Price: $950
Used by: Contributing Gear Editor Mark Watson
Used for: One year

Big Agnes has a reputation for extremely light (sub 1400g) two-person hiking tents. Fitting into the ultralight category is the Tiger Wall UL2, which for a three-season two-person tent weighs in at 1330g (packed weight), and packs into a small bundle.

It’s a double vestibule, freestanding design, similar to the MSR Freelight, with a lengthwise-running pole that forks at one end. Big Agnes sent me the ‘bikepacking’ edition to try out and I cycled with it for a six week trip, as well as using it on some tramping and bikepacking trips over the past year. It still looks and works as well as new. 

It was put to the test in gale winds on an exposed coast, with one gust nearly flattening the tent, but once we improved the guyline tension it fared better, and it has kept us dry in prolonged rain.

The bikepacking edition features ShortStik poles which collapse extra short – so they pack better in a pack or on a bike, and the elastic helmet holders are an unobtrusive feature whether the tent’s used for bikepacking or tramping. The webbing daisy chain (for clothes drying) on the outside of the tent is a feature that should be on every tent.       

Verdict: Ideal for lightweight tramping in three-season conditions, but it’s vulnerable in high winds and exposed places.