X-Mid 2 vs Big Agnes Copper Spur 2p

Good analysis to start.

Any chance you can spend a night with each in heavy rain, set them up in the rain, see how much water they take on when it’s time to pack up? Ease of entry/exit when it’s raining.

Other considerations:

Vestibule size? Ok for cooking if needed in a storm?

How much each fly sags when it gets wet?

Wind stability?

Packed size?

Great thoughts, Ryan.  I’ll do that with the rain.  That’s a great idea.  I think maybe I can try some wind tests too, but that might be a bit trickier.

Packed size – Winner= Ehhhhhh….X-Mid though not by much.  The X-Mid stuff sack is too small.  Pain in the butt to get the tent back in it.  But the Copper Spur has the poles to think about.  Not that big of a pain to stow, but it’s a consideration.  Just the tent and fly of the Copper Spur (minus poles) actually seem to pack down a bit smaller than the X-Mid to me.

Vestibule size – Winner= X-Mid.  The vestibules are massive.  Of course, the vestibules in the Copper Spur are big enough for a good size pack and you could cook easily in the other one.  With the X-Mid I think you could stow all your gear AND cook in one vestibule!  Maybe…

I am of the opinion that you owe it to yourself to not make hasty decisions.  You have two nice tents for under six hun. As mentioned above , take time to thoroughly try them out.  I have an X-Mid 1P.  After learning a tip or two, it pitches quite fast.  I was def trying too hard in the beginning.  Just some thoughts

Right on, Regis.  You’re right.  What made pitching the X-Mid easier for you in the end?  Just sort of relaxing a bit?  I could see that.  I think what has me slightly weirded out is how the inside just seems to be kind of frumpy.  I like tight and it just isn’t.  I’m going to take it out and pitch it five or six days in a row and see what I think.  You might be right…  Just do a bit of repetition on it and see what happens.

Here’s an XMid vid link.

Notice he stakes the short end. Then brings the opposite  two corners together with a bit of a wiggle to find center of that opposite short side forming a triangle of sorts.  From there he establishes the center of the material on that spot.  Then to finish, merely pull and stake the left and right corners to form an nice rectangle. It’s important to have the formed rectangle tight . Do it once and it becomes second nature.  Lastly, the trek poles that were preset to proper or even a bit shorter length  go right in. I still can’t get over user friendly this tent can be.  Sorry to ramble

I saw that video!  That’s what I tied today and it worked pretty well.  I’m gonna keep after it.  I think it will definitely get easier.  You’re not rambling!

Is this the hv version of the copper spur or the regular one?  I’ve used both, but the hv version has evem steeper side walls and pretty stable on sides.  I never had my non hv version fail, but it does bend during gusts in significant storms if the wind is hitting it sideways. .

Also, another thing b g yo consider is actual usable space and feel for what parts are usable for you.  The copper spur with its steeper side walls may feel roomier and offer more usable space for your needs.

One last thing. Yeah, that vid was a game changer fir me.  I thought my calibrated eyeballs were spot on but I guess not.

Ive noticed that if the stakes are closer to the corners, I get a tighter pitch.  If I want more air, I move the one or more stakes outward depending on how and where I want that airflow, and raise the trek pole(s) accordingly.  Very user friendly but I already said that.

Im done.  Good luck.  Try not to loose sleep.  Unless it’s under one of them tents.

Peace,~RL

Michael K, it’s the HV. It’s roomy in there. But the X-Mid is roomier. However, the Copper Spur looks and feels … well, tight. Like I said. I believe it would perform very well in winds. I’m just going to have to get them both out in the weather and see how it goes.
Thanks for the tips, Regis!

I watched that video again.  I picked up on some different things that time through.  I’ll keep after it.  It’s a cool design.  Might wind up keeping both for a while.  Who knows…

Yes, the HV version for me does very well in wind …….even from the side I think because it is so easy to get a tight pitch, which is on all sides angled and looks pretty aerodynamic. Floppy or flat sides are your nemesis in wind. Also, like you…..i use it for my solo palace.  I hate solo coffins and I use a  3 person golite tent or hv3 copper spur for 2 people.

