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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
[1 of 1 customers found this review helpful]
from Niskayuna, NY on 4/21/2008
I have used the Alpin 2 in a variety of conditions ranging from -20 deg snowy nights in the Adirondacks to a rare warm 80 deg in April and I have yet to be disappointed. There are two ways to setup the tent, which is nice as I separate out the inside from the outside when packing it in my backpack/compression sack. The fly can be setup independently which provides a fast shelter when it is raining. While staying protected the inside of the tent clips onto the fly with little difficulty so long as your start from the center and work your way out.
***The inside offers alot of room to move around without worrying about head room. Sleeping space is long enough to sleep comfortably in and I don't feel too tall for the tent (I'm 5' 11" tall). Each corner and two walls offer nice sized pockets for your nalgene, glasses, etc. without getting in the way. The dual door setup is great for when nature calls and you don't want to disturb your partner. When the vents are open the inside had little moisture buildup on the walls and it stayed fairly warm for those cold winter nights. The moisture builds up on the inside of fly and vents out. There are gear loft loops but EMS doesn't offer a gear attic which I find strange and concerning as I don’t know if another brand will fit this tent or if it is universal.
***The exterior of the tent is more than capable of handling whatever I throw at it. The fly sheds snow/rain without any problems, which is very comforting to know especially as my last so-called 4-season tent collapsed on me during a snow storm at 2am ;-(. I have not used the glow-rope guy lines yet as I have not experienced strong enough winds to require them but I'm not worried about their construction as the rest of the tent is a bomb shelter from what I've seen. The zippers on both doors are solid and typically do not get caught on the fly when closing. The vestibule offers space for your backpack and other gear with extra space for cooking.
***Overall this tent is amazing and it will and has served me well in all of my outings. Keep in mind this is not a light tent weighing in at ~7-11lbs depending on the setup but most 4-season tents average this weight. My only true concern is how cool it stays during those hot and muggy nights.
from Boston, Ma on 3/21/2008
I spent a week at Chimney Pond in Baxter State Park in March in this. On this trip I was in the tent solo which provided enough space for me, all of my food, all of my climbing gear, and space to organize my gear for each day out. I could have comfortably fit non-technical gear and a second person.The tent ventilated better than any other mountaineering tent I've used (still not as well as a summer tent but with all zips open, pretty close) and even without the extra tiedowns, stood up to over a foot of snow and winds up to about 30mph very well. The vestibule was the perfect size for me (5'10" 150lbs) to enter, close, open tent door, and sit down so that snow never blew into the main tent. The fly provided better protection than the current version of the TNF mountain 25.I really like the fact that the poles hold up the fly and then the tent clips in from inside. This allows you to leave the tent and fly combined in order to facilitate set up in wind. If you don't leave them connected, you can still set up and stake out fly, and then attach the tent body while under the fly. I don't know why there are any winter tents that are not designed like this.The only down side that I can find is that it is a bit on the heavy side. If you are not doing multi-day technical alpine climbs, this is a great tent. If you are on alpine bigwalls, get a bibler or bivy [...]
[4 of 4 customers found this review helpful]
Great Tent. When it comes to tents i usually stick with MSR having a good history with their product. The Alpin 2 is a solid tent with good vestibules, ventilation, pole configuration, and headroom. It is a little heavy at 10 pounds but what 4 season tent isn't. Tent comes with generic steaks that really dont do the job and you will have to invest in snow stakes if you really want to steak it out. However i had this puppy up in 60 mph winds and it held its own real well......i'm very satisfied.. for the price you cant beat it.