Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel 3 Bikepacking Tent

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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

Help and advice:

• Bikepacking Advice Page
• Choosing a Tent
• Hydrostatic Head
• About Big Agnes
• Big Agnes Tents Buying Guide