Ok, honest now, Copper Spur UL2

[Jonathan Whitney]

Is anyone here really stuffing two people into this tent? I would buy it in an instant if it didn't taper down to 42 inches at the feet. Not like the wife and I would be opposed to cuddling, but I think she's kind of attached to our spacious mansion of a Losi 3P (about 90"x80") while I'm looking to cut some weight.

Does anyone here actually do this? Any pictures of a couple of pads/sleeping bags in this tent?

My backup plan would be the UL3, but every couple of years I get the hankering to buy a fancy tent and end up giving plasma for the extra dough. So bleeding out another 100 bucks for the price of admission sounds rough. I'm hoping the 2P tent can be a nice backpacking tent for two and a good solo tent for motorcycle trips.

[Andy F]

Check out the tents offered by Tarptent and Six Moon Designs. :)

[Jonathan Whitney]

Sorry, Andy. Been there, done that. I'd really like to stick to a double wall as the majority of my camping is in humid areas. Hell, my double wall got condensation on our last trip.

[Tony Pearson]

Same dimensions as my Fly Creek UL2 and there are only two ways someone else is getting in there, one of those is an emergency.

My guess is that you will have to get your huggle on. 2 20in pads side by side is pretty much touching in this tent.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

TarpTent and Six Moon Designs offer double wall tents like the TT Scarp 2 and SMD Haven. Both would be pretty nice.

[EndoftheTrail]

Honestly, it's subjective!! The Copper Spur UL2 at least comes with two doors and vestibules. I personally know one couple who use a BA Seedhouse 2 SL and absolutely love it — and that tent has just one door and one vestibule! And these two are perfectly normal sized adults.

Et moi? When I had the Seedhouse 2 SL myself, it was strictly used as my solo palace.

[Alex Gilman]

You'd save almost 2lbs going to the NEMO Espri 2P Tent and you'd know what you're getting in to in terms of build quality.

Just a thought…

[Mike W]

…

[Konrad .]

The Espri looked cool, until you realize that the vestibule is an optional 100 dollar accessory that is not included in the weight. Also, according to the pics on nemos website, i think the tent tapers at the footend, so the 52 specified width most likely only pertains to the head end. I'm curious to know how much the vestibule adds in terms of weight…looks like a pretty cool setup since it integrates a trekking pole

My own experiences with a 42 inch footend tent are a bit skewed. I spent the past year or so in a Sierra designs vapor XL. It was 52 inches at the head, 42 inches at the feet, but 93 inches in lengh…same footprint shape, but longer than the copperspur ul2. I'm 5'9", but i've spent many of nights with friends that are 6' to 6'3" We never complained of space and we slept fine every time. Given, my friends and I are both thin. I think the longer length of my tent may have had an effect, so take with a grain of salt. When we laid down our neo airs, we still had around a foot between the end of the tent and the bottom of our neo airs, so we never had our feet at the true 42 inch taper. I no longer have the tent, but I remember being able to lay a 60 liter pack (sideways) between my feet and the end of the tent, so I bet our feet ended more around the 45 inch taper point. IMO 52 inches at the head is plenty of room for 2 people, so long as you are small to medium build. 42 at the feet is enough room for 2 pads to not overlap. If your feet are not shifting off the pad, then I don't think the 42 inches will be that big of a problem. Why not buy at REI.com, use their 20% coupon to save a boatload, and try out in your living room? If it doesn't work, then return it.

[Roger Caffin]

> I would buy it in an instant if it didn't taper down to 42 inches at the feet.
> Not like the wife and I would be opposed to cuddling,
You could consider the Therm-a-Rest Prolite 3 pads: they also taper at the lower end. We use them for a wide 3-season.

Cheers

[Rog Tallbloke]

Two standard 20" wide pads will fit nicely and not get shuffled apart in a 40" wide foot end. What's the problem? Sleep like starfish or something? ;-)

[Jonathan Whitney]

Nemo is really shooting themselves in the foot with the way that the Espri is pictured on their website. Check out the picture here:

http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/shop/product_Nemo-Espri-2-Person-Tent_10093478_10208_10000001_-1_

You're thinking, "Holy cow, where did THAT vesitbule come from?" You look at every other store that has the Espri up for sale and they don't show that picture, but they keep saying 9 square feet of vestibule space. And then, buried in the description on every online sellers site if this:

"The Espri 2P utilizes our modular vestibule system so you can choose between the included Ultralight Fly Door, Standard Vestibule, or the optional Trekking Pole Vestibule depending on your desired balance of weight and space."

So, it actually comes with a plain door AND the vestibule as pictured on Moosejaw yet you can buy yet another, much larger, trekking pole vestibule.

However, I couldn't sell my wife on the single door idea.

[Jonathan Whitney]

We actually have two 20" pads already. I guess I'm just looking for a better angle to sell this tent and convince her it's better to carry 4 pounds with just enough space rather than close to 7 with space beyond excess.

Here's an idea: In the summer, it will keep our pads close together when we share a single down bag as a quilt and in the winter, it keeps us close together and conserves heat in the smaller space. Right? Right?!

[Steven McAllister]

I know the argument comes up a lot.
I also backpack in the wet North East and only use single wall shelters. The double wall aspect takes up too much room and weighs more.

The single wall Tarptents as well as others work very will in wet climates, unless you do something stupid like block the ventilation.

