The Fates conspire to help us + Prelim. Big Agnes Seedhouse 3 report

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til Departure!

As I make the last of the preparations for travel, I have to chuckle at the irony. I came to West Texas because I don't care for cold weather except to go there to ski. Now as I prepare to leave, the Powers That Be want to make sure I don't lose my resolve.

It's as though this is an omen: It's 27 degrees at 2:49 am, and still dropping. I've got the space heater going full blast in this 8x16 room and I'm still going to need the sleeping bag tonight! Okay, okay, I get the hint, I'm going, I'm going!

Ticketed to Dublin, a few days stopover in Scotland, and then on to Agadir, Morocco via Aer Lingus. The fare was AWESOME, by the way- $123 USD from Dublin to Agadir, including taxes! They may put a FEW extra on the tab for baggage, but still... we're talking a total of $375 to get from Chicago to Morocco. Okay, I get that hint, too... I'm going, I'm going! 😊

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Big Agnes Seedhouse 3 - Prelim. Report

In prepping, I had to set up the new tent, make sure all the parts were there, figure out how they fit together, etc. It's alwasy better to do it the first time on your own terms, instead of trying to figure out new gear during a raging storm. 😊

Here are a few pictures of it. I'll show you the Seedhouse 3 with the bow installed another time, during the trip.

The biggest change I see between this and the SL (super-light) is that the SL has a pole going around the midsection instead of just the spreader bar. I'd prefer that, but didn't know when I bought the Seedhouse 3, and it's probably too late to ask Big Agnes to change it out for me. (I HAVE asked them to provide a footprint and gear rack for trial. We'll see if they're as cooperative as MSR was in helping out on the last Falcon Safari.) Overall, I like this tent and look forward to seeing if it lives up to its promise.

I'll keep you posted on how the tent holds up in the real world, across the US, in Scotland and in Africa.



From the Big Agnes site, it looks like this:

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Photos

Big Agnes Seedhouse 3
This is how I'll use it much of the time in Africa.

MSR' s Hubba Hubba in Mali
Along the banks of the Niger River, at a fishing village. They tell me one day the man will return to get that boat in the background.

Trial Run, Tail View
The Big Agnes Seedhouse 3, set up for a trial run, from the rear, with the rainfly on

Trial Run Front, No Bow
Same tent, frontside, WITHOUT the bow pole that shapes the vestibule. It installs on the interior, right where the blue and lime-green fabrics meet, and adds a LOT of space to stow wet shoes, etc. A good feature, and worth hauling 7 ounces of pole around fo, even just for shade and wind-gathering.

Unhooded Perspective
As you can see, the Big Agnes Seedhouse 3 is similar to the MSR Hubba Hubba, but a bit more roomy. First impression is that it may be a tad more stable as well - something I didn't expect of a bigger tent.