Big Agnes Guard Station 8 Person Dome Tent Review

The Guard Station 8 is Big Agnes's largest tent, and it has six windows and two doors and a maximum center height of 7' 0, which is a tiny bit bigger than the average height of the 53 other 8 person tents we have examined With 128 square feet of room inside, it is a little bit smaller than some other 8-person tents, and it could be a little cramped for you and, up to seven other campers all through the 4-seasons, this tent is suggested for use in, larger tents similar to this one can generally make a very good choice for families who welcome having heaps of space inside of their tent.

Many of the fantastic things about dome tents are, that they are for, the most part not too heavy, making them easy to carry. In near all cases, tents used for backpacking are of the dome type. They are generally speaking, freestanding and very straightforward to set up. In calm weather, you can do without securing the tent with stakes and ropes, not that this is suggested.

Dome tents are without a doubt the most common of all the various sorts of tents you will find when camping. They tend to do better in storms than other types, allowing rain to easily slide off the sloped sides, unlike cabin tents that have flat roofs, resulting in the water pooling on the top of the tent. The most basic dome tent should have a rectangular floor, sloped sides a couple of poles which cross in the center of the roof. Due to the way they are made, it is typically considered that they are ideal for up to a maximum of 6 campers.

Underneath you can check out an account of the tent's strongest and weakest points.

Click or Tap on the Tab you Want to See!

• 8 add_circle_outline PROS

• 6 add_circle_outline CONS

PROS

1. Freestanding. The Guard Station can support its own weight on any terrain. It does not need to be staked down in most cases. But in case of strong winds, it is always best to secure it to the ground with the included steel stakes and guylines.
2. Internal storage. It is good to see Big Agnes has added a gear loft and pockets in the interior to store some of your things.
3. More than one door. With 2 doors, it is simpler to get in and out of the tent, in the middle of the night if needed.
4. More than one window. With 6 windows it is easier to keep the tent ventilated on a hot summers night.
5. Durable, water-resistant floor. The floor material is Polyurethane coating, which is a substantially thick and high-strength fabric. Meaning the base is not prone to rips and punctures. Also, the material has a 5000 mm waterproofing rating, which is very good for most circumstances.
6. Includes FootPrint. It is not often we see a footprint included with the tent. It is suggested to always use a footprint, so not having to buy one is a bonus.
7. The rainfly completely covers the tent body. The rainfly covers the whole body of the tent from the top to the bottom and has a waterproof rating of 1200mm. Meaning it will easily protect you against heavy downpours.
8. Other sizes are available. Big Agnes has also made this model available in Other Sizes.

CONS

1. Vulnerable to wind. Because of its size and shape, the Guard Station may not do well in strong winds if it is not firmly secured with the provided guy lines and stakes. Even though the tent is listed as freestanding in all but very calm conditions, one would need to stake and tie it down correctly.
2. Not roomy. With a floor area of 128 square feet, the Guard Station 8 is smaller than quite a few of the 53 other 8 person tents we have looked at.
3. Only one room. The Guard Station is suggested for 8 campers, some other tents of a similar size have more than one room allowing for a little more privacy.
4. No Vestibules. If you want to keep your dirty shoes, clothes, and backpacks protected from the rain etc, you will have to keep them inside the tent.
5. Poor Heat Retention. The general design of the Big Agnes's Guard Stations interior is designed to easily let air in and out. Therefore, it cannot keep heat inside, making it unsuitable for use in winter.
6. Sloping walls. Even though Dome tents have many things to be positive about. The sloping sides do tend to make it all the more smaller inside.

Big Agnes's Guard Station 8 tent is ideal for base camp and expeditions. Here are a couple of other cool things not mentioned above which, were noticed and liked, while researching the model: Dome shape is ideal for snow load and high winds, High-tenacity materials ensure this shelter is ready for the most extreme alpine conditions and The material uses a unique pigment dye coloring process that resists fading and increases UV resistance; extending the longevity of the fabric when used in high altitude conditions .

With fantastic ratings, and a peak height of 7' and 128 square feet of space to play with, this tent is like your very own small home away from home. It will enable you and up to 6 other campers to spend some really enjoyable moments camping together. We found a decent amount of positive points about the tent that you can read through above.

If you came to this website looking for recommendations about this specific tent, our view is, it should make for an awesome purchase. If you simply happened to land on this page while browsing for a brand new tent having not heard of this brand or this tent previously, it is perhaps a good thing to look at a few more comparable tents.

Value for money: As far as value for your money, this tent is undoubtedly costlier than the average cost of all the fifty-five, eight-person tents we have taken a look at, this alone is not a negative thing. One should also take into account other things in-depth, as we do with every tent.

When we calculate the score of a tent, we regard loads of stuff, finding points where the tent could beat out other near-identical tents and where it is lacking. In this case, with a total rating of 4.6 and the price info above, It is simple enough to spot that with a price of $1999.95 Big Agnes's Guard Station 8 is a superb buy even though it could be thought of as quite costly when set side by side with comparable tents.

The ratings show that the quality and dimensions the tent provides make it an awesome purchase for campers looking for a tent that can last for lots of years. It could make a good choice for most people looking for an appropriate four-season dome tent to go camping in, that will serve you well for years to come.