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In September 2024 I took the new Big Agnes Fly Creek UL1 on the Fjallraven Classic, a 3 day back-packing event in Lake District with 2 overnight camps. The weather was remarkable for the time of year, with daytime temperatures pushing into the mid-20s, so the benefit of having light kit made for easy hiking. Weighing in at just over 900g and with a slim pack-size of around 12cm diameter, the Fly Creek fit neatly into the side pocket of the rucksack without impacting the base weight too much.

Arriving at our first overnight campsite in Borrowdale, I found a nice flat grassy spot and set about pitching the tent. The inner pitches first by assembling the DAC Feather-lite NFL 8.7mm pole set and attaching it at the two front corners and at a central point at the back. The inner then clips to the poles. The flysheet is then deployed over the inner and attached at the corners with the TipLok™ buckle fasteners. These Proprietary tent corners have 3 functions: secure pole-tip capture, rainfly attachment and tensioner, and stake-out loop. This helps for a speedy set-up. Velcro tabs are used along the ridge of the tent to keep the fly in place and the whole tent can then be anchored down and tensioned. The result is a stable structure with a generous gap between the inner and outer, aided by the angled poles. Note - to anchor all available guy points you will require 15 pegs, so you will require a few more pegs than the 11 supplied. Luckily, I did a dry run before the trip, so realised and packed extras. The pegs provided are 6” Dirt Dagger UL stakes which worked fine for my grassy pitches, but I’d recommend choosing appropriate pegs for the terrain you are likely to encounter.

Internally the Fly Creek is tall enough to sit in at the head end, I am around 165cm, so a taller person would need to check that 102cm headroom will be sufficient for them. The floor area is wide enough for my regular/wide mat that is 63cm wide as it measures 97cm wide at the head end, allowing a bit of space for clothing and items that need to be kept inside. The floor tapers to 71cm wide at the foot end and also reduces in height to 46cm. The bathtub groundsheet extends up the sides to approximately 20cm, providing generous protection from moisture and draughts. There is then a band of 15 Denier nylon fabric, which again keeps draughts at bay. This is topped with a fine polyester mesh that helps with ventilation and moisture control. This worked very efficiently on my trip, as the overnight temperatures plummeted and there was a very heavy morning dew. Many fellow campers complained about the amount of condensation inside their tents, but this was not a problem inside the Fly Creek. The ‘dry-entry’ door design allows you to get in and out of the tent without dripping moisture into the inner though the entry point is rather tight, so a degree of suppleness is required. The inner door has 2 zips, creating a D shape, with the two zips meeting at the bottom corner. The door fastens back if required. Internally there are two large side pockets and 1 ceiling pocket, ideal for a head torch after dark. Externally the vestibule was large enough for my 45-litre rucksack and boots, but with not much room to spare.

The significant change to the new Fly Creek compared to previous models, is the fabric on the rain fly. Big Agnes’s Proprietary fabric, which is a recycled 15 denier Nylon Ripstop with 1500mm (PFAS-free) waterproof silicone and polyurethane coating. This fabric is 6% lighter, 25% more waterproof and 50% stronger than previous fabrics used. This is the same fabric as is used on the groundsheet. The footprint (sold separately, is the same fabric, but 30D as opposed to 15D). All seams are taped with waterproof, solvent-free polyurethane tape. Aesthetics of a tent are quite important to me and the colour palette Big Agnes have used is very tasteful. The outer is very dark green, but looks black in most lights and will be great for wild camping in sensitive areas and the inner is a dark grey, creating a darker environment for sleeping. These muted colours are offset by coppery-orange poles.

The Fly Creek can also be pitched just with the fly, making it pretty versatile for a number of scenarios, though I did not use this feature on this trip.

All in all, I was very impressed with the Fly Creek and I would highly recommend it as a versatile, compact, super lightweight, well ventilated, 3 season tent for one person.

Lois Fife
Lois is a keen cyclist and is always plotting a route… either for her next trip or looking for a different way to commute to work! She is regularly seen heading for the hills on a packed-up bike, be it for a quick overnight wild camp, or a longer multi-day adventure. She is currently plotting her route to walk the TGO across Scotland. She is a British Cycling level 2 leader and has been involved with MTB Guisborough encouraging the next generation of mountain bikers. Lois joined Ultralight Outdoor Gear in 2021 and is part of the Customer Service Team. She is always keen to get her hands on new kit to try in the field and share her findings on the website. Read more from Lois Fife