The Copper Spur HV UL1 is a very popular tent amongst backpackers – for good reason. Amongst mainstream tents, it is one of the lightest double wall side entry tents available. There are lighter tents out there (think single wall) or lighter double wall tents (think Fly Creek), the Copper Spur is a lightweight and extremely liveable tent.

First of all, the specs. The Copper Spur HV UL1 comes in at 2 lbs 2 oz in weight and has a very liveable interior with a peak height of 38 inches and a floor area of 20 sq feet. The vestibule area is plenty big enough at 9 square feet to take a pack upright.

The floor dimensions are 88 inches long by 38 inches wide at the head end and 28 inches wide at the foot. This means it will take a large sleeping pad, but only just. A large pad will require you to leave most of your gear outside the tent although a few stuff sacks with gear could just make it inside the tent.

For a one man tent, this tent is quite liveable and pleasant to be inside. The colour scheme looks nice and relatively cheery on the inside. The peak height of 38 inches makes this easy to move around in. I am 6’1 and have no problems with the height or length of this tent.

The floor of the tent requires the usual care to be expected of a lightweight tent. Both the floor and the fly are 1200mm waterproof polyurethane coating. You can get an optional groundsheet but I wouldn’t bother. The material is substantially lower denier than one of the tent’s competitors, the MSR Hubba NX but then again it is also substantially lighter.

The inner tent has pockets in user friendly locations and it is superior to the Hubba NX in my view in this regard. There are both side pockets (complete with areas to route headphone cords through) as well as an overhead pocket. This attention to the user experience really makes Big Agnes stand out in my view.

It is easy to get decent ventilation through this tent both in terms of the flexibility with the doors which can be tied back independently as well as ventilation at the rear of the tent with a kickstand vent.

The inner tent came in for a bit of criticism in the previous model for the way the doors opened. As these were in a rainbow zipper configuration, you could end up with the inner doors in the wet ground if you weren’t careful. Big Agnes have gone with a ‘D’ shape inner door on the HV version which is far superior in my view.

The tent comes with DAC aluminium Featherlite NFL poles which are colour coded to the tent inner which makes it very easy to put up. The poles have a good reputation and are tested extensively by the manufacturer both at a test facility and in the real world.

This tent would be reasonably stormworthy if pitched appropriately. The fly comes with guys which enable you to get the tent well anchored down. If the stakes hold and the poles are not subject to excessive cross loads, the tent would hold up well in a storm.

So, would I recommend this tent? I think the Copper Spur is a great tent for a wide variety of usage scenarios from the weekend hiker to a thru-hiker. It is not as light as cuben fibre single wall tents, but it is a liveability factor that makes it second to none.