To be honest, I am not a professional camper. I don’t know clearly all the necessary things for my adventure. But I know one thing I cannot live without a tent. A tent is not only a place to live but it is also a place where I share fun moments with my family and friends. For this reason, I always need to find the best tent for a perfect trip.
When searching for online information, I realize that ALPS Mountaineering vs Kelty are two giants in manufacturing goods for any outdoor adventures. So how can we pick the best tent for our next trip?
This is the reason why this article is aimed at creating a detailed comparison between two outdoor brands. Therefore, you can decide on your favorite tent more easily and wisely.
Which is the best one?
In brief, I believe that the answer of choosing one specific brand is based on what you are looking for.
If your budget is a little lower and you are a sky-view lover, Kelty should be your optimal choice because some Kelty tents are cheaper than the cheapest of ALPS. The rainfly of Kelty tents are also more flexible to open for stargazing activities.
On the other hand, when you go on a trip with more than 6 people, you should consider ALPS Mountaineering tents. Besides, ALPS tents often go with 2 doors instead of 1 door like Kelty. So, in the middle of the night, you feel free to go out without waking up your friend.
These two brands were popular on the market for more than 30 years. They have so many positive reviews from their users, so they have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Similarity
Despite being two different brands, they still share some similarities.
Firstly, their tents usually have X and Y structures. One noticeable strength of this construction is that you can easily set up or take them down within minutes.
Secondly, their tents are well-known for the helpful rainfly with full coverage. Their rainflies extend fully to the ground to protect your tent better from any unexpected weather conditions such as high winds, rain, or coldness.
Thirdly, they offer both full and half mesh designs based on your needs. While a tent with a bigger mesh can breathe better on warmer days, the full-mesh design can keep you warm pretty well in the cold weather. Therefore, no matter where you go camping, you can always find a suitable tent from ALPS Mountaineering vs Kelty.
Finally, most of their tents have vestibules. You may not know but vestibules are actually helpful in giving us extra storage space and tidiness when all dirty things are kept outside of the tent, but still within your reach. This point shows that the two brands are really good at understanding and meeting your expectations.
Difference
-
Diversity
As you scan through the websites of ALPS Mountaineering vs Kelty, it is clear that ALPS tents are much more diverse with more options than Kelty. While Kelty only has 28 models, ALPS has a huge collection of 40 models.
In addition, ALPS has more choices in terms of product weight, capacity, price and pole material. Therefore, if you are searching for a brand with more impressive diversity, ALPS is your go-to. But, if you are a simple camper and you don’t want to be stuck in this variety, Kelty will help you simplify your thinking process.
-
Price
Do you want to save some money on a tent and spend more on other things such as food or apparel? You can consider buying Kelty tents because Kelty has some options with lower prices than the lowest price of ALPS Mountaineering. Kelty’s lowest price is 100$, while ALPS’s one is 140$.
Another difference is that Kelty tents’ price range is bigger than ALPS. The range of ALPS prices is from 140 to 400$, but Kelty can be up to 2500$ with its special product line: The Kelty 4-6 Person Squad 4-Season Tent. This expensive tent is made to protect your tent from the most annoying natural elements with super strong poles, durable fabric, and 3 doors.
-
Capacity
If you go camping with a big group of friends of more than 6 people, the ALPS Mountaineering tent is more suitable because its maximum capacity is 8 people (Camp Creek Two-Room tent).
Sadly, Kelty’s biggest size is only for 6 people. So, I guess no one wants to live in a cramped room since this can affect your comfort a lot.
-
Doors
Kelty tents have one striking disadvantage. No matter how many people it can accommodate, many of its tents have only one door. This is significantly inconvenient when you always have to disturb your partner when you want to get in or out of the tent. Kelty Late Start is a typical example of a 2-person tent with only one small door. Although it is praised for its lightness, easy setup, and high quality, the one-door inconvenience is also its biggest drawback.
