Big Agnes - Fly Creek HV1 Carbon

I did for the last third of the AT, somewhat out of necessity. So much rain that I wanted all my gear in the tent. That being said, I typically use a one-person tent (GG DCF The One) and it is a tight squeeze. I carried a Big Agnes Fly Creek HV One on the CT and it had a little more elbow room, but is a little heavier.

Am I the only one who does not share a tent with my wife? She carries a Big Agnes 1p and I carry the 2p for that luxury condo on the trail. This works great and with two light tents, is very manageable and gives us our space on a trip where it is nothing but the two of us.

I switched from a Big Agnes 1P to an Xmid Pro 2P last year and I haven’t looked back. I love it! Like you, I always have my trekking poles and I grew wary of always having a separate tent pole. Also, my 1P tent was ridiculously small. My Xmid sleeps colder since it’s a single wall tent, so I bought a second quilt (much warmer) so that I can continue backpacking year round and keep warm overnight.

I have had problems pitching my Big Agnes on hard dirt so I ran long sturdy sticks through my BA pitching loops and I put rocks on the ends of the sticks.

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.

Big Agnes Tiger Wall. Get the 3 person if either of you are over 5’7”. My husband and I are both 5’7”-ish and barely fit inside the Tiger Wall 2. I love it though, it has 2 doors, is easy enough to set up and pretty comfortable for an ultralight backpacking tent. I do NOT recommend the Fly Creek, at all. I had one for a good section of my thru hike and it was so uncomfortable to climb in and out of. I hate that overall design.

Looking at the poles will tell you quite a bit about sturdiness. The Freelite 1 uses DAC NFL 8.7mm poles with a forked design. So one end of the tent has essentially 2 archs of 8.7mm while the other end has a single arch of 8.7mm. That would be comparable in sturdiness to other tents that also use a forked arch of 8.7mm, such as Big Agnes Fly Creek and Tiger Wall, and Nemo Hornet. Tents that use essentially dual arches of 8.7mm at both ends are going to be sturdier, like X-Dome 1+ but also BA Copper Spur, MSR Hubba, and many others. Easton Carbon 3.9 is very similar to DAC 8.7 mm in sturdiness. Then both brands of tent pole makers make numerous stiffer options but with higher weights that would likely put the tent over your 1 kg goal.

something like the Big Agnes Fly Creek. Avoid the "solution dyed" ones, they literally stink. Not great in a storm, but super lightweight and big inside.

General comment on the BA Fly Creek: If you're considering the Fly Creek, get the Tiger Wall instead. It is basically the same sent, but the difference is having two side entrances on the Tiger Wall vs. a single rear entrance on the Fly Creek. With two adults (especially two adults and two kids), you'll be tripping over each other if you do not make having _two side entrances_ a must-have feature for a _backpacking_ tent. If you were getting a car camping tent, which would be much larger and spacious, you could get away with a single entrane. But not a backpacking tent. TL;DR - Fly Creek is a great tent, just probably not the right design for your application.

Yeah that’s something I like a lot about big Agnes tents. No rainfly=bug free cowboy camping. I used the fly creek for two pct thru hikes, tiger wall for the azt and at.

My favorite car camp tent is the REI half dome. It’s actually comfortable. If you want a cheaper option, the Ozark Trail tent from Walmart is pretty decent, but doesn’t have aluminum poles. The half dome can do backpacking, but it is on the heavy side. When I care about weight, I bring my Fly Creek from Big Agnes. Copper Spur and Nemo Hornet are also great options. The fly creek is crazy light, but you really have to like the second person if you’re going to fit two.

I worked at REI and I have 2 BA tents and love both of them. I've used the Fly Creek in very harsh weather and have never had a drop of water get inside, nor a stake pull loose, nor a rip, or broken pole. It's free-standing and to me that's very important. If you take care of it you will have that tent for 20 or more years. Is it worth $50 a year?