Hi Everyone!

A family friend bought my wife and I a tent to use on our planned trip to climb Whitney this year. I wanted to see everyone's thoughts on it? It is a 3 person tent, so i realize weight will be a factor for the two of us, but wondering if it is worth investing in something else or just a better general backpacking tent for her, our dog (lab), and myself. Here is the link to the tent:

http://www.backcountry.com/eureka-apex-2...mV1cmVrYSB0ZW50

It is a Eureka Apex 3XT.

Thanks in advance for all the help!!

Your link says it's a 2 person tent.

7 pounds is pretty heavy, you could spend more money and drop a pound. Or, if you only carry the tent to Outpost Camp, and then day hike to the summit and back, it would probably be ok.

But I wouldn't want to carry it all the way to Trail Camp.

My Original plan was to carry it all to trail camp, to give us more time to summit. Is there another tent you'd recommend? I'd like a 3 person tent as any other trips we do i'd bring our dog, and i dont think 2 person would fit the 3 of us. I also would want to try and not spend a lot for a new tent. I am not sure if it helps that with my Wife coming with me we can split the weight of the gear. Thank you very much for your reply!

all a matter of total pack weight and fitness. I see no problem with a 7 pound tent if you know you can get to Trail Camp with a full pack within a reasonable amount of time. I've carried a 7 pound 2 person tent down the Muir Trail many years ago and thought it was a lightweight tent (it was, back then...)

There are much lighter tents available, but they cost significantly more. We use a 3-person Big Agnes Copper Spur for 2 - 3 person hikes and it totals 5 pounds. In winter it's an 8 pound tent for 2 people, or 5 pounds for a solo tent. All my recent tents are very tight for the number of occupants they are rated for, so a 3 person tent for space and comfort or room for two and a dog is a good idea.

If you have patience to look around, watch www.steepandcheap.com (backcountry.com's outlet site) over the coming months. They tend to blow out Alps Mountaineering tents (I think that is their house brand) at steep discounts and they are pretty darn good for the money. Not much lighter than the Eureka you are looking at. Sometimes you'll even find higher end brands at good prices.

If you go in the summer, you probably don't really need a tent at all, but that's a different approach. I prefer a tent on longer trips as a haven of comfort at the end of long days in the middle of nowhere, while for a summer overnighter on Whitney a bivy and a close eye on the weather forecast would be just fine.

Thank you so much!