Reviews > Shelters > Tents > Big Sky International Evolution 1P > Ralph Ditton > Long Term Report

I have evolved from being a heavyweight backpacker of approximately 28 kg (62 lb) including all my water and food to a mid- weight backpacker averaging 18 kg (40 lb). My trips range from overnighters to five days duration.

tent at Prickly Bark
Product Information

Listed Measurements
Shelter + carbon poles : 1.02 kg (2 lb 4 oz)
Shelter+ aluminium poles : 1.16 kg (2 lb 9 oz)
Pole diameter: Aluminium 8.74 mm (0.344 in)
                          Carbon      7.42 mm (0.292 in)
Floor dimensions: 213 cm x 91 cm x 61 cm (84 in x 36 in x 24 in)
Peak height: 99 cm (39 in)
Floor area: 1.63 sq m (17.5 sq ft)
Vestibule area: 0.84 sq m (9 sq ft)
Packed size: 13 cm x 48 cm (5 in x 19 in)

More product information can be found in my initial report.

Field Test information
The test took place over May and June, 2006 when our region is supposed to experience the majority of our rainfall. Sadly, it appears that climate change has occurred and we are still experiencing fine weather, so apart from Easter time, no further rain has been encountered whilst camping in the tent.
Testing took place at Prickly Bark S 31°42.800' E 115°56.981, elevation 83 m (272 ft) on the Coastal Plain Trail on three occasions.
The first and second test were similar in weather and temperature conditions. Temperatures ranged from a low of 9 C (48 F) during the night to a high of 12 C (54 F) at 8 am when I dismantled the tent to put away inside my backpack.
Apart from a very thin film  of dew on the outside fabric, no moisture was detected on the inside of the fly. The morning sun evaporated the dew off relatively quickly. I did not have to flick the fly to remove any moisture as there was none to remove.
The proof of that was when I laid the tent fly on the sleeping platform which was dusty with limestone dust to fold up. The fly became a bit dusty but when brushed, the dust came off, not sticking, because there were no wet patches.

I did not use a groundsheet under the tent on these two occasions, but I did prepare the ground very carefully. I swept the ground clear of twigs and Banksia nuts so that nothing could cause damage to the floor.

As the ground was sandy, I was unable to avoid bringing some sand inside the tent, even though I removed my shoes by sitting on the inside with my legs bent over the door opening and feet in the vestibule.
The sand was easily removed the following day by wetting a sponge and dabbing the sand after guiding it into a corner.
One thing I did notice from a trip before. I had left a little bit of sand inside the inner, and when I erected the tent, the sand had adhered to the seam seal in each of the reinforced corners. Somehow the sand had found its way there, whether through the actions of pitching the inner ( there is a lot of movement  when inserting the tent poles), or possibly static electricity caused the distribution. Anyway, the sand was relatively easy to remove. My fear, when I saw it was that it had become part of the seam seal and was embedded a bit into it because when I lifted the inner up to shake it, the sand did not move.

I was able to put a bit of gear inside the tent. The pocket near my head stored the headlamp, tissues, comb, first aid kit and book.
The other larger pocket stored my walking clothes, ie. long trousers and shirt.
A water bottle sat in one corner near my head. I left the backpack outside the tent as I use a 90 L (5,492 cu in). It is too large to stand upright in the vestibule due to the narrowing top. The top of the backpack would be pushing against the inner. If it became critical during very adverse weather I would do it and put up with the intrusion into my space. Alternatively, I could lay it on its back, but I am not in the habit of laying my backpack down as I am always diving into it for items and I could not be bothered with lifting it up all of the time to gain access to the back or top pocket. In this testing phase, I did not bring the backpack inside the inner.

inside the tent
The last occasion I used the tent, the weather was very cold due to clear skies, light winds, very dry air and a low dew point. (Source Bureau of Meteorology). The overnight temperature was -3 C (27 F) and got to the dizzy heights of 4 C (39 F) when I packed up to leave the following morning.
There was only a trace of moisture on the inside of the fly which I could discern by running my finger along the fabric. A slight trail was left by my finger.
A stuff sack sitting in the vestibule shows some signs of moisture running in the sunshine.

stuff sack with condensation running
During the course of the night, I had to get out of the tent and noticed how cold it was outside as opposed to the inside of the tent.
I was cool inside, but I estimate that there must have been an 8 C (14 F) difference.

I am still experiencing problems with opening and closing the door zip. It has a tendency to catch on the material and jam. It is easily freed by backing the zip up to clear the material, but a pain when it is dark.

I used a partial ground sheet under the tent which went from my head to knees. Its primary purpose was to prevent sand from being brought into the tent. The above photo shows sand on the groundsheet at the door entrance.

I actually used the window to see where the bird was that was making a racket that woke me up in the early hours of the morning, around 6.25 am when the sun was just rising.  I did not want to frighten it by undoing the zipper. It was a Kookaburra. Initially I could not see a good reason for a window, but I have come to like it as I can watch the bird life in front of me.

window in tent
This is a picture of a laughing Kookaburra similar to the one that caused the racket that I saw through the window.

laughing Kookaburra
To date, I have not been able to test the tent pegs and guy lines that come with the tent as I have not received them yet.
Upon their arrival, I will do an addendum regarding the performance of the pegs in different ground that I will try and insert into.

I have not noticed any fading of the fabric from direct sunlight or high Ultra Violet light that we experience.

Campfire smoke odour clings to the silnylon fabric so I have to sponge down the outer tent fly when I get home, otherwise the smell will be there the next time I go to use the tent. I made this mistake once before. I am not partial to stale campfire odours to sleep with.

There has been no change from the performance against test plan for the other issues raised and commented on in my Field Report.

Summary
Overall, I am very happy with this tent due to its lightweight, easy assembly/disassembly and relative spaciousness length wise.
The only negative, and that is relative to my wants, is that the marigold colour of the tent lets in too much light first thing in the morning. In hindsight, a darker colour would let me stay in the sleeping bag a little longer as I am usually not in a rush to be off in the morning or try to be first up.
I found it wise to always peg the tent down due to the very lightweight nature of it. Once when I set it up without pegging it down, I went to my backpack to get the sleeping gear and the wind caught it, causing it to lift off and glide down above the sandy track of the big sand dune I was camping on.

Thank you Big Sky Products and BackPackGearTest for the wonderful opportunity to test this excellent product.

Reviews > Shelters > Tents > Big Sky International Evolution 1P > Ralph Ditton > Long Term Report