Date: 2016-11-19
To: Gear Review: Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 (tent)
Miles today: 0.0
Weather: clear sky

BIG AGNES FLY CREEK UL2 Gear Review!Weight: 35.4oz (includes all stakes)My Fly Creek pitched on Uncle Johnny's Nolichucky Hostel lawn in TNI think Big Agnes was probably the most popular type of tent on the trail. I saw ten year old models still perfectly fine and in use (Conductor has one!) and many of the 2014 and 2015 styles. In fact, at Overmountain Shelter - the giant barn with the beautiful view - there were eight Big Agnes tents pitched in a row on the hill. Hurrah for "Team Big Agnes"!Pros:- Weight/Volume Ratio. The Fly Creek UL2 is marketed as a two person lightweight tent, hence the UltraLight2. I'd call it more of a "one and a half"... or "two if you really like each other". Regardless, it's a tight fit for two hikers and their gear (I would know from experience!) but a perfect fit for one thru hiker and a pack. I could sit up inside it and move around with ease, and my pack fit perfectly at my feet sideways in the foot of the tent. I'm 5'8" and honestly I thought the volume was more than enough. I would not have been as comfortable in a smaller "coffin" style one person tent. I liked being able to sit up and spread my gear around in the evenings. Plus, the whole tent is VERY light, even lighter if you ditch the 'emergency pole repair' thingie and two of the stakes, like I did.- Ease of Setup. The pole system is one Y-shaped piece and entirely collapsible. The tent itself has clips that are SO easy to snap onto the poles. It took me maybe ten minutes to set everything up every day once I got the hang of pitching the tent out taut to eliminate any sagging once it was pitched up. Some people did mention that they thought it was difficult to get the floor of the tent perfectly square but I found that staking out the corners of the limp tent before adding the poles (vs. putting in the poles first and attempting to square the bottom of a three dimensional structure) was much easier and gave me a consistently even pitch. Also, don't forget to tie out your fly! It takes a little while to get a feel for the perfect tension but it's definitely necessary for wind/snow/rain/etc. Practice!!Just look at that pitch!- Pitch Anywhere. This tent is (mostly) free-standing. I didn't think that a free-standing tent would be such a benefit until I ran into situations where the ground was hard/rocky or when my only good option was to pitch on top of a tent platform. It was a serious bonus to be able to throw my tent up and use my shoes or rocks to pitch out the front of my fly and not worry about staking the sides out because it already stood freely. Of course, the corners of the footbox need to be staked or tied out to get maximum volume but I just put my pack down there to push it out and had plenty of room. Stake-free setup isn't a good idea in rain though, because the fly isn't taut, so don't rely on it in inclement weather.Shoe and I with our matching tents, squeezed onto a single tent padCons:- 2015-Style Door Profile. This is a very specific complaint to the 2015 model of the Fly Creek UL2. The profile of the rain fly door is not ideal. Even when the tent and fly are both pitched out perfectly taut and everything is tied down and looks good, the fly door is weirdly tensioned and the seam pulls in a very awkward way. In fact, my rain fly seam seal started to separate a bit after about 4 months of use and would leak when it rained heavily. I went to REI to get it repaired and they simply exchanged it for the 2016 Fly Creek HV UL2 model! Bonus! HV is "high volume". I didn't notice a different in volume but the fly door profile is much improved and I didn't see any seam separation in the HV UL2. This seam seal leaking thing was the only downside I experienced and the tent held up EXCELLENTLY in rain, even heavy storms in exposed areas. I would not consider this minor leak 'problem' big enough of an issue to rule out this tent and I would have continued to happily use my Fly Creek UL2 if REI didn't repair or replace it.Do I recommend this gear? YES! A THOUSAND TIMES YES! It was perfect for me. I was happy every time I was set up and making dinner while those with tents requiring using their trekking poles as support or complicated maneuvers to get everything taut were still fussing with their gear. It was super light and wonderfully large and packed down into a small volume. I also never used a ground cloth (a piece of tarp-like material that goes underneath your tent for protection) and had no problems with punctures or wetness after rain. I was careful to choose sites with minimal rocks and roots and stayed out of depressions that could collect water so I don't know if the tent is extra-durable or if I was extra-vigilant Many hikers used ground cloths but I saw it simply as extra weight. Be careful!Last picture of my cute tent, in the Hundred Mile Wilderness. This is the HV UL2, my replacement tent. It's pretty much the same thing as the other one.Any questions!? Think I should add more info somewhere? Feel free to email me at elleoutdoors@gmail.com!Disclaimer: I did a LOT of research before starting my thru-hike but my Gear Review series is about my personal experiences with my choices of gear and everything might not be true for everyone! Decide carefully, my hiker friends, and get things that work for you