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Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 Super Light Tent: 2-Person 3-Season
Getting out of the elements is great, but loses its luster if you have to lug around a heavy tent. The Big Agnes Seedhouse SL 2 tent gives generous internal space and weather protection for you and a partner. Best of all, the Seedhouse does it while remaining under 4 lbs. A unique 3-pole system maximizes frame efficiency while maintaining strength with aircraft quality aluminum. The Seedhouse uses plastic clips to attach frame to body, providing maximum ventilation and ultra-quick setup. When speed and light weight are the most important factors, the Seedhouse rules the day.
This is a light, well made, storm worthy, and small tent. I can't falt this tent for its construction or weight, but I can on its design and size. Don't get me wrong this tent will do the job and do it well, but for two it sure is tight. Also I find the front entrance is hard to get in and out of... especially when you put some gear out there. I think that there are better options out there, but this one is good and affordable.
The weight is a dream (3lb 13oz w/footprint). Setup is fast and easy, even for one person. A bit tight for two people, but doable if love or neccesity is involved, although, if you touch the side and make contact with the fly, you will end up damp, if not wet. For one person, the inside is more than ample and the ridge beats the snot out of a bivy. Using the rainfly definitely requires staking, so if granite is your thing, you need more tension lengthwise than the poles allow. If you want to stay dry, it has to stay taught, and if anything more than a light rain is expected, you better plan on setting all the guy lines to keep the separation between shell and fly. The x-peg stakes are both sturdy and light. My only complaint there is that the tops are devastatingly sharp and will shred your feet if you go barefoot or wear flip-flops around camp. Easily taken care of by heading to the hardware store and picking up some 1/2" rubber door stop caps (The R&D guys at Big Agnes are really appreciative and receptive to feedback). I do wish the gear pockets were a bit more ample, but they do hold the basics. Also, get the footprint, as the floor taped, but really thin. Just make sure you make note that you get the wider end toward the door, or it'll mess with the setup. Put an "F" in the front corners with a Sharpie so you can find it in the dark or so your dumber tentmate can get it right. All in all, a great tent that I would recommend to anyone looking for something well designed, light, and user friendly, assuming you take the time to become well versed in the idiosyncracies of adjustment before you head out.
I was wondering if the Mountain Hardwear Helion 2 has the same problem with the rain fly requiring the staking of guy lines for it to function properly (as rgmaher225901 and A.R.M. talk about).
Pretty much any rain fly will require you to stake it out to gain the functionality of the vestibule, regardless of manufacturer. Check out the Big Agnes Emerald Mountain SL series for a tent that has the brow pole reach to the ground (I believe, but am not sure, if the rain fly connects to this point so you don't have to stake it out).
I've taken this tent on a few trips since I purchased it on your website earlier this year and I'm quite impressed with it. I bought it because I don't need the fly on most nights and it's far nicer looking at the stars than a tent ceiling. I use it primarily as a luxury lightweight solo tent. It weighs 9 ounces more than the Seedhouse SL1, but the extra square footage is nice to have. While the inner mesh tent is free-standing, the fly does require stakes and guylines (included) to function properly. If I don't plan on using the fly but think that there is a remote possibility of precipitation, I'll go ahead and stake out the fly and then remove it. That way, I can throw on my headlamp at 3:00 A.M. and have the fly installed and cinched down in a little over a minute if necessary. The fly fits very well and helps the tent withstand significant winds with ease. The vestibule isn't huge, but it will fit a few pairs of boots or a small pack. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the entry. It can be a little awkward getting in and out with the fly on, particularly if it's raining. That's a small flaw in such an otherwise excellent tent though.
With the Seedhouse SL2, I got everything as advertised. Number one, the weight: inlcuding ground cover and minimum stakes (6) this tent is under 4 lbs. Number two, is size. This is a two-person tent. I found it spacious for one person, but only slightly cramped for two. Nice vestibule size. I mean it's not big enough for a backpack, but there's plenty of room for boots, and then some--space for keeping boots dryer when it rains sideways.
