Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye tent | Tested and reviewed

This tent has one main trick up its sleeve, one big hitter in its arsenal, one key USP that sets it apart from its competitors – its weight. The Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye is a gram-saving dream.

It’s a truly ultralight bikepacking tent, clocking in at just 1,110g for the one-person version (including the bikepacking storage bag). For bikepackers smashing out big mileage days for weeks on end, every gram counts – and this Big Agnes shelter ensures your frame isn’t weighed down and your legs aren’t slowed down by unnecessary equipment bulk. It’s a marginal gain with big benefits.

Despite being ultralight, the Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye is comfy enough. You get nifty features, decent weather protection and a taut, well-shaped structure for a good night’s sleep – although it’s not as spacious as some.

The compact storage bag – courtesy of the 30.5cm-long Shortstik poles – has been engineered to fit perfectly underneath your handlebars, or on your frame in a variety of orientations, so on-bike stowage is all sorted, too.

The eco credentials of the Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye are superior to most other bikepacking tents.

The use of a solution-dyed fabric significantly reduces energy consumption and water use during manufacturing, which is a win-win approach according to Big Agnes – it’s both better for the environment and improves the quality of the tent fabric.

But, ultimately, this tent is all about one thing – saving grams. First and foremost it’s an ultralight tent for bikepackers who want to go further, faster and for longer, without being weighed down by heavy kit.

If that’s your priority – and you’re willing to compromise a little on space, comfort and weather protection – then Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye is a winner.

Bikepacking features and on-bike stowage

Big Agnes makes a regular, non-bikepacking version of the Fly Creek HV UL1 Solution Dye – a well-regarded tent that has won various industry awards over the years.

The bikepack version is very similar, albeit with three noticeable bikepacking-specific upgrades: the storage bag, the shortened pole set and a special bike helmet storage pouch.

The hub-connected pole set of the Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye folds down more compactly, segmenting down to a length of just 30.5cm.

Big Agnes calls this system its Shortstik Poleset. This pole set, alongside the flysheet and inner, fits neatly into a compact storage bag sized 36x15cm by our measurements. This is a well-shaped, minimalist package for fitting neatly underneath your handlebars, or in panniers, or potentially within a frame bag or top tube bag.

The storage bag (including pole bag) weighs 109g and it has daisy chain webbing and numerous straps and loops for attaching it to your bike.

The all-round on-bike stowage system is pretty good, with lots of versatility. However we found the bag a little fiddly and unnecessarily complex, and it’s not fully waterproof either – so you may need to combine it with a dry sack in very poor weather.

Overall it’s a reasonably effective, if not spectacular, solution to the tent storage conundrum, and we imagine most bikepackers will be satisfied with it.

The only other bikepacking-specific feature is an elastic webbing loop above the roof of the inner for holding your bike helmet, effectively storing it in the gap between the fly and inner.

The loop secures the helmet in place nicely. It’s not exactly a game-changing feature – with other tents we’ve never really felt that we desperately need a bespoke helmet storage solution – but it’s a nice little touch.

Shape, structure, pitching and internal liveability

The Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye is pitched inner-first. First, you need to clip together the hub-connected DAC pole, which is T-shaped with a pre-bent curve at the rear.

Next, lay out the floor of the inner and attach the three pole tips into eyelets. This creates the tent’s skeletal structure, with one long ridge pole down the spine and an arched roof at the front – with more of a tunnel-style shape than a dome.

The inner then clips to and suspends from the pole, before being pegged out. The flysheet is then thrown over, four toggles are clipped into place and the rainfly is pegged out – job done.

This creates a lovely structure, with excellent tightness. There’s no risk of sagging or flapping with this shape. You get one door at the head end – it’s front-entry, not side-entry, and behind the door is a small porch. This isn’t the biggest and it’s a slightly awkward shape, but there’s enough room for some shoes and a bag.

In terms of internal space, there’s decent liveability for one person and it’s all pretty comfortable. The walls have steep architecture and there’s reasonable width, too.

The door in particular is vertical and there’s good headroom at the head end. However, the absence of a cross pole in the structure means you lack width in the roof and the walls aren’t as vertical as some other tents.

Consequently, liveability is slightly compromised and head, shoulder and elbow room isn't as good as you’d perhaps like. The groundsheet has quite a significant taper, too, narrowing by 26cm from the head end to the foot end – another design feature which reduces the sense of spaciousness.

