Big Agnes - Big House 6

What I did when I wanted to test out TV sizes was to make a paper template the size of the screen to see what fit best in the room, You could make a template with kraft paper the size of the tents that you are considering so that you will have an actual visual of how large a tent you will feel comfortable in. You may find that a 6 or 8 person tent is sufficient for your needs and easier to set up and transport. My husband and I have always camped in at least a 8 person tent, our current go to is an eight person Big Agnes Big House tent. It is perfect for us for car camping. We take a smaller Big Agnes Big House 6 person tent for trips that include airline travel but we took a smaller 4 person tent for international travel and camping in France. The different tents and campsite setups is a constant learning process. Walk around the campground and see what others do and you'll find that there are tents of all shapes and sizes. Do whatever makes the camping experience enjoyable for you. I'd suggest the 6 person Agnes as one that you can stand up in and be comfortable with plenty of space for your gear, and a large enough to not feel closed in if you are stuck in on a stormy day. See if there is a place to look at tents fully set up so that you can see how large/small they are.

I can’t speak for anything other than the big house 6. I’ve owned it for several years and it’s the best tent I’ve ever had. I added the vestibule and footprint to go with it. It’s been an excellent tent. I’ve never had any issues with it. It’s a solid tent.

My fave subject! lol Big camper/backpacker before kids, transitioned to car camping with my family. 5 years in, with multi week trips each summer in eastern Canada. Shelter: We have a Big Agnes Big house 6 with a vestibule. 6 man is cozy with 2 adults and 2 kids (or in our case 1 kid one 70 lb dog, lol). But you will be good. A vestibule may be worth considering. We love it for having a dry place to help kids take off/put on shoes/do a quick change without getting in the tent, and take quick cover in rain. Also ideal for storing chairs and gear in the evening before bed without having to pack in/out stuff out of the car (we still store food in the car tho). We deal with things like high dew point so everything gets damp if left out over night, at 40F i would assume the same. If your younger one is potty training it can be a great spot for a potty seat as well. Ok. Now for the MOST important thing I have ever done for camping with kids. lol The sleeping arrangements: When she was little we used a flocked airbed -very cheap at walmart, like $20. We found she would slide off the flat thermarest, so just a word of warning there. The combo of sleeping pad and sleeping bag material can be very slippery for the littles. We would find her wedged between the wall of the tent and the edge of the mat, all damp etc. it was a total fail so we had to regroup on that one....Good call on the big mo bag as opposed to a sleeping bag, just maybe test if the material is slippery against the mat...We used a Woolino sleep sack as a possible alternative. I like that one because wool allows for temp regulation both cold and hot. And here is the magic: a bed tent...not available at camp stores and looks a little insane but it was the best thing I ever got for her for camping, hands down. This creates a separate sleeping space for the kiddos which minimizes night time disturbances (which we found a huge issue from 2y+ when sharing rooms). You can also get them used to it before you go, let them have it on their regular bed a couple nights or do a test drive of the sleep set up, so the transition isn't as big if they are at all anxious or get overly excited in new places. ALSO, if your little one still naps, taking a blackout curtain, if you have one at home, is a game changer bcs you can drape it over the bed tent in the daytime and make a dark place for daytime naps. Little set of battery operated ferry lights from the dollar store if they like a night light, and you have made the tent into a MAGICAL camp palace! lol. My kid is 6 now and we still set up like this and everyone sleeps soundly. Seating: When we started taking my then 2yo camping the picnic tables at the campsites were too big for her, so something to consider. There were a LOT of spills on our first trip at dinner time. We brought a small plastic folding side table and she ate at that in her little camp chair after that and it worked much better. Also nice to have for campfire time etc. so they have a place to put down a drink or snack before bed. :) Also re:evening campfire time: having a poncho for cozy time around the fire pit was really nice, Just pay attention to material, some of the fuzzy blankets really attract dirt and twigs and stuff! But it is so nice to get them all jammed up before campfire time, put on a little poncho and do the last snack/special "late night" activity all cozy. Also doubles as a barrier to sticky/messiness right before bed. lol Those Magic Fire packs are also a great little thing to throw in there, after any cooking on the fire is done!! ;) Ok last thing, I don't know your ages, genders etc. but I will say as a women who gave birth, before kids I always slept on a regular Thermarest, for like 25 years no problem, but after kids my hips would get super sore after a night or 2. I started to worry about sleeping while camping and it really took a toll on me the first few years camping after giving birth. If you are investing in a new sleep pads, the thermarest mondoking is worth the investment if there is a postpartum women in your family!! If you can't tell, I truly believe good sleep is the foundation of every good camping trip! lol Ok, sorry that it turned long. Enjoy! Camping is the best gift to give children in my opinion. Watching children in nature is a beautiful thing!! :)

Have you looked at the Big House vs Bunk House? I use a Big House 6 for car camping which has 82" of headroom. Standing up all the way is a massive game-changer for comfort, and the rain fly does a pretty damn good job of keeping the elements out.

