Big Agnes UL3

Well, I ended up using my REI dividend and 20% discount getting a Big Agnes UL3. Patty has been going on the 5 to 8 mile hikes with me and is psyched to go to the Dolomites (where we will NOT be using a tent). Two more years and our youngest will be in college. So this tent is meant for Patty, myself, and the dog.

OK, as a tent it is a little tight for a 3 person. I took everything I would take on trail and it weighed out at just over 3 pounds (after a few modifications). One of the heavier items are the stakes...these get modified. I set it up in our living room the first time and it only took me about 5 min. Very easy to put together. Made Patty crawl in and lay down; she asks "will this thing hold up?" To me the tent looks well constructed and I think it will do fine. Patty prefers the 13 pounder. I say this tent will do fine. (I kid you not. Patty wants the tent to be animal, bug, rain, and Tica proof!) I think as long as we don't sleep with food in the tent, we will be golden. Anything else I get in the future will be as light as I can get away with.

s:

Good to hear you like that BA UL3 so far. Was it the Copper Spur or Fly Creek UL3?

I'm in the market, too, for a BA tent (a UL2) and hope to find it at one of the sale/gear swap events in Denver in May -- or on the local craigslist.

What I really like is the BA sleeping bag system. I bought my wife a BA Storm King (0-degree) down bag and a neoair pad and she swears that they're the best she's ever slept on in a tent. I'm going to be looking (for me) a 15F down bag from them and get a neoair for it, too, before the real backpacking season starts in mid-June.

I've been really impressed with all of BA's stuff (from Steamboat Springs) and Golite (Boulder), both from CO, which explains why I like Rocking W (Olathe) and Haystack (Longmont) goat cheese, too.

I had to chuckle at this one . I've been looking at tents online for weeks, and when I discuss potential options with my wife, she still thinks we have to have a 4 person tent. This would be for me, her, and our 8 year old. I admit, I like the space, but I know we won't need that much room when the kid gets older and won't be with us. Then we would have to get yet another tent. In addition to being completely weather, bug, and bear proof, I keep thinking my better half is going to insist on a tent that she can stand up and stretch in?

While I'm not a big fan of Big Agnes gear, I definitely am a fan of Big Agnes Mountain in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness Area NE of Steamboat Springs. If I can find and scan the old slide I have of it, I'll post it on this forum. In the meantime, here are photos and more information. The view I have, from the north, is not there.

My mother did a lot of research in her day and I tried more recently, but it appears that nobody knows who Big Agnes was. There are a lot of guesses, but no facts. Certainly her mountain is spectacular, and I appreciate the company's naming itself for the mountain!

MTVagabond, is your wife trying to tell you something?

kevonionia, it was the fly creek UL3. I was agonizing, obsessing?, over a selection of a 1.5 to 2 man for me and my dog when it occurred to me that REI has the fly creek UL2 and that would do fine. Too late! All sold out and couldn't even back order! I REALLY needed to get Patty back into the swing of things and getting a reasonable weight 2.5 man would be a key buy. So I blew my REI bonus on the UL3. What can I say, Patty needs that double wall construction.

OM will probably be glad to hear that this experience also made up my mind to pick up a 2 man Tarptent after I make a little more spending cash.

I need to select an internal frame pack for the Dolomites. So I will not be spending much for a while after these purchases and the Ice breaker shirts (which are sweet btw!).

Thanks for posting another place I can take my dog with me. It looks like a less traveled area. I know you know what I mean! (did that make sense?)

MTV, when we got to backpacking, we started with a 3 man dome tent for the 4 of us. Me, Patty, daughter at 7, and son at 10 all stuffed into it fine. The double wall construction helps keep the condensation from impacting us even during heavy downpours. Just have to make sure it is set up tight! The hardest part is to get the better half to buy into it . Hence when they got older, we got a 4 season 4 man that weighs 13+ pounds .

The Fly Creek is a nice tent. Even though I selected an MSR Carbon Reflex over it, I did like the tent the few times I used it. (The deciding factors for me was the end-entry; I'm not as agile as I once was, and the CR's side entry worked better.) The workmanship was top notch, and the amount of space for the weight was remarkable. All the details seemed well-thought out, except for a small detail where the vestibule unzips for entry; I wondered if it might let
rain into the tent. I never used the tent in the rain, so I can't conclusively say; I was also using the UL1 version, and it may be that the UL3, which is larger, doesn't have such a tight fit.

I think you definitely made a good choice. And, tell Patty yes, it will hold up. (I did have one experience in a public campground with wind, and the tent was incredibly stable.)

For a roomy 4-person tent that's not too heavy, consider the Tarptent Hogback.

Actually, right now the Hogback is at the top of my list of contenders. I think for this year, we've decided to suck it up and carry the 10 lb Kelty tent once more . I'm really hoping once I decide on a tent that I can keep an eye out for a good deal (which may not be until the summer clearance sales start up). I'll keep looking though.

You know it really helps to keep an eye out on Craig's list or whatever local version you have. You never know what you are going to find. I know this is an oddball example, but I found a GOOD used marimba for my daughter for less than half price. Granted, it was 8 hours away, but the chance to save $1300 was worth the all day driving to pick it up. At the time I spent 15 min a day, every day for a month to find the thing. I just made it part of my daily ritual. If its a good deal, you have to be on it.

LOL... My wife is trying to tell me that we need better clothes so she can stretch outside the tent (that's what I'm guessing ).