User Review: Big Agnes Big House 6

Big Agnes Big House 6
Above: The current Big House 6, which may differ slightly from the version reviewed.

Reviewed July 29, 2008 by Mcstark

Rating:
Design: three-season family camping tent
Sleeps: 6+
Ease of Setup: very easy after becoming familiar with it
Weight: 15-20 pounds (includes all accessories, and a plastic mallet)
Price Paid: $280

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.

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