Big Agnes Van Camp SL 3 Person Dome Tent Review

The Van Camp SL 3 has two doors and a peak center height of 3' 9, which is a tiny bit less than the average height of the 139 other 3 person tents we have examined With 42 square feet of room inside, it is considerably smaller than some other 3-person tents, and it would be quite tight for you and, up to two other campers during the 3-seasons, this tent is suggested for use in, smaller tents like this one are a great choice for people that appreciate spending lots of time outside their tent getting some air.

A few of the great points about dome tents are, that they are under normal circumstances light, making them simple to carry around. In nearly all instances, tents used for backpacking are of the dome type. They are generally speaking, freestanding and very simple to set up. In good weather, you could do without guy lines and stakes, not that this is recommended.

Dome tents are the most commonly seen of all the various types of tents you will find when camping. They tend to fair better in bad weather than other types, allowing water to roll off the slanted sides, unlike cabin tents that have flat roofs, allowing the rain to pool on the roof. The simplest dome tent should have a square floor, sloped walls two or more poles which converge in the center of the roof. Due to the way they are made, it is usually thought of that they are best for up to a maximum of 6 campers.

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

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• 7 add_circle_outline PROS

• 5 add_circle_outline CONS

PROS

1. Freestanding. The Van Camp SL can support its own weight on any terrain. It does not even have 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. Vestibules. Having two vestibules. Offers you a place to store shoes and other items that can get dirty, muddy, this is a huge plus.
3. Has Gear Loft. It is good to see Big Agnes adding a gear loft in the interior to store some of your things.
4. More than one door. With 2 doors, it is easier to get in and out of the tent, in the middle of the night if needed.
5. 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 0mm. Meaning it will easily protect you against heavy rain.
6. Other sizes are available. Big Agnes has also made this model available in Other Sizes.
7. Low price. It is a great buy for a 3 person dome tent providing this much space. Not many tents available on the market provide this level of quality for only $349.95

CONS

1. Not roomy. With a floor area of 42 square feet, the Van Camp SL 3 is smaller than quite a few of the 139 other 3 person tents we have looked at.
2. Lacking in Headroom. With 9% less headroom than similar sized tents, one can see how this could be a negative thing for some people.
3. Footprint not Included. There is no included footprint, The floor may be made of Polyester but it is still best to protect it further with a footprint, more so on rough terrain.
4. Discontinued: Unfortunately this particular tent has been discontinued on the manufactures website and is no longer available elsewhere, that we know of.
5. Sloping walls. Even though Dome tents have lots of attributes to rave about. The sloping sides do tend to make it all the more smaller inside.

Big Agnes's Van Camp SL 3 tent is great for backpacking. Here are a few other nice points not noted above which, we noticed and liked, while researching the model: Steep walls create more usable floor space, while double doors allow for easy entry and exit, All seams taped with waterproof, solvent-free polyurethane tape (No PVC or VOCs) and Hook-and-loop tabs connect fly to pole structure, providing perfect pitch and extra stability.

With wonderful ratings, and a minimum headroom of 3' and 42 square feet of space to play with, this tent is like your very own miniature home away from home. It enables you to enjoy some really enjoyable time exploring the great outdoors. We found a decent amount of positive points about the tent that you can look at above.

If you found this website looking for suggestions on this specific tent, our view is, it would make for a great buy. In case you just happened to land on this website while looking for a brand new tent having never heard of this brand or this tent previously, it is perhaps a good thing to check out a few more comparable tents also.

Value for money: When thinking about value for your money, this tent is a lot more competitive than the usual cost of all the one hundred and ninety-three, three-person tents we have taken a look at, this itself does not make it good value for money. We also need to take a look at other areas in-depth, as we do with each tent.

When we tally up the score of a single tent, we reflect upon tons of data points, looking for points where the tent could beat other comparable tents and where it is coming up short. In this case, with a total rating of 4.2 and the price conclusions above, It is simple enough to see that with a ticket price of $349.95 The Van Camp SL 3 is a good buy and fabulously cheap in comparison with similar tents.

Its ratings show that the quality and space the tent gives you were not compromised to get a price tag unquestionably beneath the usual price for comparable tents. It is also worth thinking about the fact that it is marked down by 0% from the manufactures MSRP. It should make a very good choice for most people searching for an adequate three-season backpacking tent to go camping in, that should serve you well for years to come.