Mainstream Vendors Making Progress on Ultralight Backpacking Tents

Sometimes it’s a bit annoying to see backpacking technology change so quickly, especially when I just bought a new tent six months ago.  Never the less, it is great to see large outdoor manufactures continuing to make progress in making gear lighter.  Big Agnes is a leader in this.  They have recently come out with a new one person three season freestanding tent that is under 2 pounds.  It is the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 weighing in at 1 lb. 14 oz. (trail weight – not counting stakes, guy lines, instructions and stuff sack, 2 lbs 3 oz. total “packed” weight).  I few features of this tent that I really like.  First the Fly Creek UL1 is freestanding, this is sometimes a big advantage and can make the tent much easer and faster to setup on a platform or a rocky area. Second, I like the netting, when the weather is clear, you can pitch it without the fly and get a nice view of the stars while still having some privacy around the bottom half of the walls.  On the down side the floor is ultralight rip-stop nylon so it may be necessary to carry the footprint – an additional 4 ounces.

 

Overall this is a great light weight backpacking tent.  Still a bit heaver then the non-freestanding alternatives and not as roomy as the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo or the Tarptent, but definitely worth considering.

 

BackpackBasecamp.com