Setup is better than the one-person version. The one-person relies on stakes to open up the foot of the tent, requiring an extra two stakes to setup. And, the one-person weight is *not* as advertised. I found only a 5-ounce difference between the one and two person models. Definitley not worth the loss of space and more difficult setup in my book.
The tent performed very well under adverse conditions. The factory-seam-sealing kept everything dry inside during a three-hour down-pour, and the tent was solid during windy conditions (gusts to 30 and several guy-out points I hadn't used yet).
Although the tent is well-ventilated (being an all mesh body), I did not find it too drafty (due to a well-engineered rain fly).
After ten years and having lead over 50 backpack trips, and having owned seven other backpacking tents (including Sierra Designs, Marmot, REI and Eureka) I reccomend this as the best 3-season, 2-man backpacking tent I have seen yet.
I have used it for a total of about 20 or 30 nights. Easy to set up and most importantly easy on the back. If you can count on good weather it is very light without the fly and still keeps the flying critters away.
Spent two months on the mississippi with this tent. I highly recommend this tent. It is light and easy to set up. It survived massive winds and kept me dry in some serious storms. Also, the company stands behind their stuff and they are friendly, attentive folks. Excellent size tent for one 6' guy with gear. more useable space than in similar lightweight tents. I did learn to use a titanium spork to prop open the top of the fly opening in a manner to allow air movement without letting rain in. Lightweight materials don't take well to much abuse - there are always tradeoffs if you want the lightest... Maybe check out the non- SL version of this tent if you need something to take a beating. I love this tent-I am taking this tent on my next trip hiking sections of the PCT.
I am not sure if there is a diagram due to the fact that it is a single pole system but here is a video I looked up on youtube which has a guy setting the SL2 up. Pretty simple setup, put the pole together, four pole ends go in four corner grommets, clip the poles onto the body and there you go. Hope this helps. http://tiny.cc/7qNfF
I like this tent a lot. If you want to go light, but don't want to use a bivy, I think this tent is where it's at. It's been out 10 nights so far and no major complaints. Kept the water out completely for 2 consecutive nights of moderate rain. The mesh hasn't snagged or developed any runs in all those times going up and down and in and out of the stuff sack. Can be guyed out tight enough that wind isn't a huge issue, though it might rustle gently. No more than I'd expect though in 20 mph gusts. One person set up, fast and easy (no more than 10 minutes once you get the hang of it) and comes down the same. I like that in the rain I could put up the rain fly first and then put up the mesh body underneath, avoiding getting the inside wet. I sleep solo but went with the SL2 for the extra gear space, and I like to go light but I'm not an extremist. The SL1 had my sleeping bag touching the sides. If I camped with a partner, I'd go with the SL3. Vestibule space is just adequate for a backpack laying flat and a pair of hiking boots. I wish the vestibule door zipped on both sides, and so I could use trekking poles to make it an awning. Then I could've cooked under it in the rain. As it was, I could've, but it would've been really cramped, and possibly flammable. Also, it's possible I'm just a heavy breather, but I have had a decent amount of condensation on cool nights, unless I leave the vestibule flap open. The gear pockets could be a big bigger as well. I do love the headlamp pocket above the door. Very useful for reading.
I purchased this tent for solo backpacking. This tent was purchased for 3 reasons: it's large enough to fit myself (6' 2", 235 lbs) and my pack, it's well made so I won't get wet, and it's lightweight (tent and ground cloth total weight is less than 4 lbs). I've spent a total of 2 weeks in the tent and haven't got soaked in a downpour yet. Set-up is easy and I've got plenty of room to sit upright inside the tent.
Easy on the back--Easy setup and take down. Enough room for my pack and 75# Golden. This is the perfect light weight tent. Spend a little extra and get the 2 person--the extra room is well worth it at a very small weight differential
What insect repellants are safe to use on this tent? Can I use natural oil/benzoic acid based repellants? or will one or both do damage to either the silicone layer or the nylon fabric?
