Ultralight tent for bikepacking: testing the Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Solution Dye

Note: At my request, Big Agnes gave me the tent for the test.

Tent or bivouac? For me it’s clear: comfort wins – especially when the tent only weighs around 1kg.

Of course, I’m often travelling with a bivy sack, but a tent like this is a luxury that I like to treat myself to. Firstly, of course, to have peace and quiet from mosquitoes at night. Secondly, as a weatherproof shelter that offers me protection and security.

I just love lying in my tent in the rain, with my things around me, and then getting ready again in the tent the next morning and travelling on.

My current bivy sack is the OR Helium, which weighs around 550g and accompanies me from time to time. Apart from the lower weight, its advantage is the pack size and the built-in fly screen. The disadvantage is that it does sweat and you should avoid using it closed. Then it is simply too warm, or the oxygen can become scarce, which is why a warning sign inside the bivouac sack advises you never to close it completely.

However, a lot has happened in the tent sector in recent years and they are becoming lighter and more compact. The absolute lightweights are already in the weight range of bivy sacks.

For me, however, weight is only one component of a tent that suits me. I attach great importance to the following features in particular:

It must be suitable for 3 seasons.
If possible, it must be free-standing.
The seat height should be high enough (90cm) so that I can get dressed and pack inside in bad weather.
It should be compact and easy to stow away.
It must be watertight from the start, without extra sealing of the seams or additional waterproofing.
It should be stormproof.
Naturally not heavy, around 1kg.
Not too conspicuous in terms of colour.

I can already say that the tent I’m currently testing doesn’t fulfil this last point: the Big Agnes Fly Creek comes in yellow and is therefore naturally very conspicuous.

Big Agnes is an American manufacturer of outdoor equipment that I have known for a long time and from which I have already had the pleasure of testing a sleeping mat and a sleeping bag.

When it comes to tents, Big Agnes tents are always worth a look and so I bought a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL1 Bikepack for the Silk Road Mountain Race in 2020. It is freestanding and weighs around 1,250g including the pack sacks.

It proved its worth in Kyrgyzstan and on all other trips and I particularly appreciate the comfortable side entry and the generous amount of space.

As a passionate bikepacker, I am naturally interested in the development of tents and so I published an article in January 2024 that presented 36 ultra-lightweight tents for cycle touring and bikepacking. This article is one of the most read posts on my blog.

In it, I wrote at the time that I found the Big Agnes Fly Creek very interesting among all these tents. And now the opportunity arose and I was able to test the Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye.

Table of Content:

The facts

External dimensions: 274cm length x 97cm width x 102cm height head area
Internal dimensions: 218cm length x 97cm width x 102cm height head area
Weight flysheet: 297g (self-weighed)
Weight inner tent: 296g (self-weighed)
Weight pegs: 105g
Weight poles incl. repair sleeve: 319g (self-weighed, incl. stuff sack)
Total weight: 1. 055g (self-weighed, incl. pack sacks, poles and pegs and some dirt)
Weight ground sheet (optional): 137g (self-weighed)
Water column flysheet: 1,200mm
Water column groundsheet: 1. 200mm
Material flysheet and groundsheet: solution-dyed (spun-dyed), water-repellent, silicone-treated nylon ripstop
Material inner tent: solution-dyed (spun-dyed), breathable nylon and polyester mesh
Material poles: aluminium DAC Featherlite NSL

A little material knowledge

The first thing you notice when you look at the Fly Creek’s materials is the water column. This is stated as 1,200 mm, which normally causes irritation, as here in Europe or Germany we are used to water column specifications that are much higher. This is due to the different measuring methods or specifications. American manufacturers such as MSR, Big Agnes, NEMO etc. often state the water column after ageing tests or after use – not the maximum values in new condition, as is usual in Europe.

