Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent vs Kaitum 3 Gt 4 Season Tent W/ Hilleberg Footprint. Excellent: which is safer?
These two grade almost identically. Pick on price and preference; neither has a PFAS edge.
Big Agnes
Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
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
Hilleberg
Kaitum 3 Gt 4 Season Tent W/ Hilleberg Footprint. Excellent
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossiblePFAS in water-repellent coating (fluorocarbon-based water repellent)
PossibleVolatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from water-repellent coating
ReportedCoating degradation over time and use
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 Hilleberg.
- We flag PFAS in DWR coating (fluorocarbon-based water repellent), Volatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from DWR coating and Coating degradation over time and use on the Hilleberg and not on the Big Agnes.
- The Big Agnes is Nylon ripstop with DWR coating (type unspecified) where the Hilleberg is Nylon ripstop fabric with waterproof coating (unspecified durable water repellent treatment), 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 →
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