The mystery of sheep mountain, part 2 - Big Agnes Sheep Mountain Tent - 3 Person, 3 Season Clearance

Now that I've actually got the tent, I've found a bunch of new features, and a couple of quibbles. But it's clearly a 5 star tent for its purposes. The color of the floor and the fly is somewhere between cranberry red and burnt orange depending on the light. The tent canopy is more of an off-white than a cream, and really brightens the tent up with internal lighting. The vestibules are a sort of silver-gray. The details of this tent have really been thought out. The stitching quality is impeccable. All the stress (failure) points are reinforced. All relevant seams have been properly taped to make it as waterproof as possible. This tent has been TESTED! First, a pitching point. The instructions sewn into the tent bag (smart) leave out a couple of useful points: Latch the bail on the clip that joins the long poles before you insert the short cross-over pole ABOVE the crossed long poles. Otherwise, latching that clip is a bear, the tent is a little slack and there is more weight than needed on the clip. I found the grommeted tabs on both the tent and the fly to be pretty easy to attach to the cross-over pole. That third pole substantially improves the head space and livability of the tent. The long walls are virtually vertical on this tent. Don't buy a 2 pole tent unless you're going ultralight. Now, the features I found:

* The "fly only" pitching option, using a Big Agnes Blacktail footprint, which is a separate buy. The added stake loops on the buckle on fly make it possible to attach the fly to the poles and footprint without the tent body. Makes a quick rain shelter for a mid-day t-storm, while keeping your tent dry. Also lets you take down and bag your dry tent during a rainstorm when you are breaking camp. Normally you would call this an ultra light camping option, but this fly weighs about as much as the tent body.
* The option to securely flip the fly back half way toward one of the narrow ends to allow star gazing on a clear night or a well ventilated afternoon nap. The grommeted tabs attached to the fly which hold it to the crossover pole make this possible.
* The 2 enormous fly vents, each 30" wide! The hook and loop props offer lots of adjustment options to try when it gets stormy. When you have 2 or more people in a tent, you produce an amazing amount of water vapor. You can't have too much ventilation in a 3 person, 3 season tent. This size tent without a well vented fly would be a serious non-starter.
* The 2 separate zippers on each door, as opposed to the double pull continuous zips almost all other tent use. Not quite as versatile? True, but then you don't have to grope in the dark to find those zipper pull-cords when nature calls urgently in the middle of the night. Those zips are silky, providing easy one-handed operation with no binding from captured tent fabric.
* The 4 corners of the tent floor have doubled fabric, and are fully taped to solve the no. 1 leak point on most tents as they age.
* The 6 machined pole ends securely lock onto the grommets, so a socketed end stays that way while you attach the other end. Not a small thing if you are pitching single-handed in the dark.
* The 6 reflective guy-out tabs all have pre-attached reflective cords equipped with sliding length adjusters. Civilized.
* The 7 sturdy nylon hanging loops inside the tent are all connected to pole tabs on the outside, so you can hang whatever you like with peace of mind. The 6 perimeter loops perfectly accommodate the 100" Big Agnes MtnGlo LED light string which is sold as an accessory. The central loop is just right for a hanging lantern. Reportedly, the large Big Agnes gear loft also fits these loops.
* The 8 interior pockets (4 high, 4 low) let you get your little stuff organized. Since they are all mesh, you can see what is where, and you can tuck a headlamp in an upper pocket as a reading light.
* The 12 decent aluminum hook stakes with machined tips in their own ripstop bag, enough for ALL stake downs and tie-outs. An emergency pole splint tube is tossed in too. They kept the bean counters away from this tent.

Now those quibbles. The "Features" section above speaks of 2 door options, based on zip up panels on the door. They don't exist on this tent. With the 2 big mesh panels on the small ends which extend almost to the peak, they would make little sense. It's a feature sometimes found on 4 season tents to conserve heat. Second, the vestibules are SMALL, and a bit tricky to pitch properly. Forget about putting your pack in there. Boots and camp shoes only. Can you peel off your wet layer before crawling into your nice dry tent? Are you a very small and flexible person? They also have a quirk. They need to be pitched so that the points are about 6" above the ground, level with the fly perimeter going around the tent. Otherwise the vestibule will have large wrinkles which will flap like mad in a good wind. Since the waterproof floor tub extends a full 8" up from the ground, the tent is secure with this 6" fly clearance. I'm thinking 6" lengths of 3" diameter pvc pipe. Or a chunk of wood. The clearance is no doubt provided to allow good air circulation between the tent and fly. Other than this little challenge, the tent pitches quickly and smoothly, even single-handedly.

All in all, this tent comes with significant bragging rights so long as its extra 4 or 5 pounds aren't an issue for you. If you're looking for a tent that will stand up to lots of weeks out in the elements without spontaneously springing leaks, quickly breaking down from UV light exposure, or just stretching out, this is your beast.

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.