Owner Review
Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2
June 2006

Tester Bio
Name:  Steve Collins
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 6' 3" (1.9 Meters)
Weight: 280 Pounds (127 Kilograms)
Email address: Hiker@ameritech.net
City: Chicago
State: Illinois
Country: USA

Backpacking Background: I started backpacking as a scout in the late eighties and have continued to develop this passion with trips across the Western hemisphere from Banff to Machu Pichu and the Appalachian Trail to the Sierra Nevada.  I have recently embarked upon the mission of lightening my base weight.

Product Information
Manufacturer: Big Agnes
Web site: www.bigagnes.com
Product: Seedhouse SL2
Year of manufacture: 2005
MSRP: $299.00 US
Listed weight: 3 lb. 3 oz. (1.45 kg.)
Listed weight for 2006 model: 2 lb. 14 oz. (1.30 kg.)
Actual weight: 3 lb. 2 oz. (1.42 kg.)
Actual weight of product tested includes tent, fly, guy lines, poles, pole and tent bag, and nine stakes
Size: Floor length 84” (210 cm)  Floor width 52” (130 cm) at head, 42” (105 cm) at foot.
Head height 38” (95 cm)  Foot height 22” (55 cm); dimensions field verified.
Optional footprint 6.5 oz (182 g) as indicated by the manufacturer
Warranty: As indicated by the manufacturer – “If you are not satisfied with any Big Agnes product at the time you receive it, or if one of our products does not perform to your satisfaction, return it to Big Agnes for a replacement or refund.”


Product Description
As described by the manufacturer, “the Seedhouse Superlight Series (SL) tents are for gram counters who like to swill their adventure in big gulps but still want a little room to read at night.  Solo travelers, distance hikers, touring cyclists and other lightweight disciples will find what they’re seeking with these stripped down models.”

The Seedhouse SL series are double wall tents with one door and vestibule at the end of a rectangular floor plan.  The tent has a silnylon (silicone impregnated nylon) floor and rainfly with a full mesh tent body.  The Seedhouse SL 2 is billed by the manufacturer as a two person tent, Big Agnes also manufacturers a one and three person version of the Seedhouse SL.  The pole structure is a lightweight DAC aluminum that uses two hubs at either end forming a double wishbone design like two facing Ys >--<.  The pole structure slips into four grommets at each of the four corners of the tent body forming a cross between an A-frame and Dome structure.  The tent body is then clipped into the pole structure.  The rainfly is connected at each of the four corners of the tent body using clip fasteners and also connects to the tent body at the bottom mid point of the fly and tent body with the attached clip and loop attached to an elasticized cord.  The vestibule/fly is pulled away from the front of the tent body using two stakes.  Staking out the sides of the tent not only adds to the structural integrity but also pulls the fly and inner mesh body out creating more interior living space.  The tent can not be considered free standing as it requires a minimum of three stakes to pull out the vestibule area as well as tension the tail of the tent, I personally will always stake out the tent using all of the provided guy points as I feel it provides a much more spacious and stable shelter with minimal weight penalty.  Overall the set up is intuitive and in my opinion quite easy.

The tent can be used in “fast pitch” configuration that allows a user to use the provided poles, stakes and rainfly along with the optional footprint to create a modified tarp tent when weather conditions allow.  According to the manufacturer this configuration, using the 2006 model, weighs approximately 2 lb. 2 oz. (.96 kg.). 

The tent body does include two mesh pockets sewn at the front of the tent on either side of the door as well as one at the peak of the door.  I found the side pockets to be useful for keeping small items handy at night and the pocket on the ceiling is great to hold a headlamp at night while reading.  

Field Conditions
I have used the Seedhouse SL2 on a variety of trips so far including Isle Royale NP, Banff NP, Jasper NP, Rocky Mountain National Park, Waterton NP, Glacier NP, Yellowstone NP and Grand Teton NP.  Terrain varied vastly from boreal forest floor to exposed mountain meadows to packed snow.  Elevation varied from approximately 500 feet (152 m) to 10,000 feet (3,048 m).  Weather conditions varied from temperatures of 15 to 70 F (-9 to 21 C) and precipitation ranging from cool clear nights to thunderstorms and heavy snow.

Field Use
During a late summer trip to Isle Royale National Park I used the Seedhouse SL2 during eleven nights of solo use over fourteen days.  I did not use a ground cloth during this trip and I always staked the tent out using all tie down points provided by the manufacturer.  The tent performed well in both muggy and cool conditions as well as a three-day stint of steady rain.  I did not experience any noticeable condensation and feel the tent performed well without any major wear and tear.  The mesh tent body did show tiny “runs” in the fabric, but they are not large enough to change the bugproofness of the mesh body and in my opinion are purely aesthetic.   

An early fall trip to the US and Canadian Rockies provided another twelve days of use as well as varied elevation and weather conditions.  A ground cloth was not used during this trip and the tent was always staked out using all tie down points provided by the manufacturer.  An early season snowstorm piled almost two feet of snow onto the tent while camped at an elevation of just over 10,000 feet.  Other than a small amount of condensation (mainly as a result of the rapid temperature change) I did not experience any other negative impacts of using the Seedhouse SL2 in this type of situation.  Once six inches (15 cm) of snow had fallen the tent seemed to warm up a small amount, this was possibly as a result of the small gap where the rainfly meets the ground no longer being exposed to cool air blowing in.  I had the tent fully staked with the tail faced into the wind, I was happy with the way the tent hunkered down against the wind and driving snow and while it was noisy at times it felt rock solid.

Setup and takedown in the field is a quick and simple task, only taking a bit more practice and time when working solo.  I typically pack the Seedhouse SL2 by stuffing the tent body and rainfly into a Granite Gear Air Compressor stuff sack and packing the poles and stakes in the manufacturer provided silnylon bag.  On an aesthetic note, the olive drab color of the rainfly blends nicely into its surroundings while being light enough in color to remain quite bright inside even during overcast days.  

Summary
I highly recommend this tent as a large solo shelter or a two person shelter when being extra close to your tent mate is not an issue.  The runs and snags I mentioned above continue to appear when a piece of gear with rough edges is dragged across the mesh tent body.  I contacted Big Agnes about this and they promptly replied that because material used in producing the mesh is so lightweight it has a tendency to snag, they told me they would be happy to repair the snags and runs for a nominal fee; I believe this is a purely aesthetic issue and does not warrant a complaint about the durability of the tent as it is billed as a lightweight shelter geared toward three season use.  The overall durability, packability and weight of the Seedhouse SL2 will keep it at the top of my list for a long time to come as a palatial one person tent or cramped two person tent.