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Big Agnes have updated their hugely popular Copper Spur HV UL series with new materials that are lighter and stronger while adding a great new awning-style vestibule opening. They are still truly freestanding with excellent headroom, near vertical walls and two decent sized porches.
Big Agnes footprints are made in sympathy with their tents - that means an ultralight tent gets a very lightweight footprint. An exact fit to the floor of the tent there's no surplus material or weight.
Big Agnes says
Already one of our best-selling, full-featured, ultralight backpacking tents, the Copper Spur HV UL series just got better. Redesigned with new features inside and out, using proprietary materials that are lighter, stronger, and equipped with hardware that makes set-up even easier. The high volume design provides ample living space in this freestanding structure. Traditional, media, and 3D bin pockets help to organize your gear without cramping your sleep space or capacity to sit up inside. Awning-style vestibules can be customized to expand living space, great for both drizzle and sun protection. Your ultimate UL home away from home.
To extend the life of your tent floor, we recommend using a Big Agnes footprint or ground cloth. The Big Agnes footprint also enables you to pitch a lightweight, Fast Fly shelter while leaving the tent body behind. The Fast Fly configuration requires the footprint, tent fly, poles, and stakes.
Our Verdict
Tent
Big Agnes have done a great job of updating the 2020 Copper Spur series of tents because they are lighter in weight, use stronger fabrics and are still freestanding giving you get a good head height which is maintained over a wide area due to the cross pole arrangement. All the benefits of the older model have been retained in terms of the structure but improved fabrics have allowed a lighter and stronger flysheet to be added. The updates have also included a buckle system for attaching the fly and inner, making it much quicker and easier to pitch and pack down.
The walls are nearly vertical and there is a good mix of fabric and mesh on the inner tent - this give a good compromise between privacy, warmth and wind resistance - making it suitable for a wide range of conditions. The updates include greater storage options with a large overhead pocket this is great for stashing gear.
The Copper Spur HV UL 4 has two doors and two decent sized porches for a tent in this category with the new awning-style doors on the vestibule providing easier access and allowing you to have a greater useable space when it's raining. They were designed to allow you to open up the tent and enjoy more of the views and this is something you only really appreciate when you pitch up and get the opportunity to relax with them open. It's such a simple but fantastic change.
Footprint
Most manufacturers recommend the use of a footprint to extend the life of the groundsheet of your tent, but if you've just bought an ultralight tent do you really want to carry the extra weight associated with it? And if you always need a footprint then why don't the manufacturers just beef up the floor fabric?
Our recommendation is to use a footprint if you expect to be camping on rough ground - especially with lightweight tents with fabric like the Copper Spur HV UL 4. Some footprints have other uses, such as being able to pitch just the flysheet and footprint together as an ultralight shelter - so in this case the footprint provides you with increased flexibility in your shelters. The footprint also does a great job of keeping the floor of the tent clean when your pitch is wet or muddy.
Finally, on Big Agnes in particular, they are good at minimizing the weight of the footprint so if you buy a tent from their ultralight range then you get an ultralight footprint - not all brands seem to understand the importance of this.
- Reviewed by Ultralight Outdoor Gear
In-depth Reviews:
Features
Tent
- NEW awning-style vestibules with double-zippers provide multiple access options.
- Features two doors and two vestibules
- NEW 3-D bin ‘mezzanine’ at the foot provides elevated storage, oversized ceiling pocket at the head provides additional storage; media pockets provide cord-routing for electronics.
- Reduced condensation with dual low-vent vestibule doors and high fly vent to maximize active and passive airflow.
- Smooth-closing, dual-zipper doors with easy-grip pulls allow for ease of entry, exit and quick, reach-through access.
- Quick Stash door-keeper makes stowing unzipped doors quick and easy.
- Velcro tabs connect fly to pole structure providing perfect pitch and extra stability; pre-cut guylines and tensioners attached to fly; reflective guylines and webbing on tent corners make it easy to see at night.
- Vestibule zippers protected with storm flap.
- Multiple interior loops for attaching gear lofts, accessories and mtnGLO® Tent & Camp Lights.
- To extend the life of your tent floor we recommend using a Big Agnes footprint - sold separately.
- Compatible with 2020 model year HV UL4 footprint featuring TipLok Tent Buckles
- Fast-fly setup available with footprint.
Footprint
- Fast Fly Compatible
- Footprint compatible only with 2020 Copper Spur HV Series Tents
Specifications
UOG Specs
Tent
- Inner tent weighs: 798g
- Flysheet weighs: 816g
- Poleset weighs: 816g
- Total weight for comparison: 2430g (excludes pegs and bags)
- 10 pegs supplied weigh: 112g
- Footprint sold separately
Big Agnes Specs
- Trail weight (excludes pegs): 5lb 4oz / 2.38kg
- Packed weight: 5lb 11oz / 2.58kg
- Fast fly weight: 4lb 3oz / 1.89kg
- Packed size: 22" x 7" / 56 x 18cm
- Floor area: 57 ft² / 5.3 m²
- Floor length: 96" / 244cm
- Floor width: 86" / 218cm
- Head height: 50" / 127cm
- Vestibule area: 14ft² / 14ft² / 1.3m² / 1.3m²
Footprint
- Weight: 322g (excluding bag)
- Packed size:
- Material: Nylon Rip-stop 1200mm waterproof polyurethane coating
Construction & Materials
- Fly and floor are silicone treated proprietary ultralight double rip-stop mixed denier nylon with 1200mm waterproof polyurethane coating
- Tent body is proprietary ultralight double rip-stop mixed denier nylon breathable and polyester mesh
- NEW proprietary tent corner construction with unique TipLok Tent Buckle™ to streamline tent set-up by combining three functions: secure pole-tip capture, rainfly attachment and tensioner, and stake-out loop. Keyed hole buckle locks pole tip securely during setup, hinged design stabilizes structure by equalizing force between tent body, rainfly, and ground stake.
- NEW proprietary ultralight nylon double rip-stop, mixed denier fabric offers extra tear strength and puncture resistance without adding weight.
- NEW pre-bent span pole with 4-way high-volume hub design increases strength, stability, and shedding.
- All seams taped with waterproof, solvent-free polyurethane tape (No PVC or VOC's)
- DAC Featherlite NFL and NSL pole system
- Ultralight plastic clips attach tent body to pole frame
- 8 interior mesh pockets, 4 media pockets, 10 DAC superlight aluminum J stakes & 4 awning guylines
- Gear loft loops included
- UL4 fits the Wall, Large Wall, Trapezoid and Square gear lofts - sold separately
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