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Big Agnes Parkview Tent Long Term
Report
Tester: Dylan
Anderson
Age:
24
Gender: Male
Height:
5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight: 175 lbs (79
kg)
Email: DJAProperties@hotmail.com
Locale:
Phoenix, AZ U.S.A.
Date:
September 13th, 2005
Product
Information:
Manufacturer:
Big Agnes, 2005
Web
Site:
http://www.bigagnes.com
Seasons: 3
Capacity:
2 plus gear
Carried Weights: 4 lbs 6.3 oz (1.99 kg) and 5
lbs 15.1 oz (2.7 kg) - For more information on what carried weights mean, see
below and my Field or Initial Reports for a detailed description of
weights.
After 6 months, without further
adieu
I could give a rundown of every trip. I could
list all the environments I encountered and such, but it seems to me to be a
better review and use of time if I instead answer all the questions I have asked
over the last six months starting with those of my initial report (for trip
information see the trip rundown after the review summary). I
asked:
"How will it do in various storms?"
The
simple answer is just fine. From the constant light downpour 3 days long
mentioned in my Field Report, to a sudden, hard Monsoon downpour, in high winds
and very hot sand blown wind, it performed as well or better than my
expectations. No water ever got in outside of one fabricated test here at
my house, which admittedly surpassed anything short of a hurricane that nature
can throw out. Some finer sand was able to penetrate the mesh in a dust
storm, but I have yet to find any fabric that can keep every particle out.
Unfortunately I never found any snow on my trips so I cannot comment to that
event outside of speculating that light snow would be about the same as the rain
performance.
"Can it easily and quickly be set up in the
dark?"
Simply put, yes it can. On my first trip when I was
delayed till well after sunset it was the first one out of a group of 8 tents to
be up. All the others were name brands owned by friends who had owned them
for several years with a lot of experience setting them up. I cannot
attribute the speed with which I was able to set up to anything but good
design.
The poles all being connected seemed like they would be
awkward to handle. Is it?
To some extent this was true, but
lessened with experience. The fact that I did not have to determine which
section went where, which was the long, short, curved or straight section aided
in fast setups indeed. Packing up was sometimes another story in that the
poles have to be packed just so to keep the bundle at it's smallest.
Occasionally I still get that wrong on the first try but it doesn't take me much
time to correct.
I noted the fly lies rather close to the body on
two sides. Will this be an issue?
After plenty of experience,
this does not seem to be my inexperience. It still lies close in those
areas so it seems to be part of the design. I have not found it to hinder
ventilation and I have yet to have any condensation in the tent, so it cannot be
termed bad design. In fact, I think it aided a bit in keeping the heat in
on the colder nights I encountered.
To aid versatility, the
larger vestibule could have been made removable. Will I find conditions in
which this would be beneficial?
This is one area that could be
improved. Out in the desert as well as on the beach when using the tent as
a sunshade removing this vestibule entirely would have aided in
ventilation. As it was, the tent functioned well enough, but it could have
been better. As to saving weight, I am now of the opinion that it would
have amounted to a few ounces (50-60 g) at most, but still every ounce
counts.
Both by the writings of Big Agnes in the brochures as well as ad
placement, the intended purpose of the tent seems to be a single light weight
solution for a variety of uses (car, boat, and backpack camping, hot and humid
to cold and dry, storms or no). To that end I asked:
"Will
the old adage 'jack of all trades, master of none' prove itself true in this
case. Can it hold up. [Will I find] myself wanting more?"
This is a
tougher question. Did it stand out in any one area? Not
particularly. Did it handle everything Mother Nature and I threw at
it? Absolutely. There are certain tents out there with similar
dimensions that pack a bit smaller. There are some competitor's tents that
weigh less. I have owned tents that had more headroom and bigger
vestibules. At no time in the test though did I find myself necessarily
wanting these things. I had no "if it packed just a bit smaller, if it
were a bit lighter, if it were a bit bigger" moments in my experience. It
certainly is greater than the sum of its parts in my opinion. From the
kayak to my backpack to my car's trunk loaded with other luggage it fit just
fine.
"Will it leave me something other than high and dry, and
scrambling to get back to my old standbys post haste?"
There were
only two times that water has made it into the tent out of two tests and 3 rain
storms. Once was mentioned above, when I got overzealous in a simulation,
and the other when accidentally opening the door on the windward side.
This second occurrence (while an operator failure) illustrates the supreme
benefit of two opposing doors and vestibules. With a little more
attention, that added flexibility was an asset and I do not believe I would buy
another two-person tent without that option, regardless of weight
savings.
