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  1. #1
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    Default Alps Mountaineering Tents: Lynx 1 vs. Mystique 1 vs. Zephyr 1

    Looking to get one of these tents in the future, but I'd like some feedback for those who have owned/used them before. I'm not worried about UL, this is my first time buying a tent (I've used others before) and I'm on a budget as well, so these seem the most friendly to me. Only thing I've heard bad about them (well actually one of them) is that the Zephyr 1 collects rain on the top which may/may not leak depending on how heavy of the rain fell. Does anyone have any experiences with these? Thanks!

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    I picked up a Mystique 1.5 on eBay and liked it a lot but it had an undisclosed tear and the stakes were all bent so I returned it. Really nice size inside and double side entry. Relatively low to the ground so it would handle wind well, but you have to like that kind of profile. I would pass on the Mystique 1 in favor of the 1.5.

    I know several people with the Lynx 1 and they like it a lot. Sturdy, steep walls which shed snow. Tall, which is good for sitting up but can catch the wind a bit more. Decent vestibule and side entry. No reports of leaks, and has two vents in the fly to combat ventilation.

    Both use aluminum poles, and come with typically unimpressive stakes. You can get the Lynx 1 for about $70, and the Mystique 1.5 for about $110 is you shop around a little. Occasionally cheaper if you shop around a lot.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Just Tom View Post
    I picked up a Mystique 1.5 on eBay and liked it a lot but it had an undisclosed tear and the stakes were all bent so I returned it. Really nice size inside and double side entry. Relatively low to the ground so it would handle wind well, but you have to like that kind of profile. I would pass on the Mystique 1 in favor of the 1.5.

    I know several people with the Lynx 1 and they like it a lot. Sturdy, steep walls which shed snow. Tall, which is good for sitting up but can catch the wind a bit more. Decent vestibule and side entry. No reports of leaks, and has two vents in the fly to combat ventilation.

    Both use aluminum poles, and come with typically unimpressive stakes. You can get the Lynx 1 for about $70, and the Mystique 1.5 for about $110 is you shop around a little. Occasionally cheaper if you shop around a lot.
    Thanks for the reply!

    What stakes would you buy for them then? And I'm probably going to get the Lynx 1, just need to find it at a bit better price. What site did you see it for $70 if I may ask? I know amazon had it for around $70 + $10 shipping, but that had passed a while ago.

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    Also, would you get the 1.5 again if the chance arose? I like the shape of it and all, and I feel like stargazing would be pretty nice with it haha.

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    Keep an eye on Steep & Cheap, you can often land the Lynx 1 there for around $70 when factoring in shipping.

    The 1.5 is about 4 ounces more weight than the Lynx and not free-standing. So it depends...if you like to bring a lot of gear in with you or like a lot of sprawling room then the 1.5 might be better. I now tend to just hang my backpack on a tree and would probably lean towards the Lynx. If the 1.5 weighed the same or less and was the same price, I'd go towards the 1.5 despite not being free standing.

  6. #6
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    Zephyr 1 collects rain on the top which may/may not leak depending on how heavy of the rain fell.
    I have a Zephyr 2 Ive read about the same complaint about the water gathering on the top. But I've also heard its not an issue if you guy it out right and a lot of people really love their little zephyrs. I'm hoping to test mine out in the rain this week or next and I'll let you know what I find.

  7. #7
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    I personally would not buy an ALPS Mountaineering tent... just because they seem to always be "on sale" or in the REI outlet. Leaves me with the feeling that they are cheap or just not popular. Seems like there should be a reason for that (such as the comment above on the Zephyr collecting water).

    If I were buying a tent, and wanted to buy one from a major manufacturer, I would buy something from one of the following:
    Big Agnes,
    Kelty,
    Marmot,
    Mountain Hardware,
    MSR,
    North Face,
    REI,
    Sierra Designs.

    I personally consider other tent manufacturers to have lower end products, higher end (aka out of my price range) products, or the wrong kind of products (such as tents designed for expeditions or front country camping), or a cottage industry (and there are a couple of cottage industry tent makers that others on this forum would recommend).


