Reader Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5

Consider the features:

2 doors
2 vestibules
double wall
carbon poles
silnylon fly
plenty of interior storage pockets

3 lb 1 oz.

Easily almost a pound or more lighter than the next competitor.

For a "traditional" tent that is easy to setup and offers wonderful usability for 2, it's my choice.

Single wall designs are lighter (including the same mfrs Revolution 2P) but not as stable in high winds. The only other meaningful competitor at this weight is the Black Diamond Epic tents, but they don't offer the livability for two persons that this one offers, with each person having their own door and own vestibule.

Rating: 5 / 5

I concur with Dr. Jordan. I had to pitch my new Evolution 2P as a major thunderstorm approached. Set-up is simple, with two poles inserting easily into continuous sleeves. Staking required 14 stakes, two of which I added for security. I used an extra tent peg at the foot and head of the tent with the guy lines running through guyout loops and secured at 45 degree angles to the tent. A heavy rain storm began just as I finished, and turned, the next day, into strong winds with some pretty severe gusting. I shifted the siting of the tent so that the foot of the tent, its narrower part, faced directly into the wind. I had no condensation or rain problems, and only some very minor flapping after revising the tent site. Quite a first outing. The tent is spacious, light and well built. Bob Molen has an intelligent design, its easy to use, and relatively light for all its features. The wait, after ordering, is long, as it seems to be after any new product is favorably reviewed by BPL, but Bob answered every email.

Rating: 5 / 5

I concur with Dr. Jordan. I had to pitch my new Evolution 2P as a major thunderstorm approached. Set-up is simple, with two poles inserting easily into continuous sleeves. Staking required 14 stakes, two of which I added for security. I used an extra tent peg at the foot and head of the tent with the guy lines running through guyout loops and secured at 45 degree angles to the tent. A heavy rain storm began just as I finished, and turned, the next day, into strong winds with some pretty severe gusting. I shifted the siting of the tent so that the foot of the tent, its narrower part, faced directly into the wind. I had no condensation or rain problems, and only some very minor flapping after revising the tent site. Quite a first outing. The tent is spacious, light and well built. Bob Molen has an intelligent design, its easy to use, and relatively light for all its features. The wait, after ordering, is long, as it seems to be after any new product is favorably reviewed by BPL, but Bob answered every email.

Rating: 1 / 5

At 0 lb 0 oz, the Big Sky Evolution is unquestionably the worlds lightest tent. How can they make this tent so light? Simple. They don't use any fabric or notions. Just air and promises. And to make it even better they don't charge shipping. How can this be you ask? Simple. The tent is so light and airy that the UPS scales won't register.

With the good stuff out of the way, let's get to performance. On a recent trip to my basement, I was impressed how the tent held up. It took up no room in my pack, and needed no floor space when I set it up. The setup time was astoundingly quick. It offered full protection from inclement basement weather and mosquitoes. I did suffer one tiny mishap when I mistakenly tripped over it (since it's invisible, after all), but being constructed entirely of air and promises it was very easy to repair.

Summary - the Big Sky Evolution is the lightest, airiest, most packable, and easiest to set up tent on the planet. Order yours now to ensure disappointment. Bob needs your money, and he promises to send you a tent someday!

P.S. All emails to Customer Service will be answered, except those containing the word "refund".

Edited by richard.s on 06/28/2006 18:27:58 MDT.

Rating: 1 / 5

At 0 lb 0 oz, the Big Sky Evolution is unquestionably the worlds lightest tent. How can they make this tent so light? Simple. They don't use any fabric or notions. Just air and promises. And to make it even better they don't charge shipping. How can this be you ask? Simple. The tent is so light and airy that the UPS scales won't register.

With the good stuff out of the way, let's get to performance. On a recent trip to my basement, I was impressed how the tent held up. It took up no room in my pack, and needed no floor space when I set it up. The setup time was astoundingly quick. It offered full protection from inclement basement weather and mosquitoes. I did suffer one tiny mishap when I mistakenly tripped over it (since it's invisible, after all), but being constructed entirely of air and promises it was very easy to repair.

Summary - the Big Sky Evolution is the lightest, airiest, most packable, and easiest to set up tent on the planet. Order yours now to ensure disappointment. Bob needs your money, and he promises to send you a tent someday!

P.S. All emails to Customer Service will be answered, except those containing the word "refund".

Edited by richard.s on 06/28/2006 21:50:07 MDT.

