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Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Tent Review

Use: Ideal for lightweight camping and backpacking

Price Weight Durability Ease of Use
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Price reflects the quality of the tent Very lightweight Three season and good durability against wind and rain Fast to erect and spacious but let down by the zip

Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Tent

Review: What I like

  • Seriously lightweight and the inside has a huge amount of space – and two doors!
  • Withstood extreme winds and rain in Patagonia
  • Fast to put up and packs down very small making it an excellent backpacking tent

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Review: What I don’t like

  • It’s made of very thin material – so watch you don’t snag the zip when closing it
  • Inner mesh isn’t particularly warm (but great for stargazing!)
  • The material holds the rain making it (slightly) heavier to carry when its wet

Or buy on Amazon

Big Agnes Copper Spur backpacking tent pitched in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia

Summary

If you’re looking for a backpacking tent that’s spacious, light, packs small and will survive the elements (even in Patagonia!), then look no further than the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2. 

How we used the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2

Why there’s nothing worse than an overly heavy rucksack 

We’ve all been there: we’ve all overpacked our rucksacks and paid the price with sore shoulders, aching feet and the fact that you spend more time concentrating on the heavy load on your back than on the scenery in front of you. I like hiking but I don’t like regretting the weight I’m carrying. 

That’s what I was desperate to avoid with my recent trip hiking in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. We’d chosen to trek the nine-day Full Circuit or ‘O’ and wanted our focus to be on the incredible landscapes rather than on our rucksacks.

Hikers on the O Circuit trail in Torres del Paine National Park with the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Tent Review
 Our bags at the beginning of the trek. Believe me, we had some of the lightest rucksacks!

I’m not going to lie, when we started on our trek in Chilean Patagonia, we saw a lot of others on the trail weighed down with huge – and heavy – rucksacks. My boyfriend had admitted to me before I’d left that when he packed for the ‘O’ in Torres del Paine National Park, he ended up carrying roughly 30kg of gear on his back. 30kg. Over the John Gardner Pass. Ouch.

We didn’t want to do the same. And while we knew that we could reduce the weight of food we were carrying (read this guide to exactly what food we packed with us for our nine-day hike in Torres del Paine National Park), there’s nothing you can do if your basic equipment – i.e. your tent – is overly heavy or bulky.

Making careful, practical choices about the equipment you pack

I’m not going to go into detail here about exactly everything I packed in my backpack (instead, read this equipment list for hiking the Torres del Paine O Circuit) but what I will say is that the best decision we made was researching and investing in a new, lightweight backpacking tent.

We chose the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2, possibly the top backpacking tent available on the market.

At over $400 (£309) she was an investment, but Big Aggie, as she came to be known, was worth every penny. 

Is the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 right for you?

Big agnes copper spur hv UL2 in use in Patagonia
Big Agnes without her outer layer.

Instead, you’ve got a couple of options: check out the Terra Nova Zephyros, a two person tent that I’ve camped all over Patagonia and South America with – another great lightweight option and one that at around $160/£117 doesn’t break the bank. Unfortunately, it’s hard to get hold of outside of the UK. 

For those in the US or Canada looking for something a little more budget-friendly, check out the two-person sized North Face Stormbreak 2 (available on REI|Backcountry) or the slightly roomier, three-person sized North Face Stormbreak 3 (available on REI|Amazon).

If you’ve keen to invest in a tent that’s not only so light that you barely notice you’re carrying it (seriously, I ended up having Big Agnes in my rucksack on day three and she’s so light I genuinely didn’t notice the extra weight) and one that will be perfect for any other adventures you have in Patagonia (or anywhere else in the world), then the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 is for you.

For what you get for the money, she is one of the top lightweight backpacking tents on the market.

Big agnes copper spur hv UL2 in use in Patagonia
Big Agnes in use in Torres del Paine National Park

I’m not going to lie: if you’re only planning on hiking and camping once or twice on your travels in Patagonia or South America and you want something cheap, cheerful and that’ll do the job, Big Agnes just isn’t the tent you’re looking for.

Full Specification

Seasons:3
Sleeps: 2
Weight: 1.4 kg (3 lbs. 1 oz)
Floor Area: 2.7m² (29-sq. feet)
Vestibule Area (area between the inner and outer parts of the tent): 0.8m² (9-square feet) outside both doors (e.g. enough space to fit your rucksack and hiking boots).
Height: 1m (40 inches)
Number of Doors: 2

Full Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Review

We were pleased as punch with Big Aggie on our trip hiking the Circuit in Torres del Paine National Park. The main areas that really impressed us were:

The Positives

Weight and Spaciousness

  • The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 tent is seriously lightweight but also incredibly spacious. One of the biggest selling points is that there are TWO doors. This means you can easily get out for a wee during the night without waking the other person!
  • It’s also tall enough that you can sit up inside the tent and have enough room to get dressed and pack away your stuff. Thanks to its 2.7m² (29-square foot) floor, there’s enough space for both of you to be doing this at the same time – but I always opted for an extra ten minutes in bed…
The Big Agnes pitched up next to our Wild Country tent – the latter of which has unfortunately been discontinued. 

