Loving my back country home - Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL 3 Tent - 3 Person, 3 Season

I was in the market for a new light weight backpacking tent for several months. I did a lot of research and comparisons of similar tents in the UL category (MSR FreeLite 3) since was going to be more of a long term investment for my future adventures. I ended up going with the Fly Creak HV UL 3 as my new back country home. After narrowing down which tent I wanted to go with I had to figure out if I wanted a two or three person tent. The Fly Creak HV UL 2, was my first choice for my woman and I, which is 1lb lighter (trail weight) than the UL3. We don't pack much with us, but we like the least amount of weight. We also wanted to be able to fit us and our gear in the tent if needed. Below are the specs for the two tents to save you time:

Sleep Capacity: 2 Person
Internal Height: 39 in
Floor Space: 28 sq ft / 2.6 sq m
Floor Dimensions: 86 x 52/42 (L x W head/foot) inches
Weight: 2.5
Packed Size: 4 x 19 in / 10 x 48 cm

Sleep Capacity: 2-3 Person
Internal Height: 41 in
Floor Space: 39 sq ft / 3.6 sq m
Floor Dimensions: 88 x 66/60 inches
Weight: 3.4
Packed Size: 4.5 x 19.5 in / 11 x 50 cm

Looking at the two there are minimal differences in weight, but you get the extra 11sq ft of floor space. I’m 5’11” with a large Therm a rest sleeping pad (25 x 77 in.) and my woman is 5’2” with a regular Nemo Astro sleeping pad (20 x 72 in). Our sleeping pads would barely fit in the two person tent so I ended up going with the Fly Creak HV UL 3.

We’ve had our Fly Creak HV UL 3 now for several months and have taken it on several trips. The Toyiabe Crest Trail in NV, Havasupai in the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park. We put on the rain fly and made sure it was nice and snug with the tent and it did very well in really rainy/windy conditions. It's dry out in the SW so I didn't experience the condensation people have reported if the rain fly is not snug when using this tent. This tent is a breeze to setup and pack away. There are many storage pockets with easy access for all of you gadgets. If you're in the market for a new UL back country home for two adults I would go with the Fly Creak HV UL 3. If you’re looking for a single person UL tent I would go with the Fly Creak HV UL 2 (If you want the extra space for gear). There are many accessories like the gear loft (On wish list), Foot Print (Can use only rain fly+ foot print for really UL option or quick shade at the beach) and the lighting kit (Easy to setup and provides nice lighting). I'm very satisfied with my purchase and ended up picking up a Fly Creak HV UL 3 for a buddy.