Fly Creek HV2 Platinum

Heads up you will want a 3P tent (or four, even) - all the more so in the context of a thru. Big Agnes is good and has lighter versions of some of their models, called the Platinum (ultralight) or Carbon (stupidly light) lines. I did my thru five years ago with a Fly Creek 2 platinum, and still use it to this day. You don’t have to treat them like spun glass, but you do need some basic thoughtfulness and common sense.

Yes, I love my Big Agnes Fly Creek2 HV as well. I’ve had it almost 10 years and it’s still going strong.

I carried a 2person fly creek, it was awesome. Still very light, had a smaller footprint than most single wall trekking pole tents. Being able to sleep with all your gear in the tent was a bonus. Not waking up to water running down the inside of my tent every morning is also nice when you don’t want to stop to dry it out. Finally I got lucky and ended up hiking the last 3/4 of the PCT with a girl I met on trail…. The extra room as nice when we started hiking together.

I used it for one person mostly. It was a luxury item but for the weight it was worth it. We both had our own tents.

I am using a Big Gnes Fly Creek 2, and it's fine for me and my wife. Was in a rain last summer on and off for several hours and stated dry as a bone. I think it's right at 1 kg trail ready, maybe slightly less. Easy setup and takedown.

If you are brand new, get something cheap and on sale. Fair chance that you either will give up backpacking after a few trips or realize that you want to invest more in high-end gear.  You eventually need a quiver if tents, sleeping bags, and packs as no single one is great for all conditions.  For summer, I mainly use: flycreek 2p tent, Western Mountaineering 20 or 40F sleeping bags, and a daypack with side straps that cost about $60 and weighs roughly half a pound. 

I have the tarptent you are looking at, plus ba copper spur ul 2 and 3, plus a fly creek 2. The double rainbow dw is roughly the weight of the fly creek with superior capabilities to the copper spur 2.

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.

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 used the big agnes fly creek for 5 years and took it on both the Appalachian Trail and Pacific Crest Trail. It held up to very strong winds (one time gusts pushed the tent flat against me, and it popped right back up) and it weighs just 33 oz. The 2 person is a tight fit, I used it solo. Often neighbors on trail compain about their tent collapsing from heavy snow, getting wet from condensation, having to restake, or getting pinholes in DCF after 1,000 miles. I never had any of those issues. Now that I am hiking with a partner I am trying the 3 person Big Agnes Tiger Wall (about 3 lbs), but seems to be similarly tough. I lived on trail for over a year and I promise Big Agnes is the best balance of durable, lightweight, and function on trail.