This means that a US tent floor with a water column of 1,500 mm, for example, may well have had a water column of 3,000-5,000 mm when new, but the manufacturer specifies the value that is still reliably waterproof after several cycles of use (abrasion, folding/packing, UV exposure, ageing).

In Europe (e.g. Vaude, Hilleberg, Tatonka), the maximum water column when new is usually stated in accordance with DIN EN ISO 811. Ageing, UV or wear are not taken into account in this specification. As a result, European specifications may appear higher, but are not directly comparable.

Then the addition ‘solution-dyed’ catches the eye. This means ‘spun-dyed’ or ‘dyed through’. Here, the colour pigments are added directly to the spinning solution before the fibre is even produced. This means that the colour is in the material throughout, not just on the surface.

This process has several advantages – but is also more expensive than conventional tent fabrics:

It is more UV-resistant and therefore more durable
It offers high colour fastness
It offers better water and dirt repellency, as the continuous colouring can be better combined with impregnation
Production is more environmentally friendly, as less water and chemicals are used.
And less post-treatment is required, which also results in a lighter weight, as there is no need for recoating.

However, this process also limits the choice of colours, which is why my Fly Creek is currently only available in yellow. And as mentioned, the solution-dyed process is a little more expensive, but according to the manufacturer this is offset by a longer service life.

There are also interesting details about the poles. Big Agnes refers to its DAC poles, specifically the DAC Featherlite NSL for the Fly Creek.

DAC stands for Dongah Aluminium Corporation, a specialist manufacturer of aluminium poles for tents. The name ‘Featherlite NSL’ stands for a specific series of particularly light yet stable poles.

Featherlite is all about weight-reduced, but at the same time maximally durable pole solutions, which are used particularly in the ultralight sector. NSL stands for ‘New Sleeve’ and refers to an internal, seamless connection system for the poles. This makes the poles particularly resistant to bending, corrosion and robust.

It is interesting to note that my Big Agnes Copper Spur has NFL poles, whereas the Fly Creek comes with NSL poles. The difference lies in the wall thickness of the tubes and therefore the weight: NFL poles have a thinner wall thickness than NSL and are intended for ultralight use. They are used for tents that are intended for summer or ultralight use. NSL poles are somewhat heavier, have a greater wall thickness and are intended more for 3-4 season tents, somewhat more robust and stable.

It is therefore all the more surprising that the Fly Creek Bikepack is lighter than the Copper Spur. However, this is probably mainly due to the design, as the Fly Creek requires fewer poles.

The 3-season suitability of the Fly Creek is also more apparent, as the tent walls are lower down than those of the Copper Spur, where there is more space between the floor and the tent wall.

Setting up

I’m going to risk going out on a limb and say that this type of tent is very easy to understand and setting it up is correspondingly simple. On the Big Agnes, there are flaps at the corners of the inner tent with a hole for the poles and a click fastener into which the outer tent is then clicked. These are adjustable and are also used for tensioning. (In the Copper Spur they are even colour-coded so that the correct side of the flysheet can always be clicked in).

The poles are smaller in the Bikepack version and not as long at 28cm. This means it fits perfectly between the handlebars or in a bag. The poles are in one piece, are folded apart and the pole sections click into each other almost automatically. At the end you have a kind of spider with three legs: two shorter and one longer.

The two shorter poles are inserted into the corresponding holes on the right and left of the head section of the inner tent. The end of the long pole goes into the hole with the tab in the centre of the foot end.

Don’t be surprised: the pole is bent at the end.

As soon as the poles are clicked into the holes, the inner tent can be clicked onto the poles using clips and set up. And with that, the tent is actually already up.

However, this is only recommended for warm summer nights, as it is not stable enough without guy ropes and an outer tent. But you can of course sleep in it.

The outer tent is then attached and clicked into the fasteners at the front corners and at the back. Then the tensioning is done, with the outer tent and inner tent being tensioned together.

The pegs supplied are very light and actually keep their shape. Nevertheless, I managed to bend one slightly on hard ground. If you value particularly robust pegs, you should buy others (and accept the extra weight).

