Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 Ultra Light Tent: 3-Person 3-Season - 2008 BCS

I have yet to find a downside to this tent. I just went on a 5 day trip with 10 other guys and it was by far the bigest, but more importantly it was also the Lightest. Me and my bro were always the first with out tent up and quickest to have it taken down. great in bad weather. The price is the only downside but you pay for the best.

No need to reiterate what everyone else has already said. This tent is awesome. Just got off a short hike on the AT and it worked flawlessly. Tolerated wind, rain, etc without difficulty. Super light. I did switch out the stakes for the MSR Groundhog stakes which are my favorite. First night had bad rain. Next morning still raining, so we connected the rain fly to the footprint, disconnected the tent entirely while still under the rain fly, and we were able to roll up the main body of the tent while keeping it completely dry. Then rolled up the wet footprint and rainfly into a waterproof stuff sack, and went on our way. Highly recommended!

I traded in my Black Diamond Skylight for this tent. The Skylight was such a pain in the butt to set up, and it had only one door. So far I'm very impressed with this tent. Very light for a 3-person, and truly roomy for three (not a glorified 2-person). Best of all was the set-up: my first try I set up this tent in about three minutes, without directions; it's very intuitive. The vestibules are not as roomy as I had hoped, but there are two of them and they're nicely designed. The colors are warm but nicely muted. I'm looking forward to trying just the fly and the footprint for those ultra light adventures when bugs aren't an issue (leave the body behind!).

This is my two-person tent of choice, and although there are a few extra ounces compared to the Big Agnes Fly Creek UL3, the full features and easier pitch make this worth the weight penalty.

There are only two downsides that I can think of. The first is the inherent issue with sil-nylon as it tends to sag when wet. You can still stay completely dry.

My biggest complaint is the configuration of the zipper door -- it would be much better if it zipped like a side-ways U rather than an upside down U. The door zip configuration is about the worst possible, as you'll eventually trip and step all over your door and possible tear some mesh. The Big Agnes Jack Rabbit SL3 and using Featherlite NSL poles rather than the lightweight poles would yield almost the perfect tent (only a tad bit smaller than the Copper Spur UL3) I don't understand why Big Agnes doesn't redesign the doors.

The Copper Spur is a phenomenal tent if you can swallow the price.

Out of all the tents I tried this last year this one was my favorite. Not only is it super simple to set up the first time but once it's up there is plenty'o room with the more vertical sidewalls and tall enough to sit up in without feeling confined. (I' am 6'1") The rain fly once attached is nice and taught and gives excellent coverage and airflow. The cross bar was a little hard to get into the rain fly but once we undid the center hook so we could flex the pole in another direction it went in no problem. Getting in and out of the tent was nice too I thought compared to some other tents out there. This tent just felt solid for as light as it is also and I would not hesitate to take this tent out in anything.

I bought this tent because my wife and I had a girl, and we wanted to bring her backpacking with us. This tent fits three thermarests side by side, making it the equivalent of a giant pack and play for my daughter. It might be a bit cramped for three adults, though. The tent is super light, and once you practice in the living room once or twice, a snap to set up. I haven't had it in a serious storm yet, so that's why my review is preliminary, but this appears to be a very solidly built tent -- what I would expect from BA.

Used this tent for a month in Wyoming, Montana, Canada. Great in the rain. Great in strong wind. Spacious. Unbelievably light. We fit 8 panniers and 2 large dry-bags in the vestibules. I didn't re-seal the seams as I normally do and it was no problem, 14 straight hours of rain didn't leak anywhere.
I couldn't figure out the tensioning things for the fly so just stretched them out to full length when putting the stakes in. Oh, the stakes are good quality too.
I really hesitated spending this much money but am very glad I did.

I've had this tent for 3 years now and think it's the bomb. It holds up great in high winds and weathers heavy rain better than most. Highly recommend.

I've slept in this tent twice now and there are a few things I really like - number one being that it is wicked light for a 3 person tent. I also love how quickly it sets up, and all materials seem very high quality.

It is a bit smaller than I had expected. Sleeping 3 people in it leaves very little room for gear stowage - and the vestibules are quite small. We ended up taking in only the essentials and garbage bagging our packs outside under a tree. I think this size would probably be a great 2 man backpacking tent.

Both times I slept in it there were 3 of us and I was by a door. We didn't have much rain - only a slight misting, but the fly was very wet - from all our breathing I guess. This became a problem as people got out in the middle of the night or morning. As the vestibule was moved drops fell through the bug netting ... right onto my sleeping pad and down bag. The angle of the side walls also makes for very little head room. We've worked hard to really guy out the fly, but this seems more of a design issue to me.

I'm going to give it one more try, but am seriously thinking about returning it even if it means carrying a bit more weight.

This tent weighs just over 4 lbs which is really light for a 3 person tent. It has lots of mesh in the top which provides good ventilation and also has two doors so you don't have to climb over people to get out. Also it has a ton of vestibule space. This is a great backpacking tent for those who like a little more room but still want to go light.

Light weight, spacious, fast and easy setup, adequately durable for a light weight tent, it's a good choice!

The Copper Spur has been a favorite in our employee Gear Closet since day 1. The tent has been used and abused by well over 50 employees and despite being an ultra light tent, it has held up incredibly well. There has been no damage done to it despite, I'm sure, many people's best attempts.

My own time in the tent has been fantastic. The interior space is vast and with the crossbar spreader pole (my name, not theirs) the walls achieve near vertical. The bathtub floor that comes up the side a few inches has kept water and dirt out of the tent in some pretty nasty weather. If you need to hunker down and ride a storm out, the fly provides excellent protection but also allows for good airflow. I can't ask for anything more from a tent. I love you Copper Spur

I've used this tent a couple of times now, and fall more and more madly in love with it each time. It's easy to set up, light weight and compact when packed, and the mesh ceiling keeps you from feeling confined on dry, but mosquito--ridden nights. My only complaint with the tent is the cross pole that holds the tent roof up stick out and can be dangerous. Without the fly on to contain them, they are hard to see but could potentially do some damage. However, this tent is well worth this minor hazard.

