Big Agnes Fly Creek UL tents

[echoes]

Anyone have any experience with these tents?

http://www.rei.com/product/779612
http://www.rei.com/product/796087

Would one of these be durable enough for a thru-hike? A double wall freestanding tent weighing about 2 pounds is pretty tempting.

[Del Q]

Read something a few months back about if you are 6 feet tall or taller it is too short. BA tents are excellent. Free-standing tents are a good way to go, these are EASY and fast to setup.

[Tinker]

No experience, but just from the appearance of the design I would say that it would be better if there wasn't so much unsupported pole aft of the apex of the tent. I imagine the straight sides of the tent will be a great wind catcher, and that pole may be a potential failure risk at that spot. I've always maintained that the solid part of a mesh/fabric double walled tent should be at the top of the tent to catch any misting which might come off the underside of the fly in a heavy rain, and that the mesh should extend nearly to the ground to catch ground level breezes to cool you while you're laying down on a hot night. This tent seems to be the reverse of this. Otoh, the fabric near ground level should block cold breezes when you're camping in cold weather. No ul tent can do it all, since you'd have to have lots of mesh backed by lots of zippered fabric, all adding weight. So you try to choose wisely understanding the limitations of the tent (or any piece of gear for that matter).
Then again - as far as the sturdiness of the tent - I doubt you'll be exposed to heavy wind in most of the tent sites on the AT.

[tlap]

I am still debating between this tent and the MSR Hubba. I have not tried either tent (yet) but have a concern that most of the weight advantage of the Fly Creek appears to come from using more fabric and less mesh in the construction.

It may be a great tent in regions with low humidity. It may be a great tent for early and late season. But is it more versatile than that?

I expect that I'll buy one and give it a try this summer on a short section hike.

[Tinker]

I am still debating between this tent and the MSR Hubba. I have not tried either tent (yet) but have a concern that most of the weight advantage of the Fly Creek appears to come from using more fabric and less mesh in the construction.

It may be a great tent in regions with low humidity. It may be a great tent for early and late season. But is it more versatile than that?

I expect that I'll buy one and give it a try this summer on a short section hike.

It saves weight by chopping off the height towards the rear of the tent, leaving that big gap between the pole and tent body that, to me, appears to be a weak point, structure wise.
Mesh weighs less than most fabrics.
The most efficient use of poles in a freestanding tent, taking into consideration strength first is the simple X-pole tent. That's why so many of the high altitude tents use this structure. The more joints you have, the more weak points there are. The more flat, unsupported fabric you have, the higher the wind stress will be on that panel.
I'm fond of the single hoop, minimal stake designs used in a lot of UL tents these days (the Moment being the most attractive to me, design-wise, though it is a single wall tent which, in the right [or wrong] conditions will "mist" on you, and they usually have a relatively large footprint.
Wind-wise, the rounder the better.
Space-wise, a cube works best.
Most efficient tents are a compromise between the two.
I used to think out loud, now I type instead.

[Wags]

if you like to hike then the fly creek really is a great choice for the AT. it is super light, small but not bivy small, and great ventilation. 2 guys i hiked a lot with this summer used and really liked this tent. if you're into doing pretty big miles, rolling into camp to get water, food, and look at tomorrow's day on the map, then hit the sack, write in your journal and read for a bit, this tent is for you

i've seen cases where too big of a tent would be an issue...

[Praha4]

I have the BA UL Fly Creek-1 tent.

Inside it is about the same floorspace size as the TT Contrail... the Fly Creek does have more headroom. The pole design provides a very sturdy structure, and it is staked out at enuff points so you don't really have to worry about it blowing over. The vestibule geomety/angle of the zippered opening is just enuff space for a small pack and boots.

the floor fabrice seems very thin, I think you definitely need the BA footprint or Tyvek ground cloth under it to prevent tears or water infiltration. overall I like the tent, and am thinking of buying the UL Flycreek-2, which is the same design, just a bit larger.

[FamilyGuy]

I have the BA UL Fly Creek-1 tent.

Inside it is about the same floorspace size as the TT Contrail... the Fly Creek does have more headroom. The pole design provides a very sturdy structure, and it is staked out at enuff points so you don't really have to worry about it blowing over. The vestibule geomety/angle of the zippered opening is just enuff space for a small pack and boots.

the floor fabrice seems very thin, I think you definitely need the BA footprint or Tyvek ground cloth under it to prevent tears or water infiltration. overall I like the tent, and am thinking of buying the UL Flycreek-2, which is the same design, just a bit larger.

Funny - I tried to sit up in a FC1 and was unable to without brushing the top of my head against the roof. In the Contrail I had 4 inches to spare.

On another note, the Fly Creek series are not truly freestanding. The end must be pegged out lest there be no space at all for your lower body.

The Hubba series has far more usable space and of course, the TT Rainbows.......

[RayBan]

I tried a Fly 1 and found it constricting in comparison to Henry Shires' Moment, which I would recommend you take a look at before you make a decision.

http://www.tarptent.com/moment.html