Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 tent fabric

Estimate the dimensions, then divide it by the weight.

No weights given but maybe this will help narrow it down.

According to the Big Agnes website:
– Fly and floor are comprised of ultralight silicone treated nylon rip-stop with a 1200mm waterproof polyurethane coating

The reps at Big Agnes stated the fly is 15 denier and the floor is 20 denier. They were also quick to point out that they denier alone is not always an accurate representation of the performance of the fabric – many other factors can be at play, such as treatments and the composition of the material.

"Estimate the dimensions, then divide it by the weight."

A few problems with that.

Because of the complex shape I would think estimating the square footage would be rather difficult and by definition not all that precise.

You would also need to take into account the weight of the zipper, seams and guyout and points .

Since it is a 15 denier silicon treated fabric it should be lighter than the 30 denier 1.4/1.5 oz* type used by some cottage manufacturers but hard to say by how much.
*about 1.1oz before treatment

Thank you Franco. Also, what Ken states make a lot of sense. Two days ago I wrote to Big Agnes with the hope I can get an answer to my question, so far though, no answer. But you bet I will resend the question until I get an answer. Some people may say, well why is it so important for me to know this, the weight per square yard of this fabric that is, it is, because is there. Thank you very much guys. I'll post whatever whatever answer I get from BA.

See if they will sell you a patch kit for the fly. Some companies, like Easton MP, include such a kit with tents. If they will, use a micro scale to measure the weight of the patch and do the math.

I'm curious too about the weights of these coated 15-20 denier fabrics that are just coming on the market.

15-20 denier…
good grief !!!
That is so yesterday. How about 10 denier as used by Nordisk ?

del

PU coated polyester has more UV resistance than nylon and doesn't stretch as much when wet. The stretchiness of nylon, however, gives it more tear strength than polyester — it will stretch before it tears in a windstorm.

Treating the tent fabric with silicon tends to increase the strength of the fabric, which is why it is used on ultra-light fabrics. Without the silicon treatment, these fabrics wouldn't be at all durable. Downside is that not much sticks to it so things like taping the seams become really difficult. A common approach is to use silicon treatment on the outside and PU coating on the inside (so seams can be taped). This combo silicon/PU treatment of nylon seems to be the most common approach on 4-season tents and ultra-light tents. Strength (for a given weight fabric) is more important than price. 3-season medium duty tents from the premium brands tend to use polyester flys and tent walls. A little heavier, a little more durable (UV exposure is what ultimately kills most tents).

In practice, most ultra-light tents are nearly 100% mesh wall with an ultralight nylon floor and an ultra-light nylon fly, with fairly minimal pole diameters.

Rick,
Mountain Hardwear Super Mega UL, One Planet Goondie, Snow Peak Lago, and Easton Mountain Products Kilo, to name some.

HWC – "silicone"

Franco – If it's so yesterday, it ought to be available as yardgoods. Let us know where if you can. Thanks.

del

I just got a Marmot Limelight 2 that has a nylon floor and polyester tent walls and fly. Not the lightest thing in the world, but a pretty strong tent. I was looking at the ultralights (that would save about a pound in that size, from all mesh walls and thinner poles and smaller footprints), but a $110 deal on the Limelight (including the factory footprint) was too good to pass up.

Rick,
FYI, on the one I purchased, the 2.75# weight given for of the Lago 1P does not include the 3 oz total weight of the 4 guy lines that fold into pockets on the canopy. Also, the width of the tent is closer to 34-35" than 36", even when tensioned.

Most important, the front awning is not large enough to prevent rain etc. from entering the tent when the door is opened. The floor does retract near the door, and while that might be great for winter camping, doesn't do it for me in the pouring rain. All of which is why I bought and modded a still more expensive One Planet Goondie to get even more space, a vestibule for storage, and good rain cover for about the same weight.

Have also looked at the GoLite Imogene and MH Super Mega UL, and found that the tension from their long single ridge poles limits the shoulder room inside quite a bit, even for one person using a two person model. Not much stability, either. Suspect the EMP Kilo of similar design has the same issues.

The lightest freestanding tent approaching a yard's average width and good shoulder room seems to be the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL. Unfortunately, the two-hub design does not lend itself to using carbon poles, not to mention some reservations about the two-hub designs in strong blows. The hubs seem to be an attempt to reduce pole weight, but with only one ridge pole, a cross pole up top seems to be needed to provide decent room inside and rain cover. The combined weights of the cross pole and hubs adds up to considerable pole length that might be put to better use in a different free standing design.

Until the larger companies get their design act together with the new lighter fabrics, you might want to consider one of the TarpTents, albeit they are not freestanding.