Outbound Backpack Tent, 3-Person
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Good value for Backcountry tent
I am very satisfied with this purchase, and have brought this tent along on a few backcountry camping trips. What i can say is that II do not recommend this tent for 3 people, except in the case of children or shorter people. Also take in mind the space that will be taken up by gear. The outer fly gives good shelter for shoes, but my only complaint is that there is little ventilation unless the vestibule is opened. In the case of rain, only the bottom portion could be opened, and this would offer limited ventilation. Keep in mind that it is not the lightest tent, nor the most compact. Another thing to note is that unless in the shade, the sunlight in the morning will soon wake you up as it lights up the bright orange tent more than you would think. For the price, it is hard to beat. Overall great product.
May 13, 2013
great product
I own one and its the best tent I have ever owned. It have never leaked and the zipper still works
May 4, 2013
Easy to set up
We loved this tent! We were hiking in banff for several days and this tent was great! Water proof, easy to set up and super compact!
August 22, 2012
Great Value
I bought this for my son as his was too small and it turned out to be the best idea ever, it took him seconds to put together
August 15, 2012
Great Tent
Bought this tent 3 years ago for car camping. We neede something that would take up very little space and do the job to sleep in. This tent is all of that. Easy to set up pack up and no problem with rain and bad whether, as long as you have the fly on and tied down this thing wont move. Very happy. Did i mention we got this tent for 80.00 on sale!!! GOOD PURCHASE.
July 9, 2011
Good tent with one big and one little "but"
I hemmed and hawed for nearly 4 months before deciding to get this tent at regular price vs. a slightly more expensive one. Managed to get it on sale at $140.00 so am satisfied.
The good stuff: overall quality seems good, design of the two fly/two door is helpful. Can't judge the durability yet but can't see a likely problem if I'm careful inserting poles into the sleeves. I called the Outbound distributor after buying to ask about the waterproofing which it claimed it had- but the manual seemed a bit ambivalent about. I was told it would stand up to a regular rain with no problem but maybe not a "torrential downpour". So I re-coated it but in retrospect, I don't think i needed to bother.
I slept in it for a week and with my backpack and other gear, had enough room for me and my gear. As expected, the 3 person capacity is a joke. (Where do the manufacturers find the tiny people to fit in tents?) Two people and some gear would have fit but but you'd really have to like that person enough to be very close!
We did not get a lot of rain but what we did get was not a problem at all. The fly does a great job on wind and rain as far as I can tell.
"Little but"... I found the instructions were vague, even unclear. There are some fasteners about which the purpose is unclear and the manual doesn't mention them.
"Big but"... when the fly is fully closed up for weather or for privacy (I was at a camp with about 30 people, mostly children) there is virtually no venting! If there was a good wind, it would likely make it under the fly and up and through the tent. But with little wind, the first three mornings I woke up damp from my own respiration through the night. Very uncomfortable. Afterward I left the fly open somewhat so air/moisture could escape and it was OK but I could not count on privacy or that there'd be no heavy rain in the night. I expect that I'll figure it out- how much fly to leave open and keep the rain out but I was jealous of another tent of comparable size and quality that had two little vents at the top of the fly that let air/moisture out and kept the rain from coming in.
So, for a backpacker (about 8 lbs of tent) who'll be more or less alone, I'd recommend this tent easily, assuming s/he would wake up when it rained. But for group camping or with long stretches of rain, I'd find one with better venting.
August 16, 2010
A Few Problems but Good Now
I just purchased this tent on sale for 139.99. I had a few issues right up front. The first tent I bought had one of the buckles that holds the fly to the corner of the tent that would pull apart easily. So I exchanged it no problem and set up the next one to inspect it. It had good buckles but had a hole in the mesh. So I went to exchange it for another - and there was no more stock, so I ended up taking the good fly and the good tent and combined them to make a sound unit. Now I am a happy camper.
What do I like:
1/ The packed size and the sack it comes in (will have enough room in the sack to add a ground sheet if I roll the tent tightly)
2/ The poles are aluminum and slide well through the sleeves and are patterned in a more solid way that jsut the typical "X" pattern for more stability.
3/ The 2 doors on either side (good for the mid night nature calls not having to climb over the other person/s)
4/ Good ventialtion for summer use (might be a bit cool as the temperature drops (but have used it at about minus 5 C and it was fine)
5/ The 2 vestibules - although not huge like my Outbound Lakeside Long 6 tent - gives room to put muddy boots etc.
6/ The fly has tie supports on it so you can zip it open and still have it in place (it has 3 zippers) for better ventilation.
7/ The polyesther floor instead of the usual polyethythene (tarp like) floor.
What I do not like:
1/ The sleeves the poles have to go through. Although they do slide easily through, the clip style would be way easier to set up and take down.
Overall I am impressed with this tent (especially given the price). I also looked at an MEC Tarn 3 which although maybe a bit more "technical" and would be easier to set up with its pole clips, it does lack a bit of room compared to this one (both in terms of floor and vestbule space).
I will be using this with my 2 kids (8 and 10) when we are going places that we have to set up and take down daily etc. If we are staying put for a while, we use the Lakeside Long 6 man.
I think 3 adults would be pretty darn cramped so I would consider this a 2 man (like most 3 man tents).
Have not used it much yet so cannot comment on durabilty, but my other Outbound tent is doing well after 2 years and they have a lifetime warranty.
I would recommed this tent.
jp
May 26, 2010
