Tent Recommendations

>Still, it would be difficult for me to buy a 86" length tent without laying in one first. I guess a way around this would be to find an 86"L tent of a major brand at a local store, lay in it, and see if it feels right.

Ian, that's not a good test and in this case specifications lie. Most floor end walls on dome designs, Big Agnes included, slope inward and cut off usable space and volume. If you can find a tunnel design with vertical end walls, that's a much better test. The Scarp 2 floor end walls are completely vertical to 16" above ground (not to mention the completely vertical long side walls). You lose a lot more than 4" off the ends of your Big Agnes floor due to the inward slant. The 86" Scarp 2 usable length is greater than your 90" Big Agnes usable length and there is absolutely no question that you will fit just fine in the Scarp 2.

-H

I did and do notice that the top of my toes can touch the top wall of the Copper Spur. This compresses my down, and I think about it if I wake up feeling the cold in my toes.

Thanks for the length testing tip!

Also, what do the vertical end walls on the Double Rainbow measure?

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Great photos Mike, though it would have been even better if we could see how much gap there was from the top of your lad's head to the other end of the inner tent while he was still in the same position. Certainly doesn't look like the inward slant of the endwalls loses all that much.

Listed weight is just over 55oz, is that accurate? Seems remarkable that it's around the same as the Scarp 2, considering the more extensive pole structure and the PU coating on the silnylon. It is narrower at the foot end and lower, though looks plenty roomy for 2, and plenty of headroom nearer the end for sitting propped up on a pack reading.

Great pics Mike. Looks like it has quite a bit of room. How stable is it? Is it the kind of tent that will stand up to reasonably strong winds if guyed out properly? Also, do you ever find it gets hot inside because the half-fabric walls block the breeze? I can imagine it's very handy when cold winds are blowing, but in the middle of summer I'd imagine it could also get quite hot if it was all zipped up for bug protection. (Summers here are around 85-95 degrees at night).

Looks like the endwalls slope differently… the head end is almost vertical, but the foot end leans in a bit more.

I really like how the doorway opens across the whole side of the tent. Great for when you want to sit in your tent with your legs hanging out and just admire the view.

Oh, one other question… is the weight actually to spec? How much does your tent actually weigh (with or without pegs)?

There's a nice video presentation of the pitching and the interior space of the copper spur here

http://www.hike-lite.co.uk/Tents/Two+Person/Copper+Spur+UL2.html

I took some photos of my Scarp 2 yesterday but none with me laying on the mats. Those are short NeoAirs in the photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uallas/sets/72157619210428848/

Very nice Chris. When is your first trip?

I'm there with the Tarptents- great tents.

If you really want the 3 man, the Tarptent Rainshadow is greathttp://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/tarptent_rainshadow_2_tent_review.html

Double Rainbow review:http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/tarptent_double_rainbow_tent_review.html

Tarptent Squall:http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/tarptent_squall_2_single_wall_tent_review.html

Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo:http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/six_moon_designs_lunar_duo_tent_review.html

Have fun!
Doug

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Hey Mike – our dollar is getting stronger!!

Thanks for the photos.

The tension of the floor and the rain shell do not appear to be as taught as on the Copper Spur. The design does appear that it is conducive to shedding water well.

Ian,

It was pitched on a slope and done fast to get some photos before a rain storm hit, so no, it's not pitched as tight as the copper spur photos.

-Chris

With the Copper Spur the pole structure, and fly attachments don't allow for anything but an extremely taught pitch (Sometimes it feels there is too much tension when putting in the horizontal top pole); even in a hurry, and on a slope.

This is not meant to be a comment on your setup. But if I take a tent not having to think about setup is a quality I look for. When I decide to bring a tent instead of a tarp, I want something where a perfect pitch is near idiot proof. This has a lot to do with my tarp skills (or lack there of).

> This tent definitely wouldn't be for you though, I'd say 6'2" would be the limit.

No-one builds a tent for me. They all laughed when I bought a Gatewood Cape too…

Fair enough. With the crossing poles for freestanding mode the Scarp would likely pitch perfect and taut every time as well. But then it would also be winter storm worthy and no longer a fair comparison to the copper spur.

I noticed after my last post that you had the one pole setup, which does require the staking to stand up freely.

Out of curiosity, what makes it 4 season (winter storm worthy)compared to the Copper Spur. Please enlighten me.

What he said was with the additional two crossing poles. With that set up you would have a three pole cross design with 6 points static support. It would hold snow much better than the Copper Spur, hence the 4 season designation.

I get it, it's the amount of static points of contact that provides the structural integrity.

Yes, absolutely.

There are ones called 'pop'-type tents from a european company that you literally throw into the air and they erect themselves because of flexible boning. I bought a two-man years ago…Wish I'd bought the 6-man.

Posted by Ashley Brown:
Also, do you ever find it gets hot inside because the half-fabric walls block the breeze? I can imagine it's very handy when cold winds are blowing, but in the middle of summer I'd imagine it could also get quite hot if it was all zipped up for bug protection. (Summers here are around 85-95 degrees at night).

Response:
I have the SD lightning with a similar fly and inner tent – except that the door is full mesh (the non door side mesh starts 12-15" up from the ground. In hot, humid Mid-atlantic summers it's a LOT nicer sleeping next to the door. Gentle breezes will make it through the mesh. Not enough to clear the person sleeping next to the mesh door and cool the next person though. If breezes come from the non-door side, they don't cool that person at all – until the breezes get "strong". The breezes also don't "turn the corner" at the top of the solid area and then head down toward the floor to cool the sleeping people. They go straight across the top only. Great for cold, sand & stormy weather. Not so great for hot & humid.

Thanks John, that's more or less what I expected. A pity you can't get two different inners for the Copper Spur! I like the idea of the half-wall quite a bit, but in summer I want all mesh.

Anyway, there are two different inners available for the Scarp 2.

Chris… like Ian, I'm a bit of a stickler for a taut pitch. I hate a saggy tent, even if only for aesthetic reasons. Silly, maybe, but there you go!

I'd be really interested in hearing whether you find it easy to get a taut pitch on the Scarp 2 once you've had a little practice setting it up. One of the reasons I moved on from the Lunar Duo was that I found the pitch wasn't as tight as a liked. But perhaps this is just a fact of life with this much unsupported fabric. I'm not planning on using crossing poles under normal 3 season conditions, although obviously that would help.

Cheers, A