Big Agnes  Fly Creek UL2 Tent

I used the Fly Creek UL2 over a week in the Sierra. It's lightweight is great. The tent itself felt a bit delicate and need to be careful with fabrics. The 2 person is perhaps made for two very small kids. Not 2 full grown adults. It's a roomy 1 person tent at best. I did not use the rainfly as it was beautiful and clear every night. Okay for star gazing, mesh is still not completely see through. I give 3 stars for not really feeling like a 2 person tent. I ended up returning the tent and will be looking for a more roomy tent for 2 full sized adults. REI associate recommend getting a 3 person if I wanted a true 2 person tent.

I’ve had mine for almost 10 years and it’s been on a lot of trips maybe 50. I use it on my motorcycle and backpacking. I’ve never had a single problem with it and the only thing I’ve done is replace the shock cord in the poles. About the only complaint I have is that the polyurethane waterproofing is starting to get sticky so I don’t imagine it’s gonna last much longer without that becoming a nuisance. I live by the beach, so the moisture is probably accelerating that problem. At least that’s what I’ve been told. I’m not sure if they’ve changed their product quality since then, but knowing the brand I would assume that if anything they’ve made it better. Complaints I’ve seen here and the reviews seem to reflect otherwise or maybe just abuse. You do need to handle all UL tents with delicateness and respect. Or just get a heavier SL tent and be glad you’re not living in the 18thC carrying your teepee!

While it’s not the cutest tent - this one checks off all the boxes as a great backpacking tent that is light weight. Easy to put up and take down with many options for staking down if it’s windy. I do a lot of solo backpacking and this was nice and roomy - a huge step up from sleeping in the bivy. I chose the UL2 over UL1 because the weight wasn’t much different and allows enough room if my partner comes along. It would fit us both just fine.

The only thing this tent has upgraded from the older version is the ways in which it will fail you. The poles brittle, the pole connection points are weak and not nearly strong enough to defy a light wind, and the fly is like single-ply toilet paper. There is no headspace, which is a shame, because you'll spend unfathonable hours sitting upright in it holding up the sides in any sort of weather. The zippers bunch constantly, the interior pockets rip immediately, and the plastic clips for the rainfly will barely survive leaving the tent leaving its box. I could give example after example about how this tent has failed us in the most questionable situations. But, by far, the absolute worst aspect of this tent is that the support behind it, Big Agnes, is about as worthless as the tent itself. Buy this thing, if you must, through REI. At least you'll have decent customer support behind the purchase. If not, you can add about a third of the cost of the tent to the top of the price for future maintenance. Big Agnes will sell you anything you need to fix the tent...and they know you'll need to fix the tent.