Customer Reviews

Big Agnes Big House 4 Four-Person Tent

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This tent was fantastic for 2 people and a dog, car camping through the National Parks in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming on a 60-night trip!

Had temps from a high of 102 to a low of 34, and several thunderstorms. This tent was great in all, although I'd opt for something smaller (to concentrate body heat) with less screen if I was doing a trip solely in cold weather.

Very sturdy in winds, assuming you use the guy lines (we added more -- there are plenty of attachment points). Having three poles makes it very stable, and metal poles are much tougher than fiberglass.

The best thing about this tent in really hot areas is that the poles and guy lines are set up so that you can roll the sides of the rain fly up to allow for maximum ventilation WITHOUT taking the fly off. This means that if rain hits, it literally takes about 30 seconds to unroll the sides and clip them down. This is a HUGE advantage over many other "well-ventilated" tents. We had many other campers asking to see our tent when they saw the rolled up sides. See the photo I posted above showing the how the sides can roll up without disturbing the guy lines.

The only negative is that in a real downpour, the zipper fabric wicks up water and a little ends up on the inside of the tent. So I guess I wouldn't use in it a rain forest!

We've now done over 100 nights in this tent, and highly recommend it for car camping (too heavy for backpacking). The carry bag that comes with it is the best I've ever gotten with a tent -- poles and everything fit perfectly and there's enough room that a real person (not just the machine at the factory) can make it fit.

I took the tent out for a weekend of car camping at a State Park near the lake. The weather that weekend was cold with lows around 32 and extremly windy. The tent sets up easily, but i would recomend trying it out in your backyard before taking it on the trip.

The Tent held up like a champ in the windy conditions, others in the group had their tents collapse under the wind. The tent poles are of excellent quality and there are many ties downs that assist in securing the tent. It also has excellent ventilation, plenty of space for Me and my two kids and all our gear. The pouches all around the inside of the tent are great for organizing gloves, keys, flashlights, and storage bags. I am 5'8 and i can stand up in the center of tent without ducking.

The bag it comes with is icing on the cake. It holds everything neatly in place and you dont have to have an engineering degree to get it easily packed up and back in the bag. It even holds the footprint, 'sold seperatly', in one of the pouches.

No regrets with this purchase

My wife and I used this for a week camping on Vancouver Island and really liked it a lot. It's very easy to set up once you get the drill down (do it in your back yard a couple of times first). It rained almost every night and we were very comfortable and dry. One small leak developed in the floor and there was a little dampness from one of the walls, but overall it worked very well. I'm trying aftermarket waterproofing to fix these issues.

For 2 people this is luxury, full headroom, space to store stuff and get dressed along with a queen size air mattress, we really look forward to using it more.

I've used this tent for 2 seasons and it has been fantastic. I set up the tent on my own without any problems. The sturdy 3 pole design does a great job of keeping the tent from collapsing in strong wind gusts as long as it's staked down properly. We easily get 4 people in the tent with room for gear. I primarily use this tent for car camping with the family. If you're looking for a backpacking tent, look elsewhere because this would take up most of the room in your pack. If you divide the tent amongst many backpackers you should have no problems. The poles are aluminum and light. The fly can stay on with the sides rolled up for ventilation. The doors are large but can be difficult to zip open and close, this really didn't bother me though. My only complaint is that the bottom of the door to the ground is about 8 inches and can be somewhat of a tripping hazard. I bought this tent because it had a squarish mostly usable floor and a relatively high dome because I'm tall and appreciate a little extra head room. Buy one and you won't be disappointed. The 4 person REI tent is junk by the way if you're considering it. The big agnes has a full fly while the REI fly was not unless they changed their design on it. A full fly will keep the wind gusts from creating a tornado in your tent and keep you dry when it rains.

We have a Big Agnes Big House 4 with the footprint and the vestibule.

Easy to set up. We watched a video on YouTube first (and that was a big help)... we tried it at a local park first before our camping trip (always a smart move), and found it to be smooth sailing... the best part - no arguments while setting up! It is that simple.

Here is one hint: the yellow straps on the footprint, go to the yellow straps of the tent; and the black straps go with the black. Their *one* flaw - is that their two rain fly poles - one is black and one is silver... you would think that the black pole would go on the side of the tent that has the black straps... NO... it goes on the side with the yellow straps. Now you know the only secret.

If it is going to rain - YOU MUST TIE DOWN EACH AND EVERY GUYLINE! Really, folks, this is a no brainer! We experienced torrential downpours of biblical proportions two nights last month... and I had tied down every guyline except one (the one that was leading me into a huge patch of poison ivy just out of bounds of the camp site)... and that was the one area where the rain fly could touch the tent and create surface tension. We saw a wet spot on the top in the morning - but NO RAIN CAME THROUGH! During that same storm - no rain came up through the bottom or in from the sides. We were shocked - because we were in the low spot of the whole campground - and we stayed dry the entire time!

