Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 vs TT Stratospire 2

We spent nearly 3 months in our SS2 last year on a 2200km kayak trip (down the mighty Murray River in SE Oz) and I'll testify to its livability and longevity.

It's incredibly spacious for the weight, well ventilated yet able to be buttoned down tight in bad weather. The vestibules are generous, and we fitted two LW mats
in easily – a bit of a luxury but the kayak could cope with the weight penalty!

Site selection was never an issue, but I guess we weren't restricted or limited to skimpy sites. Erecting the tent was easy as – the hardest thing was getting our heads around the unusual geometry, but that doesn't take long. We needed to site the tent on sand frequently, but had anticipated that and carried dedicated sand pegs which were both necessary and perfectly successful.

The geometry of the tent means it is very stable in wind from any direction – reassuring if the wind changes after the tent is pitched.

At the end of the trip, the tent showed no signs of wear. I'll admit to one instance of user error when we punched a pole end through the sil nylon in the vent area – quickly fixed with seam sealer.

The tent was water tight after being seam sealed, and we experienced significant condensation on one night only that I can recall.

Bottom line – SS2 is highly recommended. Go for it!

I have the SS1, and my companion used the CS2 on our trip to Patagonia.

Overall, yeah, the CS is a great tent in the traditional style. Quite nice.

But honestly, I so like the stratospire I can't imagine choosing a tent that ISN'T the SS. The vestibule space is enormous, with about 2 practice sessions the pitching becomes very, very easy (I'd even argue easier than the CS with its weird cross bars…).

If you want a tent to spend time in, the SS is the clear winner
The SS is also set up fly first, meaning you don't set up the unprotected net, THEN put up the fly on top. Exactly what needs to happen when you pitch in a rainstorm.

Anyway, the CS really is a great tent. I just think the SS is way better. But that's me.

I have a CS UL1 and a TT Scarp 2. Both are great tents. I also had an old-style Moment which I sold in favor of the CS. The Scarp 2 has a similar inner as the SS, but it also has short vertical end (head and foot) walls.

I'd really like the vertical sidewalls of the SS2 rather than the CS2 if I had to share it with another person! Sure, they're not bad on the CS, but any slope at all feels confining.

The SS fly and floor fabric is more durable because it's silnylon, while the CS is polyurethane-coated on the inside. This increases resistance to water penetration ("misting"), but it weakens the fabric and is more vulnerable to moisture and mold damage if stored wet. My guess is that the CS poly coating won't it won't last as long as the TT silnylon.

My CS now has a small frayed hole in the upper solid sidewall of the inner. I think it's from allowing the end of the pole to drag or snap across the fabric. It'll be an easy fix with a some spare fabric and seam sealer, and it doesn't affect the waterproofing in any way.

I think you can get both net and solid inners for the SS? That's a great feature you can't get with the CS, and will be nice to have if you do any winter camping.

I think both tents would be about the same with condensation, although a solid inner for the SS would obviously have more protection. I've actually had a little less than expected condensation in my CS.

I agree with your comparison points. I'd say the SS wins in wet weather due to being able to pitch the inner and outer together, and pull back the inner to make a large vestibule.

The slippery silnylon floors (such as on the SS) drive me crazy, but generous application of stripes on the inside helps. I'd probably stake out the floor of the SS if on a slope just to avoid annoying sliding of the floor on the ground.

The ability to use trekking poles or sticks rather than carry tent poles is a big advantage.

I picked up the BA tent from REI garage. Based on the damage it had, I can say that you must be mindful of the asymmetrical poles. One end of the tent is narrower than the other, and if you put the poles ends for the wide end of the tent on the narrow side, they break. This was an early model, I think they have started to color code the corners.

Other than that its a sweet tent. With two adults, it will only hold the pads/bags, a small bundle of clothing at head or foot, and a few items in the mesh pockets. However, the vestibules are decent.

The rainfly must be tightly pitched. Simply clipping it into the corners will not prevent a heavy rain from wicking through, if the fly can sag onto the inner mesh. This may affect your opinion of easy sight selection, although I have often tied to vegetation or rocks that are nearby.

Spindrift/dust can easily infiltrate the UL2, due to the mesh. I have come back to a tent and sleeping bag full of dirt on a windy day.

I'd consider the Copper Spur UL3 – not the UL2 – to be more comparable to the Stratospire 2, space-wise. The SS2 would be a huge step up, with a considerably larger footprint. The SS2 is the first 2P shelter I've owned that could stretch to 3P, rather than being snug at its actual rating. I posted my comments on a similar thread, here:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=83223

Thanks everyone for the firsthand feedback. I'm definitely leaning towards the SS 2 now.

Stuart: I don't know how missed this thread when searching through the forum! Thank you for pointing it out.

Do you think Henry could sew some mesh pockets in the SS 2? I really like having a spot for my headlamp etc.

I saw in other threads that some people got extra tie downs sewn on. Is this overkill for normal use?

I think I read somewhere that Henry didn't feel like his tents needed a ground cloth. Is this accurate?

Thanks again!

I don't think most tents need a groundcloth, but I camp on forest duff or snow. If camping on rock or thorns, I'd probably use one–polycro or window film.

Josiah – Until now I'd forgotten there are no pockets inside the inner. I set up a line between the two peak points inside the inner on the supplied mitten hooks, and hang everything I need for easy access. But it might be worth contacting Henry to ask if he could add something for you.

As for the extra midpanel points for guylines, I'd only consider that if you intend to use it regularly above treeline. Mine doesn't have them, and I haven't missed them.

I actually added my own mesh pockets which were really useful for specs and headtorches at night.

Never needed additional guying even in very strong wind – if the pegs used are suitable for the soil/sand, the tent was very stable in the wind.

On that long trip we used a Tyvek groundsheet – needed to pitch on gravel a couple of times and I'm much happier with the tent floor protected. Besides it makes morning pack ups much easier with a clean tent floor as well as somewhere dry and sand free to continue packing, and I'm sure the groundsheet has contributed to the current immaculate state of the tent after substantial use.

Shorter trips we'd use polycryo.

Karen: Where did you put the interior pockets? Were they simple mesh rectangles?

I made the pockets using an orange sil backing with a noseeum "front" and stitched in four, two at each end of the tent to avoid remembering which end of the tent had the pockets! I also tried a triangular version stitched in on two sides between the side seam and the bathtub/mesh seam – good idea but I cut it a bit small – no time to sort it before the trip started. Plus I was always miffed if I scored the side of the tent without the extra pocket!

If I get a chance this weekend I'll put the tent up and post some photos.