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Big Agnes new gear

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 9:21 am
by Wandering Daisy
I just got a flyer from Big Agnes. They now have some of their tents made with "Dyneema", with shockingly high prices :eek: . I am just curious. What is the $$/oz. you are willing to spend to reduce pack weight?

Would you buy the Dyneema Fly Creek HV1 Carbon 1lb, $800? For comparison HV1 Platinum 1lb 7oz is $500; FlyCreek HV1UL 1lb 11 oz is $330. One liter of water carried is 2.2 lbs.

Carry half a liter of water and a 4oz Sawyer mini and you have the equivalent weight savings as the HV1UL to the HV1Carbon for about $20 vs. $470.

Maybe you already have done everything to reduce weight and that extra 11 oz in a tent is all that is left. But then, you probably are already at a base weight of near 10 pounds, and at that pack weight what is the advantage? Seems to me that it would really not make much difference. Is all this Dyneema hype just marketing?

Re: Big Agnes new gear

Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2020 9:15 pm
by bobby49
I purchased a Dyneema _shelter_ that weighed 12 ounces or so. Note that it has no floor. Add on the weight of some mosquito net, the trekking pole, a Dyneema ground sheet, and some titanium stakes, and it was still a far cry lighter than anything else around. After I used that in Alaska, I purchased another one from the same company that was made out of thinner Dyneema, so it weighed around 8.5 ounces plus the other stuff. Now, I don't expect to sit out a tornado in this thing, but for typical summer weather in the Sierra, it works perfectly for me. If I roll it up tightly, it is a little too large to fit into my back pants pocket.

Re: Big Agnes new gear

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2020 5:07 am
by The Other Tom
Wandering Daisy wrote: Sun Mar 22, 2020 9:21 am Maybe you already have done everything to reduce weight and that extra 11 oz in a tent is all that is left. But then, you probably are already at a base weight of near 10 pounds, and at that pack weight what is the advantage? Seems to me that it would really not make much difference. Is all this Dyneema hype just marketing?
I've found that people who do thru hikes trend toward Dyneema. They typically hike 25-30+ miles per day and every ounce counts. For the rest of us who "stop and smell the roses" then the extra expense of Dyneema probably isn't worth it.

Re: Big Agnes new gear

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:31 am
by TurboHike
Not all dyneema is created equal. Those Big Agnes tents use 0.34 oz per square yard dyneema for the fly and 0.51 for the floor. By contrast, Zpacks uses 0.51 for the fly and 1.0 oz per square yard for the floor. Tarptent is similar to Zpacks I think. It is perplexing why Big Agnes chose such fragile fabric for their tents. Here is a review:

https://www.outsideonline.com/2401493/l ... arbon-tent