Head to head
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL vs MSR FreeLite
The MSR FreeLite gives each person more floor — 14.5 sq ft against 14.0, which is the difference between standard and standard. The MSR FreeLite is the lighter carry at 32 oz, and the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL is the cheaper of the two at ~$500.
 Big Agnes Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL |  MSR MSR FreeLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ultralight | Ultralight |
| Rated capacity | 2-person | 2-person |
| Floor area per personestimated | 14.0 sq ft (standard) | 14.5 sq ft (standard) |
| Floor area | 28 sq ft | 29 sq ft |
| Vestibule area | 16 sq ft | 15 sq ft |
| Peak height | 39 in | 39 in |
| Minimum trail weight | 35 oz | 32 oz |
| Packed weight | 40 oz | 37 oz |
| Weight per personestimated | 17.5 oz (trail weight) | 16 oz (trail weight) |
| Pad fitestimated | 2 × 25 in pads fit | — |
| Fits sleepers up toestimated | 6ft 8in tall | 6ft 6in tall |
| Doors | 2 | 2 |
| Freestanding | semi-freestanding | semi-freestanding |
| Poles | DAC aluminum | DAC aluminum |
| Wall type | double wall | double wall |
| Season rating | 3-season | 3-season |
| Floor hydrostatic head | — | 1,200 mm |
| Packed size | 18 x 5 in | 18 x 4.5 in |
| Approx. price | ~$500 | ~$500 |
Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL
The Tiger Wall is the Copper Spur with the back half of the pole structure taken away: one hub at the head, a short foot spreader, and two stakes doing the work the missing pole used to do. That saves seven ounces over the Copper Spur UL2 and costs a square foot of floor and an inch of head height — a trade a lot of people take, because 35 ounces buys you two doors and two vestibules, which the sub-two-pound competition mostly does not offer. The catch is semi-freestanding: the foot corners have to be staked or the tent sags, so it is a poor choice for wooden platforms and rock slabs where stakes have nowhere to go.
Best for
A weight-counting pair who still want their own door, and who camp where stakes go into the ground.
MSR FreeLite
Two pounds, two doors, two vestibules and 29 square feet — the FreeLite is MSR's answer to the Tiger Wall, and on the numbers it wins on vestibule area and loses on floor. Two DAC Featherlite poles rather than one hub keep the shape up better than a single-pole semi-freestanding tent usually manages. The 84-inch floor length is the constraint worth knowing: it is two to six inches shorter than most rivals, which a six-foot sleeper in a full-length pad will feel at both ends.
Best for
A weight-conscious pair under six feet tall who want two doors without going to a trekking-pole shelter.
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.