I love my Big House 6. I added the vestibule which is also great, a roomy front porch. can stand up in it easily and ventilates well.

Have you ever camped before? All those cheap brands with giant tents like Ozark will totally fail in rain. Don’t do it. You’re also being too “bougie” with your space needs. You’re not a sheik with a crew to set you up with a full bed. You’re a regular person, camping requires piling in next to each other. They make some decent 4-6 person tents that are plenty big. I like the BigAgnes Big House 6 personally. Guaranteed waterproof and easy to set up. The vestibule is a handy accessory. But that’s not going to be found at Ozark prices.

I went with the Big Agnes Big House tent. I don't like to be cramped so I got the 6-person one. Plenty of room for 4 cots.

I found a screaming deal (so I thought) for the Big Agnes Big House 6 at Campsaver last week for $360. Either price is an awesome markdown from the $599 they still get for same tent in the green color. I've had their Copper Spur 2 UL for years and love the BA quality. I've read (here) the orange fly may attract wasps (thus their surplus and discontinued color) but I've never experienced that with my Copper Spur (same color) in the High Sierra. Besides, I only attach the fly when I NEED to (1:6 trips). Best of luck!

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 is selling some tents at 50 to 70% off. I have seven tents, I need one for car camping, so I bought a 6 man tent for a little over $200. High quality. Relatively light weight.

I have a Big Agnes six-person tent. It’s been camping, to many, many festivals, and Burning Man several times over ten years. It also survived a brutal desert windstorm that left its shape with a bit more personality but still 100% functional. That tent is my ride or die. However, I did take the tent down during the first hour of the desert windstorm. The real hero was my friend’s 1960s metal-framed canvas tent that withstood the entire 12 hours. A Kodiak would be its modern equivalent.

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

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

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.

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.

Ive had my big agnes longer than any other tent ive owned so far! I think its at least ten years old.

Paria is a glorified dropshipping company. Durston and Big Agnes are good options, you don't need anything more niche honestly

Big Agnes ,Big house is comfy

I’ve had trouble with zippers on Big Agnes tents, but I’am in the sand often.

Big agnus, copper spur HV UL 1 or 2 person tent, pair it with a NeoAir pad, get the wide size

"I’m someone who only buys from reputable, high quality brands. I would get rid of this thing if I were you." And you're telling them to get rid of a Fjallraven tent, that they got for $200??!! Are you dumb? These are comparable to Hilleberg, which are in the $1,000's and probably some of the highest rated tents you could buy. Not to mention a lifetime warranty. You probably don't even know what a tunnel style tent is, so just stop talking. OP, you have a fantatstic tent that will probably last you many years if you take care of it. I'm talking decades. I have gear from them that is 10 years old and still looks brand new but have also had alterations done by them for free. I have a 3lb Big Agnes for reference and is paper thin, it holds up but if I found an Abisko for $200, I'd choose that in a heartbeat.

Both me and my partner love my Durston x-mid 2. Rock solid tent, fairly light weight, wasn’t ridiculously expensive, and decently roomy! Once you get the hang of setting it up it’s super easy and quick. My partner has a big Agnes, which is great, a little lighter but super tight for both of us.

I have a Nemo tent and two big Agnes. Love them both.

Completely disagreeing with this. This is a well known influencer site and list. So, it is merely a sales pitch. Lets check out the list: North Face Stormbreak. 200$ for a polyester tent in 2025! Half of the amazon junk would be more resistant to weather, and weighs half. It is an amazing tent, but only if we are in 2000s. Kelty, is it half covered in mesh, it is horrible in summer and it cannot stand winter. Then there is Hilleberg. Top of the top winter tent. If the list contains a Hilleberg I dont think there would even be a place for MSR in the list. The list then should be dominated by other Hillebergs. Also, where is the Zpacks, or Xmids? Where is mongar, or lanshan? Those are amazing <1 kilo tents .. some of which are on amazon. I agree, Amazon has a lot of junk. But also a lot of very high quality products not paying influencers. There are many better tent makers outside of this list and for many of the items in the list, they are indeed amazing products. However, for many I dont think their brand name justifies their price in 2025 anymore.

