Big Agnes Salt Creek 3 Person SL Dome Tent Review

When we prepared this review of the Salt Creek 3, we compared data from one hundred and seventy-seven three person dome tents, examining more than 60 different data points. We also checked prices including shipping & discounts from thirteen various sellers websites, to source the best rate for you.

The Salt Creek SL Fly Open
Big Agnes's Salt Creek 3 SL With the Fly Open
In the report, we will present to you:
  • An outline of the customer reviews we found.
  • A comprehensive examination of the features, materials and dimensions.
  • The Pros and Cons about the tent.
  • Where you can save $99.96

At optimumtents.com our reviews are produced with the aid of our particular database of more than one thousand tents, that are sold in the United States. Our goal is to provide you an objective review and our own individual rating based on the statistics, along with the best value and lowest price we could find.

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  • Big Agnes Logo
  • Manufacturer: Big Agnes
  • Model: Salt Creek SL
  • Year Introduced: 2020
  • MPN: TSCSL320
  • Sleeping Capacity: 3 Persons
  • Designed For: 3 Seasons
  • Best Use: Backpacking
  • Type: Dome Tent
  • Available in: Other Sizes
  • MSRP: $399.95

Salt Creek 3 Pictures and Videos

Click on an image or video to enlarge them!


The Salt Creek SL With the Fly Off

Big Agnes Salt Creek 3 SL With the Fly Off
Fly Closed on the Salt Creek SL 3

Fly Closed Salt Creek 3 SL

A video about the Salt Creek 3 tent.

Another video about Big Agnes's tents.

QUICK OVERVIEW

Logo Representing the Features Section

Features


  • Freestanding: Yes
  • Color: Orange, Gray
  • Number of Rooms: 1
  • Number of Windows: None
  • Number of Doors: 3
  • Zippers: Easy grip zipper pulls
  • Storage Pockets & Gear Loft: Yes, Sold separately
  • Mesh Roof & Walls: Full, Half
  • Footprint: Not Included, Available Separately
  • Salt Creek 3 floor saver
Logo Representing the Materials Section

Materials and Extras


  • Inner Walls: Breathable Polyester Rip-stop And Polyester Mesh
  • Full Fly: Polyester Rip-stop
    Fly Waterproof Ratings: 1500 mm
  • Floor Materials: Polyester Rip-stop
    Floor Waterproof Ratings: 1500 mm
  • Pole Material: DAC Pressfit Pole System
  • Number Of Poles: 2
  • Pole Dimensions: 9 Mm
  • Guy Lines & Guy Outs: Yes, Yes
  • Stakes: Lightweight Aluminum Hook
Logo Representing the Dimensions Section

Dimensions


  • Floor Area: 42 sq. ft.
  • Center Height: 3 foot. 11 inches.
  • Packed Weight: 5 Lbs 2 Oz
    Trail Weight: 4 Lbs. 11 Oz.
  • Packed Size: 21.5 x 7 inches.
  • Number of Vestibules: 2
    Total Vestibule Area: 18.00 sq. ft.
    (2 x 9 sq. ft.)
  • Screened Areas: None
  • Awnings: None

Tent Set Up

Easy to setup with the included, DAC Pressfit pole system

Green Thumbs Up Logo

Summary: Favorable Reviews

Campers who have used the tent mentioned: That they are a full-time wheelchair user, with no hand function limitation, and they could set it up by themself, which was very easy. The full-sky view is fantastic!


Teal Thumbs Down Logo

Summary: Unfavorable Reviews

People who bought the tent noted: Bigger zippers or handcrafted pull tabs would be helpful.


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Eureka Suma SL 3
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  • 6% Extra Headroom
4.3 Stars Logo (4.1)
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Alps Mountaineering Taurus SL 3
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Marmot Space Wing SL 2
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Kelty Grand Mesa SL 4
Kelty Grand Mesa 2020 4
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SPECS AND CONFIGURATIONS

The Salt Creek 3 SL has three doors and a maximum center height of 3' 11, which is a tiny bit smaller than the average height of the 144 other 3 person tents we have examined With 42 square feet of space inside, it is considerably smaller than some other 3-person tents, and it would be quite cramped for you and, up to two other campers throughout the 3-seasons, this tent is recommended for use in, smaller tents similar to this one can make an awesome choice for campers that enjoy spending loads of hours outside exploring the great outdoors.

Some of the great things about dome tents are, that they are for, the most part lightweight, making them easy to carry. In most all instances, tents used for backpacking are of the dome type. They are usually, freestanding and very simple to set up. In good weather, you could do without securing the tent with stakes and ropes, not that this is suggested.

