Big Agnes Salt Creek 2-person Superlight Backpacking Tent

2024-05-04T20:00:00

I used this tent on a solo backpacking trip. This is one of the few 2-person tents that I'm confident could actually fit two people, and I plan on sharing with a friend on a future trip. Plenty of headroom to sit up. I think it's a nice balance of weight and comfort. Most importantly, this tent kept me dry through a torrential downpour all night long. It also kept me cool, which was a pleasant surprise. Water did pool on the roof behind the vent, which could be an issue. Taking it down in the rain without soaking everything was challenging, but that could be due to my relative inexperience. I would definitely recommend setting it up at home first, as the pole design is a bit different and takes some getting used to. I never could figure out how to get the awning to stay up, but that could definitely be user error. Overall, a great tent!

Journey E.

2023-04-16T20:00:00

Great tent! It held up in some of the most wicked wind ever! It's fairly lightweight; kinda a bridge between compact car camping and backpacking. If the weight is distributed between two packs, it's very lightweight. I find the tent is spacious for a two person with lots of head/shoulder room. I love the larger vestibules and three doors! Makes for good ventilation. A couple of drawbacks are: the zippers, and the front door. I love the front door except you need two poles (or the perfect sticks you can find sometimes,) guys and stakes to keep the flap up. As for the zippers, the side doors take two hands to open. Also the wind/rain flap on the fly tends to get stuck in the zipper. Care must be taken to avoid any zipper mishaps. Over-all I still like the tent, although I haven't used it in a downpour yet, only light rain.

Teddirex

2023-02-10T19:00:00

Very breathable camping in northern Arizona. Love the cozy light interior and the shelf above the feet. With a twin air bed (just fits), the clothing on the shelf helped keep my feet warm. Used gathered sticks to hold up the canopy. Short sticks held the canopy open to increase air flow during rain, but don't expect to keep the canopy fully extended during the rain and not get your stuff wet. Get the related footprint - it has clips and grommets that anchor to the rainfly and poles; with it you can unclip part or all of the interior tent and move it aside. Don't expect a huge amount of depth or headspace to sit under the canopy, and you need to add two extra stakes or use rocks to anchor the canopy guy lines.

Jen

2022-10-09T20:00:00

This tent is absolutely amazing. it is very easy to set up and has a lot of features that I really enjoy. Doors on each side as well as the foot loft and large vestibules make this tent extremely live-able. I have been in torrential downpours and not a drop of water made it into the tent. I also really like the front porch situation. It is really neat and works great with my backpacking chair. My 12 year old and I look forward to our annual father/son trip in this tent. Highly recommend.

Luke U.

2022-10-07T20:00:00

Taken it out a couple of times and it's been great! It's nice and roomy and the setup is so easy. The only downside is that the bag it comes in is very fragile and mine ripped the second time I put it back in the bag which was a bummer but not the end of the world. The rest of the tent seems very well made though so that makes up for it.

clad

2022-07-25T20:00:00

The tent itself is amazing the stuff sack and rain fly not so much. The stuff sack tore on the first use and 2 of the 3 zippers on the rail fly tore out also on the first use. The only time we used it was super calm conditions I might also add.

Jon

2022-07-05T20:00:00

Great tent, terrible stuff sack. I have used this tent a total of 10 times. I love it so much and it is easy to set up even in the dark (everything is color-coded) however, the sack it came in and is intended to carry the tent is extremely flimsy... which is ironic considering this tent is marketed as a backpacking tent. My bag ripped after I was putting my tent in it. I held it by the top and was shaking it so the tent would slide down in (it doesn't need much force because the tent fits the bag perfectly. However, the bag tore in two. So disappointing considering you still have to get down the mountain. I would recommend purchasing a more durable stuff sack from a second-party company if you actually intend to take this tent into the wilderness.

Utah c.

2022-06-13T20:00:00

Wow, the pockets and the doors! I love this tent! Light enough to backpack but I am using it car camping and river trips. Packs small and has all the luxuries one or two need! Slept in high winds, rain , and snow on our first outing and it was a cozy oasis in the storm. Thank you BA!

Claire

2020-10-29T20:00:00

This tent is awesome so far, only one trip under its belt though. We love how airy it is and really like getting to see all our surroundings. I'm a little nervous about durability with how light it is, but it's a wonderful tent.

Mike

2020-10-12T20:00:00

Awesome! Bought three of these tents for use as housing in the field by myself and my two techs. It fits myself, my dogs, my gear and my cot quite comfortably. I adore the pockets that are built into the tent walls, they're wicked handy. My only complaint is that the tent pegs are pretty flimsy when it comes to hard-packed desert sands, as is the tent bag (I have a major rip that I tried to fix with little success). With that, I plan to buy a fourth for personal use!

TR

2020-09-26T20:00:00

I love this tent. I am a 68 year old woman camping solo. So compact but roomy. Great and unique design features. I was annoyed that the footprint doesn't come with the tent. I was unable to buy the proper one and have had to modify another brand. Also not impressed that there are not enough tent pegs included and that the pointed ends have already made holes in the tent bag. ??

