Blacktail Hotel 2 Bikepack Tent

You have to decide how many people and do you want a good vestibule? There are a couple options if you live here in Washington REI rents tents. This gives you a good chance to figure out what you want and what you prefer to have. When backpacking everything is about weight. Over night trip i usually have 40-50 lbs on my pack. Tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, cook stove, food and clothes and any small items that I like to bring. On 3-5 days my pack is closer to 80lbs added food and fuel. More clothes fly rod etc. I use a Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel 2 Bikepack Tent. If it’s just me I have plenty of room and keep my gear inside the tent next to me. If my gf joins me we both have room to sleep and our gear stays underneath the vestibule within reach. My tent costs about $350 I got mine online and sale for $299.

Lightweight means different things for different people I suppose. I can't in good conscience gatekeep my holy grail tent - check out the Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel Bikepack (important to get the bikepack version as the tentpoles fold down much smaller and make its packed dimensions quite small). It's light enough (2.5kg), it fits down in my pack (or on my handlebars), I've used it around the Arctic, but my god - the VESTIBULE. The vestibule is large enough for 2-3 people to gather inside for a game of cards during a storm.

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 live on Vancouver Island and finally replaced my little Big Agnes seedhouse 2 backpacking tent with a Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel 2. I should say I BIKEpack nw so a little more weight is OK. I got so tired of being stuck in a tiny tent during day after day of rain. 'Tent Fever' is not good, especially with two other people! Go large or go home.

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.

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.