Head to head
Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel vs MSR Elixir
The Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel gives each person more floor — 16.5 sq ft against 15.0, which is the difference between standard and standard. The MSR Elixir is the lighter carry at 5 lb 2 oz, and the MSR Elixir is the cheaper of the two at ~$340.
 Big Agnes Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel |  MSR MSR Elixir | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Backpacking | Backpacking |
| Rated capacity | 2-person | 2-person |
| Floor area per personestimated | 16.5 sq ft (standard) | 15.0 sq ft (standard) |
| Floor area | 33 sq ft | 30 sq ft |
| Vestibule area | 37 sq ft | 15 sq ft |
| Peak height | 42 in | 41 in |
| Minimum trail weight | 5 lb 9 oz | 5 lb 2 oz |
| Packed weight | 6 lb 10 oz | 6 lb 3 oz |
| Weight per personestimated | 44.5 oz (trail weight) | 41 oz (trail weight) |
| Pad fitestimated | 2 × 25 in pads fit | 2 × 25 in pads fit |
| Fits sleepers up toestimated | 7ft tall | 6ft 6in tall |
| Doors | 2 | 2 |
| Freestanding | freestanding | freestanding |
| Poles | aluminum | aluminum |
| Wall type | double wall | double wall |
| Season rating | 3-season | 3-season |
| Floor hydrostatic head | 1,500 mm | 3,000 mm |
| Packed size | 21 x 7 in | 20 x 6.5 in |
| Approx. price | ~$350 | ~$340 |
Big Agnes Blacktail Hotel
Same tent as the Blacktail, with one side's vestibule blown out to 28 square feet on an extra pole — a covered porch you can put two camp chairs under and sit out a rain shower in. That is 37 square feet of vestibule against the plain Blacktail's 18, for nine ounces and $50. If you camp anywhere that rains for a full day, it is the single most useful $50 in this catalog; if you are counting grams it is the wrong tent entirely.
Best for
Rainy-region camping where you need somewhere dry to sit that is not inside the tent.
MSR Elixir
The Elixir is the tent people buy once and use for a decade: 75D polyester everywhere, a 3000 mm floor, a footprint in the box, and a 7000-series aluminium pole set that does not feel precious. Eighty-two ounces for the 2-person is five pounds, which nobody is carrying on a thru-hike, but the 52-inch rectangular floor takes two wide pads and the fabric survives being packed damp and dragged over gravel. The Elixir 4 at 55 square feet is the cheapest freestanding four-person backpacking tent here.
Best for
A durable first tent, or the tent that lives in the car and gets used badly for years.
Rows where the two differ are tinted. Specs are the makers’ own; floor area per person, weight per person and pad fit are our arithmetic on them.