Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Platinum
Roomy Ultralight
Brand: Big Agnes
Model: Copper Spur UL2 Platinum
Our take If you’re willing to pay more to have it all—double-wall performance, plenty of space, rock-bottom weight—the Copper Spur is your tent. The 29-square-foot floor is about average for two-person backpacking tents, but the 40-inch-tall ceiling offers a bit of extra head room. Double doors and vestibules (9 square feet apiece) make the tent seem larger than it is, and two testers (both over 6 feet) easily fit thanks to the 90-inch-long floor. On good-weather nights, leave the fly off and the livability extends to the heavens: The orange mesh is nearly invisible, making for prime, bug-free stargazing.
The details The fly and floor use 7-denier ripstop nylon, which helps cut 9 ounces from the original model (and gooses the price). The fabric is strong enough for real weather, thanks to a hubbed pole structure and a taut pitch, and easily shed 1.5 inches of heavy, wet snow in Colorado’s Indian Peaks Wilderness. Ultralight materials always require careful site selection, but once you’ve got a good spot, the tent goes up in seconds. Nitpick: The stuffsack is also made of 7-denier nylon, which means you have to roll your tent rather than stuff it to avoid rips.
Trail cred “On a night with sustained winds of 18 mph and gusts up to 30 mph, we put in ear plugs and slept like kittens, confident that our shelter wasn’t about to whack us in the face,” said our tester after a trip to Wyoming’s Wind River Range.