ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1-Person Tent Review

I bought this tent in preparation for my first bicycle tour. I was trying to put together a camping setup on a budget and needed a decent tent. After extensive research and a couple of trips to REI, I settled on the ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1-Person Tent. Since my purchase, I have slept in the tent about 30 times so far and love it.

ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1-person tent pitched in Washington State

Camping in Washington State

Quality of the ALPS Mountaineering Tent

I was really impressed by the quality of this tent for the price. I had never even heard of the ALPS Mountaineering brand before purchasing this tent. The material is strong and durable and of good quality. The zipper works great and doesn’t snag. I would say this is of the same quality as the more expensive Big Agnes or Kelty tents. I expect it to last many years.

Weight

As is, this tent weighs a bit more than 4 pounds which is fairly light. To cut down on weight, I ditched the steel stakes that were included and bought a few lightweight aluminum stakes. I also used a lighter weight bag that I already had to carry the tent. For bicycle touring where weight isn’t as important, this is the best tent for the price.

Pitch

Pitching this tent takes only about 2 minutes. There are two aluminum poles that quickly unfold and easily snap into place. The tent is completely freestanding which is nice if you are sleeping somewhere where you can’t stake it out such as a concrete slab. This was one of my requirements when I was shopping for a tent. Another nice feature is that If you buy the ALPS Mountaineering Lynx 1 Person Tent Floor Saver, you can pitch the rain fly first so the tent stays dry if you are setting it up in the rain.

Size and Layout

I am 6’1’’ and 180 pounds and I comfortably fit in the tent with plenty of space beside me for small items such as my wallet and phone. In fact, two people could probably squeeze in this tent if they are friendly enough. The vestibule is huge! I was easily able to store all of my gear inside it with room to spare. Another thing I like about the tent is that the door is on the side. Getting in and out is easy.

Packing

The tent can be taken down in just a couple of minutes. When it is rolled up it easily fit in my handlebar harness with enough room to strap an additional bag with my clothes. The tent packs up small enough to use for backpacking as well. For backpacking, you may want to just stuff the tent in your backpack and leave the bag to save on space and weight.

Waterproof

I have used this tent exclusively in Washington State so far and have slept through multiple rain storms in it. There have been no leaks and I have always stayed dry. Condensation is sometimes a problem in tents but this one comes equipped with two small vents in the top which help quite a bit.

What I don’t like about the Alps Mountaineering Tent

My biggest complaint is the color. I like to wild camp so I would prefer if the tent was a less conspicuous color like green or brown instead of bright orange. I would also like the tent to be just a bit smaller when it is packed up though that would probably cause the price to increase.

Final Thoughts on the Alps Mountaineering Lynx 1 Person Tent

For the price, I really can’t say anything bad about this tent. I tested out tents in the $300-$400 price range before buying this and it seems to be of the same quality as the more expensive options. The only difference is higher priced tents are slightly lighter and pack quite a bit smaller. Past a certain price point, you are really only paying to save a few ounces and a bit of space I don’t think it’s worth it. This tent should last just as long as the higher priced models and I am willing to carry around the extra pound to save a couple of hundred bucks.