Anyone know how this tent compares to the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2? I'm looking for anyone with firsthand experience. :)

I can't compare the two, but I thought my experience with the copper spur 2 would be helpful. This is my 3rd year with the copper spur 2. Once inside it's a solid tent. Comfortable for 2, good vestibule space, easy set-up, and lightweight. I want to love this tent, and I do like it a lot; but I have a number of complaints (one quite major), so it's going back to the store today. 1) It's very crinkly noisy in the wind. 2) Too much condensation for me (w/one person, lows in the 30s). 3) The doorways open from side to side making a 1/2 circle (diameter at the base). This means you have to open most of the door to make enough space to enter/exit (I'm 5'5", 130lb), so "squeezing in" is pretty impossible. This is a pain. I could see the point if there was only one door at the head of the tent and one person might have a harder time with a side hinge, but both sides have their own door. What makes entering/exiting even more tricky is that the "hinge" lies horizontally above the "tub" and requires stepping over an approx. 6-8" lip. This wouldn't be such a big deal if it weren't for the fact that as you carefully step over the lip, you must *also* keep your head and back low to avoid standing up into the tent-high pole that crosses the width of the tent and extends approximately 10" from each side wall - annoying and tricky when 1/2 awake and needing to pee!! 4) The fly just ripped in two places - each near where the horizontal pole fits into it - the fit is extremely tight (too tight in my opinion) and I imagine there has simply been too much pressure on this part of the fly. So... on one side there is a little torn hole and on the other an entire 2x5" rectangular flap tore away from the fly. I should add, although the fly has been exposed to heat and cold and has been packed tightly at times, I am careful to air dry it in the mornings and after each trip; and I store it loosely in a cool, dry hall closet. After the rips, not only do I distrust the material, my confidence in Big Agnes has been greatly shaken.

Thank you for the help Jon! That was a great summary of the technical differences. It helped put things in perspective. And I think you are right; they are both great tents that will serve me well. I think also that when we get to making these high end gear choices that we tent to split a lot of unnecessary hairs that may not even be noticeable in actual use. I will check out the Sky Ledge 2.1 and see how it stacks up. :)

Jerry. I've got firsthand experience with the Helion but not the Copper Spur. Here are a few differences between the two tents: For starters the Helion is 2oz. lighter. It packs smaller (6x18 vs. 7x20). The Copper Spur has one inch more head room. The Helion has one door and the Copper Spur has two. Copper Spur 29sqft. vs the Helion with 28sqft. The Copper Spur uses DAC featherlight poles. The Helion? Atlas UL Poles... and it is my opinion that the Atlas poles are stronger and easier to repair in the field due to the floating connectors. The Copper Spur uses ripstop nylon in the floor and the fly... both with a 1200mm PU coating. The Helion uses a Hollow Core Nylon fly and a 30D nylon taffeta floor with a 3000mm coating. The Copper Spur is a 'Hub' tent and the Helion is not. The Helion has hoops (to save weight) that the poles are threaded through... the Copper Spur has clips. Both are great tents and will treat you well. Another tent to consider from Mountain Hardwear would be the Sky Ledge 2.1 Hope this info helps