2017 Big Agnes Big House 6 Deluxe Tent Review – Very Tall Tent

---

This Big Agnes Big House 6 Deluxe Tent Review is about the new 2017 version of the great family tent with an impressive height.

---

Key features and benefits

---

Who is it for

The Big House 6 Deluxe is a typical camping tent to be used at places with a car or motorbike access, for families and for groups of friends. Clearly, this can imply a variety of activities.

The size is formally for 6 people, and its floor dimensions 112 x 96 inches (284 x 244 cm) show this. But this is a tent without vestibules so you do not have any external space for storage. In view this, this is a perfect tent for 4, maximum 5 people, but see below about the accessory vestibule.

Such a tent can also be perfect for couples, you can put the biggest double cot inside and still have plenty of space for equipment and for a dog as well. See its floor plan and dimensions:

Clearly the most impressive is its height, and this is probably the main reason for the word ‘deluxe’ in its name.

---

Deluxe version – different from the previous Big House 6 tent

This tent has been on the market for several years already, but the version you have here is from 2017. If you have used the previous version, perhaps you might want to know the differences, so have a look:

• The pre-bent poles in the new version. This makes the wall almost vertical and increases the volume.
• The floor dimensions are different (the old version was bigger for 0.53 square meters), but the new version is 3 inches higher.
• The old version was lighter, with 5.53 kg packed weight.
• The mesh windows were more transparent in the previous version and there were more of them in the previous model.
• Colors are different.
• The carry bag color is different.

So I am not completely sure why this new version is ‘deluxe’ as compared with the previous one; my guess is it is about the height and vertical walls only.

---

Overview

This is a 3-season freestanding tent, two-layer tent, which means it is good enough for any normal use except for conditions with a lot of snow and exceptionally strong winds.

There are two doors on the opposite sides, both with mesh windows and with rain flaps as well, and both are protected by an awning. Note that the doors open differently, one rolls to the side and one towards the floor.

The tent comes with no less than 10 interior mesh pockets and 2 bin pockets, so you have plenty of space for organization and for keeping the things off the ground. You will need it, there is no external storage space here. Some of these pockets are visible through the doors in the pictures. Note that the fly is not full coverage as these two pictures show.

The inner tent is with sleeves where you pass the poles, so this makes the structure a bit more stable. The rest is attached through the usual clips.

The tent is with integrated gear loft loops and this is for the Big Agnes Large Trapezoid Gear Loft which you can order separately, see more below.

The ceiling is with a lot of mesh so ventilation should not be an issue in this tent. Very similar is on the side panels, so you will have an optimal air circulation.

I love the design of the carry bag, it is with several interior storage pockets so you store the tent elements separately, and you also have nice shoulder-carry straps.

Poles and stakes

The tent is with two main lightweight aluminum poles with press fit connectors and color-coded ends for an easy setup. They create the usual X-shaped structure, but you also have a shorter pole which is added above one of the doors to create a small awning. Its function is only to protect the window on the door, so you can keep it with the mesh only even when it is raining outside.

Note that you have grommets in corners which allow for the tent to be freestanding, but the package also includes 10 lightweight aluminum hook stakes for fixing the tent to the ground.

Waterproofness

The floor and the fly are both coated with 1500 mm waterproof polyurethane. This is perfectly enough for what it is designed, with sealed seams you will be fully protected from elements. They have used waterproof, solvent-free polyurethane tape for sealing.

See this short video by Big Agnes about both tents from this series:

---

Pros & Cons

Here is my summary:

The vestibule can be ordered separately, see more below.

The price

This is a quality and reliable tent, and this is reflected in its price which is high, $400 at the moment of writing this text. See how I rate this tent:

---

Specifications

• Best use: car camping.
• Type: freestanding.
• Min weight: 12 lb  8 oz (5.67 kg).
• Packed weight: 13 lb 11 oz (6.21 kg).
• Packed size: 24 x 12.5 x 8 in (61 x 32 x 20 cm).
• Peak height: 78 in (198 cm).
• Floor size: 112 x 96 in (284 x 244 cm).
• Floor area: 75 sq ft (7 sq m).
• Poles: 2 main aluminum plus 1 awning pole.
• Welcome mat included.
• Warranty: limited lifetime.
• Doors: 2.
• Walls: polyester and polyester mesh.
• Quick Stash on the front door.
• Multiple interior storage mesh pockets.
• Gear loft loops.
• Color-coded webbing and buckles.
• Storm flaps on door zippers.
• Stowable bin pockets act as bedside tables.
• Reflective guylines and reflective webbing.
• Velcro tabs connect fly to pole structure.

---

Big Agnes Big House Deluxe Tent vs competitors

In the table I give this tent together with two other form the same size range, see how they compare:

 

Clearly, the Big House Deluxe is the lightest option here but it offers far less space than the other two tents. It comes without a vestibule so you have far less space for your gear. This can change drastically by adding a separate vestibule (but this is an extra investment of course).

The prices of the three tents at the moment of writing this text are $241, 500, 400, quite drastic differences as you see.

---

Accessories

The Big Agnes is a big company with many items on the marker and you can combine them with this tent. They add a lot of functionality and features to this tent. I would mention the following:

• The footprint. The weight is 1 lb 3 oz (539 g) but this is not so important in general, this is a camping tent.
• The vestibule. With such an addition the tent becomes a truly luxurious space with plenty of protected room in front of it. Its weight is 3 lb 9 oz (1.62 kg), its height is 63 inches (160 cm), and you get 44 sq ft (4.09 sq m) of the area.
• The gear lofts.

See them in these pictures; please click the images to read more:

Big House Deluxe 6 vs Big House Deluxe 4

This series includes two tents mentioned in the title, so here are just a few basic numbers to see the differences, note that the style is the same:

 

I would say that the most important difference is the height, the bigger tent is high enough even for very tall people. But see also the price per person.

---

Summary

If you need something different, please check my page with tents and shelters, many great tools are described there, in particular this very affordable Kelty Outback 6 Person Camping Tent.

Thank you for reading. In the case of questions and comments please use the comment box below. I wish you a pleasant day.

---