Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I went on a three day 23 mile hiking trip a few weeks ago, and I decided to buy a tent. It is a very crucial part of the camping experience since it was going to be what kept me, my friend, and our equipment hot or cool/and DRY.After researching various outfitter stores, dicks, sportsman's warehouse, wal-mart, target, you name it, I couldn't find a good tent that was comfortable for two people, and fit my budget. They were either too big, too cheaply madeORToo small, very well-built, and too expensive. Im 6ft 175lbs, and the two person tent at the outfitters was more like 3 season one person tent that cost $399.99. So I decided to stop wasting my time and go to Amazon.com. I researched 2 person tents. I ended up choosing this one for several reasons. The fist is the space, It's a 3-person dome that comfortably houses 2 with plenty of room for spreading out and your gear and sitting upright without smacking your head on the ceiling. It even comes with a niftygear hammock you can clip to the ceiling. The second is that the orange rain fly, and the tent itself, are designed like a mountaineering tent. It clips in very easily to all six sides of the dome, and resists rain and wind very well. Search for "expedition tent and see how much they are, this will do the same job against wind in rain, but maybe not in the Himalayas. It is 4-season tent, It is heat seamed and has plenty of zip down windows with bug netting. It also has a nice-sized vestibule in the front for storing your gear and muddy boots if it gets rainy. It comes with lightweightaluminum stakes and a set of 4 aluminum poles. 3 for the tent, and 1 for the vestibule. The tent, the stakes, and the poles weigh about 8.5 pounds, which is good for backpacking. The brand Asolo is most commonly recognized as an Italian hiking boot-maker company, but this tent comes from a company with licensing agreement with Asolo, a Canadian tent maker named Asolo adventure gear. This is not an Italian Asolo product per se, but its quality is reflected in the name, which is surprisingly very good. The tent itself is actually made in China. ButBottom line is; This is a $250 sold on amazon for $189. It is 4-season-expedition-style tent, it is spacious, has cool features, and is DRY. Before you go out and spend $400-$1000 on a north face, MSR, REI, or any of that nonsense, I encourage you to consider this tent, I am extremely pleased with it. My buddy who bought the north face minibus 23, isn't after he saw my tent.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Asolo Gear Ptarmigan 3-Person Backpacking Tent
Product Description:
A great choice for rough-and-ready expedition-style camping trips, the three-person Asolo Gear Ptarmigan technical backpacking tent will keep you dry and sheltered even during winter excursions. It features a durable 70D nylon floor and 75D polyester ripstop tent fabric--each coated with polyurethane for protection from the elements. Weighing 8.5 pounds, the Ptarmigan also includes a large vestibule for storing gear and taking off wet boots and clothing. Other features include a good assortment of mesh panels and windows for good ventilation, and smooth connecting shock-corded aluminum pole construction with a clip/sleeve system.
Specifications:
Sleeps: Three
Seasons: Four
Size: 10 feet, 6 inches by 7 feet, 9 inches
Height: 3 feet, 11 inches
Vestibule: 3 feet by 4 feet, 8 inches
Weight: 8.5 pounds
Fly: 75D Ripstop Polyester w/ 2000 mm PU
Inner Tent: 7'6" long by 7'5" wide by 3' 8" tall with No-See-Um mesh
Floor: 70D Nylon w/2000 mm PU 43.6 square feet
Poles: 7000 series aluminum 8.5 mm with smooth connections, shock corded.
Taping: Reflective accents
Amazon.com Tent Guide
Selecting a Tent
Fortunately, there are all kinds of tents for weekend car campers, Everest expeditions, and everything in-between. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Expect the Worst
In general, it's wise to choose a tent that's designed to withstand the worst possible conditions you think you'll face. For instance, if you're a summer car camper in a region where weather is predictable, an inexpensive family or all purpose tent will likely do the trick--especially if a vehicle is nearby and you can make a mad dash for safety when bad weather swoops in! If you're a backpacker, alpine climber or bike explorer, or if you like to car camp in all seasons, you'll want to take something designed to handle more adversity.
