New Big Agnes Tents

Big Agnes is a new brand here at Facewest. If you haven’t heard of Big Agnes they are an outdoor gear manufacture that was founded in 2000. They are based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado USA. They specialise in camping equipment from tents to sleeping bags and mats and even camp furniture. Their aim as a brand is to manufacture great quality, lasting gear that encourages and inspires people to get into the outdoors and go camping. They call themselves “The Mother of Comfort”.

As a company Big Agnes strive to make their equipment in a sustainable manner and to minimize their impact on the environment. Along with a considering how the manufacturing of their products effects the environment they are also committed to supporting local groups to help protect their local trails.

Our range consists of a variety of light weight warm sleeping bags and sleeping mats and also some really nice tents. Below is an overview of the tents we are stocking but if you want to see our full range from Big Agnes head on over to our website and have a look. I would highly recommend looking at the super versatile Lost Range 3in1 sleeping bags. These are a unique sleep system that combines and quilt and sleeping bag to allow you to adapt your sleep system to the climate you are camping in.

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL

As an entry into the world of Big Agnes we are stocking two tents this year. We have the Copper Spur HV UL and the Blacktail series.

The Copper Spur HV UL tents are designed as a roomy Ultralight backpacking tent. We have the 2 and 3 person version of this tent along with the cleverly designed Bikepack version. The pack weight for these tents is 1.4kg for the 2 person and 1.76kg for the 3 person, so they are pretty lightweight! They can also be stripped down to be even lighter if required.

The Coppers Spurs HV UL is free standing tent that is very easy to pitch thanks to the Tiplock Tent Buckle. The TipLock Tent Buckle incorporates the pole tip capture, rainfly attachment and tensioner and the stake out loop into one place making pitching the tent a doddle. The pre-curved tent poles are made by DAC who are renowned for making lightweight strong tent poles.

There are two entry points on the 2 and 3 person versions with large enough vestibules to store your packs, boots and wet kit. Both doors have an awning style design to them, meaning that by using either a set of additional accessory poles or walking poles you can create an outdoor space out of the sun.

The rain fly and floor are made from a 1200mm polyurethane coated double ripstop nylon and all of the seams are taped with a waterproof solvent-free polyurethane tape. The inner of the tent is made from a combination of double rip stop nylon and a polyester mesh. The double rip stop nylon on the lower section keeps out the draughts and the upper mesh section allows maximum air flow to help reduce condensation build up.

The inner itself has lots of storage pockets to keep your kit organised. There are 2 interior mesh pockets for stashing quick access items like head torches and phones and 1 3D dump style pocket and 1 oversized mesh pocket for larger items. Additional gear lofts can be added to give even more internal storage.

One handy feature on the Copper Spur HV UL tents is the ability to strip it down and use it as ultra-lightweight bivi shelter. To do this you will need to the additional footprint, which is available as an optional accessory, the poles, pegs and the fly. Ditching the inner and pitching the tent in Fast Fly mode cuts the overall weight down 964g.

The Copper Spur HV UL Bikepacking tent has been designed so that it can be packed easily onto the handle bars of your bike. The Bikepacking version of the tent has all the same features as the standard Copper Spur plus a couple of extra features. On the outside of the tent inner there are storage pockets for your water bottles and bike helmet. The main point of the difference is the poles, they fold down into smaller sections meaning that when they are collapsed the overall pack size of the tent is shorter so it can be strapped to your bike handlebars.

Big Agnes BlackTail

The Black Tail series of tents are an excellent choice for people who are looking for a highly featured tent at a great price. They are light enough to be used as a back packing tent and spacious enough to use as a weekend tent. The 2 person weighs in at 2.24kg, the 3 person at 2.58kg and the 4 person 3.54kg. So shared out between your party you will only be carry around a kilo each which is comparable to some lightweight single person tents.

The inner is light and airy, the top half of the inner is made from mesh allowing plenty of ventilation to prevent condensation and the lower section is a breathable polyester. On the inside of the tent storage is not in short supply. In the 2 & 3 Person there are 4 mesh pockets and 2 media pockets for stashing your smaller items and in the 4 person you have 2 additional mesh pockets. This storage can be increased by adding additional gear lofts.

To keep protect you from the elements the fly and floor of the tent are made from polyester with a 1500mm waterproof polyurethane coating. There are two large entrances, two spacious vestibules for storing your kit. At the apex of the tent there are two large vents in the fly that complement the mesh inner to maintain airflow to combat condensation build up. The Blacktail tents can also be pitched in the Fast Fly mode when purchasing the additional tent footprint.