User Review: Big Agnes Parkview 3

Much thanks to the first reviewer of this tent. He did not steer me wrong.

This is a great tent poised between the full screen smaller ultralights and the heavier 4 season tents. This was purchased because of its useful rectangle shape, and the ability to lay crosswise in the tent and have more side to side room if desired. These were correct assumptions.

Setup is a breeze and the hubbed pole system folds out nicely and intuitively. Color coded poles and webbing tabs make it very quick to get up. The tent has clips all over to nicely secure the body to the frame. The fly is made from a seemingly bombproof material. Two vestibules make storing 3 packs no sweat and you can still enter/exit from either end.

Used this tent on a 3 night CO hike. Between 3 guys, this is a very light tent and easily split two ways for a virtual palace. We did not run into rain, so I cannot comment, but this tent seals up nice with minimal draft and we were fine in wind at 11,500 ft and 25 degree temps.

As noted before, you can sleep crosswise and my feet did bump up against the tent wall, but I did not suffer any wet bag from condensation. I was the tallest guy in the tent at 6'2" and was very pleased. The tent is not drafty when sealed up, and you can open up each vestibule top end for better venting in warmer conditions.

We used the guy lines on the tent which are cool and all reflective in your headlamp one night when the wind was kicking, total no brainer and the tent will be much stronger with these tied down. I suggest taking some chord and adding it to the vestibule stake tabs and the tweener fly tabs. This is useful if you are in a rocky area and need to tie off to a rock instead of staking it down. I suspect that this tent will easily take a pretty good rainstorm. Two adults and two kids would fit pretty well in there.

Great tent for those who don't mind an extra pound or two for a slightly warmer, roomier tent over an ultralight. Excellent design with attention to detail. My buddy took this one back to Norway to use for a family tent that will handle rain and cooler conditions. I am gonna pick up another one to take my kids up to the Sierras for fishing a couple miles back from the TH and backpacking with the adults.