Three- and Four-Season Tents
For summer, early fall and late spring outings, choose a three-season tent. At minimum, a quality three season tent will have lightweight aluminum poles, a reinforced floor, durable stitching, and a quality rain-fly. Some three-season tents offer more open-air netting and are more specifically designed for summer backpacking and other activities. Many premium tents will feature pre-sealed, taped seams and a silicone-impregnated rain-fly for enhanced waterproofness.
For winter camping or alpine travel, go with a four season model. Because they typically feature more durable fabric coatings, as well as more poles, four-season tents are designed to handle heavy snowfall and high winds without collapsing. Of course, four-season tents exact a weight penalty of about 10 to 20 percent in trade for their strength and durability. They also tend to be more expensive.
Domes and Tunnels
Tents are broadly categorized into two types, freestanding, which can stand up on their own, and those that must be staked down in order to stand upright. Freestanding tents often incorporate a dome-shaped design, and most four-season tents are constructed this way because a dome leaves no flat spots on the outer surface where snow can collect. Domes are also inherently stronger than any other design. Meanwhile, many three-season models employ a modified dome configuration called a tunnel. These are still freestanding, but they require fewer poles than a dome, use less fabric, and typically have a rectangular floor-plan that offers less storage space than a dome configuration. Many one and two-person tents are not freestanding, but they make up for it by being more lightweight. Because they use fewer poles, they can also be quicker to set up than a dome.
Size Matters
Ask yourself how many people you'd like to fit in your fabric hotel now and in the future. For soloists and minimalists, check out one-person tents. If you're a mega-minimalist, or if you have your eye on doing some big wall climbs, a waterproof-breathable bivy sack is the ticket. Some bivy sacks feature poles and stake points to give you a little more breathing room. Also, if you don't need bug protection and you want to save weight, check out open-air shelters.
Families who plan on car camping in good weather can choose from a wide range of jumbo-sized tents that will accommodate all your little ones with room to spare. A wide range of capacities is also available for three- and four-season backpacking and expedition tents. Remember, though, the bigger the tent you buy, the heavier it will be, although it's easy to break up the tent components among several people in your group. It's also helpful to compare the volume and floor-space measurements of models you're considering.
Want to read more honest consumer review about Asolo Gear Ptarmigan 3-Person Backpacking Tent now ?
1 comments:
I do some moderate winter camping and mountaineering. I also own this tent. Here is my take on it:
This is an adequate 4 season tent. All of the mesh panels zip up, it has a 3 pole crossover design adding rigidity for snowloading and wind blowing; it also has a good gear space and a vent in the fly.
However, I would never recommend this as a tent for someone looking to mountaineer. Here is why:
- First off, this tent is too tall. Great if you're a recreationalist winter camper, however, if you want to weather out a storm in this thing, it's gonna pick up a lot of wind and get baffed around.
- Second: Although this tent has a 3 pole cross over design, it is still NOT rigid enough for anything more than moderate snow loading, and I would definitely be a little worried in a harsher storm.
- Third: The poles are a pain in the ass to put in and take significantly longer than any reputable expedition tent (i.e. mountain hardware trango or and mountain 25 - both of which I have set up). This is not something that is very desirable at the end of a long day or in bad weather. You must put them all in while the tent is flat on the ground including the one on the fly and then it is a pain in the ass to put up afterwards - which bring me to my next point.
- Fourth: The pole sleeves are sewn to the fly which is a good thing, but they are not continuous. It is only solid nylon at certain point on the tent, then the rest of the sleeve is a really delicate mesh. When one pushes the poles through, when the pole is not going through the nylon section but is going through the mesh section you have to be VERY careful so as to not push the pole through the mesh. This makes this tent EVEN more of a hassle to set up. At 12:33am at night, in -27C weather, with my mitts on, I did not have enough patience to do this and did poke one hole through the mesh - making getting the pole through the sleeves take EVEN longer. Again, this is not bad if you are winter car camping, but if you just finish climbing or hiking ALL day and need to set up camp in a pinch, this quickly becomes a real pain in the ASS, especially when you are tired.
My advice, sure if you have a lot of time and there is a car close by, do it, this tent will save you a lot of money. However, if you are going to be in the back country or may be isolated in bad weather, save your money for a little longer and spend the kind of money it takes to get a good solid mountaineering tent.
Post a Comment