X-Mid 2 vs Big Agnes Copper Spur 2p

My copper spur never leaked rain and I like the  solid nylon on the inner is higher than what is on most ul tents so it deals with splash and blocks out wind pretty well. After 9 years my tents door zipper sometimes split and it can get condensation moisture when it is in a bad place but no actual leaks.

Fortunate is the OP for having two types of tents to compare.  Wish I had those problems. The BA that’s set up from the inside out and the X-Mid that’s set up from the outside in.  Weather might dictate pro’s and con’s of each regarding that.  The BA has a trapezoid shape floor.  The X-Mid has a parallelogram shape floor.  Two people mulling around on the inside doing stuff, ( let your imagination work on that ), might dictate pro’s and con’s regarding each.  Sleeping pad(s) width is a major factor. Will they fit ? Are you limited to sleeping nose to nose or can you sleep nose to toes.  Inner zipper door location is a factor.  Both on one end or opposite ends.   Do you prefer having the feet as the last thing in or out of the inner or do you crawl in head first then swing around.  Yep.  These are a few of the things that keep me up at night.  Keep both tents.  Just some thoughts.  Just sayin.

A few X-Mid comments

1) The inner is the same on both sides and thus should normally have equal gaps. Typically if it does not that is due to pitching variation/inaccuracy.

2) Normally people are able to get a tight floor. For that the rectangle should be fairly accurate and then connecting it to the pole handles helps, as does ensuring proper tension on the inner via the peak adjustments. You can stake the corners of the floor as well if the extra tension is worth that extra step.

3) A trekking pole tent won’t be as mindless to get a perfect pitch as a traditional tent where there are almost no variables at play.

4) In the rain the X-Mid has the advantage of no sag poly, so while it might be harder to get a tight pitch it should stay tight, unlike a nylon tent. The X-Mid also has a fly first pitch which I think is a big advantage in wet condtions, and much more substantial waterproofing coatings. The new spec for the Big Agnes fabric is 1200mm. The X-Mid’s 2000mm spec is post wear testing, where the new fabric is more than 3x Big Agnes.

5) The X-Mid (and any pyramid tent) can get loose walls when the doors are opened. The occurs because the stakes aren’t exactly at the corners but rather a few inches away. The corners are held in tension by the two sides, where if you open the door that sides no longer pulls on the corner so the corner moves away and loosens the adjacent side. In these photos the end walls of the X-Mid look a bit loose, which would likely improve when the doors are closed. You can reduce avoid this by (1) setting the cords shorter so the corners move less, (2) angle those cords so they aren’t at 45 degrees but rather pull out more along the end wall than the side walls, and (3) using a small stake to secure the small side of the door so the corner doesn’t move away at least on that side when the door is opened. This last point is shown in the video below. There also can be merit to adding a bit of shockcord at the corners to take up the slack, but normally I don’t find it’s an issue when using the above tips, because any windy/stormy conditions are going to have the doors closed anyways.

You can’t go wrong with either one. Both quality tents. I lean the Durston tent because it’s lighter and with practice, trekking pole tents become super easy to pitch.

I never begrudge anyone that owns BA tents. They are proven and there customer service is near Costco level. They replaced my friends tent after it delaminated from being left in a Texas garage for 3 years. They didn’t have to, but they did. They just had a hand written note asking him to kindly store it inside from now on.