I would like to use a natural, organic repellant such as Kiss My Face's Swy Flotter. Most natural repellants use oil (usually Soybean and/or Coconut), and sometimes contain benzoic acid. Also, I'm not wanting to spray the whole tent down, just the zipper entranceway (sil-coated mesh and sil-coated nylon).
The natural organic even with benzoic Acid should work fine without damagig the Nylon. Its the deet that you need to be concerned with as it melts nylon. The only thing with oil base repellents as they may collect dirt over time and gunk up the zipper , if you clean your tent everyonce in awhile you should be good to go.
This is a two person tent, however, the walls of the tent come straight into the apex of the center pole and therefore there is not enough room for two and the tent mesh wall is right on you wherever you are in the tent. For the price you should upgrade to the Emerald Mountain or the new Copper Spur is phenomenal. Good tent though otherwise, packs extremely small!
We take our 3 dogs camping with us and use this as their napping tent. Having this tent keeps the dogs from tracking dirt/mud and debris into the main tent which is nice for those wet days. Our dogs are all over 70lbs. and will play in the tent. The tent is very well made and strong. So far the dogs have not ruined it despite their efforts. So, if the tent can hold up to three crazy dogs, it should be fine for human use.
this tent is amazing. i got it from BigA for a cross country bike ride. they have one of the best size to weight ratio. this tent is for two people who like each other very much. i totally recommend this!
The Seedhouse Tent was ranked high by Backpacker Magazine for its weight and ease of set up. Holds true at only four lbs, with footprint and stakes. Good value.
I swapped my SL1 for the SL2 after finding it for the same price ($200). I'm very happy with the switch. The SL2, for being only a hand-full of ounces heavier has much more useable space, while being just as light as every other solo out there. I've camped at 20 degrees with this tent in a 20 degree bag with a reactor liner and was more than comfortable. Breathability on this tent is great. I have yet to have any condensation problems. Thus far I've mostly used it in a scrub/desert environment and the tent body and floor had held up well despite the spikey vegetation. On an interesting note, despite the tent color the light inside the tent is surprisingly natural, and not the sickly green you'd expect. A definite bonus. Buy the footprint though as the floor is thin. All in all a great buy if you can find it on sale. Otherwise, it's definitely a bit pricey.
This tent is ridiculously easy to set up. All the poles are connected to two hubs. You can have this tent all set up in a matter of minutes. I've never used a more user friendly tent before.
I'm over 20 nights in this tent now and love it. The weight is great - 3 1/2lbs all in, and 1.75 if you run with the fly and footprint only. It's definitely tight for two people, but doable. I bought this thinking I would use it as a one man, but have only slept alone 2 nights. It's very easy setup. By the end of our 10 day trip this summer, we could put it up at night in under 5 minutes. I love the quality and hardiness of this tent. The x style stakes are great and really can't be bent.
My one complaint - It's a front loading tent - so you have to crawl in and out. Getting up at night (us old guys need to water a rock occasionaly) requires a lot of bending and twisting especially if the fly is on and vestibule is closed. My buddy with the Hubba Hubba seems to have an easier time of it with 2 side entrances. Also, when you sleep two people, the front entrance can be a pain. All in all - a very light, very nice tent.
I got the non-sl version, and it came with a 2' (about) pole and an extra long pole, about 6 or 7 feet. Is this included with the SL, and if so what are they used for?
the 2 ft pole is used in the middle of the tent to hold up the sides (the SL has a full size pole to do this). The 6 foot pole is used on the entry way to the fly.
Big Agnes has not only changed the way you sleep with their awesome Bag and Pad system. They actually have made a comfortable two person double wall tent that is as light as a single wall(the SL2 weighed out on my scale at just over 3 lbs )has twice the breathabilty, and won't break the pocketbook. I have taken on many a desert trip, and its great for bicycle touring. What do you expect from a company born and raised in Steamboat, Colorado !