By the time I had written my Field Report, I had already gotten
a pretty good idea that I would give this tent a favorable review. At that
time it was exceeding my expectations on several levels. However, I still
had the following questions:
"Will it fit easily on the next
river trip?"
Again this is a simple question. The only river
trip I went on, it fit easily into a dry bag with my sleeping bag stuffed in
beside it. The whole bundle then fit neatly into the kayak with no trouble
at all.
"How will it hold up over prolonged use?"
I
do not consider 6 months all that long since I keep all my good gear at least
several years. However, I have taken or sent this tent on every camping
trip I can manage (7 in my possession and 3 trips I loaned it out on, though
they do not account for any of the opinions or experiences here) which is more
than I typically go on. So far the tent shows no wear that I can
detect. It has no damage (aside from some slight mud staining) and
performance has not been compromised in any way.
"What about the
fast and light option. what will it be like?"
Basically it will be
just as it sounds. As fast as it is to set up the whole tent, without all
the body's pole clips, the fast and light option takes about half as long to set
up and take down. At 4 lbs 6.3 oz (1.99 kg) for the footprint, fly, poles
and two stakes, this is very competitive for a total area of approximately 57 sq
ft (5.25 sq m). While camping I actually had 4 people, albeit 2 adults and
two children both under 5 feet, sleep under it in this configuration. It
did not rain on that trip so it is hard to say if everyone would have stayed
completely dry, but based on my experience with tarp set up, I feel it would be
doable with the same careful site selection like with a tarp. Taken to a
fourth of July celebration in this configuration, it proved a very convenient
changing shelter. It packed down small enough and light enough to be
carried with the lawn chairs and cooler about half a mile from the parking lot,
and set up and tore down fast enough to be unobtrusive, while providing enough
room. At the beach this configuration was an excellent sunshade, being low
enough to not obstruct other bathers, while being big enough inside to
accommodate two beach chairs. The ventilation might have been improved as
I mentioned above, though it was not objectionable considering this was not an
intended use.
"Will it be warm or cool enough (depending on the
situation)?"
As a full tent it proved plenty warm down to about 32°
F (0° C). In hotter environments it ventilated well and rarely got much
more than a degree or two hotter than the surrounding air. In the fast and
light configuration I did not get a chance to test it below 60° F (15.6° C), but
at that temperature it still stayed comfortable inside. In the higher
temperatures it performed much the same as before, with sufficient ventilation
almost entirely eliminating any heat buildup.
In
Summary
With virtually all of my questions answered at
this point, what is my opinion? This tent has very admirably met most, if
not all of the needs of many campers. While there may be some better
options for any one particular use (smaller packing for boating, lighter weight
for ultra lights, slightly simpler use for the novice), none of them with which
I am familiar have the flexibility and adaptability of this tent. With
strong proven storm resistance in many storm types (though I did not get snow),
durability in some very adverse conditions and my ground type (forest sod, soft
grass, muddy plain, desert sand and shale rock, canyon granite and sandstone),
and even some non-camping uses (sunshade, community event changing room), I have
not had so much as one broken zipper.
At this point I can, and have
recommended this tent to several looking for a lightweight but freestanding
tent. True it will never match the non-freestanding models for space to
weight comparisons, but the fast and light option at least comes close.
Can I think of a situation in which I would not take this tent? Any
situation that immediately comes to mind is no place for a tent designated as 3
season, and even at that I would be comfortable taking this tent into all but
hurricane force storms and I would still like to try it in snow. If I
could change or add anything about it, I think I would still make the large
vestibule detachable for those trips and duties where it would not be
necessary. Anyone from Big Agnes that may be reading, please consider
it. After 6 months using the tent, this is the only fact that still bugs
me. Granted I can work around the ventilation issue by unzipping and
rolling back both flaps of the vestibule, but why carry it when I know I won't
use it?
Pros
-
Flexible design with good to great (fast and light) space to weight
ratio
- Compact packing allowing for many
carry options and therefore uses
- High
quality materials showing no wear in 6
months
- Freestanding design allowing
setup in all but the most abysmal
terrain
- Great storage space with two
vestibules and a total of almost 57 sq ft (5.3 sq m) under the
fly
- Dual doors and vestibules allowing
both occupants their own space, or alternately always a down wind protected
entry to prevent wind blown
rain/snow
Cons
-
Vestibule that is so close to removable, I still cannot understand why it is
not
- Very slight compromise at the
extremes (very high heat/cold)
In one sentence: The best blend of
features at a respectably light weight to make it through most of what Mother
Nature as well as society may throw out that I have ever used.
