I bought this tent in 2014 and it's still holding strong—grab it for your next camping trip

Gabriel Morgan | Reviewed

— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission.

Tents provide you with security and shelter from the elements. Having a reliable tent is key to any outdoor adventure. I love knowing that, wherever I take mine—and I've taken it many, many places—I have a temporary home that's bug- and rain-proof as well as cozy. I've used an older version of the Alps Mountaineering Aries 3-Tent for nine years, and it's never let me down.

To make it clear: I haven't tested the current Aries 3-Tent (also available on Amazon) or Aries 2-Tent. I'm basing my opinion on the ancestor to the current Alps Mountaineering Aries-3 model, which I bought in 2014. However it's nearly identical except for its color scheme.

►Happy Birthday, Sam's Club! Join for $10 to score bulk savings on groceries, gas, toilet paper and more

Like the featured Aries tent, my Alps Mountaineering tent has clip-on poles that make it supremely easy to set up solo, a mesh exterior that still hasn't torn and a reliable rainfly.

Make smart choices without hours of googling. Subscribe to The Checklist newsletter for expert product advice and recommendations.

I initially bought my tent for a car camping road trip through Utah and California. Since then, I've taken it across the country and back twice, camped in it for a month at a time, hauled it up snow covered mountains, beach camped with it in buffeting winds and even camped in it on a New York City rooftop. That beach trip (at around its 8th year of use) has caused some of the zipper hardware to corrode. Other than that, i have had zero problems with the tent, even after hundreds of nights spent in it amidst all sorts of weather.

►Say goodbye to cable: Get the Disney+ bundle and save 50% on three popular streamers

The Aries family of tents is full of thoughtful design. I love how the tent features a large central hook on its top that can be used to clasp onto both of the tent's poles after they've been threaded into their sockets, holding them in place while the rest of the clips are attached. This makes it easy to set up solo. I also appreciate that the tent's pole sockets are color-coded to the rainfly and poles. Orange goes with orange and black goes with black. This means you'll always know which side of the pole goes to which side of the tent, and which side of the rainfly is meant to clip where.

I love the tent's material quality. I've never had a bug get through the mesh or zippers—at least when they're properly closed. I've weathered numerous rainstorms, including some significant thunderstorms that flooded the campsite. Still, my tent never flooded or even got damp on the inside.

The tent has also proven resistant to bad odors and mildew. Even after packing up and hiking out of the Hoh Rainforest in steady drenching rain with no good place to dry it, my my tent has always sprung back without excess must.

The Alps Mountaineering Aries 3-Tent seems to be slated for phasing out. Thankfully Alps Mountaineering has some other exciting models available, like the Mystique 1.5 Tent.

Shop Alps Mountaineering at Amazon

The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Flipboard for the latest deals, product reviews and more.

Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.

Facebook Twitter Email