Two of us tested the Copper Spur UL 2 mtnGLO™ for six nights on a traverse of Wyoming’s Wind River Range. The main draw on this trip was its ultralight weight and full protection from bugs.
Although we often set it up intentionally in exposed spots to see how it would hold up, we didn’t have any big storms or gusts of wind over 15 mph.
On a backcountry trip when I’m packing light, I want a tent that’s as lightweight and small as possible. If it weren’t for the legendarily fierce mosquitoes in the Wind River Range, the two of us would have packed just a tarp to save weight, but the Copper Spur UL 2 is the next best thing. Weighing in at just over three pounds—including the built-in LED lighting with its three-AAA-battery pack—it was worth it for the protection from bugs and weather.
The tent has a spare floor plan, but is just big enough for my 5-foot-11 frame, Hilary’s 5-foot-6 frame, and both of our packs lying at the foot of our sleeping pads. Headroom is surprisingly good, not cramped for someone my height when sitting up.
The LED lights are mostly mood lighting, but are bright enough to read by. Three interior pockets on each side next to our heads were great for keeping our stuff organized. And, we loved having two doors and two vestibules. The tent vented well on every night except our first one, which was particularly humid and rainy; otherwise, we had zero condensation.
The tent is minimal on guylines,three on the head end and just one on the foot end, so that needs to be taken into account when setting it up. We grabbed a couple extra stakes from another tent so we’d have enough for all the guylines. Setup took about four minutes each evening, and it was easy to shake out all the dirt each morning.
Overall, we were very pleased to have a tent this lightweight, especially considering its two doors, two vestibules and lights, and it was reliable enough that we didn’t ever have to worry about it.
Shop the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 2 mtnGLO Tent at REI.com.