Stu from head office get to test out the Big Agnes tent in perfect June weather.
In June this year I went backpacking in Scotland for a couple of days with my Wife and Dog. I needed a tent that would comfortably fit all three of us, have a small enough footprint for wild camping and preferably be under 2KG.
WIth its small footprint size, it is easy to find spots wild camping
Rejoice at the news that we had a test model of the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV 3 Long. Spec wise it has a total weight of 1.79kg plus 226g for the footprint, so a shade over the 2kg I was after. HV stands for High Volume and this tent has tons of space in it, mind blowing really.
The Flysheet Fabric is a superlight Nylon with a PU backer with taped seams and silicon coated outer. It has a double ripstop finish and 1200mm HH. The Inner is a super light mesh and the floor a PU coated Ripstop Nylon with 1200mm HH. The floor rises quite high on the inner giving plenty of protection from the wind. The large amounts of mesh mean the tent is super breathable and cool in warm weather, combined with the fact the fly sits higher off the ground to allow air flow.
As the floor is so light, and the HH is relatively low for pitching in damp conditions a footprint is recommended which doubles the HH, and protects the sewn in fabric. I would say a must have for most UK use so factor this in to your budget and weight allowances.
This model is 15CM longer and 10CM higher than the standard 3, and just 30g heavier 1.79kg vs 1.76kg! Its massive for such a light tent.
As the Tent pitched inner first it makes splitting the weight easy, and makes packing much easier to, also if the fly is soaking, packing it separately stops everything else getting wet.
In use for the trip we found this tent amazing, really quick to pitch a with tons of space, we loved all the pockets the tents comes with especially the gear lofts, it makes keeping gear organised and separate really easy. We were able to get all our gear in with us, just leaving packs, boots and stove in the vestibules and we did not feel at all cramped.
Having two vestibules was great as we each had our own exit for toilet breaks with out climbing over one another. Another great thing about the design is you can roll the doors right back to enjoy the view easily through the mesh, while keeping the Midges out! The mesh inner is a life saver. Being able to pitch it as a midge shelter on lunch breaks without the rainfly is super useful in the Highlands.
I can’t comment how the tent would perform in bad conditions we had fine weather the whole time with no high winds or heavy rain. A couple of nights were cold, 3-4 degrees, and it felt it as the tent has so much mesh heat escapes quickly! This means in the heat the tent does not feel too sweaty in warmer conditions, but probably would not be great for winter or shoulder season camping. This is a 2 season super light roomy backpacking tent. A 3+ season model is available in the Copper Spur Expedition.
Overall I think there is a tent for most people in the Copper Spur Range, and they are all well sized, 2 people fit a 2 with large Mats and Bags. The finish is excellent on all the models and the space to weight ration is the best I have seen. I would recommend getting into store and seeing one of the Demo models if you can, just give one of our branches a ring.
