Got into it with my brother over MSR vs Big Agnes tent quality after a rainy trip in the Smokies

Last October me and my brother did a 4 day trip in the Smokies near Clingmans Dome. First night a steady rain started around 2 AM and lasted till dawn. I had my MSR Hubba Hubba and stayed bone dry. He had a Big Agnes Copper Spur and woke up with a wet sleeping bag and puddles along the seam tapes. He blamed the site for being too sloped but I saw water dripping from his inner wall. I told him the Copper Spur is fine for fair weather but not for real rain. He got defensive and said I just got lucky and his tent has never leaked before. So now I'm wondering if I'm being too harsh on Big Agnes or if he just got a bad one that day. Anyone else had a similar experience with either tent after a solid night of rain?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly7093d ago

Oh man, I had a similar thing with my buddy's Marmot tent in the Shenandoahs last spring. He set up on a slight slope too and woke up with a wet footbox, but I was fine in my old Eureka. I think a lot of it is just how you pitch it and the ground you pick, not always the tent brand.

lewis.brian1d ago

You're saying "how you pitch it" like it's all on the user, but a good tent should still keep you dry even if you mess up the setup a little.

nelson.wren2d ago

Wait, his Big Agnes was actually dripping from the inner wall? That's wild, I've never seen a Copper Spur fail that bad in the rain before.