Saturday, December 21, 2024
Big Agnes Big House 6 Review
Best Feature:
Cabin style tent feels airy and has great ventilation
Worst Feature:
Doesn't offer much privacy or heat retention due to mesh
Best Uses:
Great for camping with a group in nice weather
Pricing:
$279.99 – $359.95 (Limited lifetime warranty)
Overview
The Big Agnes Big House 6 is a three season, freestanding tent that can sleep up to six people comfortably. It is one of the top rated tents for family camping and it isn’t hard to understand why. Not only is it remarkably lightweight for a tent of its size and purpose, the Big House 6 also has color coded webbing and buckles that make it so quick and easy enough to set up that one person could do it alone. It is 6 feet 3 inches high and has 90 square feet of space to move around in, so you’ll never feel cramped or uncomfortable on long trips. It’s bright color scheme makes it easily visible in crowded campsites during the day, and it also comes with a reflective guy line so you won’t have trouble finding it at night either. For muddy hiking shoes, Big Agnes included a cute doormat at the front door to help keep dirt out of the tent. It has a full polyester mesh inner tent that allows for great ventilation, while the durable outer fly has a 1500mm waterproof polyurethane coating for excellent protection from the elements. The Big House 6 also has twelve interior pockets for everyone in your group to store their essential items, and, for additional storage, there is a vestibule and gear loft sold separately.
You can purchase the Big House 6 tent on BigAgnes.com or other online retailers like Amazon.com, Moosejaw.com or REI.com for about $360.
Product Report Card Grade
We give Big Agnes’ Big House 6 a B+ because it is a great family tent for short trips when the weather is nice. It is easy to set up and feels spacious and airy inside. We deducted a few points because the abundance of mesh doesn’t allow for much privacy or heat retention. Some customers also complained that the seams weren’t sealed properly, which allowed water to leak into the tent. Finally, if you plan on filling the tent to capacity, you will need to purchase the $110 vestibule or you won’t have enough room for your guests and their gear.
Date Reviewed
April 2013
April 2013
June 2012
Pros
relatively inexpensive family tent; lots of interior space and room to stand; good ventilation; very easy for 1 person to set up; tent color easy to spot in crowded campgrounds; skylight window provides light during the day and the opportunity to star gazing at night; reflective guy lines for nighttime visibility; lightweight compared to other tents in the family camping category
exceptionally lightweight 2-person tent; stable, "bombproof" design that performs extremely well even in severe weather conditions; features improved ventilation system compared to other tents in the Quasar series
relatively inexpensive family tent with 160 ft² of space; vertical walls offer more interior space; interior door offers privacy and great ventilation; ability to block windows in the screen room for additional privacy/weather protection; good water resistance; E! Power port
Cons
some complaints about the tent's water resistance and the fly not fully protecting it during heavy rain; tent body is polyester mesh, which isn't ideal if you want privacy or plan on camping in cooler weather; some customers didn't feel there were enough stakes and guy lines on the tent and had to buy more separately; welcome mat is cute but necessary and hard to clean; high cost of necessary accessories for the tent
very expensive; inner first pitching could be problematic in wet conditions
screen room doesn't have a floor and the sod cloth didn't protect a few reviewers from insects (and even a small animal) from getting into the tent; cabin style tents are very unstable in windy conditions because of their high walls; flat top means water can pool on the fly if you don't use guylines to change the slope; pretty heavy
Seasonality
3-season
4-season
3-season
Ideal Activities
Family, car, or base camping
Backpacking/Mountaineering
Family, car, or base camping
Capacity
6-person
2-person
5-person
Price
$279.99 - $359.95
$699.95
$419.90
Warranty
Limited lifetime warranty
Limited lifetime warranty
Limited lifetime warranty
Interior and/or Vestibule Space
It has 90 ft² of interior space.
It has a 32 ft² sleeping room and two 10.8 ft² vestibules.
It has 160 ft² of interior space that is divided equally between the sleeping room (80 ft²) and the screen room (80 ft²).
Weight
13 lbs and 15 oz
6 lbs and 5 oz
35 lbs and 6 oz
Design Type
Freestanding, dome style tent
Freestanding, geodesic style tent
Freestanding, cabin style tent
Frame
Three DAC Combi Shockcorded lightweight aluminum poles with PressFit connectors.
Four 8.84 mm DAC Featherlite poles
Nine 12.7 mm & 16 mm fiberglass and 19.5 mm steel poles
Tent Body Materials
Polyester rip-stop
Nylon rip-stop with 7000 mm waterproof polyurethane coating
75D 190T polyester taffeta, 1200 mm coated
Rainfly Material
Polyester rip-stop with 1500 mm waterproof polyurethane coating
SilNylon rip-stop with 6000 mm waterproof polyurethane coating
75D 190T polyester taffeta, 1200 mm coated
Floor Material/Design
Polyester with 1500 mm waterproof polyurethane coating (one-piece bathtub style design)
Nylon rip-stop with 7000 mm waterproof polyurethane coating (one-piece bathtub style design)
75D 190T polyester taffeta, 1200 mm coated (one-piece bathtub style design)
Mesh Material
Lightweight polyester mesh
Unknown Mesh
68D polyester no-see-um mesh
Ventilation
Tent body is almost entirely mesh.
Features mesh doors that allow for adjusting ventilation when necessary.
Features 6 large mesh windows, 3 mesh doors and a full panel mesh roof, all of which can be opened/closed based on the amount of ventilation needed.
Doors
2 doors
2 doors (protected by vestibules)
3 doors (2 exterior and 1 interior)
Packed Dimensions
4" x 14" x 26" (briefcase style carry bag)
21.26" x 7.09" dia.
