Blacktail 2 Backpacking Tent vs Scorpion 2 IX Lightweight Hiking Tent: 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
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
Snugpak
Scorpion 2 IX Lightweight Hiking Tent
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
LikelyFluorinated water-repellent coating (PFAS-based treatment)
PossibleNylon degradation and particulate shedding
PossibleVolatile organic compound (VOC) off-gassing from water-repellent coating and adhesives
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 Snugpak.
- We flag Fluorinated DWR coating (PFAS-based treatment), Nylon degradation and particulate shedding, Volatile organic compound (VOC) off-gassing from DWR and adhesives and Mold and bacterial growth if stored damp on the Snugpak and not on the Big Agnes.
- The Big Agnes is Nylon ripstop with DWR coating (type unspecified) where the Snugpak is Nylon ripstop fabric with durable water repellent (DWR) coating, 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