As mentioned in another thread I'm a little new to all this and in the process of acquiring gear. I came across an Alps Mountaineering Lynx 2 tent at a really good price, the only problem is that I know next to nothing about the company.

The prices for most of their stuff seems a little on the low side, but knowing what I do about companies in other areas (fishing equipment, tools, etc) sometimes you come across a smaller, unknown company that produces top quality stuff at lower quality prices just to get a foothold in the market. I was wondering if that's the case here?

As far as reviews on the internet, there really aren't a whole lot to give me something definitive. There don't seem to be more than 3 reviews on any single piece of equipment. Overall I'd say there seems to be 70% that claim its great quality at a great price and 30% that say the exact opposite.

Any personal experiences and advice would be greatly appreciated.

I love the design of those tents, they are incredibly easy and fast to set-up. The down side to that particular one is it is a bit heavy at over 5lbs.

If you're backpacking with a friend and intend on sharing the tent, then the weight isn't bad, but if you're using it by yourself you can probably find some lighter alternatives that will work as well for you.

Tell us where and when will you be doing most of your backpacking and we can probably offer some suggestions.

I have two of there sleep pads which are very comfortable to sleep on. They are not as compact as some other brands so I use them for car camping. Have looked at there tents but not tried one.

I have AM Sleeping bag and backpack. IMO, both are excellent value. The 60 litre backpack has a fully adjustable back length and pretty good hip belt. The bag is (for me) true to temp rating and was a bargain in REI Outlet special. My understanding is that they target the scout market, so durability is important in design. Thsi means that they are not lightweight.

I agree about durability and affordability. Great gear for scouts. I have both AM bag and backpack. Both are now too heavy for me as I move to lighten my load, but the gear is awesome and very fine quality.

I've read that Alps Mountaineering does target the Scouting market and gives them discounts. (Note, though, that my info is all second hand.) Nevertheless, I'd look for something a little lighter, especially if you will be going solo with this tent (as already pointed out, the weight is not so bad if two people will be sharing it).

A good place to check for gear reviews is Backpackgeartest.org . These folks test the gear items thoroughly over several months' time. All too many "reviews" are like this one: "I took this tent on a 2-night trip to xxx. The weather was beautiful. This is an awesome tent." The one problem I have with Backpackgeartest.org is that they depend on gear donations by the manufacturers and therefore don't test a lot of the excellent lightweight gear by "cottage" manufacturers.

You might want to check out the excellent tents made by Tarptent.com and Sixmoondesigns.com, two of these "cottage" manufacturers.

I'll jump in here too...I have a car camping bag from Alps that I've had forever. It's suffered kids jumping around in it, wrestling in it, stuffing it into every nook and cranny and it still looks like new!:)

I have firsthand experience with AM and Scouting discount: 45% off retail. Simple as visiting www.scoutdirect.com

They also have a demo program if you'd like to test and write up their gear.

Doug