Product Details

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The updated Blacktail Hotel has received some welcome updates with new environmentally friendly fabrics, shorter pole sections, more user friendly set up features along with a range of smaller tweaks and upgrades. A great tent made better!

Big Agnes says

New to our bikepacking family of tents, and inspired by the tried and true Blacktail Series, these tents are known for their spacious sleeping areas with easy access through two, side-entry doors and vestibules at an excellent value.

Featuring a shortened 12″ Shortstik Poleset for optimal handlebar, pannier, and saddlebag storage, complete with a burly bikepacking-ready compression sack that attaches readily to your bike with integrated daisy chain webbing. Stash your helmet in the added webbing located on the tent body exterior and dry out wet clothes and gear on daisy chain webbing loops integrated on the fly exterior. Interior storage solutions utilize dead space above your feet and keep gear stowed and out of the way. Extended footprint creates a vestibule floor for dry, dirt-free changing and additional gear storage (sold separately). Designed for on and off-road, two-wheeled travel, the Blacktail Hotel Bikepack tent is light enough for backcountry trails and strong enough for the front country roads.

Our Verdict

Big Agnes’ Blacktail Hotel 3 Bikepacking Tent has seen improvements to make it more user friendly and more environmentally friendly. A key feature being rolled out across a number of Big Agnes tents is the use of solution dyed fabrics. This is a great move for a number of reasons, firstly the positive environmental impacts which see a significant reduction in both energy and water consumption during manufacture. Secondly, this process means the tents are much more resistant to colour fade from UV. On a practical level, the tent benefits from a slight change in the pole design which now has shorter sections for easier packing on the bike, more intuitive setup for quick and easy pitching making for a more usable feel.

The materials used are heavier than Big Agnes normally use but this results in a stronger, more hard wearing and less expensive shelter. This Hotel gets its name thanks to the huge vestibule on one side which essentially doubles the size of the footprint. The space under this area is huge and although the inner tent does not cover it the shelter it provides is a lot better for socialising when the weather is poor. With two entrances, two porches and plenty of internal storage the Blacktail series are well thought out tents that come in at a decent price – Big Agnes has achieved this by taking one step back from the ultra-light, ultra-expensive fabrics used in other designs.

– Reviewed by Ultralight Outdoor Gear

Features

Light enough for the backcountry, strong enough for the front country. Featuring a 12″ Shortstik Poleset, ideal for packing onto handlebars, panniers and saddlebags, or saving space in any pack
Multiple bike-frame attachment configurations for burley compression stuff-sack with daisy-chain webbing system
Stash helmet on exterior tent body using elastic webbing and the daisy-chain webbing loops on the fly exterior for drying wet clothes and gear
Smooth-closing, dual-zipper door with easy-grip zipper pulls on two doors and two vestibules with storm flaps on the vestibule zippers
Increased head space with symmetrical pole structure and pre-bent poles
Fly features one extended, pole-supported, side-entry vestibule, and one quick-access vestibule
Clean earbud-cord routing from phones or other devices through media pockets located above sleeping area
Easy to pitch any time of day with reflective guylines and webbing on tent corners and ready to pitch with pre-cut guylines and tensioners attached to fly
Maximized storage options with oversized ceiling pocket and multiple interior loops for use with gear lofts, accessories and mtnGLO® Tent & Camp Lights
To extend the life of your tent floor we recommend using a Big Agnes footprint, sold separately
Includes NEW lighter, yet stronger Dirt Dagger UL Tent Stakes with patent pending I-Beam aluminum construction

Specifications

Our Specs

Inner tent weighs: 946g
Flysheet weighs: 1186g
Poleset weighs: 968g
Total weight for comparison: 3100g (excludes pegs and bags)
x10 pegs supplied weigh: 86g

Big Agnes Specs

Trail weight (excludes pegs): 6lb 13oz / 3.09kg
Packed weight: 7lb 8oz / 3.40kg
Fast fly weight: 6lb / 2.72kg
Packed size: 9 x 13″ / 23 x 33cm
Floor area: 44ft² / 4.1m²
Floor length: 90″ / 229cm
Floor width: 70″ / 178cm
Head height: 44″ / 112cm
Vestibule area: 28ft²/ 9ft² / 2.6m²/ 0.8m²

Construction & Materials

Fly and floor: polyester with a 1500mm waterproof, polyurethane coating
Tent body: breathable polyester and polyester mesh
Waterproof, solvent-free polyurethane taped seams (No PVC or VOCs)
Lightweight aluminum pole system with prebends
Gear lofts, sold separately: 2P fits Square, 3P fits Large Trapezoid, Triangle, Wall, Large Wall and Square
Fast fly setup available
8 x 6″ Dirt Dagger UL Stakes included

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