Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 tent review: Perfect for summer nights

The Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 is a well-established favourite amongst lightweight backpackers, especially in the USA, and it's easy to see why. As freestanding, poled backpacking tents go, it’s a leader in this market segment. With a total weight of just 1.36kg and a very compact pack size, it slips easily into any decent hiking backpack.

Yet despite its slender packed dimensions and low weight, it’s an excellent companion on the trail. You get good headroom, liveable interior space, a user-friendly design, large vestibules with awning-style doors that can be porched out, and a low weight relative to most other fully freestanding tents.

It’s worth noting that the 2025 version of the standard two-person Copper Spur is called the UL2, though there are also XL and Limited models on the market.

They all replace its predecessor, which was marketed as the Copper Spur HV UL2. The biggest update is that the new models now use the brand’s latest HyperBead fabric, which is stronger, lighter, and more waterproof than before.

The baseline Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 is the same size as the previous HV UL2, while the UL2 XL has a fully rectangular footprint that adds extra length and width, as well as a bit more headroom. It’s fractionally heavier though, at 1.5kg.

Meanwhile, the Limited version uses lighter weight Hyperbead fabrics to save weight but is supplied with its own footprint to protect the groundsheet. It also has simpler entryways, without the awning-style vestibules.

Basically, for mixed use when you might camp solo or occasionally with a partner/friend, we’d pick the Copper Spur UL2 or perhaps the Limited if you’re particularly weight-conscious. If you’re always out as a duo or planning an extended backpacking trip, we reckon it’s worth upgrading to the UL2 XL.

However, the standard UL2 is still decently liveable for a backpacking tent, with good length and sufficient width (despite its tapered floor area) to comfortably accommodate two campers on shorter trips.

The vestibules are triangular in shape and big enough to accommodate a pair of boots and a pack each. You also get first-class internal organisation, with two big overhead pockets to stop your kit from cluttering up your sleeping space.

Overall, if you're looking for a weight-conscious backpacking tent but still want the traditional advantages of a double skinned, fully freestanding poled design, then this is one of the strongest options on the market. It does a good job of managing condensation too, yet is still decently protective for such a lightweight design.

Shape, structure, pitching, and internal liveability

The Copper Spur UL2 has a pretty standard pre-bent hubbed pole configuration, which gives you a steeper head wall that slopes downwards towards the foot end. The poles all connect to a single central hub, with a secondary spreader bar positioned over the top to expand headroom even further.

The total floor area is fractionally larger than the industry standard, but not exceptional. Dimensions are 224 x 132cm (L x W), though since the footprint is tapered, this narrows to 107cm at the foot. This is liveable for most users.

However, if you’re particularly tall or use an extra wide sleeping mat, it’s worth looking at the UL2 XL version of this tent. Still, interior volume is good even in the standard model, especially in terms of headroom. This is due to that near-vertical head end and expansive sidewalls.

It's easy to pitch, though it does go up inner first which isn't so ideal for setting up in the rain. The design does incorporate two practical doors and vestibules though, which offers plenty of room to store packs and boots.

Uniquely, the design of the flysheet also features twin-zippered doors, so you can use your trekking poles to porch out the door flap and create a shady awning. Two additional guylines are supplied with the tent to allow you to do this.

We think it’s a great feature that differentiates the Copper Spur from most other competitors, and it’s a nice added extra for wild camping adventures (provided it isn’t too windy). On the trail it doesn’t get used as much as you’d think it might though, since it takes a bit of time to set up.

Waterproofing

Fly and groundsheet fabrics are extremely lightweight but deliver good strength to weight, thanks to the use of Big Agnes’s proprietary Hyperbead material, a relatively new innovation. It’s a solution-dyed 15D nylon with a 20D ripstop grid running through it.

The brand claims that “compared to traditional tent fabrics”, it is 6% lighter, 50-100% stronger, and 25% more waterproof (though exactly which specific fabric this refers to isn’t clear).

It is also stretch-resistant to reduce sag when wet and made without additionally added PFAS. Its waterproof rating is 1500mm Hydrostatic Head. This isn’t the highest figure on the market by any stretch, but on test it proved reliably waterproof – though as this is a new fabric, the jury’s out on long-term performance.

The Hyperbead material is also so light as to be almost translucent, and though we experienced no problems with seepage through the fly or the bathtub floor, the latter is worryingly thin. We'd definitely recommend using a footprint with this tent.

Sold separately, it’s priced at around £70 and adds an extra 142g to your total packed weight, but it’s well worth having, just for added protection from abrasion or general wear and tear.

Still, in terms of waterproof protection the bathtub floor does a good job, extending up to encase the lower third of the inner tent. Similarly, the fly sheet provides good overall coverage (in this regard, the Copper Spur is far superior to rival ultralight tents like the MSR FreeLite or NEMO Hornet).

As an aside, the Copper Spur is currently offered in either bright tangelo orange or a more muted grey-green colourway. If you've got the option, go for the grey-green, not just because it's a better option for stealthy wild camps but also because the orange seems to attract an inordinate number of bugs. Unless you love getting up close and personal with moths, midges and mosquitoes, of course...