Rating: 1 / 5

My review for this product is because for $300 you get nothing. I purchased the Evolution 1P with carbon poles. Theoretically a great tent. However... There are no doors. There are no vestibules. There is no walls. You are literally left laying on the bare cold ground... because I've ordered my tent last year (10 months ago!) and still have no tent. The owner of the company has given me (and several many more) the song and dance for months and months, promising another week, another month, etc. I have asked for a refund over a month ago- the owner is completely avoiding all attempts of contact. Bob Molen is a thief and I highly suggest you do not give him your money to run away with.

Rating: 1 / 5

A solidarity posting for those who have yet to receive their tents after many promises and atrocious wait times. The tents sound like a nice idea but, then again, Vaporware often does.

Edited by kdesign on 09/29/2006 19:37:10 MDT.

Rating: 5 / 5

On December 6, 2005 I ordered my Big Sky Evolution 2P tent. It was finally delivered on December 14, 2006. It took 373 days of badgering Bob Molen and I had just about given up hope of ever getting the tent. Bob did loan me one of his 2P prototypes but it was not a great tent. The wall panels were poorly cut and sagged badly. The fly was Release 'A'. It leaked and did not appear to be seam sealed.

When I finally got my tent I immediately set it up and inspected it carefully. The finish work is supurb. The tent walls set up taut and the fly fits very well. The top vents have been redesigned to operate while only unzipping the screen door just enough to get one hand through. The vent relocation provides a better shape on the top of the fly and water is not so likely to pond, and cause drips. Tie out loops have been added to each end of the fly to stabilize the fly in heavy winds and hold the fly away from the tent end walls. The window in the foot end of the fly has been redesigned to ensure that rain water runs off freely and can't pond at the bottom of the window. This has ommitted one leak source. Bob is also seam sealing the floor and fly seams with the current version.

I have not had a chance to field test the tent but will edit this post with my impressions, hopefully later this month.


This is me just after setting the tent up in my office.

Edited by redleader on 09/20/2007 19:50:49 MDT.

Rating: 5 / 5

I too was a victim of Bob's 'next month' syndrome. It took a threat of reporting BigSky to the BBB for me to finally get my tent, still no footprint, it is backordered. We had waited eight months.
I haven't had a chance to field test it yet, but set it up inside, the quality is remarkable. We opted for the sleeve option and the aluminum poles automatically seat into the eyelet on the other end, enabling a one person setup even in the dark. We are so eager to take this thing out for a spin. Love the 2 large doors, 2 large vestibules and the super lightweight. We opted for the marigold fly, figuring it would let more light in in the morning (we are late sleepers) and waken us faster than the granite colored one.

I am seriously considering ordering the Evolution 234, for when the whole family goes camping, but dread the infinite delivery time.
I would have scored it a 4, the only negative being the delivery time, but the guidelines say "score the product based on weight ratio", which I read as leaving out delivery times.
FINALLY, time to hit the trails!
Bill

Edited by astronutski on 02/21/2007 07:55:09 MST.

Rating: 5 / 5

A spectacularly light tent. It's niceties have been well extolled on this site so I will dwell on some limitations.

As with many ultralight products, this product is not ultra-strong. But with careful attention that you're not setting this up on sharp stones or branches the silnylon floor should last.

The inner tent is basically a dome of no-see-um mesh attached to a bathtub floor. Haphazardly packing the tent into the stuff sack may lead to holes in the mesh.

The inner tent is free standing but the outer fly needs to be staked in order to make vestibules. The vestibules are fairly small and the fly doesn't go all the way to the ground. In a big storm I'd envision vestibule gear getting a little wet. The vestibule will hold boots and a small pack, but definitely not an old-school big pack. Two people would have some difficulty getting their gear into the modestly sized inner tent.

The byline, "Summit Shelter," used for this tent gives me pause. For potentially harsh conditions above the treeline going ultralight can be dicey. Also, because the inner tent is basically mesh, and the fly doesn't really reach the ground, backpackers used to a more conventional tent may require a warmer sleep system for colder climes.

My fave pros:

Setup is easy and does not need the tinkering that most tarps require. The fly goes on in only one color-coded orientation, so you'll need some light and red-blue color vision. I have pole clips (vs. pole sleeves)... a snap to use.

It's very easy to adjust the roof vents in the fly from inside the inner tent.

It's very light for what you get.

Two doors can be useful in a storm. You can enter from the more sheltered side, allowing less water inside the vestibule.

The window is a nice plus not seen on many ultralight tents.

For most backpacking conditions and those not expecting a product made of kevlar this may be a revelation. I'm stuck between 4 and 5 stars, depending on what conditions your destination may hold.

Pics are of my basecamp at 11,200 ft on the way up the Middle Teton. In a small nook it was difficult to get a fully taught pitch, but still held up to modest wind fine.


3rd pic: Sunrise in the Anza Borrego Desert.

Edited by busotti on 11/29/2007 18:12:42 MST.