Gael

2020-09-07T20:00:00

Have already slept around 10 nights in this tent, and it has been great for every scenario I've thrown at it. Seems very tough (as long as you get the footprint), and has kept me comfortable in subfreezing temperatures in the mountains, deserts of Wyoming, and at 12,000 ft in Colorado. Overall great tent, and clear that its design was thoroughly thought out!

Triston

2020-08-26T20:00:00

So far this tent has surpassed my hopes and expectations. I have only used it in the yard so far, but it is a 3.5 acre yard and we currently have winds gusting to 60+ kmh. I thought the 3rd door was a gimmick until i sat in the shade under the awning it creates... I'm a fan! The "Low Vent" feature on the vestibule doors is really great! Huge space for a solo trip and enough room for a couple to weather a storm... and emerge still a couple. :-) The only thing keeping it from a perfect score is the colour... this is not a tent that needs to be found by SAR after an alpine avalanche... if it was a blend-into-the-forest green it would be perfect! A lot of people that this tent would be ideal for are the wild camping crowd that prefer not to be noticed. The only other nitpicks would be: 1) the fact that there are not enough stakes included to properly set up the tent. I happen to have extra stakes from my previous tent so no biggie but that is a silly omission by B.A. 2) the extra-cost footprint. Again, i have one from my last tent that i will modify with straps, grommets and side-release buckles to work with this new tent. Bottom line- I could really only be substantially happier with this tent if it came in low-vis green. If B.A. ever makes a green fly for this tent I will buy one!

FatBikeJamie

2020-08-07T20:00:00

When I first bought this tent, I liked the concept but thought the third door could be kind of gimmicky. It turns out the third door is really awesome. I have about 30 nights in this tent and I its making its way into my pack every trip. Its big, with steep walls and lots of room. Big walls translates into big vestibules. On warm, dry nights you can open the fly on all 3 doors and get a nice breeze. I often roll the rain fly at the third door so I can stargaze at night. Its a little thicker material than the copper spurs and other UL tents so after an all night rain storm the material doesnt sag. It was even solid in a surprise snowstorm. The thicker material also leads to its only negative. It is heavier than many other options out there. Still if you are looking for something for car camping, a few day backpack, a multi day basecamp, or you just dont mind lugging the couple extra pounds then this is for you. Do yourself a favor and replace the stakes immediately. The ones that come with it are garbage.

Derrick

2020-08-06T20:00:00

I'm very impressed with this tent! Love the 3 doors and vestibule that the 3rd door makes--perfect for making coffee on chilly mornings without getting out of your sleeping bag! I've only used it car camping thus far, but intend to use it for both backpacking and car camping. Great weight for backpacking too. Easily fits 2 people (one of whom is over 6 feet tall), and has ample room to sit up in the tent. Seems sturdy and well-made, but have only had it about 2 months so time will tell on that. I've used it in one heavy rainstorm and nothing inside got wet. I'd recommend setting it up in your living room/backyard before taking it out to camp because it's a little confusing to set up the first time. After that, very easy and simply for one person to do alone. Make sure your buy the footprint which is sold separately. #sweepstakes

Lucy

2020-07-11T20:00:00

The Salt Creek SL2 is a great balance between features, weight, packed size, cost, and durability. Tent is very waterproof and stable but still has excellent ventilation, and the third door and is a really nice feature. I really appreciated the gear shelf on the inside. The only thing I can think that could be improved is the orientation of the third door. If the zipper were more like the Seedhouse or Flycreek tent, it would help keep the door out of the dirt, which is noticeable because the tent is white. Otherwise, very happy with the tent!

Chris

2020-04-21T20:00:00

Just took the Salt Creek out for the first time recently. It was a nice tent. I liked the 3 door design. Not that there's much need for 3 doors but it is really nice to unzip them all and turn it into a breezy open air shelter. The floor space is ample for 2 people. I have the air core ultra pads and it fits two of them perfectly. There is not much more room for anything but bodies in the tent. With two side vestibules, each camper has plenty of personal space to place their gear. I would like a bit more floor space for the 3lb 11oz trail weight. As a comparison, I have a BA Rattlesnake SL 1 tent that I've used since 2015. It is 23 sq ft. The Salt Creek is also in the SL category and it has 28 sq ft as a 2P. The redemption of this fact is that the walls are vertical so it feels more spacious. The pole design is unique. There are a couple of pop open clips that hold the cross pole in place. I wonder how they will fare over years of use? I am usually dubious about moving parts with hinges (especially those made out of plastic). After examination, I do believe that the pole would still remain in place without the clip because it rests in a depression and has ends that snap onto the tent. The design allows the user to set it up easily enough. Overall, I would recommend the tent.

Jesse

2020-02-16T19:00:00

I thought this tent was great. I am a full time wheelchair user, with no hand function limitation. I could set it up by myself--- which was awesome and easy. I would think that others with limited hand function would still do fairly well with the clip system, although bigger zippers or hand crafted (or BA made) pull tabs would be helpful. I used the side doors for putting shoes under a vestible out of the way but used the big front door to wheel right up to our sleeping pads and transfer to the ground. I have a cot that would have worked great for a shorter transfer in and out of this door. My first use of this tent was biking the 100 mile White Rim trail. My "con" comment regarding sand filtering through on a VERY windy night....what tent doesn't? I loved the pockets and ability to hang a lattern, also on NO fly needed nights the full sky view is awesome!

Quinndalina