I have just recieved my new for 2012 Copper Spur UL1 and have it set up beside my MSR Hubba. My reasoning for purchasing the CS was the 8 ounces in weight savings plus the extra 4 inches in length (90 CS vs 86 for the MSR). On paper it sounded like a cant lose situation. I was wrong.
Set up next to each other the MSR may be 1.5 inches shorter in length than the CS looking from the outside. However, when I put my Neo Air All Season pad in the tent and lay down, the MSR has notably more length in the inside. I am 6'2" on a good day and with the 2012 CS, my head AND feet just barely brush the inside of the tent, but they do touch. On my old MSR, I still have about 1 inch to go with my feet and 2-3 inches before my head hits the sides.
Looking at the two side by side the walls dont seem to me appreciably steeper on the MSR, so this has me confused. Can the numbers be that much off from Big Agnes? If I go outside and stake down the CS will I gain that much more length? Dont really want to do this if it wont, as Id rather just return the tent for a refund if it wont work out.
On the plus side, I much prefer the way the cross section pole is designed on the CS and it is much easier to use. Id really like the weight savings, but I cant have a tent where my head and feet are always touching the tent.
