Big Agnes - Blacktail 3

We just replaced our MH Optic 2.5 (7 years strong) with the Big Agnes Blacktail 3. We considered a MH Aspect 3 but the price was too much. Big Agnes is roomy and has great pockets. Loving it so far

I have two Blacktail tents from Big Agnes that I use for car and canoe camping that have been great. We were just out in the BWCA last week and stayed dry in a 24 hour rain that included ~3 inches of rain with an inch of it coming down in about an hour. They are more expensive, but have held up very well over the six or so years we’ve owed them.

My Big Agnes Blacktail has half mesh walls. Not sure if that's helpful.

The Big Agnes Blacktail (or Blacktail Hotel) is cheaper (and heavier) than the Copper Spur.  My 3p Hotel has been a perfectly reasonable and durable backpacking tent.  The absurdly large vestibule is worth the weight penalty, IMO, as long as there's space to pitch.

My wife and I picked up the 3P big Agnes blacktail a few years ago. Decent room inside with a nice vestibule out front. Big enough for gear or even some lightweight chairs to sit underneath or cook. A 2P with a decent vestibule would work well for you too.

Big agnes 3 person with 2 vestibules. Free standing tent, not too heavy.

For good tents I always shop the REI outlet website around major holidays because they always have a coupon for additional savings even off the outlet price. Scored a Big Agnus 3 man tent for a little over a hundred bucks with a retail just over 3 hundred. Good little tent. Honestly this is a great way to get new gear cheap. Before we bought a 23foot RV we use to buy most our gear that way.

I would recommend checking the rei outlet. Since this is a holiday weeekend they will have a members only coupon that can be applied to outlet prices. I bought a great Big Agnes 3 man tent normal price of 300 for about 120. If you are not picky on a specific model it is a great way to get quality gear on the cheap. If you are not a member it's cheap to join and lasts a lifetime.

I know I’ll get downvoted but I tend to agree with this. I own an x-mid so don’t at me universe. But I think durston is a bit over-hyped. There are lots of quality issues - especially with the x dome series - just peep the gear heads sub.  Durston makes good tents imo, not great ones. They seem to do a lot of r&d with paying customers which I’m not a huge fan of - especially if you’re paying tariffs.  My x mid is fine - suitable for certain trips, while my freestanding tent (big Agnes) is great. Both have great customer service imo. But I’ll take the Xmid when I really have to count ounces and I’ll take my big Agnes into the desert where a trekking pole tent would just be a nightmare to fiddle with - weight penalty be damned. 

We really love our big agnes. It's durable, huge and comfy without being too heavy. it's about 4lbs so my husband and I split the weight. It's really thoughtfully desiged, and has so many pockets to stash stuff. super roomy footprint. It's like the Taj Mahal of tents

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.