Aldi "extreme condition" tent $70, 2.5kg + other items

[David M]

This tent goes on sale 21 July. What do you think of this tent for occasional use in the snow (e.g. Feathertop)? Is that a reasonable weight for a 2 man winter tent? Would that be considered "lightweight", as described? It is not clear whether or not it comes with pegs, none are shown or mentioned.

Note that they also have a "-15C" sleeping bag ($100), down jackets ($50), thermals ($30), stretch knot tops ($20), socks ($10) and a few other items. Any thoughts on those (for occasional use)?

I realise this is not "North Face" brand or similiar, but Aldi items can often present good value for money for what they are.

[cams]

I'll be checking out the down stuff and merino thermals and socks if I get a chance. The thermals and socks might be a great buy. They do say -15C is the extreme rating on the bag although they then don't mention what the other ratings are. It gives the fill weight of 600g though which would put it on par with most -7deg bags depending on the quality of the down.

Tent will be a bit of a gamble I reackon.

[Moondog55]

jusr "Sometimes" you can be surprised by how robust some of these cheap tents can be, i once used a $50- K-Mart tent on Bogong in winter and it held up better than some of my mates much more expensive mountain tents, better tents have become much better over the last 2 decades tho

[minidriver]

Hi All,

New here, but I'm going to take a look at the aldi tent today, will let you know what it is like from an inexperienced perspective! I've been looking for a decent cheap tent for weekend trips with my daughter and have exhaustively been researching. The Aldi tent seems to be the same as the Companion Pro:Hiker 2 sold by wildearth here : http://www.wildearth.com.au/companion-h ... -1615.html

It's hard to find any reviews on this tent, but for a 3 season the numbers seem to be good, and with Aldi selling it for half the price of WE, it can't be too big a gamble...

[David M]

Hi All,

The Aldi tent seems to be the same as the Companion Pro:Hiker 2 sold by wildearth here : http://www.wildearth.com.au/companion-h ... -1615.html

Good research!

[kbm63]

Unless you are a walrus the -15 rated sleeping bag wouldn't keep you that warm. It is about 600g down (20%feather) and would be a three season bag at best - but still good value if that is the type of bag you are looking for.

[Miyata610]

Unless you are a walrus the -15 rated sleeping bag wouldn't keep you that warm. It is about 600g down (20%feather) and would be a three season bag at best - but still good value if that is the type of bag you are looking for.

It's rated "extreme" -15°C so that probably equates to a comfort limit of about 0°C. That seems about right for it's size, weight and construction, and at $100 that has to be good value for the sort of bag that 99% of us really need (as opposed to want).

[adzza]

Thought I might contribute a bit of a mini review here on some of the Aldi gear.

I have a trip coming up to Africa, and whilst its hot during the day, on the plains the temps can plummet at night to almost 0 degrees! So I was set to pickup some new sleeping bags for the wife and I, but did not need an extreme bag as per say (I already have a Mont and FairyDown Everest for extreme temp hiking as I like to do snow hikes).

I picked up two of the down bags, a down vest, and heap of thermals.

Down Bags:

The down bags appear to be well built (not fantastic however), but a little light on as far as fill goes. I know they are 600 fill, but I expected more for some reason. The material seems light and durable, but certainly feels like lighter duty material in comparision to the Fairy or Mont. The zip seems to be a medium duty style. Not huge, but not a crappy micro zip. It runs smooth. The bag itself offers a little extra width which is nice. Down appears to thin out a little between baffles, and this may lead to the occupant getting quite cold, but the proof will be in the testing. I would expect this bag to perform ok, and not last a lifetime like the more expensive bags. That said it’s a cheap down bag so really cannot ask for much more!

Down Jacket:

This appears to be very well built, and fill is nice. The zip on the Jacket again is a medium style, but will prove to be ok if treated correctly. The outer material seems very durable and up for the challenge. It has a nice durable material running from the shoulder down the outer arm to protect from bumps and scrapes. I don’t know how well it will pack down being a full jacket vs a vest, however this is neither here nor there. It’s warm and has a mobile phone pocket, inside pocket, outer pocket, and two hand pockets.

