Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent

Comments about Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent:

I have Agnes SL1 and love it. This tent is great and love it as well. Would not recommend using it for a 3 person as the only thing that would fit would be your sleeping pad and sleeping bags. I use an ultra lite cot and my son used a sleeping pad. Those items took up most width and no way would a 3rd person fit. So its best as a 2 person with gear. Set up on a wet ground and no issues with leaking. We had a cool breeze that seem to come in even with roof attached. Not a big deal but may be in heavier cold winds. Good head room when sitting up and felt roomy. Takes up some space in your pack but not too much that would make me choose a different one. Good weight and quality build. Simple setup less than a few minutes. I used a poncho second night to block wind and that took care of that issue. would highly recommend to anyone hiking overnight. Another tent I am glad to have bought for use on the sectional AT trips we take!

Comments about Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent:

I wanted a light weight tent and knew that I would have to give up certain items in order to reduce the weight. That being said, this tent simply gives up too much! First, it has a single front door. Hard to get in and out. The vestibule is good for covering boots but that's about it! This tent is certainly not big enough for 3 people (good enough for 2). The fly is solid so when zipped up there is no way to see out. The zipper on the tent opening is so hard to zip that I literally have to use both hands (one inside, one outside) to get it to close. The tent material is so thin I got a hole in the floor (but not in the footprint - go figure) even though I am very careful about what goes in the tent and where I pitch it. The storage bag is a joke. It appears to be made of the same material as the tent. Brush up against anything - rocks, shrubs, bark - and you can plan on a rip or hole. I used this tent on 3 trips into the Grand Canyon and have to replace the bag (or cover it with duct tape). The tent does not contain any heat (good in the summer, bad in the winter) but that should be expected of this type of tent.

The tent is light weight.

I absolutely would not recommend this tent to a friend (and maybe not to an enemy). It's just way too expensive for the quality and durability.

Comments about Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent:

This is an excellent ultra-light tent, which I have used over 20 times already. I kept asking myself why, despite the tent supposedly being bigger, it felt so much smaller than our other tent. To solve this puzzle I have done some crazy specific analysis, get-ready/sorry for the geek-out.

TRUE FOOTPRINT SIZE
1. The tent is not a 90 x 66 inch/in. or 7.5 x 5.5 foot/ft. rectangle. Without looking at the tent one might figure this out as the above dimensions would yield a footprint area of (7.5 height/H x 5.5 width/W) = 41.25 sq ft. and not the disclosed 39 sq ft.

2. The tent floor is in reality an isosceles trapezoid (non-parallel length sides are equal and both angles coming from a parallel side are equal). The trapezoid floor has the following dimensions when tightly staked out: height = 89in./7.41ft.; width A = 64in./5.3ft.; width B = 59in./4.91ft.. If one really really stretches the H=90in.; WA= 66in.; WB=59in. lengths could be achieved with some headroom loss, but the level of stretching required, in my opinion, is unrealistic and I don't want to lose my headroom space. This makes the actual tent footprint area 37.82ft. using the area of a trapezoid (A+B)/2 * H formula.

3. Before you begin thinking an actual area of 37.82ft. is not that bad from the 39ft. disclosure, note that you lose more footprint area when you stake out the tent sides with guidelines, (to get the required shoulder room). The median/midsection width where the guidelines are is actually 50in./4.16ft. In other words, when staking the tent sides the tent bows in. So to summarize, the front width is 64in. the middle is 50in. and the foot width is 59in. If I'm doing the calculations correctly, dividing the tent floor into 2 trapezoids of H 3.705ft added together, this yields an actual footprint area of 33.52ft.

TRUE HEIGHT
1. The highest height of the tent is 43.5in. before staking the sides with guidelines. 42in. with the side guidelines staked. This height is maintained for 24 inches across the top of the tent.

2. The tent height at the front door entrance is 38in. and 23in at the foot or bottom end. If you don't stake out the tent sides you won't have enough shoulder room.