Even if it weighs a little at 137g, the ground sheet for the Fly Creek is recommended. On the one hand, because it covers the front of the tent really well and you can store your things better (better protected from dirt). Secondly, because the Ground Sheet makes it possible to set up a trail version, i.e. just the flysheet and ground sheet.

This combination then weighs a little less at approx. 850g and is more compact. I also tried this, but then I slid back and forth on the ground sheet with my sleeping mat (TAR Uberlite) and always ended up on the outer wall.

The trail version is like a large bivy sack, but offers better protection.

The space available

With a head height of over 1 metre, the Fly Creek is quite high and therefore ideal for moving around inside and changing clothes, for example. I can get dressed and pack everything away. That’s especially good when it’s raining outside.

With an interior length of 2.18 metres, it’s also interesting for tall people. At 1.84 metres tall, I have plenty of room inside. And there’s also enough space on the sides in the head area for clothes and stuff.

I particularly like the large entrance awning in the head area. The Fly Creek only has one entrance at the front. When it’s pitched, you slip into the front of the tent from the side. The entrance is ok, but not really big. This means that you can of course get wet through the tent fabric at the entrance in the event of dew or rain.

In good weather, you can save yourself the trouble of tensioning the awning and have a very large entrance to the tent.

In any case, the vestibule is large enough to accommodate all your bags and still have room for your shoes.

I also like the pockets in the inner tent canopy. There is a larger compartment in the foot area, where I usually pack socks or gloves, a shirt and cap. There is a smaller compartment in the head area, big enough for a smartphone or headphones.

There are also spacious compartments on the inside where I stow the pack sacks for my sleeping mat and inner sleeping bag, as well as electronics and a head torch, for example.

The Fly Creek in practice & my conclusion

The Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack is a very light and compact tent that offers a generous amount of space. It is very quick to pitch and easy to compress.

I like the comfortable head height and the length inside, which offers space for clothes. The awning also offers plenty of space.

The first thing I did was to replace the original pack sack with a lightweight Ortlieb pack sack. This prevents it from leaking when it gets wet and getting my other things in the pannier wet as well.

And while we’re talking about this topic: I always pack my tent wet. The Fly Creek, like the Copper Spur, are tents that dry out quickly when I pitch them again in the evening.

The only drawback is the somewhat cramped entrance area when the awning is pitched. But that’s fine and ultimately we’re talking about an ultra-light tent here, where you have to make compromises.

In terms of ventilation, the Fly Creek offers fewer options than the Copper Spur. I have used the Fly Creek in very humid weather with warm nights and had some condensation on the outer wall. But not really bothersome. Only once, when heavy rain hit the tent so hard that the condensation fell onto the inner tent and sprayed me a little. I regulated the ventilation via the guy ropes and didn’t pull the side walls low and tensioned them at the sides. So far, I can’t complain about too little ventilation, but we’ll see how it behaves in winter.

Speaking of tensioning: the Fly Creek can be pitched very stably and thus defies even strong winds with a stable stand.

With its low weight and the option of trail pitching in conjunction with the ground sheet, the Fly Creek is currently my favourite. And I prefer it to a bivy sack because I wouldn’t want to do without the extra comfort – especially when the weather is a bit unstable.

Compared to the Copper Spur, the Fly Creek feels a little less spacious, but due to its design (lowered sides) it is more suitable for 3-4 season use than the Copper Spur, where the cold wind and rain tend to get to the inner tent in winter.

The Fly Creek is of interest to anyone looking for a very lightweight tent that still offers a generous amount of space, is also suitable for tall people with an internal length of 218 cm and can be stowed away compactly.

The Bikepack version is somewhat heavier than the normal version, which only weighs 900g (according to the manufacturer). However, the more compact poles with a length of 28 cm per element offer the advantage that they are easier to stow on the bike or handlebars.