Thermals:

Not much to say. 100% merino. They are very comfortable, and a steal at $30 a pop.

[bobbydee]

I bought the aldi down sleeping bag. I got inside it on the carpeted floor of my shed about two hours ago to see what it was like in the cold. I left the door open to let cold air in.... Anyway, I woke up to the sound of my wife laughing... I fell asleep in this comfy warm bag and my wife found me an hour later. It's about 9 degrees outside, and I had just a t shirt and shorts on...and I was nice and warm. I reckon with a silk bag liner, and long thermals and a beanie, I'll be fine in autumn tassie nights.
The bag itself?
It's great for the price... The heat collar is nice and I am 6 ft 2 and I fit nicely. It feels good so far... The zip is not the best but careful opening and closing will ensure longevity. It packs up nice and small too in a compression sack.

[chutes]

Edited for clarity.

[The Trout Hunter]

Any more reviews on the $70 Aldi tent? I saw a few left at the local store and it got me thinking it may be a nice investment..

Cheers,
Brad

[Mountain Rocket]

Hey Brad there a few comments regarding the tent in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10408&bookmark=1&hash=5867cb19

[minidriver]

I finally got around to buying this tent, was the last one left at Aldi near me so snapped it up today.

Set it up in the back yard when I got home. It seems to be of decent quality. It has nice orange anodised aluminium poles which seem to be made well. The ends of the poles slide into metal rings in heavy duty tabs at each corner. Inside seems to be quite livable, with plenty of pockets at each end, and a storage loft with two pockets. There is a small hole in the middle of the storage loft so a torch can hang through it from the hook located at the top of the tent.

The fly hooks onto the ends of the aluminium poles under the tent's tabs. It is tightened up using plastic buckles. There are vestibules. Having nothing to compare with I can't say if they are big or small, useful or useless. I think they would suffice.

It may not be the most expensive, or fanciest-pole-arrangemented tent on the market, but it is a start for me! It's better than any 2 man tent I owned when I was younger thats for sure! Will try and get some pics in the morning if the weather is favourable.

A couple of things to note - I'd say the tent would get wet when opening the fly door in the rain. It would be nice if it had some tie points on the bottom edge of the fly to make sure it doesn't sag onto the tent...

Oh the compression bag is pretty nice, and it comes with a repair kit with patches for each material type and some seam sealant.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Saw this tent on sale at the local Aldi today for $49.95

[forest]

I just grabbed one of the Aldi tents for $49.95.
I mean, who doesn't love a tent for $50 that appears to be pretty solid.

I've now had a bit of a play in the backyard and it's pretty good (Exceptionally good for $50)

Pitch is okay, I'm no lover of tent poles that require sliding through sleeves. But the sleeves are a mesh type so you can see the pole and have a few good access points.
Other than that it's pretty good. It sure pitches solid, the fly is very solid and has well tapes seams. Vesitbule space is okay. Not massive but in a pinch you could cook in one side or stow a pack fine.
The inside of the fly is sliver lined so I guess that would reflect/retain a little warmth.

Not using all the heavy storage sacks it comes with and not including stakes it weighs in at about 2.3 kgs. Like I said, for $50 it's pretty solid.
I'd say it would weather a bad storm pretty good.

Oh and I got the blue one.... I like blue

[Mountain Rocket]

I just grabbed one of the Aldi tents for $49.95.

Hey Forest, you are in Newcastle right? I keep hassling my partner to go to Aldi and see if they have one of these tents but she is yet to do so.
Could you perhaps share which Aldi you got it from? Apparently there is a bunch in Newcastle and she can not be bothered to go to all of them looking (beats me why not, I mean $50 *&%$#! dollars!).

[forest]

I just grabbed one of the Aldi tents for $49.95.

Hey Forest, you are in Newcastle right? I keep hassling my partner to go to Aldi and see if they have one of these tents but she is yet to do so.
Could you perhaps share which Aldi you got it from? Apparently there is a bunch in Newcastle and she can not be bothered to go to all of them looking (beats me why not, I mean $50 *&%$#! dollars!).

I got mine at Green Hills thismorning. There were 3 left.