Walrus Arc 4

Summary

Long lasting, 13 years and still camping with this tent.

Not the lightest, but I have been through California and Arizona with this tent. I have dealt with snow, fierce rain, monsoons, and hail. I need to replace the cord in the poles but it's still running tough.

I'll be taking it out at least twenty more times before the end of the year. Average use is about 25-40 camping trips a year.

This is a very solid, high quality tent with lots of space. It has two large vestibules, which is nice because you can store all the gear for two or three people under one vestibule while leaving the other clear (the vestibules align with the doors) for entrance or cooking. When the rain cover is attached, the tent is impressive--very solid looking.

The profile is pretty low, and looking inside is akin to a cavern--long, round, and low (I'm 6'1"). There is easily room enough for three people, or two people and a couple dogs. Three thermarest mats can lay (linked) parallel without touching the sides of the tent. The designers were also very good about making every little flap fold away, with convenient hooks and meshing for holding gear and such.

One minor problem is that because of the size, a fairly large area must be available for the tent. Setting up on a small space could be difficult.

The Arc-3 may really be a 4 season tent; when you put on the footprint and tie down the rain fly, you feel very safe and insulated from the elements.

The only problem is the weight. I bought this tent before I realized how important weight can be. With all the stakes, rainfly, footprint, and stuff sack, geez the thing must weigh 13 lbs. That's pretty heavy for a tent! So, I think the way to go is to use this tent for colder or rainier weather, and then use some sort of ultra-light tent for clear weekends or hot weather.

If three people are sharing the load, then the extra weight is well worth it. For two people, without dogs, I'd suggest a lighter tent. Enjoy!

I bought this tent about 5 or 6 years ago. This tent is amazing. It has stood the test of time. I have used it 2 or three times every year, and my two boys borrow it for a few weeks every year. My son borrowed it a few years ago and a storm came up with high wind gusts and blew every tent around him down. My tent was the only tent still standing. My son got a restful night's sleep, while his friends had to spend the rest of the night in their cars. The only damage to the Walrus was a slightly bent pole....Nuff said....