Big Agnes - Big House 4

I have a Big Agnes. Love the tent and love the brand.

I have a copper spur 2 person that I’ve taken both my kids in on separate occasions. I didn’t want anything too fragile so stayed away from the platinum models. I’ve since picked up a xmid 1p and obviously use that for solo outings. We are now at the point where we need two 2p shelters and I’m looking to add a xmid 2p+ at some point. We have a 4 person big Agnes tent but it’s a bit heavy and 4 people in a 4 person tent is a little rough when they get older. The best part of the copper spur is pairing it with a two person pad and two person quilt. The entire floor becomes a bed and is very comfortable. The two person quilt keeps the jimmy legs in without having to carry two sleeping bags, so for the person carrying it saves a good bit of weight. If I had to start over I’d probably make the same decisions. A freestanding tent is a bit easier if you aren’t used to trekking pole tents. My first outing with my xmid was on hard packed ground in the desert where it was really difficult to get stakes in the ground. The tent blew over during a thunderstorm that evening. If I were going on the same trip again I’d probably just take the copper spur. So for me it was about having some flexibility and diversity of functions when building out my gear closet.

Gazelle T4, North Face Wawona or Big Agness Big House. Agree the T4 is a bear to.load and carry. We use our Wawona a ton once we learned how to set it up hahaha

Big Agnes, MSR, and Nemo are 3 of the best tent brands available. I ran the warranty desk for an outdoor gear company, and saw the least amount of warranty issues with those brands. They’re not inexpensive, but, you get what you pay for. I have a Big Agnes tent that’s at least 10 years old, we use it regularly and only have to hose the dirt off. It’s amazing. Nemo is awesome too, I know a lot of people with Nemo tents and they love them. I just got an MSR 3 person tent and absolutely love it. Definitely get a 2 person tent. The general rule is to take however many people will be sleeping in the tent, and add 1. So 1 person = 2 person tent, 2 ppl = 3 person tent and so on. A 2 person tent is more comfortable for having your gear inside the tent, changing your clothes, etc. If you don’t plan to go backpacking with it, I’d get a 3-4 person tent just for the space.

After dealing with a warranty issue with Durston I would rather deal with Big Agnes

I actually own(ed) and have camped in the Wonderland 6 and the big house 4. We bought the big house 4 looking for something a bit smaller, lighter, and easier to set up when we're only doing a 1 nighter. Unfortunately, we HATE the door design, so much that it's needed to be returned. The door on the big house closes only in the bottom corner, you can't have it closed with the zipper higher up. It also has a lot of snagging issues, and overall not as easy to open/close as the wonderland. In a heavy or blowing rain it is very easy for water to enter here, even when you have the zipper guards velcro'd on the outside. So much water came in during one thunderstorm it saturated one of my beach towels and then some, and the leaking here was a recurring issue driving us to decide we needed to return it. The only down sides on the Wonderland are: Price (if you can wait for REI anniversary sale or similar try to hold our for 25-30% off MSRP at least. Size/Weight yes it takes up a decent chunk of room when packed and weighs a lot. Also need a large space to set it up which not all camp sites have. Set up time, it takes longer than a classic dome tent as it has 4 total poles and a few extra guy outs. We love the wonderland and own 2 of the additional "mud room" attachments that we can bring as needed. Super spacious and the doors work a dream, never had any issues with water leaking in during a storm.

Big Agnes warranty and customer service help is top-notch. I sent them an email earlier this week and they responded within minutes with a fix that allowed me not to send the tent in and repair it myself.

Tough to choose light AND strong. Since the strength comes from the tent poles and lighter tends use less tent poles. I would say the strength would also come from how and where you pitch the tent. Pitching it slightly protected or if the wind will help a ton. Also pitching the vestibule into the wind will help with the aerodynamics. Don't just pitch the tent any which way. Think about how the wind will hit the tent. Check out Big Agnes... I've been in some blizzards with them... held the weight of the snow and kept Standing after heavy winds

Try the REI re/supply. I got a Big Agnes tent that retails for $499 for $134. Also, REI sale is coming up in a few weeks and there will probably be a good deal on their own brand tents and others.

https://geartrade.ca/ they stock a bit of budget gear and they are not amazon. Also try thelasthunt.com, and https://www.sportchek.ca/en.html they can have some good gear in clearance. I really enjoy my big agnes tent and they are available in long, but they are pricy when not on sale.