Kelty Late Start 2-person tent with one door
(Cre: Outdoor Zone)
In contrast, most ALPS tents are provided with 2 doors for easy access. The one-door type is reasonably designed for the 1-person tent or 1 super big door for many people.
-
Skyview
As a person who is interested in enjoying the spectacular natural view, I would go for Kelty tents. Compared with ALPS, Kelty offers its users more flexibility when opening or closing the rainfly.
For ALPS Mountaineering, you can only open the rainfly from two sides of the doors. Therefore, the stargazing experience will be limited when you can only see the stars through two doors, but not the roof.
ALPS’s limited view with the fly on
(Cre: The Outdoor Experience)
However, what I love at Kelty is the Stargazing fly. Some types of Kelty tents allow you to roll back half the rainfly and clip it to reveal most of the mesh. And when you want to go to sleep or you see the weather is not favorable, you can easily roll it down without the need to go out of the tent.
(Cre: Kelty Built)
FAQs
1. Does Kelty sell replacement parts?
Yes, Kelty does sell replacement parts. You can call the brand at 800-325-4121 on Monday-Friday during working hours or fill out our Information Request Form. You should have the product code in hand so that Kelty can check exactly whether the items that you want are available or not.
Please note that if your item was produced a long time ago, it is likely that Kelty no longer has replacement parts for it.
2. What are some cases that are not covered in the warranty policy of ALPS Mountaineering?
According to ALPS Mountaineering’s warranty policy, there are 3 main cases that your items will not be repaired or replaced:
Items purchased from unauthorized 3rd party retailers or if you don’t have any proof of purchase from an authorized retailer of ALPS products.
Normal wear and tear, accidental damage, alterations, misuse or neglect
Storm and wind damage, burns, UV damage
3. Is the footprint included in the original purchase of ALPS Mountaineering tents?
Unluckily, you have to buy the footprint separately. Usually, there is no need to buy an additional footprint. However, it is advisable that you have one because the footprint can help protect the floor of your tent from the rough ground, hence a longer lifespan for the tent. It also keeps dust and mud away from entering the tent.
Conclusion
To sum up, there is no right or wrong answer about your decision to choose ALPS Mountaineering vs Kelty tents. Each brand takes pride in its own competitive advantages.
Based on the above comparison, I would like to have some recommendations for your reference. Because I don’t want to spend much money on a tent and I also love enjoying the night sky, I prefer to pick a Kelty tent. However, when I go camping with my big family of 8 people, I will buy an ALPS Camp Creek Two-room for a wider living space.
Since ALPS Mountaineering and Kelty have both pros and cons, as long as you do careful research, you will never regret your choice!
Tags: Rightline Gear Suv Tent Vs Napier, ALPS Mountaineering Vs Marmot, Wenzel Vs Coleman Tents, Campros Vs Coleman, Geertop vs Naturehike, Geertop vs Lanshan, Vidalido vs Coleman, Alps Mountaineering vs Kelty, Core Tent vs Ozark Trail, Naturehike vs Big Agnes, Naturehike vs MSR, Thule Tepui Vs Smittybilt, Alps Mountaineering Vs Coleman, Napier Sportz Truck Tent Vs Backroadz, Big Agnes Blacktail Vs Msr Elixir, Naturehike Cloud Up Vs Mongar, Big Agnes Vs Marmot Tent, Msr Hubba Hubba Nx 2 Vs Elixir 2, Msr Hubba Hubba Vs Access 2, Kodiak Canvas Vs White Duck, Marmot Limelight Vs Tungsten, Coleman Sundome Tent Vs Dark Room Tent, Marmot Limestone Vs Halo, Coleman Sundome Vs Skydome, Marmot Limestone Vs Limelight, Forceatt Vs Bessport, Marmot Limestone Vs Tungsten, Big Agnes Vs North Face Tents, Coleman Sundome vs Flatwoods, ALPS Mountaineering Lynx Vs Taurus, ALPS Mountaineering Vertex Vs Velocity, ALPS Mountaineering Lynx Vs Zephyr, MSR Hubba Hubba vs Naturehike Mongar.