The best
overall indication of what a tester thinks about a tent would be whether he/she
intends to continue using it or are they going back to their old tent. To
that I say I would continue to. However, the one thing this tent cannot
offer (no tent can) is the comfort of my hammock. Had I not discovered
hammocks, I would be thrilled to keep the Big Agnes Parkview as my primary
shelter. At least I can say that I do intend to keep it around as a backup
for any future trip where the hammock cannot work for one reason or
another.
Trips and
Tests:
Overall environmental ranges: High temperature
100° F (37.8° C), Low temperature 40° F (4.4° C), winds measured up to 30 mph
(48.3 km/h) with a few strong bursts, rains moderate over an extended period (2
in or 5.1 cm over three days) and the heaviest downpour being .9 in (2.3 cm)
over 1 hour, no snow experience, ground cover consisting of
March 2005 -
1 day of testing and measuring at a neighborhood park 3 hours in duration.
Dry weather in direct sunlight with light breezes and a temperature of 81° F
(27.2° C). Ground cover was thick grass
April 2005 - 3 day (2
night) car camping trip into high mountain range with the tent serving as a base
camp. Rain almost continuous totaling 2 in (5.1 cm) in forested shade with
occasional moderate wind gusts (not measured) with lowest recorded temperature
of 40° F (4.4° C) and a high of 60° F (15.6° C). Ground cover was a mix of
mud and forest leave deadfall.
April 2005 - 1 day of additional testing
and cleaning. Simulated rain up to 3 in (7.6 cm) per hour though under
high pressure (i.e. simulated wind driven), in direct sunlight with no wind and
an estimated temperature in the high 70's F (mid 20's C). Ground cover was
driveway concrete.
May 2005 - 2 day (1 night) backpack into higher desert
regions near Phoenix. No rain, in direct sunlight with very light breezes,
a low temperature of 70° F (21.1° C) and a high of 88° F (31.1° C). Ground
cover was hard packed dirt and bits of shale.
June 2005 - 3 day (2 night)
river trip on the Gila River in the deserts of eastern AZ. No rain,
partial shade winds of up to 30 mph (48.3 km/h) one day, lowest temperature
believed to be 80° F (26.7° C) and a high of 100° F (37.8° C). Ground
cover was river beach sand and gravel.
July 2005 - 2 day (1 night)
backpack into Beaver Creek Canyon of central AZ. One downpour of .9 in
(2.3 cm) in an hour, partial shade, winds unmeasured but gusting strong, with an
unknown low and an estimated high of 95° F (35° C). Ground cover was
sandstone.
August 2005 - 5 days on California beaches. Though not
truly a camping trip, the tent served several days as a sunshade and changing
shelter for up to 6 hours at a time on various beaches and had to be packed with
considerable luggage quantities in a smaller (Saturn) car trunk.
Temperatures throughout the 70's F (20's C), direct sunlight, gusty winds, set
up on the beach sand.
August 2005 - 3 day (2 night) backpack into high
alpine regions of eastern AZ. Some light rain, forest shade, consistent
moderate wind, low of 45° F (7.2° C) and a high of 74° F (23.3° C). Ground
cover was compacted forest dirt with some rock. This time it was carried
in its fast and light setup.
September 2005 - 4 day (3 night) backpack
into Havasupai canyon, a tributary to the Grand Canyon. No rain, almost
constant shade, occasional breezes, with lows in the low 70's F (low 20's C) and
a high of 81° F (27.2° C). Ground cover was compacted dirt. Again
carried in fast and light configuration.
Also, the tent served as a
changing shelter at a 4th of July event with admirable results (fast and light
setup, easy and quick to carry and use). It was also loaned out three
times. Two backpack trips and one additional river trip. One trip
encountered heavy thunderstorm activity. All three users had no complaints
and many praises. While none of these experiences are used for the
purposes of these reviews due to the fact that they are second hand knowledge to
me, I mention them here to give the reader a complete picture of the use this
tent has so far endured for the purposes of durability
assessment.
Tester's
Background:
I started hiking at 5, and in 19 years I've
traveled everywhere. From Alaska's glaciers to Hawaii's Kalalau, Grand
Canyon lows to the heights of Colorado and Washington I've challenged
everything. My home, Phoenix's desert, is a perfect base from which to
rock climb, raft and kayak, ski, bike and sail. Every climate is within 8
hours drive. The ocean, mountains, canyons, forest or field, it's all near
by. Either as a Scout troop leader or on my travels, I'm backpacking at
least once a month, about 6 weeks a year. I'm the gear info guy for those
I know, as my collection is huge. I plan to increase my travels further,
and anticipate learning more doing as many reviews as I am
allowed!
Read more reviews of Big Agnes gear
Read more gear reviews by Dylan Anderson
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