Gear Review
Big Agnes Gore Pass 3 Tent: 3-Person 3-Season
Great in the wet, Great in the dry
By Todd Cox
July 20, 2010
We bought the Gore Pass 3 to use as our traveling tent to use on the motorcycle and in the car. We took it on a 2 week trip around the west and used it in everything from pouring rain to hot as hell high desert. This tent delivers.
First and foremost, it is big inside. Genuinely a three person tent with lots of internal space. We had enough room inside for two people and all our motorcycle gear.
The big thing we really love though is the thoughtful design. All sorts of awesome little touches. It's hard to see in the picture but each of the four corners has a mesh vent with a little prop that holds it open. Those vents are an epic win. We had great airflow and minimal condensation for the conditions. The two vestibules are great and they each have a full sized door. When we were cooking in the sun near Durango we discovered that the rollup side has extra stake loops and shock cords on the corner sections and the rollup door, so that you can either use the big center as your door or one of the smaller corners as a door. Roll back both corners and you get superior air flow without much sun hitting the inside.
Setup is a little funky the first time so don't neglect the all-important "set it up once in the yard" step of new tent ownership. Big Agnes has some very clever clips and hooks and so forth that work extremely well but are mysterious at first if you've only ever had clips and sleeves. The new generation of aluminum hub poles this tent has are WTF light and go together very slickly and smoothly. It's basically a bit four-footed primary structure with two crosspoles that pop into little plastic claws and help create the big internal space.
Only downside I might see would be repair. This tent has 4, count them, 4 kinds of fastener doohickies. It is unabashedly over designed but extremely solid and the most livable, comfortable, enjoyable tent I've ever traveled with and lived in.
View Details: Big Agnes Gore Pass 3 Tent: 3-Person 3-Season
Helpful Votes: 1 Yes
Tech Specs:
- Material:
- [fly] polyester; [floor] polyester
- Freestanding:
- yes
- Doors:
- 2
- Number of Vestibules:
- 1
- Poles:
- 4
- Pole Material:
- DAC aluminum
- Floor Space:
- 44 sq ft
- Floor Dimensions:
- 90 x 70 in
- Interior Height:
- 42 in
- Vestibule Space:
- 15 sq ft
- Packed Size:
- 20 x 8 in
- Ventilation:
- mesh walls
- Trail Weight:
- 6 lb 10 oz
- Recommended Use:
- 3- season camping
- Manufacturer Warranty:
- lifetime
Change me.
1 Comments Last Reply: October 31, 2011 By: Leslie S
We just sold out MSR Mutha Hubba to get this tent. Mainly because of the big side doors, the one vestibule that you can roll up or stake with pole, the corner fly vents and a little less mesh. Hope it works out for us. Good to hear it is waterproof!
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes