Big Agnes - Blacktail Hotel 2 Bikepack Tent

Depending on where you go, I would consider not sleeping with your dogs. I don't know about you, but my dog gets real dirty out on extended hikes and loves getting wet and muddy. She is not allowed to sleep inside my tent. Instead I buy tents meant for people touring on bikes. They usually have an extended vestibule that closes. So it is large enough to fit a bike. I'll link an example 2 person tent. So the set up would be you and your partner inside the tent, with your gear and dogs spending the night in the vestibule. I bring half an old yoga mat as a makeshift sleeping pad for my dog. [https://www.bigagnes.com/products/blacktail-2-hotel-bikepack](https://www.bigagnes.com/products/blacktail-2-hotel-bikepack)

Can you show some more detail of the tent packed down / in the case? I'm currently running a big agnes blacktail hotel 2 for similar reasons, as it'd fit in the side panniers of my GS / topcase on the 1200r.

I picked that one up with my rebates and it’s a pretty decent tent honestly. Aluminum poles that even came with a patch kit for them! Packs down small enough for what it is as well. The Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel is a really nice tent as well that is made for bikepacking so the poles are shorter, I’ve also seen that one on sale pretty frequently.

I've used a Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel for years now. I've grown up in the bush and it's by far the best tent I've ever used. Every year I buy a can of silicon sealing spray and spray it down on a good sunny non-windy day, never had a drop of rain. The best part is the huge vestibule. On super rainy days we can set up our camp chairs in there and cook with the stove no problem, the dogs sleep out there and it's a great place to dry stuff. My wife and I got the 3 person version for extra space as I've never found a 2 person tent that is actually comfortable for two people. If you are 2, get the 3 person. Not sure what the price on them is these days and if you're CAD or USD, but I've never seen or used a better tent. Otherwise, where I live, every camp has at least one MSR Hubba. They seem to be a big favorite but I've never used one, not a huge fan of MSR tents. The ultimate cheap resort is just some department store tent and cover it with the silicon spray. When I grew up I was in Beavers/Cubs/Scouts, and to avoid a bunch of shitty kids wrecking good tents, the troop would just buy really cheap Coleman tents and douse them in silicon spray. This always worked great also. Hope that helps!

Just get the Copper Spur. It’s the gold standard for a reason. Use it for a few seasons and you’ll have enough experience to know exactly what you want out of your next tent. I have a 3-person Copper Hotel bike packing tent which has been amazing for 6 years and a BA Tiger Wall UL2 which I hate only because I know what I’m missing having not gotten a Copper Spur UL2 instead. My next tent will be a CS UL2.

Big Agnes are exceptional. Buy one secondhand, get the two person, and never look back. My buddy and I both use one, they are light, small, and truly worth every cent. 

For quality camping equipment I tend to wait for a holiday then check out REI outlet online. If you are a member you get a 20 percent off coupon that works for outlet prices. I bought a 2 person Big Agnes tent that retailed for over 3 hundred dollars. My cost was about 120 I think. It was years back but it's a great tent. We would budget 2 big ticket items every year until we had everything we wanted.

When’s the last time you actually set up a modern tent? If you’re picturing threading tent poles through sleeves then I’d get the hesitancy. Modern tents are extremely easy to set up now Takes me <5 minutes to set up my 2P big Agnes tent. Going bivy seems overly aggressive when just getting back into camping

We each have our own hammock... Def my preference! We have a 2 person Big Agnes that we put our packs in or use if the weather is really bad (even tho I have a rain fly for my hammock now!)

I’m so glad this was mentioned. I went colder weather camping with my sons a bit ago. Initially, I bought a big giant tent with an added screen room. This sub pointed us in the right direction. I returned the behemoth and went with my Big Agnes 2p and bought the boys their own 4p to use with their friend. OP, I did buy a propane heater. I would warm up my tent when I was getting ready to go to sleep and then again in the morning g before getting out of my sleeping bag. In the tiny tent, it was hot in there within minutes!