View Full Version : New Tent BA Fly Creek UL 2
Many Moons
12-26-2014, 15:32
About to pull the trigger on the BA Fly Creek 2. 1lb-15oz. Now have a Kelty Salida 2 3lb-12oz. Any opinions on the BA tent before I spend the money???? Going with a 2 person, because like the room for my pack and I toss and turn a lot at night. Hike On!!!
Miller
my opinion----while its nice and light----not a big fan of the front door entrance....
i prefer a side door entrance....
and while it has kept me dry for all but one night (i think i have 30 or so nights in mine), i dont like the way the walls sag..........
and ive found that the 2 person model is just big enough for me and my gear...........i wouldnt want anyone that i wasnt extremely friendly with to be in there with me.......
and to be honest-----and i dont have any suggestions----but, i think a "better" tent could be had for roughly the same amount of dough...
oh, and fwiw----look around for deals cause they typically can be found....
i bought my Fly creek for around 280 brand new with footprint off ebay about a year and a half ago....
2015 Lady Thru-Hiker
12-26-2014, 16:49
About to pull the trigger on the BA Fly Creek 2. 1lb-15oz. Now have a Kelty Salida 2 3lb-12oz. Any opinions on the BA tent before I spend the money???? Going with a 2 person, because like the room for my pack and I toss and turn a lot at night. Hike On!!!
Miller
I tried the fly creek platinum initially. I didn't care for the front entry and very little headroom to sit up if you have to hole up for a day. Also you have to be able to stake up the foot of the tent to keep the walls off your bag and stuff. I went with the Copper Spur 1, with footprint 2 lb 10 oz. Easy to set up free-standing. Plenty of room for my bag, pack, shoes, etcetera. ( though someone recently warned against bringing your pack into your tent because of ticks - never had a problem so hadn't though of it) and plenty of headroom. Much easier to exit as well IMHO. Good luck and happy hiking :)
Sarcasm the elf
12-26-2014, 17:03
My experience was with the UL1 version a few years ago, but I found it to be a disappointment. The useable floorspace was smaller than advertised, the floor itself was made out of a thin material that felt flimsier than other UL tents I've used, and the front entry was aggrivating. I ended up getting a Tarptent double rainbow which was $100 cheaper, about the same weight, and feels a good bit tougher.
I had a fly creek I and didn't like it after about ten nights. The exit was difficult if the ground was muddy and you had to put your shoes on before you exited. I could not keep the fly taught over a wet night and the sag made it worse in the morning. Ultimately went with a GoLight Solong 6 and love it.
HooKooDooKu
12-26-2014, 21:54
I've spent a night in a borrowed Fly Creek UL1 and didn't like it. As others have said, didn't like the front entrance. Getting into the tent felt like getting into a sleeping bag. And even with the sides staked out, I still found I brushed against the sides.
When I finally did buy myself a solo tent, I selected the Copper Spur UL2. It has the same footprint as the Kelty Salida 2, except it has two doors/vestibules to Salida's one.
Something else to consider. I've owned two Kelty tents and two Big Agnes tents. All were used almost exclusively in the Great Smokey Mountains. I can't explain WHY, but in my experience, the material of the Big Agnes tents have been more prone to condensation than the Kelty tents. I've almost never had significant condensation in the morning with my Kelty tent. Yet almost every time I've used my Big Agnes tents (Copper Spur or Lynx Pass), I've had heavy condensation.
But when I consider that the Copper Spur weights only 1lb over the Salida 2... if I were you, I would seriously consider just using the Salida 2 you already own. That's a lot of money that you might consider spending else where to save some weight.
Many Moons
12-26-2014, 23:09
Lots of good stuff here to research! thanks!
