Mad House 8

Four season, freestanding, mountaineering tent

Stronger, more stable, and built to withstand the harshest of conditions, the Big Agnes Mad House 8, 4-season, 8-person tent offers much more than standard mountaineering tents. They are the Everest base camp dining rooms, buttoned up Black Rock City roosts, and Vedauwoo wind refuges. The Mad House series is our biggest mountaineering design. Try one as an all-season, two-room condo with plenty of space to stretch out and relax on acclimation days, or as a place to serve pancakes to the entire summit team.

Features Specs Materials Reviews Care

Tent and Footprint Cleaning and Care Instructions:

Storage:

Always make sure your tent is dry and free of debris before storing. Fold and roll your tent a different way each time to avoid permanent creases. Store in a cool, dry place. Never leave your tent in hot temperatures (such as a car trunk or attic space) for long periods of time, as it will damage the material coatings. Storing your tent damp can result in mildew growth, which may cause your tent to smell, leak, or delaminate. Mildew damage is not covered under warranty.

Cleaning:

For light cleaning, sponge the product with warm water (not hot).

For more thorough cleaning you will need:
-Wash basin (or bath tub)-Warm water (not hot)
-Waterproof Gear Cleaner (we recommend products like Nikwax Tech Wash)
-Sponge

1. Submerge your gear in warm, clean water. Gently agitate with hands. Empty dirty water. Repeat until most of the excess dirt/grime is removed and water is mostly clear.
2. Apply waterproof gear specific wash and gently work into fabric with sponge.
3. Rinse gear thoroughly.
4. Hang it up to dry.
5. Triple check that your gear is completely dry before storage or use.

*Do not dry clean or machine-wash. Detergents and dry cleaning solvents will damage the fabric and ruin waterproofing.
*Never use hot water, bleach, liquid detergents, or dishwashing liquids.
*Allow to dry COMPLETELY before storage or use.
*Avoid prolonged direct sunlight as UV exposure can compromise waterproofing.

Seam Sealing:

Big Agnes tents are seam sealed as part of our manufacturing process! This seam tape alone is durable enough to prevent water leakage. Any seams that have been taped do not need to be seam sealed with a liquid sealer unless you want extra protection. Make sure the seam-sealer is completely dry before re-packing your tent. Damage caused by misapplication may void warranty.

Zippers:

Keeping your zippers clean will help keep the coils and sliders from wearing out. If filled with dirt, vacuum or brush zippers before storing tent. We recommend Gear Aid Zipper Cleaner and Lubricant.

Repairs and Warranty:

All Big Agnes tents are guaranteed against manufacturing or material defect. We do not warranty products damaged from normal wear and tear, alteration made by owner, misuse, accidents or damages caused by uses other than intended. Damage due to misuse, normal wear and tear, or improper care may be repaired, at the discretion of Big Agnes, at a reasonable charge. Tents returned for repair must be clean and free of debris.

Questions? Call us or open a support case:
877.554.8975 | support.bigagnes.com

Setup

MAD HOUSE SET UP INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Remove contents from stuff sack. Spread out the tent body.
2. Hint: locating the front and back of your tent at this point will be very helpful. The front of the tent features one big door with red webbing & grommets at the corners.
3. Assemble six poles: two silver poles with one red end (main poles), two silver poles with two gray ends (side poles), one silver pole (back room pole), one silver pole with two red ends (vestibule pole).
4. To ensure each pole section is fully seated, insert each pole section into the next by hand, instead of allowing the shock cord to snap them together.
5. Located the two gray pole sleeves, with red binding on the ends, running diagonally along the tent body. Feed the two silver poles with one red end (main poles) into the sleeves, aligning the red ends with the front of the tent.
6. Secure the red pole ends into the grommets on the red webbing at either side of the front door and secure the silver ends into the grommets on the silver webbing on either side of the tent. Make sure to insert the pole ends into the 1st grommet closest to the tent body.
7. Attach the corresponding plastic clips on the tent body with these two poles.
8. Located the two gray pole sleeves, with gray binding on the ends, running parallel with the front on the tent body. Feed the two silver poles with two gray ends (side poles) into the sleeves ABOVE the poles already installed.
9. Secure the gray pole ends into the grommets on the gray webbing on both sides of the tent.
10. Attach the corresponding plastic clips on the tent body with these two poles.
11. Locate the gray pole sleeve, with silver binding on the ends, above the rear door. Feed the silver pole (back room pole) into the sleeve.
12. Secure the silver pole ends into the grommets on the silver webbing on both sides of the tent. Make sure to insert the pole ends into the 2nd grommet on each piece of silver webbing.
13. Attach the corresponding plastic clips on the tent body with this pole.
14. Stake out the webbing loops on the floor of the tent body. Start at the front and work your way to the back of the structure.
15. Drape the rainfly over the tent body and match the colors of webbing on the fly with the webbing on the body.
16. Attach all Velcro® tabs on the underside of the fly to the corresponding pole sections for best stability.
17. Feed the pole with two red ends through the pole sleeve on the top the fly above the front door and secure the pole tips into the 2nd grommet on the piece of red webbing at either side of the door.
18. Attach the corresponding plastic clips on the tent body with this pole.
19. Make sure the webbing at the corners of the rainfly is completely slackened. Attach the buckles on the rainfly to those on the tent body.
20. Tighten the webbing on each buckle as needed to keep the rainfly taut.
21. Stake out the front & rear vestibules. Then stake out all remaining guylines.

Separate 6” length pole segment included for emergency field repair. Slide repair pole over the break to act as a splint. Secure splint in place with tape.

HELPFUL HINTS FOR TENT SET UP

Our tents are easy to set up, but we suggest you practice once at home before using them for the first time to avoid late night bickering with tent mates while fumbling around in the dark.
Before pitching tent, clear campsite of debris that may pierce tent floor.
We recommend staking out all corners, vestibules and guylines to increase space and ventilation. Securely staking out your tent and all guylines is crucial to maintaining the structural integrity of your tent.
Hang onto your stuff sacks or they’ll blow away and create backcountry litter.
Pull on the pole sleeve fabric when inserting poles to avoid any bunching in the material.
Push rather than pull poles through pole sleeves.

Thanks for choosing a Big Agnes tent!
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or comments.
support.bigagnes.com | 877.554.8975

Download Setup Instructions

All Big Agnes products include a Limited Warranty against manufacturing or material defect.

For additional product questions, please contact our support team.

What's in a Name?

The "Mad House" a pioneer-style guard station once used to house Forest Service field workers working in the Routt National Forest in the 60's. You won't find it along the Mad Creek Trail today, but you may find some of the bleached cow bones that were hung over the front door of the crew house proclaiming it's name and most likely the state of it's occupants if they came home from a day of fishing the nearby Mad Creek empty-handed.