Condensation

The Copper Spur UL does a good job of managing moisture. It has one large overhead vent fitted with a fold-out strut to maximise airflow. This has a circular Velcro tab to close it off in inclement weather. It works very well.

There’s no foot vent, which would further improve circulation, but both flysheet doors have two-way zippers to enable you to crack them open for more ventilation. An extended external storm flap over these zippers also means that you can have them partly open in drizzle without rain getting through.

The upper two thirds of the inner tent is entirely mesh, which ensures it doesn’t get too stuffy. All-round fly sheet coverage strikes a good balance between protection and ventilation, with a gap of about an inch between the lower edge and the ground.

Sidewalls can also be rolled back and secured to create extra airflow on warm, dry days and enable good views out of either side of the tent – though this obviously means losing the covered storage that the vestibules provide.

Wind protection

The Copper Spur’s hubbed pole set is well-engineered, using premium DAC Featherlite NFL 8.7mm poles to provide excellent strength to weight. When it comes to sturdiness in wind, the Copper Spur holds up reasonably well.

It certainly isn’t flimsy, but it’s not exceptionally sturdy, due in part to the ultralight fabrics. You do get enough stakes and bonus guylines to anchor the tent securely in breezy conditions.

But don't get us wrong, this isn't the most robust tent for exposed pitches, and you'd be wise to seek more sheltered spots on the trail or in the hills. We’d probably class it as a two-to-three season tent overall rather than a shelter we’d be happy to use from early spring right through to late autumn.

But these are shortcomings of almost all ultralight tents that experienced users will already be familiar with. Ultimately, any tent with steep walls and a relatively tall profile like this one are particularly vulnerable to side gusts.

If you’ll be camping high up in the mountains, other more aerodynamic tent designs will serve you far better – e.g. a streamlined tunnel tent like the Vango F10 Xenon UL2, MSR Tindheim 2, Terra Nova Starlite 2 or the Nordisk Oppland 2.

Weight and packed size

It's not really fair to compare this tent to single-skin trekking pole shelters, which tend to be the first choice for most committed thru-hikers and ultralight backpackers. Of course, there are often occasions when (and locations where) a poled tent is preferable to a poleless design.

Trekking pole tents are also more complicated to pitch perfectly, especially on lumpy or uneven ground. Those who hike without trekking poles may also prefer a poled tent, while others might just like the added versatility of poles for campsite-style camping.

With that in mind, the Copper Spur UL2’s packed weight of 1.36kg is commendably low for a twin-skinned, freestanding poled design. It’s still heavier than rivals like the MSR FreeLite 2, Sea to Summit Alto 2 and the NEMO Hornet or Dragonfly OSMO though. I

t’s also heavier than other Big Agnes tents like the Fly Creek and Tiger Wall (albeit more liveable too). Of course, it’s worth noting that it boasts more features and is a bit more protective than any of those competitors.

In terms of packed size, it measures 50 x 10cm. So, it’s long and thin, with convenient side entry for easy repacking and two buckled compression straps to really cinch it in.

This is great for sliding into the side pocket of a pack, but less ideal as a bikepacking tent (though there is a bikepack version of the previous generation Copper Spur HV UL2, designed with shorter pole segments and a stuff sack optimised for on-bike carry).

Features

The tent is well built from generally high-quality materials and components. For example, it is supplied with eight of Big Agnes’s excellent Dirt Dagger ultralight tent stakes. These are only 6 inches long though, so you could add a couple of longer pegs for extra holding power. The tent comes with plenty of good quality reflective guidelines, with locking runners that do a good job of anchoring it down.

However, there are some plastic components that seem a bit fragile. They are obviously good weight-savers but we were particularly concerned about the plastic TipLok buckles at each corner. These are effective when new but seem likely to get brittle over time and would be fairly easy to break.

On test, we also found that when they get muddy, they’re much harder to snap closed and require occasional cleaning. All in all, we much prefer the anodised metal components used by most rivals such as Sierra Designs, MSR, Sea to Summit and NEMO.

When it comes to interior organisation the Copper Spur is truly outstanding though. We love the two large overhead storage bin pockets in the inner tent, which make it easy to keep your kit off the floor of your sleeping area, creating more liveable space. There are two smaller side pockets placed beside each door too.

Getting in and out is very easy thanks to extended door zippers that meet at each corner. This means you're never fumbling around to find them in the dark if you need to get out of the tent quickly. The inner doors also have fabric door keepers that allow you to quickly stuff the door without having to roll it away and secure it with toggles (though those are also provided if required).

Lastly, we’ve already touched on the fact that the two fly sheet doors can be porched out to create an awning on either side. If you're not using this feature or don’t have trekking poles with you, the doorways become a bit fiddly, but on balance, the advantages probably outweigh the disadvantages.

Verdict

An impressively light freestanding backpacking tent with smart design features, great headroom and practical internal organisation. While it comes at a premium and isn’t ideal for extreme weather, it remains one of the best all-round options for backpackers in search of lightweight, liveable comfort on the trail.

About the author

Matt Jones is a freelance journalist based in the heart of Snowdonia National Park, he’s a vastly experienced gear tester and self-confessed outdoor kit geek. Matt’s been one of our main gear testers for the last couple of years and is the first person we call with any complicated kit queries that need in-depth and forensic analysis.