Durability

  • This tent was impressively durable. She withstood high winds – although I wouldn’t want to pitch Big Agnes somewhere where there isn’t at least a bit of vegetation cover. 
  • It withstood the rain, even when it poured down one night. Although this made it a lot heavier to carry the following morning, the tent dried exceptionally quickly in the wind when it was put up the next day.

Ease of Use

  • Very quick to put up and take down, (although we recommend you attach the groundsheet to the inner with cable ties as this makes it a lot easier to pitch in windy conditions). There are three poles that are quickly attached to the inner before you can get the outer on but even in rainy conditions this takes very little time. Thanks to the mesh inner, it’s always very quick to dry, either in the sun, wind or with the help of a towel.
  • I didn’t realise this until about day five of using this tent, but the guy ropes have a reflective trim so it’s easy to locate if you’ve nipped out to the toilet in the night!
  • The tent bag has a bit of extra room which means that when you roll it up, it doesn’t have to be perfect (my biggest bug bear for the – otherwise – incredible Terra Nova Zephyros)
  • Bonus feature: the inner is fully made of mesh, meaning if you’re camping somewhere warm (i.e not Patagonia in early autumn) you can leave the outer layer off and enjoy the stars!

But there are some things that while they weren’t enough to put us off buying the tent (and didn’t cause us too many problems while we were using it), they’re still worth considering.

The Things to Consider

Ease of Use

  • The zips catch a lot and given how thin the material is, you need to be very careful that you don’t tear the outer layer.
  • The same goes for the floor (and why it’s essential you cable tie it to the inner first).
  • Because the inner is made mainly of mesh, it’s not the warmest tent I’ve ever slept it – make sure you have a good sleeping bag, particularly if sleeping near a glacier as we were in Torres del Paine National Park!

Price

  • Big Agnes is more expensive than other backpacking tents. However, given what is included in this specification, it’s unlikely you’ll be finding anything much cheaper that is as lightweight and roomy.
Big agnes copper spur hv UL2 in use in Patagonia
The Big Agnes Copper Spur pitched up in Campamento Seron in Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia.

Conclusion

The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 is not the cheapest tent available on the market, but she’s a seriously worthy investment.

For this weight, there are few other backpacking tents available that are in a lower price range. The most recommendable are the North Face Stormbreak 2 (available on REI|Backcountry) or the slightly larger North Face Stormbreak 3 (available on REI|Amazon).

That said, we were seriously impressed and are looking forward to our next adventures with Big Aggie! Buy her on REI, Backcountry or Amazon.

If you found this review of the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 useful, make sure you pin it

Get expert guidance on the most ultralight and durable backpacking tents for hiking and camping with this honest review of the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2, a spacious tent for two people and a great option for camping in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia #patagonia #Backpackingtents #2persontents #backpackingtentultralight #backpackingtenthiking
Get expert guidance on the most ultralight and durable backpacking tents for hiking and camping with this honest review of the Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2, a spacious tent for two people and a great option for camping in Torres del Paine National Park, Patagonia #patagonia #Backpackingtents #2persontents #backpackingtentultralight #backpackingtenthiking
 

Emma

Thursday 11th of October 2018

This is so helpful i also love your website. So- I am very torn- I had not considered the agnes before, had also looked at the MSR tent range. I am planning to teach in Chile next year and explore Patagonia/ wherever else I can go ... as my budget is pretty tight I was thinking a tent was a good investment instead of hiring... however i remain torn between a more expensive option or the zephros... anyway if this makes any sense whatsoever, do you have any more thoughts which may sway me? I am hoping to take a small pack which extends to 40L and purchase teaching gear once in Santiago to save room.

Steph Dyson

Friday 12th of October 2018

Hi Emma, how exciting that you're going to be teaching in Chile! And yes, I think having a tent is a sensible idea and should save you a lot when it comes to accommodation costs. I had the Zephyros for most of my time in South America and I found it great. It was certainly a bit heavier than the Big Agnes and smaller, but it worked for me. That said, it's not ideal for more than one person (prepare to be very cosy!) so if you do think it's likely you'll end up camping with another person quite a bit then you might want to consider the Big Agnes or even a larger version of the Zepyros (which I'm pretty sure they still sell). Both of these tents have survived Patagonian wind, rain and storms so I can guarantee that they're a good investment, either way. I really hope that helps and gives you some more info to mull over before you buy! Have a great time in Chile! Steph

Alisa Tank

Tuesday 2nd of May 2017

I'm glad you loved the Big Agnes! I do have a comment about the REI Half Dome 2 Plus. I bought this tent and had to return it because it was TERRIBLE in windy conditions. The rain fly was impossible to cinch tight so it flapped incessantly and sand easily blew up inside the tent. Also, it has these little vents that can't be closed, meaning heavy rain can seep in. I've also read reviews of people having poles snap. I would instead propose the North Face Stormbreak 3, which is very similar in size, price, and design. I love it, it's pretty darn amazing in wind, and it's super roomy. (Of course, both are twice as heavy as the Big Agnes, but well... that's why they're half the price!)

Steph Dyson

Tuesday 2nd of May 2017

Oh no, thanks for the information! I was going off some other reviews but that is definitely useful to know. I will definitely check out the North Face though! :)