New BA Fly Creek UL1…ultimate stealth tent?

For their Copper Spur tents, BA used to offer a green color as an alternative to their signature orange, and it was a good alternative if your desire was to be less noticeable.  Sadly it appears there is no longer a color option for the Copper Spur series:  the fly is a combination of green (similar to Durston Alpine Sage) and gray with some orange trip.

One of my biggest complaints about older Fly Creek and similar “front entry” tents was how rain would fall right into the door as you were getting in and out because there was no overhand protection.  I see they’ve tried to address that, but I think the new design presents some challenges, especially on the FlyCreek 2P model where you may have 2 people with 2 packs in the vestibule area, struggling to crawl in and out of the tent with the new angled vestibule entry.

Big Agnes added tabs to fasten fly to the poles a while back so these newer models should be much better in handling winds when guying out.

For their Copper Spur tents, BA used to offer a green color as an alternative to their signature orange, and it was a good alternative if your desire was to be less noticeable. Sadly it appears there is no longer a color option for the Copper Spur series: the fly is a combination of green (similar to Durston Alpine Sage) and gray with some orange trip.

Looks pretty green to me? This replaces the sage green that was formerly offered (I prefer the sage to the new, darker green, but still it’s a green option over the uber saturated orange).

https://www.bigagnes.com/collections/ultralight-tents/products/copper-spur-ul-one?variant=45805172785401

I always found my old BA fly creek solo tent to be bombproof and to handle winds very well. I never had issues with leaks or wetting out. Kudos for a lighter and more waterproof fabric. However I’ve moved on from this style tent. Again, I was well served for years by my Fly Creek!

Except for the friggin number 2 zippers!!! Hate those things and they would fail at the fly door.

That Lichen Green is nice.

Brad – okay so I’m gonna claim that BA is making a liar out of me.  :-)  I think I was looking at the Copper Spur HV UL2 mtnGLO, and/or maybe they were in the process of updating the site when I looked because I was having difficulty finding the non-mtnGLO Copper Spur tents on the site when I wrote that.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Copper Spur tents received an update this year.  The new models no longer have the “HV” in the name.  It’s just the Copper Spur UL2, and I think that differentiates the new models with “hyper bead” fabric from the old models. (e.g. the Copper Spur HV UL2)

Brad – okay so I’m gonna claim that BA is making a liar out of me.  :-)  I think I was looking at the Copper Spur HV UL2 mtnGlo

 

No worries Jeff, just thought I’d point it out for potential shoppers :)

I still think, all things considered, the BA Copper Spurs are the gold standard of general purpose backpacking tents. Having said that, I think Dan Durston’s X-Dome takes the basic Copper Spur design to the next level.

I still have both a Copper Spur HV UL1  and UL2 (both olive green), but last year my wife and I replaced the UL2 with a Nemo Hornet 3p – It’s a palace and quite a bit lighter than the CS UL3.

I’m done buying Copper Spurs and am waiting for a DCF X-Dome 1+ :)

UOG gives the best deep dive on tents I’m able to find. This is their “Our Verdict” on the new HyperBead Copper Spur UL 1.

https://ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk/copper-spur-ul1-tent/#Our%20Verdict

I wish there was a gear retailer like ultralightoutdoorgear here in the states. Their website provides the most thorough description of items you’ll find anywhere. They weigh everything to the gram and that includes each component separately. Gear in each category is listed in ascending order from lightest to heaviest and they give you a breakdown on materials that the manufacturers themselves probably don’t even divulge. UOG stocks a vast array of gear from top North American and European companies. Although an online retailer, you can make an appointment to visit the UK shop like Paul Messner does in the video. Looks like a dreamland for ultralight gear junkies.