a 360 degrees vertical mesh section around the perimeter of the tent, directly above the floor, it is visible in the picture below. There is a wide flap from the fly which protects it from the rain, and the floor is a bathtub type so groundwater cannot get in.

But they did not stop here, they have added three vents on the roof. So you will always have enough vertical air circulation to fight condensation. For extra airflow, you have the large mesh section on the door.

Note that the top vents are closable if you feel cold. Also, at the tent’s base, you have a two-point tensioning system for each stake so you can regulate the airflow through the mentioned perimeter mesh.

Who is it for

Regarding the area, you have 38 ft² (3.5 m²) of the floored area plus 12 ft² (1.1 m²) under the vestibule. So the total protected area per person is 25 ft² (2.3 m²) and this is surely great. You might want to compare this with yet another tent of this type, the Mountainsmith Mountain Tipi.

Regarding the seasons & climate, this tent comes with a good waterproof rating, and its profile is low. Ventilation is very good so I have no doubt it will protect you in any conditions in a 3-season use.

Weight-wise, with its 3 lb 10 oz (1.64 kg) of weight, this is not the lightest 2-person option in the absolute sense, but it is surely backpack-portable and very lightweight.

You will see below that my rating for this feature is maximum because this is about area/weight ratio which is excellent here. However, there are no poles as you have seen above, and this is partly behind such a great weight. But I have added it to my list of best 2-person backpacking tents.

The packed size 16 x 6.5 inches (41 x 17 cm) is definitely great. So you can transport this tent in various ways, and you can also attach it to your pack.

Materials

This is mainly about the fabric because there are no poles here. So the fly is a 75D 185T polyester with a 1500 mm coating that resists UV and stays taut. The floor is a polyester taffeta with a 3000 mm coating and sealed seams.

Other features

• Note that you have a top loop that allows for hanging the tipi instead of using a trekking pole for support.
• The zipper is #8.
• The tent comes with 7075 aluminum stakes.
• Guy ropes are included.

Specifications

• Declared capacity: 2 people.
• Weight: 3 lb 10 oz (1.64 kg).
• Dimensions: 84 x 76 in (213 x 193 cm).
• Inner area: 38 ft² (3.5 m²).
• Inner area per person: 19 ft² (1.75 m²).
• Vestibule area: 12 ft² (1.1 m²).
• Total protected area: 50 ft² (4.6 m²).
• Center height: 53 in (135 cm).
• Vestibule depth: 36 in (91 cm).
• Packed size: 16 x 6.5 in (41 x 17 cm).

Final thoughts, rating, pros & cons

Here is my rating of this tent, the same criteria are used for all the tents so you can easily compare with the other tents here in the site:

ALPS Mountaineering Trail Tipi 2-Person Tent

$139.99

8.6

Area per person

7.8/10

Weight

9.2/10

Packed size

9.1/10

Protection

8.6/10

Features

8.3/10

Pros

• Great design.
• Full protection.
• Great price.
• Great area/weight ratio.

Cons

• No pole in the package.

Buy on Amazon

If you would rather have a dome style tent in this capacity range, check this Coleman Camping Tent Skydome 2 Person.

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