Any X-Midders out there leave the inner tent clipped in for a faster set up?  I noticed in the video of that gentlemen setting up the 1P above that he set up the fly by itself.  One of the reasons I picked up the X-Mid was because you could pitch it with the inner tent left clipped in.  You know…kind of one less thing to do when you’re out there.  I’m wondering if it might be better to pitch just the fly and clip the inner in after a good tight pitch…?  Probably shouldn’t make much of a difference, but…  It might be a better way to learn it at least initially.

Michel K, how’s your shelter done in rain?  I hear you reference the wind, but is it dry in there?  Any leaking issues?  The Copper Spur seams all seem to be taped nice when I gave it the once over.  I’ve also noticed that the bathtub sides on the Copper Spur seem a tad higher than the X-Mid.  Might possibly keep any potential lateral rain or splashed moisture from getting in…  Both tents vestibule doors sit pretty low to the ground which is good from a rain perspective.

Regis K, thanks for posting that video.   The technique that Ken uses to get square corners is very clever.  Having used rectangular shelters for many years, I thought I was pretty good at estimating a 90 degree angle.  But this takes all the guesswork out of it.  Having just tried this several times in my back yard, I’m pretty sure I can get a perfect pitch with my X-mid  without re-staking even when conditions are harsh.

Bret R,  no issues with rain with the X-mid, even when it’s blowing sideways.  You can stake the shelter right down to the ground, if you wish.  Any moisture that might get in won’t get as far as your sleeping area because of the spacious vestibules.

Can’t really answer questions about pitching fly and inner together.  My personal preference is to carry the netting inner only when I’ll be expecting bug pressure.  Even then I like to keep the netting inside my pack and the fly in an outside pocket for quick deployment.  If it looks like bugs may be an issue, it’s pretty easy to clip the netting to the fly.

The moral of this thread is, humans cannot hike by one tent alone.  Ok , now I’m done

“how the inside just seems to be kind of frumpy.  I like tight and it just isn’t.”

I have the X-Mid 1 person and I leave the inner clipped in.  Set it up as expressed in the video. I tend to set the X-Mid with the tent body close to the ground as the tent has ample ventilation and if I want more I just open a door.  (This tent is my primary rain thunderstorm shelter and has survived 4 good blow downs while backpacking in Arkansas.)  Due to the fact I set it at the same height every time makes adjusting the inner once and done. To adjust the inner throw your air mattress inside to see how the floor lies. Then adjust the upper straps at the top of the inner until you get the floor/inner to lie as desired.  To get the the corners tight or crisp you have 2 choices: you can stake them out or as a friend of mine did replace the cord and small bungee Dan supplies and put in one long bungee to snug up the corners.   I am good with just adjusting the upper straps.

-Cooking in the vestibule is not an issue though I try to avoid this unless I am brewing coffee in the morning and then moving on for the day.

-If you have staked it out in a taught square, adjusted your poles correctly so the peaks are tight: I have seen very little sag when wet .

-I try my best when it comes to site selection but I have not had any issues with wind and have never used the peak guidelines.

-Packed size, it fits comfortably horizontally in my Hell or Burn packs.

It is not the worlds lightest tent or the sleekest profile but it has plenty of livable space, simplicity of set up and is my go to shelter in the rain.  For reference I do most of my backpacking in the Rockies, Winds and Southwest where my preferred shelters are my DCF Patrol or Solomid XL.

John

PS. I am envious of your backyard view

The view…  It’s why we moved here. We were in the Atlanta area and were ready for a change.  Boy!  What a change!  Hiking out here is just…spectacular.  Not humid.  Views that are unphotographable.  No matter what you do the camera can’t capture it.  (Last year on the Uinta Highline Trail I just quit trying to take pics.).  But I digress…

I just set up the tent again. Went better!  Made some shock cord additions and tried a few different things.  It’s a cool shelter.   I’m going to like it.  When I took it down I removed the inner tent to see how it would be breaking camp in the rain. Piece of cake!  It also goes in the stuff sack easier that way.  I’ll keep working with it.

This was my view this morning.

My wife and I are BA CS fans going back over ten years. They work well.

There are some intangibles to consider.  Which one will you sleep better in? I have a well insulated tiny house that is very quiet. If I go from there to a windy and noisy tarp campout I don’t sleep as well the first night. So if it was me the tight pitching Copper Spur might win out.

On the other hand double wall UL tents tend to be fragile.  I’d probably trust MLD stuff to last longer and not break as easily.

Me I’m probably going to be looking at a Seek Outside pyramid of some type.  I used one with a friend and was impressed.