Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent vs Eureka Tetragon NX 5 Person Tent: which is safer?

Eureka Tetragon NX 5 Person Tent is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Big Agnes Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent

Big Agnes

Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 2/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Nylon ripstop with water-repellent coating (type unspecified)

Confidence

55%

PossibleFluorinated water-repellent coating residues (PFOA/PFCs in historical treatments)

PossibleMold and bacterial growth in stored damp fabric

ReportedHeat sensitivity of water-repellent coating-coated nylon near fire or stove

Our pick

Eureka Tetragon NX 5 Person Tent

Eureka!

Eureka Tetragon NX 5 Person Tent

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 8/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

polyester fabric with waterproof coating (type unspecified)

Confidence

42%

PossiblePFAS in waterproof coating

PossibleCoating degradation and microparticle shedding

PossibleMold and bacterial growth if stored damp

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Fluorinated DWR coating residues (PFOA/PFCs in historical treatments), Mold and bacterial growth in stored damp fabric and Heat sensitivity of DWR-coated nylon near fire or stove on the Big Agnes and not on the Eureka!.
  • We flag PFAS in waterproof coating, Coating degradation and microparticle shedding and Mold and bacterial growth if stored damp on the Eureka! and not on the Big Agnes.
  • The Big Agnes is Nylon ripstop with DWR coating (type unspecified) where the Eureka! is polyester fabric with waterproof coating (type unspecified), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
  • These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.

Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →

More camping tents & tarps: see the full ranking