Big Agnes  Tiger Wall UL3 Tent

This is a long review, but it earned it. We did a 7 day hike on the Olympic Peninsula along the coast. Trying to find a place to set it up was a challenge due to terrain, and had it not been free-standing, there were several nights we couldn't have pitched it. We looked at the two-person tent but went with the three-person because: *The UL2: 52" at head, 42" at foot / UL3; 66" at head, 60" at foot. My husband is 6'1" and doesn't like his feet or head hitting the ends. With both of us inside the UL3 we can lay on our backs side to side without crowding. (We were able to set up the tents at REI, which I highly recommend, when narrowing down your options. If we hadn't we would have gotten the smaller tent and been unhappy.) *Weight: including fly, inner, poles, stakes, and stuffsacks; UL2 = 2lb 8oz / UL3 = 2lb 15 oz. We paid a LOT for this tent because we need ultralight, and this tent earned every cent. The second night of our hike we ended up on a tiny beach, which under normal conditions would have been fine, but a storm moved in creating a storm surge. We had pitched the tent as high up on the beach as possible between the branches of a giant driftwood tree to cut the wind. (There were no great options here because the tide had us locked in) About 2 a.m. the tide was at it's highest, and there was a storm surge that had the ocean about 3 feet from the tent. The wind was blowing so hard it was sandblasting the tent, and rain was coming down sideways from every angle, including sea spray. Even though I knew the tide was full up we decided to move, and the ONLY available location was next to a dead whale, which is why we didn't pitch there to begin with (Stink - you can't make this up people). We left our bags and air pads in the tent while we pulled up stakes and moved it with the poles still attached, next to the whale where the wind wasn't as bad, but the smell; there are no words. Though mostly rotted there was still enough left strung about in the sand to stink. The tent couldn't block the stink, but if whale stink is a normal concern for you, you've got bigger problems. Moving the tent in the wind was awkward, but it held up amazingly, and nothing was destroyed. We managed to get out of the wind a bit next to the whale, and once set up and staked the best we could, I did a video with my phone to see how things were. The video is bad, but I was looking for leaks. There were NONE. Even with moving the tent in the wind and rain it was dry. The video: the wrinkles and movement you see are the mesh insert, which is nearly invisible. It was moving because the tent was being yanked around in the wind, you just can't tell because the fly was so tight. There wasn't a breeze inside. The fly held all night with no sagging or ripping. When I zoom in on the top it looks like rain is inside and running down - It Is Not. The rain is on the outside of the fly, the material is lightweight/ thin, but strong. The next morning we were dry. Our packs in the vestibule were dry. This tent got HAMMERED, and held up. The rest of the week we had a few showers, but no wind, and this tent nailed it!... and it doesn't stink. Pics: #1 Dead whale at low tide, because who would believe this otherwise (I didn't show the gross bits). #2 Tent at a different beach during the week. It survived intact. I can not recommend this tent enough. It was worth every penny, and even keeps out the giant slugs, wind, sea, and the rain. The only thing I dislike is the fly zipper. With such lightweight fabric I catch the zipper in the extra material nearly every time, but it hasn't ripped, and comes out easily. Now I just use my hand as a block as I'm opening the zipper and there are no problems. - Sorry for length, but this tent deserves it.

Very Light. Nicely creative...if not somewhat strange...a blend of the Copper Spur and the Fly Creek in one. It's as if the designers envisioned the two tens having a baby and this is it...literally one half of each of the aforementioned tents blended together, a "Cat-Dog" tent. To the serious points: the weight is excellent. The fabric is the same as the Fly Creek (super thin). Like the Fly Creek, It is not a freestanding tent. The single pole design on half the tent has a flaw: when staked out against wind and rain, the outer wall has no tieouts or poles or guylines to maintain space from the inner mesh on wither side of the main center pole, therefor, even when the vestibules are well staked, the outer tent wall hopelessly flutters and swamps downward into the tent. (No good for any bad weather, like found at times on the PCT). Also the bathtub floor of the tent is too shallow. When the two doors are open, the bottom part of the zippered area of the bathtub floor fall to ground level. This means any standing rain water (or snow) on the ground will enter the tent when the doors are open. I love the bright yellow color. Biggest gripe, and cause for only 3 stars: there is no way you will fit three ppl in this tent for a whole night without some very tight spooning. I comfortably fit two pads that are 25" wide in here with about an inch to spare on each side and 3 inches between them. You do the math. Take this as a 2 person tent, ultralight for distance hiking in fair/temperate summer with no bad weather... and it's awesome. But for the price you..humm. . Label says "Made in China". I wanted to love it, but I returned it. Maybe BA can sell a rounded Dac pole as an insert for the Fly Creek half of the rainfly (for support).