You get condensation in extreme situations, but not enough to freak out about.
I'd rather have the extra room inside.

It is a very low percentage of people that regret switching to a single wall shelter. I know they are out there, everyone lives in their own reality.

[EndoftheTrail]

Why buy the Nemo when it's the same (or similar) size to the Seedhouse 2 SL — but heavier?

"I guess I'm just looking for a better angle to sell this tent and convince her it's better to carry 4 pounds with just enough space rather than close to 7 with space beyond excess."

Well, is she carrying the 7 lbs or you? I bet that makes a difference in her decision process. :)

[James McDaniel]

I'm 6'3" 225 and my small girlfriend fit in there fine. I use a long wide(25") Big Agnes Insulated AirCore and my girlfriend uses a 20" wide woman's Thermarest. We fit in there great. Remember, it's tapered, in does get that thin till the very end.

It's hard to find a double walled tent that is that long and light with vertical walls. SMD has there new one coming out but you'll be one of the first.

If you don't care about double wall, then there are the obvious other choices of SMD duo and TT DR.

I wouldn't sleep in there with anybody fat though.

Backpacking it an intimate hobby….embrace it.

Something else I've noticed: the bigger the tent the messy you get because it's easy to be lazy at the end of the day, then you have to deal with it the next day.

[Jonathan Whitney]

I'm not planning on buying the Nemo because I can't sell her on the single door idea. I was just providing a little clarification for those who were under the imression that an extra hundred bucks and an extra pound were the only way to get any vestibule space.

But yeah, I carry the tent, so I do have some final say in the decision.

[EndoftheTrail]

I normally wouldn't mention this company because of its consistently horrible problems with delivery. The owner also has a consistent shortfall in ethics.

BUT, their tents are great and there's actually one for sale by a fellow hiker with a positive reputation on the forums. Click here and scroll down to the Big Sky International Revolution 2P tent.

[Jacob D]

Jonathan,

I've been looking at a lot of light weight 2 person tents lately for me and my wife. Our local REI had a Copper Spur on the floor. It seems a *little* cramped compared to what I'm used to, which is a larger, much heavier tent. One thing a staff guy mentioned was the cross pole right above the door opening. Apparently it can be annoying having to dodge it going in and out. REI has a tent with a similar design and he mentioned they get some complaints about it with theirs too. Wasn't an issue for me at the time, but then again he just warned me about it.

A few of the other tents we've been considering are the MSR Hubba Hubba (86x50x40 3lb 14oz), the Mountain Hardware Skyledge (88x46x47 3lb 7oz), and the BA Fly Creek (86x52x38 2lb 10oz). If you need 2 doors then the BA is out of the running. Between the Hubba Hubba and Skyledge there's the tradeoff between length and width, with weight and height in favor of the Skyledge.

I'm still considering a single wall also with the Lunar Duo. On the specs it wins in every way… but I don't know if I'm ready to make the leap to an UL single wall yet from a comfort standpoint.

[Brian Martin]

My wife and I use this tent. I switched down from an Emerald Mountain 3 to save weight and have zero regrets. Its tighter, but we sleep fine and my tossing doesn't wake her. I'm 6'2" with broad shoulders, she's 5'4" and petite. We still throw our packs at out feet. The only issue I can see is if you plan on spending long periods of time inside, perhaps waiting out a rainy day. Then it could get tight.

[Alex Gilman]

Has anyone had experience with it in strong winds/rain? How does it hold up? I don't mean relative to a tarp I mean relative to other high end tents like the Black Diamond Hilight 2 etc.

Thanks

[William Puckett]

Even though you didn't exactly ask for alternative recommendations, my personal top choice for a 2 person tent is the SMD Lunar Duo. I'm 6'5" tall so fit was important. The Lunar Duo is light, VERY spacious, and reasonably durable. It is NOT freestanding and requires you to use your hiking poles (or carry other poles) for pitching, but the two big vestibules and expansive netting make it less subject to the condensation that can be associated with tarptents.

I considered other choices but at the time (roughly a year ago) there weren't other choices that offered the same combined light weight, small packed size and inner room with adequate warm weather ventilation.

[Lynn Tramper]

Ummm, well, I know you want a "double walled" tent, but IMHO you can't go past the tarptent Double Rainbow with optional liner. This is as good as a double walled tent, with two vestibules and two entrances, and is roomier and lighter than the Big Agnes. It also has really nice "rain porches", and can be set up pretty bombproof for high winds if you use trekking poles. We use 24 inch wide down mats in it, and 'top and tail' for a perfect roomy fit.

[Raymond Estrella]

It works for two. Here is a CS2 with a regular NeoAir and a BA IAC long mummy.

The CS2 and 3 handle wind very well. The 3 is totally symmetrical and sheds wind from all angles.

And I am the guy that is selling the Revolution 2p w/porch. (It is my brother-in-laws)

[Brad Groves]

The BA CS2 is fine for a couple. Although the tent has the same floor area as a Seedhouse, the CS2 has significantly more internal volume (ie nearly vertical side and end walls, so a lot more space inside) and huge, entire side-opening doors for each person, along with 2 full vestibules. If you were afraid of the tent being too tight, or if you were planning on camping with a buddy instead of your significant other, then I'd get the CS3. Tons of room w/o being swimmy, and only another pound more. Seriously, a 4.5# 3-person, free-standing double wall? That's pretty good!

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