You need a large area to set up because of the guylines - so take that into account.

The vestibule is huge, and great for putting all of your gear.

We fit 3 people very comfortably, and could have room for a fourth - but wouldn't want to ever cram someone in that tight. Basic rule of the tenting world: N-1 Person Tent. This fits 3 with room to spare.

There are a million pockets inside the tent for storing your stuff: books, ipads, lights, coats, you name it... it will fit. We did buy the trapezoidal gear loft - but it really was not needed.

The guy lines have a nice reflective material - so if you are wearing a head lamp or have flash lights - you can see the wires. As I mentioned before - with the guylines all out - the foot print is large.

The bag it comes in is wonderful - takes care of the tent - you can put the vestibule and footprint in their, with room to spare.

As with all tents - do yourself a favor, and buy many more stakes... these work okay... but we bought some super strength ones for the vestibule guylines. On the next trip, we bought even more stakes - used all heavy duty for guylines, and used the included ones on those yellow and black straps I mentioned previously.

The skylight up top (even with the rainfly on) is great for viewing stars, the night sky... and even the onslaught of the deluge! No leaks, and it helps you feel not claustrophobic!

Lastly, the ventilation on this tent is super. The double doors (one rip stop, one screen/mesh) are great. You decide if you need the rip stop, or if you can have just mesh! The sides are all screen (below the rain fly) - so if you know you have no rain coming, and it's summer - take off the rainfly and go comando! You feel like you are sleeping outside but no bugs can bother you.

I would buy another Big Agnes in a second (in fact, we just did - to try to encourage some friends to join us on some trips)!

You won't go wrong with this tent!

p.s. The doormat... that's just dumb.

I went with the Big House but let me tell you it was very close between this and the REI Half Dome. These 2 are certainly the best in the category and price range +/- $250.
I will compare both and tell you why I choose the Big Agnes:

Total Weight (packed):
Big House: 12lb 3oz
Half Dome: 7lb 10oz

*** This tent is for car camping so this didn't weigh much for me. And of course if you are backpacking you can always share the load between climbers.

Head Height:
Big House: 68 inches
Half Dome: 48 inches

*** difference between standing and sitting. I like to be able to walk through my tent. Makes it more of a hangout place instead of just a place to sleep.

Floor Area:
Big House: 65 sq feet
Half Dome: 53.1 sq feet

*** This is about sealed the deal for me. I am 6'5'' and through I still need to bend over to enter and stand in the Big House I don't need to be on my knees. These numbers are also deciving because you have to look at ""usable space" The Big House has near verticle walls which makes sitting near a wall just as comfortable as sitting in the middle of the tent. The Half Dome has less useable space because the walls angle in making areas near the wall only usable for sleeping.

Other Tid-bits:
The Half Dome has a vestibule built into the rain fly. This is a major benefit and a major feature I was debating. Though the Big House has an aftermarket rainfly (which is bigger and better by everyones standards) it will set you back another $100. I have heard that the Big House Rainfly doesn't protect very well against rain. Though I have never had a problem, if I ever get horizontal rain (high winds) I would certainly be a bit nervous. Speaking of high winds the Big House holds up amazingly. With its height I was alittle nervous, but if guyed out well this thing is solid. Because of its height I had a far more difficult time setting this up in high winds than I have any other tent.

I am happy with my purchase so far but it only has seen 3 nights of camping and 1 rain storm (no leaks to report). I never got to camp in the REI but I can imagine it being equally as good. It just depends what features you prefer. But Whatever you prefer it for around $250 and a 4 person tent these 2 MUST BE YOUR ONLY OPTION!!

I bought my Big House 4 from HumbleOutdoors for about $230, it came with a free BA footprint.

The Big House family car camping tent is super easy to set up which gives us time for more important things around the campsite. Two giant doors make getting in and out very easy, and the floor mat give us a place to keep all our dirty gear. Plenty of mesh keeps things cool. The three-pole configuration is vey easy to set up and results in a almost 6 feet of headroom. Love this tent.

I got this tent because it is fairly light weight for a tent it's size and good quality.

I've used it in a some sincere rain withour a drop of water inside, even in the wind.

The roll up sides of the fly and the screens around the body of the tent are wonderful when the weather is good.

It's high profile causes it to rock and shutter in the windbut it holds up well. In stong wind it needs to be very well anchored, I use large rocks to anchor it which fortunately are plentiful along our rivers. It sure is great to be able to walk in and out of a tent instead of crawl and to be able to stand up to dress in the morning.

It's a great tent for above freesing weather as It not intended to carry a snow load but it is well made, well designed, and quite comfortable.