This past weekend I went camping in the High Uintas. I am happy to say the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 held up well for the 16 straight hours of rain, freezing rain, hail, and snow. The tent has my confidence now after surviving more weather than it was designed for. The tent is easy to pack because of the light weight, and sets up easily with the color coded attachments. I thought the stakes were strong, and easy to put in and out of the ground with a rock. The drawstring feature adjustment for the rain fly was fast to adjust for the length, matching the various ground space in a flash. The vestibule did well under tremendous weight of heavy wet snow. The doors to the tent also held up well to quick exists, and dogs wanting to come in & out. What else can I say? The Copper Spur won me over. The only thing I would change is the color, I wish it was green instead of orange.

I originally bought this tent for backpacking with my dogs. It's light and exceptionally roomy. I also used it for a 3-day Stevens-Snoqulamie PCT traverse with a friend. The idea was to split it up between us but for various reasons I wound up carrying the whole tent myself. It was light and compact enough that it was not a problem. I have also used the tent to camp with a friend and our three dogs - a Vizsla and two Australian Shepherds. That was cosy but with the vestibule space we were able keep our gear outside in the generous vestibule space. Almost all trips I have used this tent for I experienced hard rain but was always dry inside.

This tent is great. It's very roomy. I always subtract 1 from how many people a tent says it can hold, but I could probably be OK with three in this tent. Plus for it's size it is ridiculously light weight. I can't recommend this enough.

This tent is so compactable . It was the lightest, most important part of our camping trip. The tent is super easy to set up. It took the two of us about ten minutes... and about five to take apart. Best investment made this year.

The Copper Spur is an extremely lightweight and roomy tent. I used it for car camping and we were able to fit a full air mattress, two people and our gear with plenty of room. For backpacking, this could easily fit three people. The vestibules offer plenty of space for gear. The set up is completely painless. I have yet to use the tent without the fly (which is also foolproof to put on) but I am sure it will be a great summer tent to view the stars in.

Probably the easiest tent i've ever had to set up. One person could set 'er up in a pinch and let their partner(s) crack the first bevies after a long day. But then that wouldn't be very sporting. The two door design is a plus if you plan to fill this tent to capacity, and the burly bathtub floor can take a beating without the need to really worry about scrapes causing rips. a mesh upper makes the Copper Spur UL3 eminently livable in warm weather, and stay-secured vents give your squad a bit of fresh air when the fly is up. Only downfall is some annoying squeakage between the poles and clips on windy nights. Otherwise this is a lightweight palace for most weather.

I'm not sure that there is a better option out there for a lightweight 3 person backpacking tent than the Big Agnes Copper Spur. The Copper Spur handled myself, my 6'5" friend and all our gear for a week with room to pare. It sets up easily, feels very roomy, and the space to weight ratio is amazing. When you can carry a 3 person tent for the weight of the 2 person, why wouldn't you? Grab a Copper Spur and enjoy the space.

I love this Big Agnes tent. As mentioned by others, I dont want to say all the same stuff over and over, but read the other reviews. My favorite thing about this tent besides the weight is that it basically sets itself up. I tried a little experiment and could literally snap the poles together with one hand my shaking it in the air. Super fast setup and with only two poles super simple as well.

The only downside is with the color and lightweight material of the fly, the moonlight will illuminate the crap out of this tent. Sometimes I feel like I am in a snowglobe or something because the moonlight will come through and light up the tent. Bad thing if you need total darkness to sleep, but its not so bad that I would trade this tent for any other backpacking tent out there.

Each time I use this tent I like it even more. Equally great for car camping or backpacking, this tent is easy to set up (first time in the dark and in the rain < 3 minutes)and delivers a dry night's sleep. I purchased the footprint also which works perfectly and is also extremely light. I've used it in dry western conditions and in the rain on the AT and have had no condensation problems with two people. My only slight complaint is that if it's raining it's hard to get in and out of the vestibule without getting wet, as the profile is so close to the tent.

Ridiculously lightweight. Very roomy. Double entrances. Very very easy to set up. What more could you ask for in a tent!?

So I camped in this tent for a week and I loved it. It's super easy to set up and take down and it's small packing size makes it convenient for already cramped camping trips. It has plenty of interior room for a two man tent and is pretty comfortable for chillin in. The only down side i can think of is that one of the two poles required to set up this tent runs directly over the exits making it a little awkward to exit the tent. On the whole though I would definitely rec this tent to anyone looking for a comfortable lightweight, easy setup, easy packing tent.

The Big Agnes Copper Spur UL3 Tent is awesome. Very light weight and a great size for a 3 person tent. Super easy and quick to set up and take down. If there is only two of you you will be amazed how much space you have. The only other thing I would like to see on this tent would be some internal mesh pockets and a gear attic. That's my only complaint and I would recommend this tent without reservation.

Big Agnes Copper Spur I found to be lite with nice feature. The dual doors make it very nice you do not have to worry about tripping over another person to make a quick morning exit to see a man about a horse. I did not set this tent up before heading out on my backpacking trip. I did not set this tent up before my adventure and was able to set it up without much of an issue. The clips for the pulls have a nice angle to them which makes it easy to setup. I also likes the stakes for this tent also lite but strong.

At first I bought infamous REI 3 person, but I returned since it's small and the quality is so cheap. The quality of this tent is much better than REI and my previous tent, MSR hubba. I think it's too expensive, but there is no other choice for now if quality, weight and size concerned.