Warren Wilkinson,

There are two fly options available for Big Sky's Evolution 2P:
1) standard fly (BPL reviewed)
2) Porch fly

The standard fly was designed so the vestibule zippers could be unzipped all the way to the peak of the tent so one or both sides could be completely opened, but the zipper can be partially unzipped to create an overhang so the drip line extends beyond the inner tent

The Porch fly has a 3rd pole that creates little "Porches" over each door adding additional protection from the rain.

Let us know if you have any other questions,
bob

Big Sky International
www.BigSkyInternational.com
online store: www.BigSkyProducts.com
email: bob.molen@BigSkyInternational.com

I've tried to contact this company 2-3 times via e-mail to inquire about time frames and product availability and never had a response. So, I never ordered a tent (lucky for me apparently). Tarptent's Henry Shires always responds timely, for example. We depend on our shelter in the backcpountry, sometimes for our lives. If I can't depend on a company to respond tiemly, I'm not willing to invest any more time or effort in a company that obviously has other things on its mind. BPL should not review or accept products until BS stops BS-ing. Thumbs way down...

Todd Hein,

I checked and Big Sky did receive a voice message and email from a “Todd Hein”… we replied the same day… I apologize if you did not receive our email or if this is a different “Todd Hein”… below is a transcript of the voice message and email we received, and Big Sky’s response:

Date : May 23 2011 10:46:57 AM
From : CROWE HORWATH L [deleted])
To : Robert Molen [deleted]

"Hey, this is um Todd Hein T.O.D.D. H.E.I.N. My phone number is [deleted]. I am interested in one of your Evolution 2P um tents. um I saw on your website it looks like you have some in stock apparently and I would like to get one if that's true. Again call me at [deleted]. And I'll try to email you too. Thanks"

From: Todd Hein [mailto:[deleted]]
Sent: Tuesday, 24 May 2011 00:58
To: [deleted]
Subject: Evolution 2P - In stock?

Hi:

I'd like to buy one of your tents if in stock. Please let me know what is currently available.

Thanks!

--
Todd Hein
T: [deleted]
E: [deleted]

Please print this e-mail only when necessary!

Take a shorter shower: Every two minutes you save on your shower can conserve more than 10 gallons of water! If everyone in the country saved just one gallon from their daily shower, over the course of a year the savings would equal twice the amount of fresh water pulled from the Great Lakes every day.

From: Bob Molen - Big Sky International [deleted]
Sent: Tuesday, 24 May 2011 09:37
To: Todd Hein [deleted]
Subject: RE: Big Sky Evolution 2P - In stock?

Todd Hein,

We do have Evolution 2Ps in stock, see details below
-- std. fly, light weight fabric, marigold yellow in stock
-- Porch fly, light weight fabric, granite gray in stock

Product availability:
http://bigskyproducts.com/Big-Sky-International-product-availability.aspx

Thanks for your interest,
Bob

Big Sky International
www.BigSkyInternational.com
online store: www.BigSkyProducts.com
email: [deleted]
Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

Edited by sharalds on 06/06/2011 09:12:09 MDT.

I never received an e-mail from you. If you sent one, I'm sorry but I didn't receive it. I checked current emails and "trash", etc. for that day and still do not see it.

Check your SPAM folder too. My spam folder doesn't show up unless I click the "# more" arrow.

Todd Hein,

I apologize... besides emailing you, we should have also tried to call you... besides giving us your email address, you also gave Big Sky your phone number...
We should have followed up our email with a phone call to see if you had any questions.

As a side note, I did check my "draft" and "outbox" folders, and my email to you is in neither, so it looks like my email was sent ... I am sorry it was not received.

Bob

Big Sky International
www.BigSkyInternational.com
online store: www.BigSkyProducts.com
email: bob.molen@BigSkyInternational.com

Regardless of response/no response, I think it's VERY bad form to reprint someone's personal phone number and email address in these forums without their consent. You could have made your point without keeping those things in your post.

