I returned a tent that was, we thought, poorly designed, without a back door screen and without a solid front door. Anyhow, I bought it a year ago.

Big Agnes looked at it and gave me 100% credit and I exchanged it for a 1.5 person solo dome tent. Plus, they threw in their memory foam air pillow and shipped it to me 3-day select so I could have it for my trip to Sawbill today!

They were a pleasure to work with. Thanks Big Agnes.

Well we'll see how they do with a BA Insulated Air Core pad I'm sending in to them today. The pad is leaking air thru out the night where I needed to blow it up 4-6 times per night. I tried to take it back to REI where I got it at but it has been more then a year so they won't take it back or replace it. (however they would replace the guy ahead of me in line who brought in running shoes that were worn out and replace them as he didn't like the color. He was just coming up on a years time too the sales girl mentioned. What a coincidence that was.) I have tried to find the leak myself with the bathtub trick and can't find the leak so off it goes to BA.

I've had very good service from BA over the years. Repairs and replacement of items I purchased and replacement parts on gear I obtained used.

butthead

Was it the tensleep or another model?

My one time dealing with the customer service was a positive one. Sent in a pad that was no longer keeping air thru the night, two weeks later I had a replacement pad which was an upgrade from the original as they didn't have inventory at the time. I'm sure they'll take care of you.

Good people. They treat you well.

Do many on this site have much experience with Big Agnes tents? Was looking at one larger one, the Big House Deluxe, because it's fairly light for the size, but I have seen some mixed reviews on their stuff in general, though I've also seen a lot of people fairly pleased with their products.

I had a double-wide Hinman sleeping pad that developed a separation between the outer layer and the foam core which resulted in a large bubble and a cascading failure of the bond between the outside later and the foam core. BA asked me to send it to them for inspection, and I received a replacement pad (newer and improved) quite quickly. I only regret sending my old pad in with its stuff sack because they only sent a new pad back to me--no stuff sack.

quote outsidej: "Do many on this site have much experience with Big Agnes tents? Was looking at one larger one, the Big House Deluxe, because it's fairly light for the size, but I have seen some mixed reviews on their stuff in general, though I've also seen a lot of people fairly pleased with their products."

My "big" tent for car camping is a BA Lynx Pass 4. It's not an expensive tent - $240 new in 2011 if memory serves - but I'd say it's aged poorly. Nothing wrong with it per se but looking rough for only maybe 30-35 nights of use. It has a taped seam on the middle of the floor that's basically no longer taped, and some other seams are fraying. I'd expect their more expensive tents are better made; but by contrast, my MH Light Wedge 3 - $200 new in 2008 - has seen over 100 nights of backpacking use and has no failing seams yet. So when I decided to get a new small 2 person tent I decided not to get a BA despite the great specs on the Copper Spur series.

quote outsidej: "Do many on this site have much experience with Big Agnes tents? Was looking at one larger one, the Big House Deluxe, because it's fairly light for the size, but I have seen some mixed reviews on their stuff in general, though I've also seen a lot of people fairly pleased with their products."

I really like my fly creek 3. Never a drop inside. Haven't had it out in a monsoon though.

"Do many on this site have much experience with Big Agnes tents?"

Yes, currently have in the garage an Emerald Mountain 2 with all vestibules, Fly Creek Platinum 2. Owned a Copper Spur 1, and Big House 4. Liked the Big House because it was the oldest version 3 pole frame with added brows over the doors.
No fan of the new versions, my BH brow poles needed shortening to relieve some tension (both broke a section), it was very light for it's size but seemed fragile for a large tent. Still got many years of great use from it.


It was replaced by an REI KingDome 6,


butthead

Thanks for the input everybody, and still happy to hear more experiences people here have had with Big Agnes. ... Ironically, the tent I am trying to replace is an 30-year-old, 6-man Eureka dome that has held up well, for the most part, but definitely needs to be resealed. It's amazingly only 13 pounds, which is about as good as I could expect to find in a new tent of the same size.

I was able to set up the Big House 6 at the Maple Grove REI this afternoon and couldn't believe how long the poles were for it. That last pole jammed up somewhere and needed a bit of jiggering before it could be popped into the hole (that's what she said;))

Seemed like a decent tent, but there's just not that many options these days for higher-quality tents of that size anymore. The Nemo wagontop is huge, as well, but is a lot heavier. I'd rather not go that heavy. Just not sold on the Big House at this point.

How do you like the King Dome, butthead?

quote outsidej: "How do you like the King Dome, butthead?"

link to thread
A topic for a new post.

butthead

I've had a very unpleasant time with their customer service. I think I'm in the minority, though.

Bought a tent from them. Brought it to the Q. It rained and tent leaked. Got home, contacted them, and they sent me a new rainfly, no questions asked. Got the rainfly, and it didn't fit, no matter how much we stretched and pulled and reordered things. Told them about it, and they required me to pay the shipping for the return. Fine. Sent it back. Got a new fly. Also didn't fit (by now we had checked product code at least ten times to make sure it wasn't our fault). Said screw it, I want a new tent, and they gave me less than half the purchase price in credit on stuff that must be bought through their website. Tried to buy stuff on sale. But credit doesn't work for on-sale items, must be full priced. So frustrated can't type complete sentences. :)

Anyways, I've not heard many other bad stories from them. I'm not sure what happened in my case, and I'm glad my experience isn't common, but uff da.

Can't blame ya for getting frustrated. Wish we could know why they weren't sending correct rain flies however.

I've had great luck with BA tents and customer service. I have 4 BA tents- my first a Seedhouse 2 still is sound and dry after ten years of service. I've had poles break on two of my tents (once random once due to someone lifting the tent to "shake it out") and they replaced the segments promptly and without charge. I have two of their ultra light tents and they've withstood heavy storms without a drop. The UL fabrics will probably not last as long but it's hard to complain about a tent that is under three pounds.....

quote mschi772: "Can't blame ya for getting frustrated. Wish we could know why they weren't sending correct rain flies however."

