ALPS Mountaineering Backpacking-Tents Lynx 1

This tent is SUPER easy to assemble and not cheaply made. I am 5'3 and a bit large, but there is plenty of room in both directions when I am laying in my tent. Very light weight. I referred this to a friend of mine, of course they got a different color, but they enjoy it very much as well.

ALPS makes excellent tents at a fraction of the cost of other high-end manufacturers. This one is no exception. Is it ultralight or hyperlite? No. Is it an ideal tent for backpacking? Sure. It's compact, light, and super-easy to put up and take down.This tent's design does not lend it particularly well to ventilation when it's hot outside--you may have to rig the fly a little bit to get a cross breeze to come all the way through the tent. Fortunately it's small enough that if you do it right, you can reach outside the tent walls and bring the fly all the way back down to cover everything if a pop-up shower interrupts your backcountry nap.My ONLY criticism of ALPS tents is I wish they had some integrated mesh/elastic pockets in the corners, instead of the 2 hanging pockets on either end and the one you have to hang with hooks from the top.

As soon as the LYNX 1 arrived, I put it together. I looked all around for assembly instruction. They were sown into the tote bag for added convenience. But after the first time putting the tent together, the instructions aren't needed. I disasembled it, packed it in about 15 minutes. No sweat!I reassemble the LYNX 1 (one person tent). It was up and ready for use in about 15 minutes. Weather was extremely hot and no wind. I was sweating bullets! The only thing that requires any thought is the two flexable sectioned poles need to crisscross at the center. The pole sections are held together by a bungee cord. Each section is about 1ft. poles are provided with a storage bag, as well as, the stakes.The tent is really two(2) pieces. The tent with large access zippered door and mosquito netted windows in the sides. There are soft plastic open clips that attach to the poles and are obvious where they attach to each pole. A larger clip at the very top of the tent goes onto the point where the poles cross. Once all is clipped together the entire tent can be picked up with two(2) fingers and placed where wanted.The second important part is the cover or rain-cover. This is pulled over the tent and each corner has a buckle that clips onto the tents corners. Again, the tent can be easily picked up. The front of the cover has a large zipper for entry. The cover has four guide strings that can be attached for extra stability. A loop in the back can be staked down. The two unzippered flaps in front can, also. be staked or use one flap as a shade with the other flap rolled up and secured by tie-downs located in each side of the cover.Extra cloth is provided for holes in the rain repellent cloth. However, the user must provide the super-glue.One thing that would be nice if a ground cover(4x8) was provided to protect the bottom from being punctured and wornout quickly. I believe plastic sheeting can be found at a hardware store or online.Overall this is a well made backpacking tent. It will provide good cover for overnight hikes. It is very light and won't add any substantial weight to the pack. My caccoon sleeping bag will fit, covering the entire floor of this tent.I would recommend this purchase to others. I haven't gone out to the wilds yet. But, I don' t see any difficulties with LYNX 1.

1. This is a “Rock Solid” Tent, at a far less cost than the competition.2. Very easy to set up, and the Footprint & Rainfly secure into the same fittings as the Tent, making ALL of it truly ‘Freestanding’.3. For me, the ‘Freestanding’ issue is a “Must”. The price is 20-25% of comparable Big Agnes and/or Nemo variations.4. ONLY “Con”: The weight. If you add in the Tent Rainfly Footprint Stakes Bag = 4.4 Lbs. [I’ve weighed it on a Digital scale.]5. Total Cost is $95 to $120 /- depending on the Vendor. You will pay $500/$550 to lose 1.5 to 2 Lbs with the BA or Nemo with their 2P tents.5. The Alps 1P Tent is small @ 4.4 Lbs [All Items Included]. The BA & Nemo 2P tent will weight less & provide more room, but you’ll pay the difference.6. Candidly, I like the larger sizes of the BA or Nemo 2P tents, yet ensure you include the weight of all of the above items when comparing.7. Last Item: The Alps 1P tent is much more robust/durable - especially the zippers. I’ve used both the BA & Nemo 2P. They are lighter with more room [which I enjoy] but Much More/Very delicate. Zippers may not sound like a ‘big item” until you need to get up in the middle of the night, or simply get ‘In & Out’.8. Hence, if an extra 2 Lbs /- is mandatory [And I’ve always been weight sensitive on my Pack/Gear] you could choose another brand. But, if it’s ‘just you’, and the added 1-2 Lbs is acceptable, the Alps 1P tent is an incredible bargain & is rugged, too easy to setup, and all components are Freestanding. [I’ve actually traded a Nemo 1P ultralight “expensive” tent on the 2nd day of a backpacking trip with another hiker who was using the Alps 1P, and took no money in exchange, for all of the above reasons.]