2 PERSON VS. 3 PERSON
1. If you happen to have the thermarest neoair mats of width size 26.5in. for large and 21in. for a small, then it is physically impossible to have 3 people in this tent. As stated above the midsection of the tent, when sides are staked, is 50in. So be sure to take your mats (if you use them) into account before purchasing this tent.

TEMPERATURE DIFERENTIAL AND MORE
1. Most tents may hold in some heat from your body, handy in cooler temps, but this tent does not. I tested this setting up two tents, an old mountain hardware airjet 2 tent, which added an extra 4 degrees, where the fly creek temperature was the same as it was outside. As we live in texas, being warm is usually not our problem, so this is a plus feature for us. It did take me a while to figure out why I was so much colder during winter camping than with my other tent. If you camp in cooler weather, depending on your previous tent, take this lack of heat retention into account by bringing an extra bag liner or warmer sleeping clothes.

2. The tent does block wind. A great feature, that helps with this, is that the mesh goes all the way down to the ground only for the door, one generally faces the tent door in the most scenic and private direction. The sides of the tent mesh go midway down, offering a bit more privacy when sleeping. The foot mesh goes down to 7in. above the ground. While in an all mesh going down to the ground tent, we were in a sand storm and it wasn't pretty, so I like the fact the mesh doesn't go to the ground everywhere.

3. The mesh is harder to see through depending on the lighting outside. At night I can't see outside the mesh much at all even after my eyes have adjusted. The mesh weave is really small, great for bugs.

4. Tent condensation limits stargazing to low humidity nights only. If there is moisture in the air you will have to put the tent cover on or risk getting a bit wet.

5. Finally our old quarter dome TT UL 3 footprint will work with this tent by hooking it in the tent poles at the front of the tent as normal and just staking it through the loops at the foot or not staking it at the foot at all.

Comments about Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent:

A friend and I used this on a 12 day back packing trip in Mountains out West and very comfortable for 2 and if you really must keep weight lower 3 average size max would work but lets say you need to be comfortable with each other.
But I'm certain out of the 12 plus people or say 7 tents we had on the trip ours was the best one on the block. Sets up in less than 10 minutes easy and we had some challenging set up spots. Held up well in some reasonable unlevel areas. Price of tent was worth it in the end.
Can't really respond about the condensation because in the West there is very low humidity it did mildly rain on us one night and wasn't an issue staying dry.

Comments about Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent:

This is an OK tent, so I can't give it under 3 stars. The one way is does perform as advertised is that it is VERY light and small, and it's easy to pack up and put away.

The reason I'm disappointed is that it's not nearly good enough to warrant the high cost. I didn't mind spending a lot on the tent if the performance matched the price. But it doesn't. The space is too claustophobic, even for one person, if you're going to anything other than just sleep; even just changing clothes is a pain. The tent is very difficult to set up tautly enough not to flap in the wind. The ultra-thin material is great at reducing weight, but tears very easily -- I was careful on even and padded ground, with a footprint, and still managed to get a hole in the bottom. And it holds no heat -- I was cold in a warm sleeping bag on just a cool foothills night in early summer.

I tried to keep an open mind and not return this tent right away, and subsequently used it camping three different times. But I kinda knew the first time I set it up that I'd never be happy with it, and I never was. If the tent was $250, I'd probably keep it; but it's just not worth the money I spent on it, so it's going back.

I make a lot of purchases according to the rule, "Don't be afraid to buy the best -- you'll never be disappointed." But this wasn't the best -- it was just the most expensive.

Comments about Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent:

I've tried several tents in the past year. FIrst was the REI Passage 2 which I found to be a sturdy tent but too heavy. Then I bought the BA Copper Supur UL2 which was perfect for 1 but too cramped for two people. Finally I bought the BA FLy Creek UL3 as a two person tent.