Dome tents are easily the most commonly seen of all the various sorts of tents you will see when camping. They tend to do better in storms than other types, allowing rain to roll off the slanted walls, unlike cabin tents that have flat roofs, allowing the water to pool on the roof. The simplest dome tent should have a rectangular footprint, sloped walls two or more poles which converge in the center of the roof. Because of the way they are made, it is usually thought of that they are best suited for up to a maximum of 6 people.

Below you can see an account of the tent's strongest and weakest points.

Click or Tap on the Tab you Want to See!

PROS

  1. Freestanding. The Salt Creek SL can support its own weight on any terrain. It does not need to be staked down in most cases. But in case of strong winds, it is always best to secure it to the ground with the included steel stakes and guylines.
  2. Vestibules. Having two vestibules. Gives you a place to store shoes and other items that can get dirty, muddy, this is a huge plus.
  3. Internal storage. It is nice to see Big Agnes has added a gear loft and pockets in the interior to store some of your gear.
  4. More than one door. With 3 doors, it is simpler to get in and out of the tent, in the middle of the night if needed.
  5. The rainfly completely covers the tent body. The rainfly covers the entire body of the tent from the top to the bottom and has a waterproof rating of 1500mm. Meaning it will easily protect you against heavy downpours.
  6. Available in other sizes. Big Agnes has also made this model available in Other Sizes.
  7. Low price. It is a great purchase for a 3 person dome tent providing this much space. Not a lot of tents available on the market give this level of quality for only $299.99

CONS

  1. Not spacious. With a floor area of 42 square feet, the Salt Creek 3 is smaller than quite a few of the 144 other 3 person tents we have looked at.
  2. Lacking in Headroom. With 7% less headroom than similar sized tents, one can see how this could be a negative factor for some people.
  3. Footprint not Included. There is no included footprint, there is one sold separately specifically for the Salt Creek 3 footprint Even though the floor may be made of Polyester rip-stop, it is still better to protect it further with a footprint, especially on rough terrain.
  4. Out of Stock. Unfortunately this particular tent is not currently in stock. It is still on the manufactures website the last time we looked.
  5. Sloping walls. Even though Dome tents have heaps of things to rave about. The sloping walls do tend to make it all the more smaller inside.

CONCLUSION

4.3 Stars Logo

Our Ratings: 4.3 STARS

Big Agnes's Salt Creek 3 SL tent is good for backpacking. Here are a couple of other cool things not mentioned above which, we noticed and liked, while researching the model: Featuring three doors(!) that offer double side doors with double vesitibule storage plus one head-entry door with an awning-style entrance, Four-way DAC hub creates vertical walls for increased living space and Four-way DAC hub creates vertical walls for increased living space.

With great ratings, and a center height of 3' and 42 square feet of area to sleep, this tent is like your very own modest flat. This enables you to enjoy some really enjoyable time in the outdoors. We found a decent amount of positive points about the tent that you can read through above.

If you came to this website looking for suggestions on this actual tent, we think, it will make for a good purchase. In case you just happened to land on this website while browsing for a brand new tent having not heard of this manufacurer or this tent before, it is perhaps a good idea to look at some other comparable tents also.

Value for money: In terms of value for your dollar, this tent is more competitive than the average cost of all the one hundred and ninety-eight, three-person tents we have studied, this itself does not make it good value for money. We also need to look at other areas in detail, as we do with every tent.

When we measure the ratings of a tent, we examine plenty of things, finding things where the tent could outdo other similar tents and where it is not quite as good. In this case, with a total rating of 4.3 and the price conclusions above, one can spot that with a price of $299.99 The Salt Creek 3 SL is a decent deal and competitively priced when compared with similar tents.

The overall score shows that the quality and capacity the tent offers were not skimped on to get a price undoubtedly below the standard price for similar tents. It will make an excellent choice for most campers looking for an adequate three-season backpacking tent to camp in, that will serve you well for years to come.

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$299.99
You Save $99.96 (25%)
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COMPARE WITH OTHER SIMILAR TENTS

BIG AGNES TENT MODELS

BACKPACKING TENTS || 4 PERSON TENTS

Other Sizes and Variations of the Big Agnes Salt Creek Model

Model Headroom Sleeping Area

Big Agnes Salt Creek SL 2
Salt Creek 2 SL

3' 8"28 sq ft

Big Agnes Salt Creek SL 3
Salt Creek 3 SL

3' 11"42 sq ft
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