On a recent trip in New Zealand, the Seedhouse SL stood well in the wind and snow. The many guyouts held fast and the tent was sizable enough to accommodate a bit of gear. When the rains started, the tent worked as designed until the fly started to sag into the mesh wall allowing the fly to wet on me. So back to the guyouts pulling as taught as I could and the fly continued to sag. Three days of a deluge later, the fly was beyond guyout repair. Most of the water collected on the inside of the fly and ran down the mesh while the expensive ground cloth and the tent floor surrendered and joined the traitorous fly. My only savior was a hut on the next trail.
This tent really is a great backpacking tent. Super light, big enough for two moderately sized adults, vents well. The whole thing is basically mesh, so if you aren't planning on rain you can leave the rain fly off and just sleep under the stars but without the annoying flies and bugs getting to you. Well made, durable, big enough to change clothes in without resorting to contorting your body. Above all only 3lbs basically!!
I just spent a week at 11,000 feet, south of Mt. Whitney at Cottonwood Lakes. I set up the tent with all its takes and bells and whistles for the first night, including fully extending the fly. I woke up to discover it had rained inside the tent--can we say condensation, boys and girls? This made little sense because along both lengths and the back width of the tent there is sufficient space for air to circulate. Further examination revealed that when the vestibule is CLOSED completely, there isn't enough circulation. For the rest of the week, I closed the vent 3/4 of the way. That kept dew and rain from coming through the no-see-um and allowed air to circulate through the tent and keep it dry. While it's certainly serviceable this way, Big Agnes needs to redesign the fly. If they shorten one side and lengthen the other and then stake the fly so the sides will be at 25 degree angle to the entrance (like the Kelty Vortex), then the air will flow through and condensation will be eliminated. One of the tent's best features that the fly fits perfectly. When staked out properly, no amount of tossing and turning puts the tent in contact with it. It's the size a solo tent should be. It's a little pricey, but worth it.
My 8th grade daughter loves her new tent and footprint. Super, super easy to assemble, and, of course, very light. With the footprint included, the tent only weights 4lbs. The tent is easily roomy enough for two. Since it is so light, she can carry the whole tent in her backpack, without having her tent mate share the load. She also finds the front entry much more efficient. She also likes the full mesh feature so she can see everything in every direction. It will also allow lots of air flow during those warm to very hot Texas days. Of course we compared many, many tents by price, weight and features. We are extremely pleased with our purchase and feel the Seedhouse SL2 was well worth the price. So of course we highly recommend this tent.
Super easy and quick to setup. I really like the mesh for viewing stars at night. Super light and the materials seem durable. If I could add one thing it would be some storage pockets for small gear items. But its a great tent.
The seedhouse is an awesome light tent. It is incredibly easy to set up, even by yourself and the all mesh interior is great for warmer summer nights. I have never had a problem with it in the rain either, I woke up just as dry as I had been before the rain.
I set this thing up like a mad man, and it didn't take like 10 seconds, I love it. The bugs were on me in a flash right when I got off the bike, and couldn't think of anything but getting the tent pitched, and this thing was up in a flash. My skin thanks you Big Agnes. I recommend this to anyone that wants a light-weight, easy to setup tent while treking the back woods. 5 stars!
I liked the room it has, you can totally do whatever you need yo in this thing. It sets up quickly and is sturdy. I set this thing up in the desert, and while it took on the wind very well, it also kinda filled up with sand! That's part of the fun though right?W!@?#
This is a great tent. The weight was great and the tent held up well in some pretty high winds. It is a very good size for one person and some gear, I think that if you had 2 people it would be way to small especially if you had gear for a couple day trip. Overall very good tent, great quality, Just gave it 4 stars because the size wouldn't work very well for 2 people.
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