Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 Tent – Reviewed & Tested

Having put the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 through its paces on the Te Araroa Trail, thru-hiker Kate is ready to deliver her honest opinion on this highly-touted ultralight tent. Brace yourself: the truth may hurt.

I’m usually a glass-half-full kind of person. I mean, I can find the good in most gear – even if it’s not my favourite, I still believe every piece can serve a purpose. That was until I bought the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2. This tent is one of the most popular choices for lightweight hiking and bikepacking at the moment, but honestly? I hate it.

It looked promising on day one

Why am I the right person to write this review?

Because I’ve done the legwork (pun intended). After researching every detail to find the perfect tent for my thru-hike across New Zealand on Te Araroa Trail, I thought I’d landed a winner with the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2. The specs looked great, it had rave reviews, and the packed weight was ideal.

In reality, my tent dreams went from Barbie’s Dreamhouse to Ken’s Mojo Dojo Casa House real quick, and I was stuck living in it for four long months on the trail.

This is far from my first tent and I used it daily for four months

Quick Specs

Weight: 992g (trail weight)
Dimensions: 218cm (L), 132cm (W), 99cm (H)
Capacity: 2-person
Season: 3-season
RRP: $720.00 (But Wild Earth often has them on sale!)

Design

The Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 is a two-layer, two-door tent that (despite its appearance) is not fully freestanding. My first gripe: the two corners at the foot require pegs for structure, making the tent semi-freestanding.

This design flaw doesn’t work well on camping platforms or hard ground where pegging is tough. Even worse, the two layers of the tent (mesh inner and nylon outer) at the feet need two pegs in each corner to keep them separated; otherwise, they touch, and water can seep through when it rains.

The corner at the back doesn’t have both lines pegged so both layers of fabric are touching

Fabric

Who in their right mind thought white was a good idea for the outer layer of a tent? Big Agnes isn’t the first company to do this, and they probably won’t be the last, but I’m a firm believer that outdoor gear should be any colour but white. 

White lets in every little bit of light, making it impossible to sleep under the full moon, and if you turn on your headlamp inside, you become a beacon lighting up the entire campsite for all to see; forget about privacy. 

The solution-dyed nylon ripstop outer fabric might be resistant to UV fade, but white just shows up every speck of dirt.

To be fair, if you get into trouble rescuers will have no trouble finding you

Performance

Ventilation

Despite being a double-wall design, airflow is a major issue. The only ventilation is under the vestibule doors or by opening the doors themselves – not ideal in wet weather. I consistently woke up with condensation, leaving me lugging around a wet tent for the rest of the day.

Heck, I had more condensation inside this tent than others using Dyneema fabric tents, which is saying something! I found myself longing for the roof vents on my old Big Agnes Copper Spur, a feature I’d never appreciated until I was left without it.

Read more: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV Ultralight 3P 3-Season Tent – Reviewed & Tested

Durability

Then there’s durability – or, more accurately, the lack of it. The DAC Featherlite NFL pole system cuts down on weight, but it sacrifices sturdiness. Several of my poles cracked within the first couple of days of use. And the TipLok Tent Buckle system, which combines pole-tip capture, rainfly attachment, and tensioner, sounded like a brilliant idea, but it didn’t last any longer than the poles.

Sure, the tent’s a breeze to set up, but what good is that if it can’t survive regular use?

Just one of the cracked poles

Packed Size & Weight

I’ll give the Tiger Wall this: it packs down small. Big Agnes says it packs to 14 x 46cm, but I can stuff it into an XS Sea to Summit compression bag, making it even smaller – perfect for my bikepacking handlebar bag.

With a trail weight of 992g, or 765g if you’re using the Fast Fly Setup (just the outer and footprint), it definitely ticks the ultralight box.

Comfort

Big Agnes calls this a 2P tent, but if you and your hiking partner are over 178cm tall, like my partner and I, prepare to feel cramped. We both use wide sleeping mats, and in this tent, it was a squeeze to lay them side by side.

There’s barely any room for extra gear inside if you’re sharing, and while the ‘3D bin’ mezzanine pocket sounds like a great idea for extra storage, it sags when you load it up with any weight, shrinking your already limited personal space.

The mezzanine pocket is better in theory than application

For a more tangible comparison, the Big Agnes Copper Spur 2P has a head height of 102cm and a length of 224cm, with a dome-shaped roof that offers more vertical space. The Tiger Wall, on the other hand, only gives you 99cm of head height and a shorter 218cm length, with a sloping roof that dramatically tapers toward your feet. The vestibules are also smaller – 66cm versus the Copper Spur’s 71cm – though they still work well for backpack storage.

I’d call this a 1.5P tent, at best. This tent is better suited for a solo hiker who likes to keep all their gear inside. If you always hike with a friend, you might want to upgrade to the 3P Tiger Wall instead. That version is 224cm long, 168cm wide at the top, and 152cm at the bottom, with a head height of 107cm. Of course, you’re going to carry a little extra weight with the bigger size, but if you’re splitting the packed weight, the added comfort will be worth it.

Anyone want to jump in here with me?

Sustainability

The Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 deserves credit for eco-friendly efforts; it uses solution-dyed fabrics that cut down on water and energy use during manufacturing. Whilst Big Agnes are not B-Corp or fair-trade certified, they are making steps in the right direction.

However, as a ‘buy once, buy right’ kind of girl, I find the durability disappointing. True sustainability means making products that last, and while the eco-conscious design is appreciated, the Tiger Wall’s limited lifespan makes it hard to see as a sustainable choice in the long run.

Guys, it’s literally coming apart at the seams

Price

The Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 has an RRP of $720, but lately it’s been on sale at Wild Earth for as little as $503.96 – a decent price for an ultralight tent, but maybe not as cost effective if it needs replacing sooner than expected.

For comparison, the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 has an RRP of $880 ($615.96 at Wild Earth last time I checked!), and while it’s a tad heavier, it’s built tougher if you’re after something that’ll go the distance. Or, if the budget isn’t an issue, the Hyperlite Unbound 2P at $1,299.95 is more spacious and more durable, not to mention it’s in a whole different league in terms of weight.

Read more: Hyperlite Unbound 2P Tent – Reviewed and Tested

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, I know some of you (like me) are chasing that ultralight dream. The Tiger Wall UL2 is lightweight, packs down small, and won’t break the bank compared to other tents in its weight class. But honestly, I’d rather carry a few extra grams for a tent that doesn’t feel like it’s falling apart at the seams.

That said, despite my gripes, the Tiger Wall is still the first tent I reach for when I go on bikepacking trips. It fits perfectly in my bike bags, and even though I’m not a fan of the tent, you’ll probably keep seeing me use it… until it’s finally in tatters.

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