Big Agnes  Bunk House 4 Tent

After 25 yrs in a backpacking 2 person tent for ALL of our camping trips, we decided to get a bigger tent- one that we can stand in! Took it out for its maiden voyage, and it rained on us two evenings in a row with wind. The Bunk House took maybe 10 min to stake out and have up and ready. We were pleased with the front vestibule being large enough for my husband and I to sit in order to wait out the storm. We propped up the “garage door” with our hiking poles and some lines and our teen (who is 5’11”) sat in a 3rd chair. We had a small table in between us, and the 3 of us could sit and eat dinner or play a game. We purchased this tent because the front vestibule was appealing to us as we continue to car camp to have a place to wait out weather without having to purchase another add on or structure. Having 2 doors is also a huge draw for this product, but we didn’t use the second door on this trip. We fit a queen mattress in here and had about a foot of space around the sides. Two sleeping pads would also work if you are looking for space. And 3 adults on sleeping pads could also work, 4 adults would feel very tight I think. Stacking the sleeping pads to one side when not in use would have allowed for more space in the tent to sit while raining. This tent is definitely an adjustment for us, but overall we stayed dry during the rain, it was easy for us to put up, and we could stand inside! Tent packs of easily away in its own backpack, and I would say we packed up the tent in 10 min as well. We also stayed warm. What type of camping we did: Car camped at 9-10k feet in a National Forest; temps were mid 30’s at night, high 60’s during the day. Rain snow mix on our first evening that turned into a thunderstorm; second evening was a steady rain for approximately 3 hours, and another rain storm in the middle of the night. Our teenager preferred to sleep in his own small tent.

Great design and made with great material. Stood up to 30 mph wind. For this size if a tent, it is easy to put up by one person. The zippers could perhaps be improved as they do not zip so easily at times, so I think that can be improved. Nothing inside the tent ever got wet in the rain.

Used it for 20 or so car camping trips - appreciated the peak height; also the mesh pockets up high and across the head and foot ends. One the down side: the waterproofing isn't up to the Olympics and the rain there - neither top nor bottom. But it became a leave at home tend after being totally flattened - because of the poles with the bends in them - in Death Valley in a strong wind [but far short of what DV can kick up]. For car camping in benign environments: an ok tent; but when the weather becomes less than benign - take something else. Other comments: easy setup - was able to do by starlight more than once. The zippers eat sand and dust like crazy and bind up too easily.

I've been through three or four car-camping tents over the years, and this is the best so far. It's just me and my dog camping, and this tent gives me plenty of room for my double-wide mat, stuff I like to have handy in camp (clothes and whatnot), all of the various bags that my camp gear travels in, and even a chair and small table when the weather is bad. If the weather calls for a bit of shade or shelter from rain or light wind, I can put my comfy chair and footstool in the front vestibule with the awning up and hang out in comfort. I use some of the many gear-loops in the tent and vestibule to string lights. I've been out in this tent three times since buying it, two nights at a time on each. I did a practice set-up in my backyard before the first. Number one tip: there are three lines on each side that converge at the middle and can be secured with a single stake. Sometimes that works, sometimes not, so be prepared to use two or even three stakes at that point in the pitch. And make sure you tighten up the fly properly if there's any chance of rain or wind. Overall, this is very close to a five-star tent. I knocked off one star for the cheap stakes it came with and my doubts about it's ability to stand up to more than moderate wind. Pros: I can stand up inside (I'm 5'3" and have been stooping in tents for so long that I have to remind myself that this tent is plenty tall enough for me to stand up inside). The multiple options for the front vestibule. Easy to set up by myself. Plenty of interior loops and pockets. Well-ventilated (no condensation issues inside and it's easy to get good airflow on a hot day). Stood up to an all-night Puget Sound downpour (just make sure you use a footprint and don't set up in low spot!). Tie-out lines are already set up with locks. Cons: Well ventilated (so much air flow that the tent barely holds any heat on cold nights!). Not sure how well it would do in high winds. BA cheaped out on the stakes.

I was looking for a 4 person tent that I could set up on my own and also stand in (5' 11"). I just got back from a very windy weekend on the lake. It was easy to set up (after a practice round at home) and held up to the wind brilliantly. I did stake it down completely. Many others had tent issues and this one stood up great, even in the wind tunnel I pitched it in. Tent space is great. Lots of pockets and hooks. Really liked the zipper set up. I thought it was going to bother me, but I appreciated that it helped with any pulling and they worked very smoothly. It didn't rain on us, but with the full fly I know we'd be fine. Loved the porch. Kept us happy during the hight heat of the day.

This is a beautifully designed tent with lots of head room and well thought out features. My first use of this tent was in the back roads of Capitol Reef, Utah which was experiencing a major wind storm for several days. The tent was naturally a challenge to set up first time in the wind but once the fly was on, and everything firmly anchored, everything was perfect. While there were several times during the ensuing several day I thought the tent was simply going to blow away, it never did - not even in guts that were rated on the weather report "to 50mph". The only negative experience was when my ex-lineman buddy tried to help me with the aluminum frame installation on the front porch. He broke the frame quickly and easily. Good thing Big Agness included a piece of emergency repair tubing! I"d recommend this tent to anyone suffering from claustrophobia or large groups. I'm 5'6" (I can stand up easily inside), 75 years old and located in LA.

Great tent, this is my first tent I can stand in and I love it. After a lot of backpacker camping and always with lower back pain, I can finally move around without trouble. I did car camping in Zion National Park, and a night in the Grand Canyon where we were hit with a lot of wind. The tent held up pretty nicely. The reason I gave it 4 stars was because of the flimsy stakes. About 4 of them got twisted, probably my fault but I expected something better for the price. The tent is BIG, we are a family of four (2 adults & 2 kids) and we had plenty of room left. The vestibule is also a great addition, I will have to get 2 chairs to really take advantage of it. The welcome mat was a nice touch. There are no windows to look outside when you have the rainfly on, it doesn't matter to me, but it might be important to some. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my purchase and I recommend it to everyone looking for a car camping tent where you'll be able to stand in and move around.

Set up this tent for 4 nights. During the time it was up the area experienced 30 mph steady state winds with gusts 40 mph +. Tent was guyed out solid and it stood up well to the fury. Plenty of room for 2 72"L cots. Enjoyed having space to move and stand up. I am 5'9, had to bend slightly to get in but once inside headroom was not an issue.

This tent has endured strong winds, torrential rain, and light snow.. all the while holding up very nicely for years.

We took our bunk house for a test run leading up to a week on the road and are pretty pleased. Plenty of room, we like the design of the vestibule and the sleek guy wires are a plus. A few more pockets in each corner would be a plus—we like the shelf design of the removable ones.