Big Agnes Big House 6

Summary

Easy to set up. Very stable/sturdy. Dry Dry Dry. Spacious. All around amazing

My wife and I love this tent. She was extremely hesitant about spending a lot on a tent but now admits it was worth every penny. This tent can be set up by 1 person. They have thought of everything to make it comfortable.

Great rainfly so we were dry in a crazy rain storm. The next day when it was hot though, we were able to roll up the sides of the fly while it was still attached to cool off for a nap. Love the strong and light aluminum poles. We also got the vestibule and love it. It just keeps getting better. We were able to store a lot in it during rain and sit in it also to watch the rain.

The only downside is that if it gets cold, this tent doesn't hold heat well. That being, because of the design, no moisture collects in the tent. Lastly I have to talk about the packaging. Our friends are jealous because the tent folds into an amazing easy to store bag. We even put 3 extra tarps and the vestibule in the bag along with extra large stakes and a hammer.

It's amazing. 

Summary

With exceptional service and highest quality materials Big Agnes has done a magnificant job for this family car camping tent, but it is time to for a redesign in 2013. Now, with close-outs you just can't beat the price you will pay for a Big House series tent.

The Big Agnes Big House 6, like the  BH-4, was made for the starting family and those looking for a great shelter for under $400, including the separate footprint.  The BH-6 is for those who enjoy car camping, but lightweight enough to be split between two or three people for backpacking. Because it is presently on close-out sale it is an excellent bargain and can be gotten for a lot less. It is too early to speak of the Big House series for 2013, but they will have no back door on the new design, only a front entry. Obviously this will change the design of the tents quite a bit, but there will be more red color.

This six person Big House legitimately has adequate space for 4-5 people, and that goes for most 6-person rated tents.  It has features you expect to find in more expensive models, including color-coded coded webbing and buckles, locking pole ends and grommets, pole clips, sleeves, sealed seams and a bathtub floor to prevent leaks.  

The BH-6’s excellent pole structure provides sufficient head room up to 6 feet 3 inches, and creates lots of livable shelter for comfortable family car camping. The poles are lightweight DAC PressFit, TH72M 7001 aluminum (the latest technology in lightweight tent poles featuring improved durability) and of varying diameters to save weight.

The sturdy three pole design does a great job in preventing collapse in strong wind gusts, as long as it's staked properly with provided reflective guy-lines. This freestanding dome tent has two large D-doorways and the mesh access panels can be sealed. One drawback is the lack of a fly vestibule, but the 90 sq. ft. permits room for gear inside the tent.

From a pitching perspective this tent is a breeze. For first-timers setup might take 30 minutes to piece everything together. But later it could be done in as little as ten minutes for only one person. However, the BH-6’s rain-fly has back-side ties that need to be attached to poles, which might add a couple of minutes.

Significantly you will find the tie-downs on inside of the fly - something you won’t discover on cheaper tents.  These side release buckles attach the fly to poles for fast easy set up and keep them from separating during storms. They provide overall strength and wind resistance that plagues cheaper high profile dome tents without them.

The best thing about the Big House tent is when the guy lines are out it allows the rain fly to be rolled part way, opening it up for air flow. You can furl the sides of the rain fly without removing the fly. When it rains it literally takes about a minute to unroll the surfaces and clip them down. While you might not want to sleep all the time, it’s a nice bonus configuration.

 The floor is made of durable polyester, and not nylon. It comes with 1500mm waterproof polyurethane coating.   Polyester is similar to nylon, but resists abrasion, UV damage, and acid rain better; and, it does not shrink, stretch or sag.

The fabrics of the body, doors and fly are all 75 denier ripstop — usually found in more expensive offerings. All seams are waterproofed with solvent-free polyurethane. The polyester mesh ceiling, wall panels and ground level side vents promote air circulation. Inside this tent are several mesh storage pockets that comfortably store most lightweight gear and electronics, keeping them off the floor or just organized.

While it is freestanding it is a good practice to deploy the guy lines which gives added strength and stability when high winds or gusts occur. This Big House includes 14 superlight aluminum stakes. However, Big Agnes could put sturdier tent stakes in with this base camp tent, since the little hook ones bend easily. After all, it is not designed for back packing where weight is a factor. 

As a suggestion, it is good practice to invest in more rugged tent stakes. One’s that can be driven. And I personally would get rid of the little plastic tensioners that come with the guy-lines, using others such as:  MSR Cam Rings, Nite Ize Figure 9s, or Taut-ties.

The tent also features a welcome mat that provides a space for muddy shoes; but to be honest, Big Agnes could remove this feature as it is one of the hardest things to clean before packing up.

Other purchases might cover optional equipment including a footprint, gear loft and an extra large zip-on front vestibule which is hooped for more room. These are sold separately. And if there is need for a smaller sized tent you can always move to the Big Agnes Big House 4.

Also note, the outstanding customer service of Big Agnes is unexcelled.  You won’t have lots of aggravation if you have a problem; it is something that will be taken care of. With Big Agnes you know they stand behind their products with a real life-time warranty, and not excuses.

Now, all we have to do is to await the Big Agnes’ 2013 models of the Big House 6 to find out where they have made them better, if not for at a greater price than the current 2012 close-outs.

Bought this to start family camping with my wife and two boys (2 and 6 years-old). I made the investment upfront, because I knew I'd have the tent for a good 10 years, or more. So we'd need the space.

We fit a queen size Coleman air mattress and two Ridgerest pads with some room to spare for our bags. It vented very well. We had temps in the 60's at night and there was no condensation inside. It rained heavily the second night, and the factory taped seams held fine. We stayed dry all night.

The optional vestibule is not an option in my mind. Buy it when you get the tent. We experienced passing showers and putting stuff under the vestibule rather then in the car was a great option. It's also nice to have a place in the shade to relax other than in the tent.

The only negative is the fly has eight guy-lines, but only enough stakes for four. Rather than tie them into the stakes for the tent and ground cloth, I picked up a few extra at the local camping store - they were only a few bucks, but for the cost of the tent they could give them to you.

One last thing to mention - tear-down a packing. The duffel that they give you is a great bonus. Unlike most items you buy, the tent and accessories fit into the provided storage bag with few problems. I've put up and taken down this tent three times, and don't have to refold things to get them to fit the storage bag. A huge bonus in my mind - especially for a tent this size.

Overall, I'm very impressed and pleased with this tent. It's definitely worth the investment - I searched around online and picked up the tent, ground cloth, and vestibule for the retail price of the tent.

This is a great tent. Me and my family have used it three times and it has been a good choice. Big Agnes has done a good job sealing all the seams because not a drop of water got inside. Good venting. Easy set up. Good in the wind if you stake it down correctly.

I would suggest getting the added vestibule because it is a good place to keep your coolers and other supplies in the shade. the vestibule is not as big as the pic but still good size. Sleeps 5 comfortably. Really a good family tent.