New Tent -- given by friend -- any idea if it's a good one?

[trishaz717]

I just received a brand new tent from a friend of mine that inherited it. I have never tried it, just wondering if anyone has experience with it. It's an "Alps Merimac 6". She said she got it from REI. Anyone heard of it? If so, what do you think of it? Dry? Waterproof? I haven't set it up yet and am not sure if I'll have time before my next trip. Thanks!

[tplife]

It's a good entry-level tent for casual camping where strong winds and rain aren't anticipated. The design means not much vertical room, so that takes away some of the size capacity unless you like brushing against the tent walls. Definitely buy a set of 12" stakes at WalMart or another retailer and strong neon cord from Home Depot for the four tabs on the body - you'll need them as this is a 2-pole design that typiically has little integrity in even 3-person design. 6-man tents really require 4 poles at minimum to give the fly good rain runoff and provide a rigid frame to minimize flapping or damage in strong winds. I have a version of this by Eureka! called the Tetragon 7 (3-man) and it also has thin FiberGlas poles, SwiftClips (Sierra Designs patent) and #-shaped door with pin-and-ring attachments ('70s design) for the partial-coverage rain fly. Your tent has more mesh than the Tetragon 7 so this should be a little less prone to condensation buildup. Its big plus is the 2nd door, a nice feature indeed. Best feature is getting it free!
Enjoy

[trishaz717]

my free tent

Thanks for the reply! I already have a great Columbia tent, but couldn't pass up a free to me tent . I thought she was giving me a two man tent which I can definitely use -- I do a lot of solo camping. Do you think this marimac is a one person set up tent? I can set up my bugaboo tent on my own, but it can be a PIA. Thanks!

[tplife]

That tent sets up easily due to the SwiftClip design. The hardest part is attaching the flypole that pinches at each end to create the hood apex.