Ok let me pitch on the list then: This is an incoherent list: contains tents with different sizes and persons count, so it is creating more confusion than being helpful. Apart from that several of the tents there have well known problems: \- Hilleberg is a winter tent; if you rely on this list and buy it for a summer holiday you will die. \- Elixir does not use seam sealing and instead use a sealing technique mostly seen in cotton fabric tents, and it is known that it leaks. So late autumn it is a dangerous tent. \- North Face Stormbreak is a very old, reliable tent, but uses polyester, so it weighs around 3 kilos. You can easily find a tent with the same specs, much better material for half the price and would weigh around 2 kilos. \- Rei and Nemo tents in the list are all dome tents, which are literally replicas of each other (i would even say knock offs of Big Agnes there with inferior build quality). Many of them are half covered with fabric instead of mesh in their inners, which is terrible for summer. Always go for as much mesh as possible for summer. For early autumn, late spring they are probably good. But definitely master of none. I dont know how they are in a "best" list \- Kelty again is an old reliable tent, but has pole sleeves, so setting it up is a chore. It is covered with fabric again, so not so good for summer, would be good for mountain weather in the summer though. Still, material is outdated and setting it up is much slower than current lines of tents. \- Hillebergs are top of the top, and big agnes clearly earns its place in the list. \- MSR tents there are both very light options, but nothing special there. Personally i would carry 500 grams more instead of paying premium to a tent design that is so common. It is a very good alternative for ultralighters. \- There are other tent types, such as inflatables, such as popup tents, such as summer tents. The list contains none. So, if you are trying to find a tent to buy .. ditch this list and check out other sources. It is incoherent, it misses out a lot of different alternatives and it doesnt factor in criteria such as who? how? where? when? how many people? duration? conditions? It is basically the sunday paper of tent recommendations. A potpourri of cool images.

Buy once - cry once Don't skimp on shelter. A good tent (like the big Agnes) will last you a lifetime. Kelty is a decent second option (but usually heavier) and Coleman is more likely to tear or break a pole (I have one for family car camping and it broke a pote...repaired the pole but still swapped for TNF Wawona 4) It only takes one failure to make you wish you'd just spent the extra $. Buy the Big Agnes and move on.

Yeah there are good tents. I’m partial to Big Agnes myself, and own a couple. If you only plan to camp a few times a year, look at the REI Co-Op options, or Sierra Designs hit a good price/quality budget, or something similar. Don’t be afraid to look at lightly used too. 

I have two Big Agnes tents and really do like them a lot. I've probably owned too many tents in my time camping, but I've been impressed with them. But you do pay a bit more for them. I've used friends REI tents and they're great for the price and a casual camper. As you said as well, TNF makes a killer tent too. Lots of good options, it's all about finding the one that fits your needs and budget.

We love everything about our Big Agnes tents.

Coleman is for very occasional car camping. If you go to rainy locations, make sure the fly is full length, not just a little umbrella over the top. Kelty is a mid level brand that has some department store type stuff and some very good products. I look to the poles to see which is which. If they are fiberglass, it is low quality, and DAC or Easton Aluminum are very good. Kelty makes both ranges. Big Agnes tends to make top tier stuff. The problem is that the occasional campers might not store it properly and any tent will mildew and disintegrate if it is put away wet. When you pay top dollar, you need to do your part and care for it.

I have a big Agnes tent and it's held for over a decade. I have no problem recommending them

Always go a size up! A '6-person' is ideal for a family of 4 to actually have space. Don't underestimate the value of good headroom and a big vestibule for shoes/gear, especially with kids. We use a Big Agnes and it's been fantastic.

Nature hike kicks ass. Had the one from 5 years ago and it had been so good that it's a high recommendation to budget traveling tent and intro to light tents. It made it through tornado weather multiple times (3 season one) This was the chosen tent until saved enough to afford that same big Agnes one you mentioned and use this one now. Was Totally worth the money for the old old one back then before investing and LOVING the lightweight and strength of big Agnes now. Waited till it went 30% off sale at REI this past year. No experience with it, and I bet the new new model of nature hike is good. It's up to you how much you can actually break the bank. Both are great depending on what you can spend. If you have the money, get big Agnes. If you're punching pennies, get nature hike and keep your eye out for sales on big Agnes or work overtime to get it.

My only comment on Big Agnes in my experience is that the tents are fragile because they are so ultralight. I’ve had my Copper Spur poles snap twice. BA is great with repairing stuff but it’s not great when you’re in the back country and you’ve got to hold everything together with duck tape just to make it through the rest of the trip. My MSR on the other hand, while a little heavier, seems a lot more substantial while still being a light weight backpacking tent.