I have about a dozen nights in a FC UL2. I've slept in it in heavy rain as well as mild summer nights. It's water tight, I've never had problems with condensation. I'm not a big fan of the entrance. If the fly is fully opened then rain easily falls into the tent. Also, as others have noted it is awkward to enter and exit. The UL2 is big enough for one person and gear but I can't see two people ever being comfortable unless intimacy is not an issue and all the gear is outside and there's no way the vestibule holds two peoples worth of gear. If you stake it out well using all the stakes, guy lines and clips I don't see a problem with the walls sagging but it takes a bit of effort. All that said, I still like the tent......however, I just picked up a used Copper Spur UL1 and will give that a spin this spring. The CS UL2 seemed perfect, my son carries one, but it's 50% heavier (~1 lb) than the FC and I'm a bit more weight conscious than he is. The CS UL1 is only 3 oz heavier than the FC UL2 and while the interior space is 6 sq ft less it feels roomier because the walls are straighter. The vestibule also seems more functional. I'd check out that tent as well. Also, I use a footprint with both tents to help reduce wear and tear on the tent bottom.
Many Moons
12-27-2014, 13:32
Now that is why I come to this site. Good info and I like the CS UL1. I will look at in store. Little smaller than what I am used to!! Darn this cutting weight is getting expensive!! Hike On!!!
Miller
I have about a dozen nights in a FC UL2. I've slept in it in heavy rain as well as mild summer nights. It's water tight, I've never had problems with condensation. I'm not a big fan of the entrance. If the fly is fully opened then rain easily falls into the tent. Also, as others have noted it is awkward to enter and exit. The UL2 is big enough for one person and gear but I can't see two people ever being comfortable unless intimacy is not an issue and all the gear is outside and there's no way the vestibule holds two peoples worth of gear. If you stake it out well using all the stakes, guy lines and clips I don't see a problem with the walls sagging but it takes a bit of effort. All that said, I still like the tent......however, I just picked up a used Copper Spur UL1 and will give that a spin this spring. The CS UL2 seemed perfect, my son carries one, but it's 50% heavier (~1 lb) than the FC and I'm a bit more weight conscious than he is. The CS UL1 is only 3 oz heavier than the FC UL2 and while the interior space is 6 sq ft less it feels roomier because the walls are straighter. The vestibule also seems more functional. I'd check out that tent as well. Also, I use a footprint with both tents to help reduce wear and tear on the tent bottom.
O-H-10 Lil Ohio
12-27-2014, 16:22
I've spent many night in my fly creek 2 during my attempt of a thur hike in 2012 and 2013 ( over 200 nights) and was able to enjoy the extra room I had in it, I kept my backpack in the tent with everything in easy reach. I would agree with everybody else the front entrance is an opportunity to excel ,however, I kept a heavy duty black trash bag and I rolled out as a carpet in the morning . Setting it up properly also kept me very dry in some of the most challenging rain . It is all about what you get used to, I found that I got used to coming in and out the front and was able to enjoy and adapt to my purchase. If you adjust the guidelines properly the walls will be taunt. My next purchase will be a side entrance tent as I find the older I get the stiffer I am in the morning and much harder to get out.
I use the BA Fly Creek UL1, and love it. I'm 5'6" tall, so it has plenty of room for someone my size. Many do not like the front entry, prefer a side-entry, but I've found the front entry is just fine on the UL1. I bring a sheet of polycro for a ground cloth, and you can roll it out at the entry to keep dirt, mud out of the tent. After trying many different shelters and tarps from Tarptent, Black Diamond, Sierra Designs, and MLD.... I finally decided that I wanted a simple, double-wall free standing tent with bugnet enclosure, that weighed less than 2 lbs. The UL1 met all those criteria. If you want more room, more comfort, then get a bigger side entry shelter. Personally, I decided long ago that carrying the extra weight up and down the hills of the AT was not worth the extra weight of carrying a heavier side entry tent. Sometimes for summer section hikes, I'll carry a cuben tarp, but for an AT thru hike I would take the UL1.
takethisbread
12-30-2014, 14:54
Fly creek 2 is a great tent and I used it for 5,000 miles so far, but if I did the AT again I'd go Copper Spur. Heavier but nicer
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