The Tarn 2 seemed like a good tent altough it seemed a little tight inside (so is the opera house) for a 2 person tent and heavyier than the other tents on my list. The MEC employee advised you don't have to seal a Opera House out of the box as they've done a good job with the nylon fly. The polyester fly of the Tarn does require one to seal it.

During a storm I think the Tarn may hold up better as it's a heavier tent. What I like about the BA SH and Tarn is they fly completely covers the tent. From the pictures, the Opera House seems to leave windows exposed. I'm wondering if water can seep in through the zipper. I'm with you, the fly doesn't seem to give good coverage lthough reaading the spec's, it has excellent water resistance. Better than Tarn 2 and BA SH. Maybe needs a field test.I might hit MEC next week and setup all three tents side by side. The Tarn 2 is a little heavier than the Operahouse, not a big deal but the packaging was a little longer making it stick out farther on my pannier rack. The BA SH is very light, and a small package. I'm wondering if the nylon storage bag can take some beatings. My tent fell off my pannier last year and got ripped. The MEC tents have a thick poly coating on the storage bags.

I guess I'm splitting hairs. I prefer the BA SH..just want to make sure Idon't get soaked on tour and rip it up. I'm kinda rough with my gear. I read a review on the BA and it was fairly negative ( thread search would find it probably). Apparently this individual had all sorts of problems with zippers leaking, seams leaking etc. Have you guys experienced problems in the rain?

Thanks for the heads up on returning MEC tents. The seem to have an excellent return policy.