    But I would recommend to a first-time tent buyer that you can't go wrong with a Kelty tent. Their tents are high quality, bomb proof (compared to the thin material found in ultra light-weight tents), and not overly expensive. Of course this means that a typical Kelty tent is likely to be heavier than a similar style tent from other manufacturers. But similar to many industries, when it comes to buying tents its "High Quality", "Light Weight", "Cheap"... pick two.

    My first tent from 20+ years ago was a Kelty, and I still own and use a Kelty 3-man tent when I camp with my kids.

  8. #8

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    For what it's worth, I have one of their Zephyr 2's (or maybe 3, not sure at the moment) and it seems well made. Not top tier commercial or cottage industry ultralight, but way above the junk you'd find at WalMart, etc.

  9. #9
    Registered User Moosling's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CalebJ View Post
    For what it's worth, I have one of their Zephyr 2's (or maybe 3, not sure at the moment) and it seems well made. Not top tier commercial or cottage industry ultralight, but way above the junk you'd find at WalMart, etc.

    Have you had trouble with the water collecting on the stop section where the poles cross? So far I've been really satisfied with mine, construction is solid. Its heavy granted at 4.8 lbs but seems really well made and the majority of reviews have been really good for it. I was on a super budget at the time I purchased mine, I needed a two man to help a friend out who is a kid and doesn't have much money but loves backpacking.

  10. #10

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    I haven't, but the truth is that though I've had it for 2-3 years I've only used it for a few nights. It's for the rare times when my wife ventures into the woods. Usually it's just me and a bivy sack or similar arrangement.

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    I've heard people say the same thing about Kelty, that they would never buy such a bargain brand, and look for something more high-end. I think Alps is a decent "value brand". It is certainly head an shoulders above what you would find at Wally World. Their stuff is not ultra-light by any stretch of the imagination. If you can accept the higher weight, you'll be happy with the lower price.

  12. #12

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    I have had the Aries 2 for about 2 years and have had no problems with it. I also purchased the zephyr 2 for my son & he likes it very much. He uses the zephyr every scout trip monthly & I have switched to hammocks. No problem with leaking or standing water on rain fly & have had them both in torrential whole weekend down pours as well as heavy snow.


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  13. #13
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    I used a Zephyr 1 for almost 500 miles in 2012 - no probs with water on top. If I thought there was any, I just pushed up and it ran off the fly. I seam sealed with 1/2 - 1/2 pure silicone caulking and mineral spirits when I got home, as 4 year old Coleman sealant doesn't do too well for some reason and it started leaking a bit. Seam sealed on the Trail with Coleman (?) again and had no problems with leaking after that.

    My pack and boots went into the vestibule with no problems.

    My wife used/uses the Mystique 1. She's 5'2" and has NO problems in it. I'm 6'2" and it's too short and narrow for me.
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  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    I personally would not buy an ALPS Mountaineering tent... just because they seem to always be "on sale" or in the REI outlet. Leaves me with the feeling that they are cheap or just not popular. Seems like there should be a reason for that (such as the comment above on the Zephyr collecting water).

    If I were buying a tent, and wanted to buy one from a major manufacturer, I would buy something from one of the following:
    Big Agnes,
    Kelty,
    Marmot,
    Mountain Hardware,
    MSR,
    North Face,
    REI,
    Sierra Designs.

    I personally consider other tent manufacturers to have lower end products, higher end (aka out of my price range) products, or the wrong kind of products (such as tents designed for expeditions or front country camping), or a cottage industry (and there are a couple of cottage industry tent makers that others on this forum would recommend).


    But I would recommend to a first-time tent buyer that you can't go wrong with a Kelty tent. Their tents are high quality, bomb proof (compared to the thin material found in ultra light-weight tents), and not overly expensive. Of course this means that a typical Kelty tent is likely to be heavier than a similar style tent from other manufacturers. But similar to many industries, when it comes to buying tents its "High Quality", "Light Weight", "Cheap"... pick two.