All in all, this tent is comfy enough, but it’s definitely not the most spacious. Other brands like Sea to Summit, MSR and Nemo have roomier options if that’s what you need.

Yet if you’re a bikepacker who's pedalling for most of the day with an ultralight set-up, and only needs a simple tent for some quick shut-eye before hitting the trail again early the next morning, the Fly Creek is ideal.

Waterproofing, wind resistance and breathability

My opinion is that this tent is pretty decent – but not spectacular – in terms of weather protection. That’s to be expected from an ultralight tent from an American brand and it’s a fair compromise.

During my test camps on a campsite in the Lake District, the Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye performed well in medium level rain and wind.

It shed droplets well, held up fine to gusty breezes and protected me absolutely fine. But, at the same time, I was reminded that this is not a tent for extreme weather. This is not a four-season Hilleberg, after all.

The materials are very thin and ultralight, and – while not exactly flimsy – you feel like they need to be treated with care.

The Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye has a 1,200mm hydrostatic head rating in both the rainfly and the groundsheet. These fabrics are made from a ripstop nylon and have two treatments: a solution-dyed water-repellent silicone treatment and a waterproof polyurethane coating.

The hydrostatic head ratings are a little disappointing, but there is more to waterproofing than just the raw stats. All of the tent’s seams are sealed with waterproof tape.

In terms of wind resistance, the Fly Creek HV UL1 has a slightly lower profile and aerodynamic shape than others like the MSR Hubba Hubba Bikepack and Sea to Summit Alto TR2.

This is more akin to a tunnel tent, than a dome, and thus performs better in stronger winds, particularly if pitched in the correct direction so that the wind flows over the ridged spine of the tent.

The side walls can still catch the wind a little, as they're quite tall, but with the guylines pegged out securely you shouldn’t have any major problems.

The flysheet pegs out quite flush to the ground, but there’s a tiny gap for some additional airflow, which helps improve breathability and ventilation. The inner of the tent is mostly made from mesh, so it’s very airy, too. All of this means you have good options for avoiding condensation.

Weight and packed size

On my scales the Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye weighs 1,110g, including the storage bag and all accessories. This is broken down as follows: flysheet and inner (585g), hub-connected pole set including pole splint (300g), 11 pegs (101g), peg bag (4g), four spare Velcro tabs (11g) and main carry bag including pole bag (109g).

This is definitely classed as ultralight for a specialised bikepacking tent, offering a substantial weight saving compared to many competitors. For comparison, the Nemo Dragonfly Bikepack Osmo One-Person weighs 1,381g, the Wild Country Norte Compact 1 is 2,117g and the Decathlon Forclaz Trekking Dome Tent MT900 is 1,302g.

When packed down, the Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye has a compact size of 36x15cm by my measurements. This isn’t much smaller than many others, but perhaps a cm or two smaller, and I guess every little helps.

Features and sustainability

Big Agnes has made big efforts with this tent in terms of sustainability. The solution dye process “uses stronger, lighter, more sustainably sourced fabrics, coloured using a process that reduces water, chemical and energy use by 50% compared to traditional fabric dying methods”.

This is commendable stuff. The solution-dyed fabric is also highly resistant to UV fade, although in the sun-deprived UK such a feature is probably not that important.

In terms of features, there are a few other nice design touches worth noting. There are webbing loops integrated onto the flysheet, which can be used to dry out wet clothes.

Internally you get two mesh pockets for gear storage, as well as an excellent mezzanine-style mesh “gear loft” in the roof. The dry-entry door has been designed to keep the interior dry and its easy-grip zipper pulls flow smoothly and are backed by stormflaps.

The Fly Creek HV UL2 Bikepack Solution Dye is the two-person version of this tent.

Verdict

The Big Agnes Fly Creek HV UL1 Bikepack Solution Dye is an ultralight tent with excellent eco credentials – but the hydrostatic head ratings are low.

Want to go even lighter? Read our roundup review of the best bivvies tried and tested by LFTO.

About the author

James Forrest has been one of the main gear testers for Trail and LFTO for the last few years, and he's an expert in tents and other outdoor gear. James is based on the edge of the Lake District so when he isn’t off on his latest crazy adventure or challenge, he’s walking in his local fells.

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