Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent vs Kirra 4-Season: which is safer?

Big Agnes Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

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

Heimplanet Kirra 4-Season

Heimplanet

Kirra 4-Season

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Tent fabric with water-repellent coating (type unspecified)

Confidence

35%

LikelyFluorinated water-repellent coating (PFAS)

PossibleMicroplastic shedding from degraded coating

PossibleOff-gassing of solvents or adhesives during storage

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 Heimplanet.
  • We flag Fluorinated DWR coating (PFAS), Microplastic shedding from degraded coating and Off-gassing of solvents or adhesives during storage on the Heimplanet and not on the Big Agnes.
  • The Big Agnes is Nylon ripstop with DWR coating (type unspecified) where the Heimplanet is Tent fabric with DWR 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