    My first tent from 20+ years ago was a Kelty, and I still own and use a Kelty 3-man tent when I camp with my kids.
    Personally, I want to judge the product by something more substantive than that is always on sale at REI. Maybe that says something more about REI's pricing scheme, than the quality of a Alps Mountaineering tent. REI is pricing at MSRP, while its sale price just happens to the true market price.

    Give me true honest reviews of how well a product is made and how well it performs, without regard to whether it is the current fashion or cottage gear flavor of the week.
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  15. #15
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    This is an old post but I'm glad to see (hear of) others using the Lynx. I bought mine as an entry level tent to get started. What I like most about it is the ridiculously fast setup. Two poles. I can have the tent up in literally one minute or less, maybe 75 seconds absolute tops. Two poles to unfold (attached with hooks, no sleeves to run them through), rain fly (4 clips), and stakes. Given its quick pitch, it is the perfect tent for one after a hard day of hiking. I have a bigger Alps 2-man tent, but the Lynx is my go-to tent given setup time and smaller footprint. As others have alluded to, it is tough to fit all gear into the tent at night (I've managed to fit my 65L pack and myself in, but it is tight.)

    Not a bad tent, especially for the price.
    Planning for a North-South thru-hike to begin...one of these days...

  16. #16
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    I have a couple Alps Mountaineering tents. One is a Four season double-walled tent I use for Winter camping when I'm not planning on hiking long distances. The other one is a three season, 3 person tent I use for car camping. Only complaint I could possibly have with either is that they are heavy. Neither have leaked, both kept me sheltered. From inclement weather. They are good, well, built, rugged tents for the money. They are most decidedly not fragile lightweight backpacking tents.

  17. #17
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    Funny, as I was thinking that not too many years ago tents in the weight range of the Lynx would have been considered "ultralight."
    Planning for a North-South thru-hike to begin...one of these days...

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    I've got a Mystique 1 that I picked up when ALPS was offering a clearance with the scout discount. I've only used it for one weeked trip a couple weeks ago, but I have to say that I'm really happy with it. It's tight, but I knew it would be going in. We got a good amount of rain on Saturday night, and there wasn't a hint of moisture inside of the tent. The vestibules are tight for all of my gear, but again I knew that going in and with there being two vestibules I could just split my gear between them and it was fine.

    These obviously aren't top-of-the-line ultralight tents, but for the cost I'd have no hesitation to recommend them to somebody that's just starting out with backpacking.

  19. #19

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    I own both - The Lynx 1 and Zephyr 1.
    I went with the Lynx model originally and I've used it 3 times so far. My first outing with the tent resulted in me sleeping in my boxers. I underestimated just how warm I would be with the rainfly attached and within a couple of hours, I was sweating profusely and it was just.. extremely unpleasant. Yes, there are two vents but regardless, I was nearly suffocating.
    Round 2: I kayaked to a small area across a local lake and used the tent with the out rainfly attachment and it was much more satisfying. This is what lead me to picking up the Zephyr. I wanted to experience being out in the wilderness surrounding by nothing but a thin layer of mesh so I could star gaze, daydream, whatever. Not too mention the Zephyr is total eye candy to me. I think its one of the sharpest looking tents available.

    As mentioned by others, setup for either tent is a breeze. Ive did timing and both can be setup in under 5 minutes.
    I have yet to use either tent during wet conditions so I have no input how they handle during rain.
    As far as durability and build quality goes, my cat clawed the Lynx's mesh area while I was setting the tent up and it resulted in single small tear. At first I was throwing a tantrum and even considered sending back the "damaged" tent but after cooling down I told myself, this could have happened with any tent any brand, even the $450+ Fly Creek. Unless I'm mistaken? Are Big Agnes tents constructed using adamantium?

  20. #20

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    My Lynx1 works out good for me. 8 days in Connecticut I was not cramped and set up is quick. Plenty of room inside for extra gear and no water issues from rain. Traded the guy lines for lines with reflectors.

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