Bad decision. I'm not likely to give my personal information, including credit card numbers and such, to a business who doesn't take my privacy seriously, or even think about my privacy in the first place.

FWIW

To add to Doug's comment... not only is it bad form to reprint someone's email address and telephone numbers, it is bad form to reprint someone's private correspondence in a public forum without their consent. These are private matters that should first have been asked permission for from those who were corresponded with.

To BPL staff. I think it is very important that the above post with the telephone numbers and email addresses is removed. Not just out of courtesy, but for safety reasons. These forums are available to anyone who wants to read them and those bits of private information should not be listed here without consent.

NM

Edited by FamilyGuy on 06/06/2011 09:15:47 MDT.

Personal phone numbers and e-mail addresses should not be posted to a public forum. I have removed that information from the above posts please flag any posts I may have missed or any future posts wherein this has occurs.

Edited by sharalds on 06/06/2011 09:16:08 MDT.

Thanks Sam. I should have written "remove the bits from the post that listed the private information" rather than "remove the posts". That was bad form on my part. I apologize.

Hi Cameron

> Given the history of BS, and given the tent was a gift, I personally feel this is a paid
> endorsement. I don't trust this review to be on a product people can acquire in a
> reasonable fashion.

Them's fighting words. Absolutely NO WAY do any BPL staff ever do 'endorsements'. NEVER!

As for the 'gift' bit - BPL does not have the funds to buy gear for review. We, and pretty much all of the publishing industry, are reliant on vendors making 'review samples' available. Full disclosure is a requirement these days.

Of course the vendor hopes for a 'nice review', but that is never a 'given'. They take their lumps as they come. Does this cost us future cooperation if the review is bad? I guess it might, but I have also known the vendors take on board our comments and modify their gear as a result. They get some benefit even when the item is panned.

You want an example? The MSR Reactor was pulled from sale (total recall) just weeks before it was due to hit the shelves - as a result of the review which we published. There is an addendum to that review showing the improvements which MSR was able to make. (It is still a CO bomb though.)

Cheers

Edited by rcaffin on 06/19/2011 02:44:11 MDT.

Todd Hein,

I apologize for publishing your phone numbers and email address... I should not have done this... Big Sky respects people's privacy and does not give out or sell this information to anyone... it was an oversight on my part... again, I apologize.

Sam Haraldson - BPL,

Thanks for deleting Todd's email address and phone numbers, I appreciate your help.

Bob

Big Sky International
www.BigSkyInternational.com
online store: www.BigSkyProducts.com
email: bob.molen@BigSkyInternational.com

I looked through my junk e-mail and sure enough found Bob's e-mail response to my inquiry just as he described. I apologize for my incompetence! I'll be more careful next time...Anti-spam software is smarter than I am...Sorry Bob!

"Anti-spam software is smarter than I am"

If your anti-spam software were smart, the message from Bob Molen would have landed in your inbox, rather than in your junk mail.

Todd Hein,

Thanks for the retraction... we really appreciate it!

I am sorry our email went into your spam/junk folder...
any suggestions for preventing this from happening?

Thanks again,
Bob

Big Sky International
www.BigSkyInternational.com
online store: www.BigSkyProducts.com
email: bob.molen@BigSkyInternational.com

After hearing such good things about the Evolution 2P, I placed an order. I read about peoples' experiences getting orders filled by Big Sky but I was willing to wait some in order to get a superior product. It's now been months since I heard from Bob Molen and I've tried multiple e-mails, phone calls, etc. Anyone have another way of reaching him? I really just want to get an update on how long he thinks it's going to be, or at least how long until he knows how long it's going to be.

Thanks!

I find it amazing that this company is still in business and even more amazing that people are still trying to buy from them.

Has your credit card been charged? If that's happened to you, talk to your credit card company about disputing the charge.

Judging from the history above, you might want to check your spam file.

Edited by hikinggranny on 12/29/2011 12:04:44 MST.

Seems like these tents continue to be unavailable in any reasonable time frame.

Must be nice to get one for free without the BS experience.

Fighting words. Truth. Rose by any other name.