[pct-l] Tent-picking

[jeff.singewald at comcast.net]

Courtney,
Thought I would provide a bit of feedback on the Big Agnes SL 1 that you asked about.  My experience with this tent comes from utilizing this tent through my entire 2006 PCT thru-hike.  While I cowboy-camped approximately 30% of the time, I utilized this tent extensively between Mexico and Canada.
I do not consider myself an ultra-light backpacker and the 2.75lb approximately weight was a non-issue for me.  I own a tarp-tent, however, for my PCT hike I wanted the additional space and comfort that the Big Agnes provided me.
In SoCal I typically utilized only the Seedhouse SL1 mesh tent, however, I carried the rain fly throughout my hike.  The full mesh tent provided incredible ventilation and star-viewing opportunities.  I was initially a bit concerned if the mesh would standup to a 4 .5 month journey, but when I reached Canada I had only one minor hole in the mesh which I patched after inadvertantly touching a hot match to the mesh.
 While the unit is considered a free-standing unit, I always staked out the tent as it provided more space when staked out.  The rain fly was also staked out and the rain fly provided a small vestible where I frequently stored my shoes and backpack.
The biggest worry I had from the start with this tent was the ease of setting this tent up during a rain storm.  As you most first set up the mesh tent fully before attaching the rain tarp, there was a worry that the inside of the tent would get rather wet if setup during a storm.  I didn't get to test this out as I only had 3 days of rain during my adventure and I was always able to setup the tent in the evening before the rain started.  It is my understanding the 2007 re-design of this tent allows the rain fly to be setup first and than clip the tent on under the coverage of the rain-fly.  I can not verify this though.
So, how did the tent do in the rain?  As I said, I only had three days of rain.  Actually, three nights of rain.  The tent handled the rain very well and I stayed warm and dry.  After the downpour that I faced just shy of Steven's Pass, I am not certain I would have been so comfortable if I would have had to spend the following night in the tent.  The tent became very wet as I took down the tent in the morning storm but I was able to dry it out durng my overnight stay at the Dinsmores.
As I had more and more evening dew as I headed north, the tent handled this very well.  I had no internal condensation duirng the entire trip.  I typically stopped mid-day for lunch and unrolled my tent for 15-20 minutes to dry off the dew.
I was very pleased with this tent and I will continue to use this tent on future hikes.  Again, keep in mind that I am not a gram weenie though I was always very comfortable even in the high-mileage days I managed in the second half of my trip.
Jeff Singewald - Elevator