Walrus Arc 3

I have owned this tent for about eight years and have very few complaints. Nowadays we use it primarily for trips to the Boundary Waters or when car camping. It's a little heavy for packing. That being said, the tent's overall construction is excellent. I've spent a couple of months living in the tent and haven't had any issues. I was a bit skeptical about the shock cording holding the poles together but so far I haven't had any problems.

It is a very roomy tent and quite warm in winter. However, when the weather is warm and you must use the rainfly the ventilation is pretty poor. I've spent many a hot uncomfortable night in my Arc 3. The other issue I have with the tent is the rapid hub system. I don't find it saves time in setting up verses my other tents and it certainly adds to the pain in the ass factor when packing. You can't carry the poles separately and you must roll the tent up on the ground which sucks when it's been raining and muddy.

I would buy the tent again if I was planning on using it for canoe or car camping. However, for backpacking I thinks it's too bulky as well as heavy. Great construction though.

I have only used the tent once and in good weather. The tent body is nicely made and the rapid hub setup is OK, but takes some getting used to when folding the tent. You cannot just stuff the tent into a sack like other tents. The only problem is I cannot tighten the fly sheet on this tent. Even with the ladder locks at their tightest the fabric is cut in such a way that part of the fly is loose and flaps about even in mild winds. A flysheet like on the Walrus Skyline looks better though it sacrifices some vestibule space.

Does Walrus have an e-mail address?

This is probably a good $200 tent, but I'm not impressed with the overall quality, and I'm returning it to REI. Elastic in the poles is thin and weak, provides no tension, just keeps the pole sections together. Build quality is average or below for body and fly. Has two doors with poled vestibules, and most of the 43 sq ft is usable, so will sleep three nicely. Structural rigidity is poor compared to something like SD Stretch Dome, so it's a 4-season tent, but not for extreme conditions of high winds and snow. But for $200 ($295 retail) it's worth a look if you need a tent of this size.

So far I've had 12 inches of snow dropped on this tent and endured one of the worst coastal rainstorms I've ever laid awake through. This tent came through with flying colors on both counts. Not a drop of water during heavy pouring rain, and we didn't know there was a foot of snow on the tent until we got out the next morning. It's an interesting setup with the built in pole, but with a little practice you can do it with your eyes closed. This is my first real mountaineering tent, but I've enjoyed it thoroughly so far.

This is a heavier nylon four-season tent with minimal ventilation for summer time.

Background

This has been used approximately 15 times in all seasons in Minnesota and Colorado. Premier league winter spring and fall.

This tent has seemed to get a bad rap in my opinion. This tent is quality. It's held up under downpours and good wet snows. Great room for two, but three would be cramped. Love the two vestibules, however entry and exit could be improved, and may be on newer models. It took a little getting used to the rapid hub system, but after a few times, not a problem. Ventilation was a concern, but found Walrus put nice zips at the top, front and back. Ride out a storm, this is it!

I may be partial since I got this tent mismarked at $177, but I think it would be a good value at $299.

I have used it so far on four occasions, including moderate (50 mph) winds. I am very pleased with the tent's quality and I had no trouble getting the fly tight (like all tents, you have to retighten it if the temp changes or it gets wet).

It's a little heavy, but with two large vestiblules for gear it's actually usable for three people.