Big Agnes Mid

[David Ure]

Wait….what? http://www.campsaver.com/outlet/yahmonite-tent-3-person-3-season Looks a little too familiar. I wonder if they bought out a bunch of Golite stock during the bankruptcy and now have re-branded the product.

[Stuart .]

Woah, that is eerily reminiscent, right down to the sizing picture. Same colour scheme, unlike anything BA offers. Same lopped off corner for the inner. Weird thing is, GoLite had been out of stock of the SL5 and SL3 for months by the time they went under. I'm guessing the manufacturer had some of the former on hand but weren't going to release them to GoLite till they were paid for prior orders. Which, as we know, didn't happen.

[Franco Darioli]

That is funny… If you compare these photos : Golite Shangri-La 5 Big Agnes Yahmonite you will find that they are exactly the same photo with the colour changed from green to yellow and the Golite logo edited out . Somehow changing the colour it has become a 3.

[J-L]

They did the same thing with GoLite's Imogene tent: http://www.rei.com/product/889189/big-agnes-triangle-mountain-ul-2-tent-2015-special-buy

[Franco Darioli]

Yes, Alpkit in Europe also sold the Imogene 2 and 3 as Ordos 2 and 3 : https://www.alpkit.com/products/ordos-3

[Paul S.]

The bought out the designs when GoLite went under, at least that was what was said when the Imogene came out under BA. Real question is it is worth buying?

[Aaron Dodds]

Yes, I'd be interested in whether it's a good buy for a 3 person backpacking tent. It's about 1/2 the price of the MSR mutha or puppa hubba NX and around the same weight as the mutha. Adding the 20% discount gets it to $240, plus shipping to NZ is less than $300

[David Ure]

I have a Golite Hex – early version – and really like it. If it is the same as the Golite SHangri-La 3 thane YES, it would be worth picking one up.

[Ryan Tucker]

The vestibule seems bigger than my Shangri-la 3?

[Franco Darioli]

Well spotted. The Golite in green I posted above is in fact a Shangri La 5. Somehow Big Agnes has used the same photo, changed the colour, wiped the logo and used that same Golite tent shot to advertise their 3 person version. The door opening and the vents are also different between the 3 and 5

[Jesse Anderson]

No need to even do all of that. There were a couple of years near the end where GoLite sold the SL5 in the gold color now used by BA. Looks like all they had to do was erase the logo. What's funny is that the outside pic is a dead ringer for the SL5, but the floorplan is basically an SL3. The SL5 is a mid with four sides and a corner clipped on the inner. The SL3 was a hex design where the inner filled all of the space of the fly. Not sure what you'd end up with from the pics on Campsaver. My brother has the SL5 in this color and though I've only used it once, it seems like it was a great option among mids. Edit: Just noticed the weight is more along the lines of the SL5 than the SL3. The Sl3 was supposed to be closer to 3.5 lbs with everything.

[Stuart .]

I reckon the "three person" description threw folks off, but there was no doubt in my mind this is the SL5 due to its shape. It's a square, not a hexagon. And the SL5 was offered in yellow right through 2013. It was only last year they cut that colour and offered only the green flysheet. What are the virtues of the SL5? The flysheet is sized similarly to the more expensive MLD SuperMid, and the weights are close enough to be equivalent. Which is perplexing as the SuperMid uses much lighter material. That the inner is cut back at the entrance to allow for a vestibule area is a brilliant design. It also means the inner is less likely to be exposed to the elements when the flysheet is opened. I can't understand why other square mids didn't adopt that approach. For much less than the cost of the SuperMid, you get the flysheet, the inner and the centre pole. Sure, the inner and pole are bloody heavy compared with aftermarket options, but if I were car camping I wouldn't care. Buying UL versions aftermarket would easily double the price of the shelter. BA don't have this model listed on their website. Coup's new company claims to have bought the rights to the best of Golite's designs, so I suspect whatever Campsaver has is all we'll see, until and unless Golite 2.0 is a viable going concern. Given how Coup diddled his suppliers I doubt that it'll get off the ground. The demand is there; the supply goodwill isn't.

[Stuart .]

Dave, I hope you earn a referral bonus from Campsaver. Looks like their entire stock sold out over the weekend. So who's going to be first posting a review of this revolutionary new shelter?

[Lou Z]

Sierra Trading post was just selling this, and their photo is definitely the SL3: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/big-agnes-yahmonite-tent-5-person-3-season~p~9779j/

[David Ure]

"Dave, I hope you earn a referral bonus from Campsaver." Sadly no. LOL

[Stuart .]

I called Big Agnes today. When GoLite when belly up, BA bought whatever shelters the supplier had materials for. This is a limited run, most likely restricted to what is on hand at the retailers they sold it to. The Yahmonite line has two models: the Yahmonite 3 is the SL3; the Yahmonite 5 is the SL5 – minus the GoLite logos. From what I can tell, Campsaver were selling the Yahmonite 3. Sierra Trading Post were selling the Yahmonite 5. However, Campsaver's picture shows the larger of the two shelters.

[Ken Thompson]

Just picked one up at STP for $299. For car camping, Will have at the GGG.

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