Review of the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL1 Solution Dye Tent on a self support multiday whitewater kayak trip down the South Fork of the Salmon River in Idaho.
Tired of being claustrophobic in your self-support bivy, which has a small amount of head room? Or torn up by mosquitos, worrying about ticks, and dreaming of rattlesnakes cuddling with you while sleeping under the open skies? Or perhaps, like me, you’re worried on Idaho’s Class V classic South Fork of the Salmon that you’ll get to the only good camp too late and it will be occupied, sending you on down to the dreaded Spider camp?
I was ready for my 43rd year to include an ultralight self-support tent. So I reached out to my friends at Big Agnes, who provided me with the Tiger Wall UL1 Solution Dye tent. For my fifth trip down the South Fork, I was lucky enough to sleep well every night in style.
This tent is light, I mean really light at 2 lbs 2 oz total with the stuff sacks. Add another 4 oz. for the ground footprint and you get a grand total of 2 lbs., 6 oz. Compared to my REI bivy, I’ll take the full tent, thank you—a decision that can be clutch if weather rolls in. It also compressed down small and was easy to pack into the back of my whitewater kayak within my dry storage float bags.
Features I loved about this ultralight, three-season, semi-freestanding tent:
-7 feet of length makes for a comfortable night’s sleep for someone like me who is 6 feet 4 inches tall
-There is only one door, saving weight, and if you think about where you’re setting it up, this is not a big deal.
-Head room near your head and sloping room down to your feet, where it doesn’t matter as much, saving on weight.
-Easy to set up with light poles, but not completely freestanding. If you’re camping on a rock shelf use rocks to weigh down the corners at the feet and possibly the lines for the fly if it’s raining.
-The two zipper pulls on the tent work well, gliding smoothly; I used one for each direction to open the tent and keep the mosquitos and spiders out.
-Easy to set up, and quick to take down and pack back in the original bag. I could even fit the ground footprint protection into the same bag.
-Nice ceiling pockets above your head for your head lamp and a lower one for your water bottle or clothes by your knees.
-Great vestibule at the entrance providing shelter for your shoes or pack.
-Footprint to protect the bottom from punctures since it’s made from an uber-light material.
-It’s made with “solution-dyed” fabric that is highly resistant to UV fade and drastically reduces energy consumption and water use during manufacturing, making it better for the environment and improving the fabric quality.
– The Dirt Dagger UL tent stakes are stout, not sure how you would bend them.
My final take? This is an awesome option for keeping weight lean and living in comfort for a few days, no matter the lightweight adventure. And it keeps your mind free to worry about other things rather than your sleep, like the next day’s rapids.
Price $399.95
Video tent review