copper spur ul2 for summer road trip and hiking?

[Patrick O’Neil]

Hi everyone. It looks like i may have time for a road trip this summer, up to 3 months. I'm looking into gear. I was wondering if the copper spur ul2 would hold up to camping in camp grounds for 2 months and some overnight or maybe 2-3 day hikes. The areas would be canadian rockies northern-coast-cilcotin-caribou bc, yukon and alaska. Anyone with experience with this tent think it would stand up to 3 months of daily use?

Im interested in the copper spur because of the two vestibules, freestanding, double wall and i don't use hiking poles. Any thoughts or other suggestions?

[michael levi]

Not the lightest option but it will work. I would definitely bring a groundsheet, the ul series uses very thin ripstop materials.

[Patrick O’Neil]

Yeah, I'll probably wind up buying a ground sheet for whatever tent i buy. Anyone who owns a copper spur abuse theirs?

[Renais A]

I've owned a copper spur for several years. Don't let the light weight fool you; this is a very durable tent, and built for years of service. It take moments to set up, keeps you both dry and comfortable in the rain, and packs easily. When I first used this tent I was worried about punctures or tears from the day to day routines; none have occured. I do use a ground sheet since that allows me to set up just the rain fly if the inner is not needed, or to set up the rain fly first, and then set up the inner out of the rain. I've spent several months in the areas you are discussing, and think you will find this tent suitable, especially when you see how well it protects you from the bugs and occasional significant rain storm.

[Patrick O’Neil]

Thanks! I was hoping to hear something like that. I'll probably be asking more questions until I leave. Much appreciated!

[Max Dilthey]

Thanks Jim, also found that helpful!

Anyone have experience using a sheet of Tyvek as a groundsheet? is it strong enough?

[Erik Basil]

I've only got about 20 nights in ours, but I think the CSUL2 will hold up fine, with that ground cloth mentioned. It's a real nice tent.

[John Martin]

You are on the right track. I think if you are going to spend a lot of time in a tent the Copper Spur is an excellent choice. The Spur is light and roomy. I have had no doubt if cared for properly it will give you years of trouble free use. BIg Agnes is a company that repairs your tent if an unfortunate accident occurs. There are lots of companies that make tents few are full service. I am always impressed with their fast turnaround times. When you start a warranty/repair claim you are assigned a real person that helps you from start to finish that is something that is rare in any industry. If you send something to another big outdoor company you could spend months waiting. Some outdoor companies offer no replacement parts or pieces but a flat fee for replacement of the whole tent.

[Patrick O’Neil]

Good to know that warranty claims are easy. I'm curious too as to wheter or not tyvek would work. Cheaper and lighter, except l'm not sure where i could get some in canada. Shipping from u.s. Would probablycostas the tyvek itself, still probably cheaper than the 60 bucks mec charges for the footprint.

[Dale Wambaugh]

I would consider something like the Golite Shangri-La3 which you could use as a bug screen, double wall or single wall. It is tall and roomy, which is a plus for campground use. It is weatherly and each person can carry a share of the load when hiking.

We use simple dome tents for car camping. They are simple to set up, the poles and sleeves are tougher and they use fewer stakes, being closer to truly free standing, which most free standing hiking tents are not. They tend to have bigger doors and good ventilation. If you shop right, they are cheap. I use a plain poly tarp for a ground cloth and roll it under to create a rain berm, so the water goes under the tarp rather than between. Vestibules are unneeded in a car camping tent: I just need enough room for my shoes; the rest is in the car.

[Patrick O’Neil]

I thought about getting two shelters but no matter the combo I looked into I wound up with a shelter I didnt like or spending more than I wanted. For instance I cant stand poles inside a shelter and I dont trust those cheapo coleman or walmart tents, I'm sure l'd wind up replacing it on the trail. Then again it would suck to rip a decent tent in some campground. I'd love something large like a nemo loki as well as a fly crekk ul1 but then we're getting pricy.

[Erik Basil]

A Tyvek ground sheet would work great, very tough. Do crumple and wash it first, or you will learn to hate how loud it is.

[Renais A]

If you decide to go with the Tyvek, I'd suggest putting in grommets where the poles hit so that you could use the rain fly without the inner tent, or set up the rain fly first in the rain, and then put up the inner tent underneath.

[Michael K]

I used the CS UL2 for a month an a half car camping and backpacking Colorado in July (2 week long backpacking trips). It made a light 1 person palace. Although for 2, no thank u! It ventilates very well and I experienced very little to know condensation in it whereas when I camped in my REI Half Dome I experienced some condensation under the same conditions.

If it were me, I'd get the Big Agnes footprint. I know that it is very expensive, but the fact that I could set it up with the rain fly first and then put the inner tent inside was useful many times. This meant that I could have a completely dry tent even when I had to set up in the rain. I did not have any abrasion issues, but the tub material does look very thin. It weathered several pretty good storms (including one hail storm with no problem).

[Patrick O’Neil]

I'm lazy and not very industrious so I don't think I would be bothered with putting grommets in tyvek. I guess the BA footprint is the way to go. I'm glad to hear someone else has used it for a good length of time. Is it really that crowded for two people? My girlfriend would join me for a week or so here and there. At campgrounds gear could stay in the car and on trails we could cuddle. . .

[Mike W]

The Copper Spur UL2 is definitely tight for two people. I use it with my son occasionally and we are both 6 feet tall and 200 lbs. It would be a bit close for somebody that wasn't family! Might be perfect for your use though since you are sharing with your girl friend and only part of the time.

I've had my CS for a couple of years and it's held up well. I've used the Copper Spur UL2 a couple of times on my own and it's a very roomy shelter for one. The vestibules are very large (so much so that I personally think they are just a waste of space). One nice thing about the vestibules is that if you are not bug ridden, you can open both doors on the inner when the vestibule doors are shut and the CS UL2 seems HUGE. The doors are very large and the edge of the bathtub floor flattens very easily so you can use the vestibule space for living space. You might want to cut a full sized Tyvek groundsheet for when you are car camping so that you can use both vestibules without getting in the dirt. You could save the Copper Spur footprint for your backpacking trips but you don't really need one anyway, I've never used mine.

The picture below shows two 20 inch wide NeoAirs in my Copper Spur UL2… not much room left.

[Michael K]

Patrick, with a girlfriend no problem. I was thinking about with another guy. Also, no issue if you are using 20 inch pads instead of the 26inch Exped LW beast I just bought this year.

[Patrick O’Neil]

Great pic, thanks! With 2 vestibules it shouldn't be too difficult for us to get in out. Thanks for all the input!

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