Eureka! Apex3A

Not a lightweight tent by any means, but it is solid, functional, and has stood the test of time for more than ten years on all kinds of trips.

We bought this tent more than ten years ago to use as our primary backpacking tent. It has served us well on many, many trips, and we still use it when car camping.

Very simple to set up—just two crossing poles (we bought the lighter and better aluminum pole version, thus Apex 3A). It really does set up in a minute or two. Most of the tent is bug net, and the rain fly can only be installed one way—you never have to remember, because the combination of hooks and buckles will only fit one way.  

The rainfly seems bulletproof—not a leak or even a worn spot after twelve years of use. The floor is sturdy—we've never found a leak. It's served us in both rain and light snow without a worry. When it gets really hot, the only solution is to take off the rainfly...but no tent handles direct sunlightwell.  

We have eventually replaced this tent with a Tarptent Rainbow, which is fully three pounds lighter. But we still use this one for car camping, and we regularly loan it out to people who join us on trips. They are always happy with it.   

Background

We've backpacked more than 2,000 miles in the Sierra over the years, and car camped for most of our lives—nearing seventy years.