Customer Reviews

Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 - Two-Person Tent

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

 

 

I bought this tent at a reasonable price here. I assumed it was the SL version so jumped on the price without thinking. I'm still happy with the non SL version. Not a "pro" hiker so take my comments with a grain of salt =)

very spacious for single person, but seems a bit snug for two unless both are using mummy style sleeping bags. Vestibule was smaller than all photos and review videos appear. Was disappointed there, but still there was plenty of room to stow my pack inside the tent proper without getting in the way of sleep---and I toss and turn. Vestibule held shoes, poles, rope, misc. with plenty of access room in and out. Had the pack stayed outside, I would be worried it would fall over or push through the material.

Rain fly access zipper was awkward to close and open from within the tent. The vestibule angle is a bit steep so it places the zipper closing point at an uncomfortable reach from the tent opening. Opening and closing the rain fly door from inside meant I had to plant one hand on the earth to balance myself while reaching with my other hand to zip. This might get a bit of dirt or mud inside if you're not careful.

Poles seems strong enough. I admit that I was a bit paranoid that I might snap one or two during first setup. Poles fit together nicely without much thought on my part. The elastic cord basically pulled the frame together on its own. I just had to make sure the segments were fully secure into each other. Tension was tight once I placed the second pole tip into the tent corner. Also when snapping on the last 2 or 3 top spine clips to connect the tent material to the frame, it really seemed like the spine pole was just a bit too long for everything to reach. After nudging some of the lower tent clips up, everything came together a little easier with minimal pressure. Rain fly went over easy enough. Wish there were instructions, but it's pretty self-explanatory.

Everything folded up without issue and slid into the compression sack smoothly. Entire bag fit base of my backpack and pack straps held it well enough. Seemed to ease left or right over the course of the hike. It was never enough so that the tent bag pulled free of the pack straps, but I would check it every few miles. That could just be my packing though.

Love the tent. Regret the non-SL version, but whatever. I don't do this enough to need the difference. Would suggest the footprint. Seems like there is enough slack in the compression sack to probably fit that too. That also may add more cushion to prevent the sliding that I noted on the backpack.

I hope that helps?

I was looking for a backpacking style tent that was going to have some extra room. I am 6' tall and around 215 pounds. After ALOT of research and reading customer reviews I purchased this tent. I paid around $200 for the tent and got a free footprint with it. I just spent the last 2 nights sleeping in this tent on a turkey hunting trip in central Florida. I really like that this tent is made of mesh. The first night of my trip was a little warm and humid as Florida is 80% of the year, however the tent had great ventilation and I was able to deal with it just fine. The second night it rained most of the night. The storm was really bad and had hard wind with it as well. The only part of me that got wet was the very end of my sleeping bag, I think the rain blew in from the rear mesh area, but to be honest I didn't do an amazing job staking the rainfly. Wasn't expecting rain and doing a better job making the fly tighter probably would have solved that. I was really impressed with the tent. This is also my first vestibule style tent. I really enjoyed being able to throw my shoes outside and still keep them protected from the weather.

The only drawbacks I found was that its advertised as a 2 person tent. I know a 2 person tent usually means 1 person with gear and that is exactly what this tent is. I had the extra room I wanted, however I couldn't imagine squeezing a second person in there with me. The only other problem is for a backpacking tent it is kind of heavy and not that compact when broken down and put in the pack. The Seedhouse UL2 would probably be better suited for backpacking, but its an extra $100. Lastly if you buy this tent from a place that does not offer the free footprint, then buy it separately!!! Its a great piece of gear to add to your tent.

This tent saw me through four nights in Idaho's Owyhee in the middle of May. It endured rain, frost, and sun. Though it is listed as a three season tent, it is best for those hot summer days when most tents are stifling. Not so great for frosty mornings and chilly nights unless you have a warm sleeping bag.

Lots of ties and two pouches inside to preventing losing wallets, keys and so on.

I ordered this tent based on an extensive search of midweight backpacking tents suitable for heavy weather and muggy conditions, but light enough for backpacking and modular (with the fast-fly setup approach) for camping in climates less storm-and-bug plagued. The tent meets all my requirements, is easy to set up and take down, and was a reasonable price.

However, on initial setup I did note several differences from the tent described here and on the Big Agnes website. First and most noticeable, the rainfly is a bright yellow rather than the neutral grey shown here. Secondly there are two additional flaps on the main tent which I initially couldn't figure out.. but the instruction sheet in the main stuff sack explained it:

The tent you have purchased is sold exclusively by a limited number of Big Agnes, Inc. dealers and is not included in our regular product line. it is not featured on BigAgnes.com but information will be available directly from the store where you purchased.

The tent is actually named the seedhouse with cross-over pole 2. It has an additional setup pole in the center which provides additional structure, but probably adds a few ounces of additional weight. If you're looking to save every possibly ounce, you'll probably want to save up for a lighter tent anyway. The tarptent series or possibly the superlight version of the seedhouse tent would be good options.

I bought my Seedhouse 2 from HumbleOutdoors for for $190 it came with a free footprint.

I like this tent, it's light and well made. The Standard Seedhouse weighs about a 1 1/2 pounds more the SL version, and also costs about $100. My last trip saw a two inches of evening snow in New Hampshire, and the Seedhouse hung in there. Yes I would like to have the SL version, but I am happy to have the extra $100 in my pocket.