View Full Version : Big Agnes Fly Creek 2 Platinum
Anyone have one? I am on the verge of gettting one. Any input welcome. Done the research, and for my desires/needs not interested in another tent other then perhaps the BA Fly Creek UL2.
dornstar
04-16-2012, 11:09
I had the Creek UL2 and like you, before getting it I was 100% convinced that I had to have it.
I mean, I HAD to have it...
That was until I got out on the trail and had a prolonged rainstorm my first time out. I quickly realized that it was fatally flawed. With the angle of the front entry requiring the rain fly has to be completely closed the whole time and there's no other ventilation, it was miserable. It sucked. The inner mesh zipper was also garbage on mine and there were so many times that I had to fiddle with it. Good tent, but not a great tent.
Fortunately, I was able to recoup most of the costs and bought a Lightheart Solo which is just a better tent IMO.
I have no experience with it (them), but hear that it is small, more like a 1.5 person tent. Are you planning to use it for just yourself or for 2 people? Oh yeah, and don't forget to stake down the back 2 corners to get the full "free-standing" function out of it, otherwise the corners will fold in on you.
That is a lot of money to spend on a tent (although I have spent just as much...). Here it is for $376, but I cannot vouch for the company...
http://www.summitcampinggear.com/creek2platinum.html
Maybe try and find a phone number to call someone and talk with them before ordering? Or, if possible, get it from some place like REI so that you can check it out in person and then return it if you had prefer...too bad you couldn't have taken advantage of the 20% off coupon at REI...I see that they are sold out, but I think that you could have still backordered it with the coupon...I dunno for sure though...
Anyway, good luck with the tent! :)
I recently bought a Fly Creek UL2 and while I have only got to test it out on one trip so far, I am impressed. It would be really tight for 2 people, I assembled both the UL1 and UL2 at REI and figured I would rather have a few more ounces and be able to keep my pack inside the tent with me. The UL2 slept myself my 95 lb lab/dane mix and my backpack quite comfortably. One night we were in a gap with some pretty high winds and the rain cover did not make any flapping noises. Vestibule is decent sized. No problems with condensation and it breathed well enough with the rain cover on but it was pretty cold on my trip. Like Stick said freestanding is somewhat of a misnomer, you do have to stake down the back corners so I am not sure about camping on rock with it. The reflective guylines are really nice so that you don't trip over them The material is extremely thin and feels delicate. I was originally planning on using it without a ground cover to save weight but I may buy one just because the material on the bottom is so thin it is nearly translucent. I can't offer any advice on the platinum although it looks like it is basically the same floor plan and sets up the same. Bottom line if you have the money it is a nice tent, but it will probably require a bit of care to make sure it doesn't get torn.
dornstar
04-20-2012, 01:29
Although the UL2 was not for me and I sold it, I do agree with JoshL for the most part. It pitches very well with no flapping in the wind and is an extremely solid design. The UL1 is very small. Best to upgrade to a UL2 if you want this tent. The guy lines are very bright. It looked like a dozen lights in nighttime pictures. The material is soooo thin that I would not be comfortable using it without a footprint and even then, I was nervous. I disagree with the vestibule size though. It was small enough that my boots were poking out the bottom if positioned on the far right or left side.