Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Review
I spent most of 2015 hammock camping. I loved it, but I didn’t find it easy to hammock everywhere I traveled. For 2016, I wanted a more versatile, fast and easy to setup sleep shelter. I wanted something that was light weight enough to carry on multi-day backpacking trips, but roomy enough for me and my dog. I did my research and I settled on a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 from REI as the tent that would best fit my plans and needs. This tent was kind of expensive, but I think the cost was justified in my case. I’ll spend enough nights in this tent just in the first year to bring that cost down to $10-$12/night which is still way cheaper than even the cheapest hotel (and I get the view of my choice every night.)
The tent weighs in at 3 pounds 2 ounces. The pole system is super light and easy to setup. You can go even lighter if you leave the tent body at home and just setup the rain fly over the footprint. The rainfly and floor are made out of silicone-treated ripstop nylon and feature a waterproof polyurethane coating. I’ve been rained on at least ten times and the tent never left me wet or swamped. It features very convenient pockets to stow your gear that I love.
The tent body has mesh all around and air-flow seems good. I’ve been on two different trips where others in different tents complained about being too hot and I slept comfortably with good airflow both trips.
I’ve spent approximately 30 nights in this tent so far this year. It’s not the roomiest tent out there, but I spent a few nights sharing with my 70 pound dog and a few nights also on another backpacking trip sharing with a buddy. It has doors and vestibules on both sides making it a good option for sharing if you want to keep the weight down on a backpacking trip. For what its worth, I did also pick up the footprint to help prolong the life of my tent floor.
I love this tent. If I had to make the same decision again knowing what I know now, I’d gladly buy it again. If you want a tent that will keep you dry and not weigh down your pack, the the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 is an excellent option.
Photo: The photo is my tent at the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park for a solo trip. This camp site is at Mirror Lake.