Assuming they sent the correct model of rain fly over the years some models have changed ever so slightly in dimensions. I know I had a Fly Creek that compared to a friends is slightly off. They have about 4-5 yrs difference between the two of them.

Sorry Carmike for the bad experience, I have been lucky they replaced a pole once no charge and made me a pole once on an older tent for a very reasonable price.

T

I'm testing out their service currently. I have a year-old Helinox Chair and the front two seat braces both ended up severely bent on my recent trip. My buddy was using the chair and he is at least 60 lbs. under the weight rating. I just shipped the chair back to them to have them replace the two bend tubes. It will be interesting to see if they deem it faulty or normal wear. My guess is that since they are the only US distributor for DAC/Helinox that they will take care of it. I did have to submit 2 requests a week apart before I received a response. I'm a little miffed at Campsaver.com where I purchased the chair. I contacted them to return the chair because it was still well within the warranty period. Even though they have a "Lifetime Warranty" on every item that they sell, read the fine print. The warranty only applies to new, unused equipment in the original packaging. Even then they will only give you a store credit. What good is a warranty if it only is valid on something that you have never used?

i just got back from sawbill and the north shore, the blacktail 2 tent was a bombshell in the rain. easy to set up and get in and out of.
i had some rain!!!!!!!
it is a solo tent. you could put 2 in it, but it would be tight.
really impressed with it's quality and performance.
super tent for the money!

Well I sent my BA Insulated Air Core pad in to BA. They are great on sending emails out and letting you know the status of your case. They received my pad on a Tuesday and they sent me an email that day saying they had gotten it and would check it out. Thursday I got another email saying they had evaluated the pad and would cover it under warranty and would be sending me a new pad.

quote OldFingers57: "Well I sent my BA Insulated Air Core pad in to BA. They are great on sending emails out and letting you know the status of your case. They received my pad on a Tuesday and they sent me an email that day saying they had gotten it and would check it out. Thursday I got another email saying they had evaluated the pad and would cover it under warranty and would be sending me a new pad. "

I have reviewed a lot of Big Agnes gear. I am a fan. Customer service has always been amazing.

I have had 3 of their tents, 3 helinox chairs, 1 table, 3 sleeping bags, 2 pads, 1 pillow, and 1 fall/spring coat.

My buddy bought the ultralight cot and liked it so much bought one for his wife. I hope to get a got cot for my hot tent.

Anytime I have ever had an issue, they took care of it. I may have had to pay to ship it there, but I am ok with it.

Also, the guy I deal with at BA used to guide in the BWCA.

Caw

Well Big Agnes came thru with a new pad for me. I received it today even though they forgot to send me an email about the tracking number for the pad. Oh well I forgive them since they sent me not only a new pad but upgraded me from a BA IAC to the BA ULTRA IAC. So I am one Happy Camper and BA Customer.

I'm not a Big Agnes fan after owning 3 of their products: Lost Ranger sleeping bag, Insulated Air Core mattress, and a 45-degree sleeping bag that I forget the name of. The mattress was good when it first came out, but I think Exped has significantly surpassed BA in the mattress department since then. It was slippery and thin compared to the current Expeds. The sleeping bag had the same functionality as my $20 fleece bag from Walmart. The real deal breaker was the Lost Ranger. I think "great customer service" also applies to the purchasing decision, not just returning an item. I had a long conversation with BA about the benefits and drawbacks of their sleeping bags. At no time did they mention that they were designed for back sleepers. I found that out after buying the Lost Ranger. When I called back to ask about problems I discovered as a side sleeper they said, "Oh, yeah, these bags are more for back sleepers." That to me is bad customer service. Plus they have a reputation for exaggerating their temperature ratings by about 15 degrees, which to my way of thinking is really unacceptable, especially when you get below freezing and your life is on the line. Don't say, "All companies do this," because they don't.

I think Big Agnes tents have gotten unnecessarily complicated and ridiculously expensive. I'm looking at the Foidel Canyon 3, for example. $700 for a 3-season tent with a 1200mm coating??? "Gear loft sold separately." It's described as "3 seasons plus." Well, a lot of 3-season tents are tough enough to be used below freezing with a light snow load. My Kelty Trail Ridge 2, for example, that cost $125, and several tents by Alps Mountaineering that cost a third or less of Big Agnes tents, like the Extreme 3, $150!

I've had stellar service from many companies: Exped, LL Bean, Cabela's, Alps Mountaineering, Mountainsmith, Camptime (Roll-a-Cot), Back Country Edge, Kittery Trading Post, Backcountry.com, Teva. Heck, even Sunny Sports in Manhattan has pretty good customer service. I think great service should be the norm and I find it usually is, although REI has slipped as they've gotten larger.

Three season Big Agnes tent after surprise April storm on Argo. I was warm and dry. Close to 18" of snow.

I've bought three BA tents since. Have yet to be disappointed.

wow, what fun in april!

I have to jump on board with bwcasolo. Big Agnes sent me an email this morning informing me that they sent my Helinox Chair back to me after replacing 2 legs that bent on my trip a few weeks ago. I have more BA items than I care to admit to on here.

About 13 years ago I got a Big Agnes insulated air core pad. It worked great until last year when I noticed it was leaking air along the foot end seam.

I finally got around to emailing them a couple of weeks ago to see if it was fixable. They told me to send the pad in and they would check it out. Just got an email from them today...they are sending me a brand new pad at no charge. I think it's amazing that they are replacing a 13 year old pad for free! That's great customer service.