29" x 10" dia.
Vestibule/Storage
It is designed with 12 interior mesh floor pockets and has gear loft loops if you want to purchase the Big Agnes Trapezoid Loft that is sold separately ($22). A 64 ft² vestibule is also sold separately ($110).
In addition to the two 10.8 ft² vestibules in the front and rear of the tent, it is also designed with interior storage pockets.
In addition to the 80 ft² screen room, the tent is designed with interior storage pockets and comes with 2 gear lofts.
Set Up
One person can easily set up the tent in 10-15 minutes because it has color-coded webbing and buckles. It is a freestanding tent, but Big Agnes includes 14 superlight aluminum stakes that you can use if it is particularly windy.
It does not have a fast pitch option, but it can be easily set up in about 15 minutes since it has color-coded poles and continuous pole sleeves on the four poles. The inner tent must be pitched first, and then the flysheet and enhanced guy line system with titanium pegs help secure it to the ground.
Two people can easily set up the tent in about 20 minutes thanks to its shockcorded steel and fiberglass frame, clip attachments, and ring and pin assembly. You won't need to use stakes or guy lines except in case of severe weather.
Extras
Attached welcome mat helps keeps dirt outside of the tent.
This is an updated version of the popular tent and features a redesigned inner tent that is lighter and better ventilated.
Designed to accommodate the Eureka! rope light if you want to purchase one ($20).
ProductReportCard Editors' In-Depth Review
Pros And Cons
Pros
- Lots of interior space and room to stand
- Very easy to set up and can be done by one person
- Tent color easy to spot in crowded campgrounds
- Skylight window provides light during the day and the opportunity to star gazing at night
- Great ventilation
- Reflective guy line for nighttime visibility
- Lightweight compared to other tents in the family camping category
Cons
- There were some complaints about the fly design and that the fly didn’t fully cover the front and back doors in case of heavy rain
- There were some complaints about the quality of the tent, particularly around its water resistance
- Tent body is polyester mesh which won’t give you much privacy in crowded campgrounds and won’t provide much protection on particularly cold nights
- Some people didn’t feel there were enough stakes and guy lines on the tent and had to buy more separately
- Welcome mat is cute but unnecessary. It collects dirt and is hard to clean because it isn’t detachable.
- Storage pockets are all located at the bottom of the tent which some people felt was inconvenient
- High cost of necessary accessories for the tent
Key Features
Recommended Use
Family camping (sleeps up to 6), car camping, base camp. Extended or short trips in 3 seasons.
Product Size
The base of the tent has a hexagon shape and is 122” long and between 96” – 112” in width. It is 75” in height and has 90 ft2 of space. Its packed weight is 13 pounds and 11 ounces, and its packed size is 4" x 14" x 26".
Frame and Fabric
The Big House 6 is a freestanding tent and its frame is comprised of 3 DAC Combi Shockcorded lightweight aluminum poles with PressFit connectors. The outer fly is made with durable polyester rip-stop with waterproof polyurethane coating (1500mm), and the floor and doors are also made out of durable polyester with waterproof polyurethane coating (1500mm). The inner tent is made with lightweight polyester mesh. All seams taped with waterproof, solvent-free polyurethane tape.
Product Design
The tent is Terra Cotta (yellow) with orange trim and has a small welcome mat at the front door.
Doors
The Big House 6 has two doors conveniently located on opposite sides of the tent. Both doors have a small awning, but the front door’s awning hangs out a little more and it has the small welcome mat.
Floor
The floor has a bathtub style design for extra water protection.
Set Up
The Big House 6 is really easy to set up since it has color coded webbing and buckles. It is a freestanding tent, but, if it is particularly windy outside, Big Agnes recommends staking out all stake out points and all guy lines to keep the tent stable. 14 superlight aluminum stakes are included with tent.
Vestibule/Storage
There are 12 interior floor pockets for storing keys, flashlights, etc. For an additional 65 ft2 of storage space, there is a zip-on, pole-supported front vestibule that you can purchase separately. Gear loft loops are included on the tent and fits the Big Agnes Trapezoid Loft that is also sold separately.
Ventilation
There are mesh doors, windows and roof for excellent cross ventilation.
Accessories
You can purchase the Big House 6 Footprint to extend the life of your tent and for additional water protection for about $55. The Big House 6 Vestibule is approximately $110 or the Trapezoid Loft is around $22.
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Reputation
There weren’t a huge number of reviews online for the Big Agnes Big House 6, but the reviews I saw were relatively positive. It received a 4.1/5 on REI.com (27 reviews), a 4.6/5 on Amazon.com (11 reviews) and a 5/5 on Moosejaw.com (12 reviews). When I started to read further, however, I was surprise by how generous a few people were with their ratings despite having issues with the tent. The tent’s waterproofing came up a couple of times with mixed reviews. A few reviewers commented that the factory didn’t do a great job sealing the seams and suggested other customers seal the seams themselves. Despite being advertised as a three-season tent, the Big House 6 isn’t a great tent for true three-season camping because of the abundance of mesh. It’s probably most ideal for warm weather camping or for use as a beach cabana. If you are considering purchasing this tent, my advice is to think carefully about how you will use it. If you are a fair weather, summertime camper with a small family, this tent could be perfect for you. However, if you are going to use the tent in bad weather, you should take into consideration that you will probably have to purchase the footprint and additional stakes/guy lines or you might not be happy with the tent’s performance. If you travel with a large entourage and plan on filling the tent to capacity, you’ll most likely need to purchase the vestibule, too. All of these extra accessories really drive up the cost of this tent, and, depending on what you need, you may want to look at some other tents in this category.
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