Big Agnes makes some of the highest quality tents on the market, so when we needed the lightest weight, most durable single person tent we could find, we looked to Big Agnes.
We tried out their Fly Creek UL1 with MtnGLO (more on that in a minute). The Fly Creek series also comes in a two-person footprint, should you need space for a duo.
- More Liveable Space.
- Convenience Of Built-In LED Lights.
- Ultralight Materials And The Weatherproof.
- Simple Push-Button Controller.
- High-Volume Architecture.
The Fly Creek UL1’s best feature, if you’re a backpacker, is the weight. It weighs in at only one pound, 12 ounces, with a significantly roomy floor plan, for a single person tent.
You get 22 square feet, with more space at the head and a tapered foot area, and while it’s shaped like a bivi sack, my 6’1″ son could sit up without issue with the 38″ headroom. (This, too tapers at the foot to 22″.)
By a landslide, the Fly Creek is the easiest and fastest tent I’ve ever set up. While the weight of the tent would suggest a pole-less design, the Fly Creek is in fact free-standing, and comes with a DAC Featherlite NFL pole system with press fit connectors and lightweight hubs.
That’s a mouthful, but all you need to know is that the poles are ridiculously light and simple (it’s just one seamless system). Ultralight plastic clips attach tent body to pole frame…it truly took me about two minutes to set this tent up for the first time, and about one minute after that.
You also get 11 lightweight aluminum tent stakes. The Fly Creek of course comes with its own rain fly as well.
There’s a single door and vestibule (very common in single person tents), with storm flaps on the vestibule zipper. You get reflective guy lines and webbing on the tent corners, and the fly and floor are silicone, treated with nylon rip-stop.
The fly and floor also already have 1200 mm waterproof polyurethane coating, and all seams are taped with waterproof, solvent-free polyurethane tape, which is one of those touches you’d expect at this price point.
One of the most innovative features of the Fly Creek, however, and certainly the most noticeable difference from its competitors, is the inclusion of Big Agnes’ MtnGLO system. This lighting system uses durable LED lights to illuminate the interior of your tent without a headlamp.
The lights are integrated into tent seams and is durable and flexible enough to withstand repeated tent pitching and stuffing. You control the lights from an included controller, which requires three AA batteries.
Would the tent be lighter weight without the MtnGLO system?
Yes, but not significantly so. Were we sold on MtnGLO from the start? No…it seemed gimmicky.
However, turning on lights with a press of the button turned out to be pretty darn convenient in the tent. For us, it’s worth the few extra ounces (and need for batteries…we’d put those in our headlamps, anyway).
- More Liveable Space.
- Convenience Of Built-In LED Lights.
- Ultralight Materials And The Weatherproof.
- Simple Push-Button Controller.
- High-Volume Architecture.
I consider MtnGLO one of those conveniences you didn’t think you needed until you had. Give it a try!
Pick up the Fly Creek in the single person size for $369.95 at Big Agnes. Yes, it’s an investment, but has the solid construction and extra touches to warrant the price tag. You can also find it at Backcountry, REI, and Amazon.