I've only used the BA Fly Creek UL3 once in relatively pleasant conditions. High 75* F and low 28* F. Winds 1-2mph. In the morning I noticed that there was condensation that was collecting on the hubs which dripped into the tent. Not lot of water collected but enough to be noticed. Not a huge issue in the conditions that I was in but can imaging it becoming a problem in colder & wetter conditions. The build quality is great. After the condensation problem I am willing to give another chance. But might be returning to the Copper Spur UL3 if I encounter the same problem after 2nd use.

Comments about Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent:

I own a Big Agnes Fly Creek 2, but was going on a three person trip, so I got the Fly Creek 3. Well, a fourth person joined us so we took two tents, one being the Fly Creek 3. We decided to go for the extra space and take the extra pound of weight over the lighter Fly Creek 2. Am I glad we did! On a six day trip in the Sierras in the Mammoth Lakes area, it rained two of the days and I mean T-storms! We were in the tent under rain for two afternoons and nights in the Sierras. The Fly Creek 3 was up for it, no leaks, no condensation, and good ventalation. It was fine in the wind and rain and we were comfortable. There was plenty of room for the two of us and our gear, some in the tent, some in the vestibule. I would say, if there would have been a third person we would have fit, but probably would have been miserable for lack of space, even though my friend and I are both short. It is a tight three person tent. Also, with one exit it would have been a hassle for one of three people to get in and out. It was a bit of a hassle for each of us to exit, because of the low profile, though it has enough head room for us to sit up comfortably. Remember though, we are short.

Comments about Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent:

I purchased this tent to save weight on long (~7 day) backpacking trips. At just over 3 pounds it is less than half the weight of the 3-man "backpacking" tent I have used for many years. The Big Agnes tent is roomy and easy to setup. I have taken it on a 7-day trip in the Sierras and did not have any problems with it. My only concern is that the light weight of the materials will not stand up over time. I plan to continue to use my older tent for situations where weight is not a factor.

Comments about Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent:

I would buy this if my overriding consideration was going light. Perhaps this should be obvious in the case of a 3lb 3oz tent, but I have to say I am disappointed. The clear advantage of this tent is light weight, but the design compromises to achieve that are unacceptable in my opinion.

After a three night late-July backpack in the Cascades I have decided it does not meet my expectations because:
• Even a modest breeze flows freely through the tent. This is because the bottom of the fly, when stretched, is several inches off the ground. The door of the tent is netting that extends to very near ground level. Wind blows under the fly and through the tent. At the beach this might be welcome, but not so much in the mountains. After one very chilly night I chose not to stake out the vestibule. This did cut down on the wind flow enough to be comfortable, but that defeats the purpose of the vestibule. Replacing the lower 12-18 inches of the door with wind-resistant material would be a huge improvement at the expense of an ounce or two.
• As other reviewers have noted, even when fully staked out, the fly flaps in the wind. If you don't stake out the vestibule to reduce wind flow through the tent then be prepared for a lot of noise in breezy conditions.
• The tent structure partly depends on the fly being installed and fully staked out. The tent sides luff unless the fly is hooked to the sides and fly guy cords are fully stretched. This is technically a free-standing tent, but the tent doesn't have the taught structure I expect in a free standing tent. The tent works acceptably well only if the fly is installed and the fly guy cords are staked out on every side.
• Thanks to other reviewers I didn't expect this tent to have room for three people. I have to agree with that, but I will add that it has more than ample room for two.

On the other hand, it is amazing that it is only 3lbs 3oz. You could look at it as an alternative to a tarp. If you look at it that way you get a reasonable amount of comfort for very little extra weight.

Comments about Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3 Tent:

Love this tent! I got it in particular for backpacking because it is so light weight, but it can easily be used for shorter adventures as well. Sooo lightweight and very easy to set up. The tent is for my boyfriend and I, but I choose the 3 person one (after advice from a salesperson) to fit our packs as well & upon testing it easily fits the two of us and all of our stuff.