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FALL 2018 ISSUE 02 / VOL . 03
graded on a curve
PRODUCT REVIEWS
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 Tent
BACK IN 2013 , I bought a Big Agnes Fly Creek UL2 Tent to use as nightly shelter during a week on the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route . I chose the Fly Creek because it ’ s ultra light ( that ’ s what the “ UL ” stands for ), weighing just 3 pounds including the optional footprint , and packs small . Setup is easy and the two-person size ( that ’ s what the “ 2 ” stands for ) provides plenty of floor space for my sleeping pad / bag and riding gear . The Fly Creek has served me well for the past five years , but it has two downsides : it doesn ’ t offer much headroom inside and there ’ s only one door , which is located at the narrow end of the tent .
For a recent moto camping trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon , I tried another lightweight Big Agnes tent , the Copper Spur HV UL2 . Compared to the Fly Creek , it has a bit more floor space ( 29 square feet vs . 28 ) and two additional inches of interior height ( 40 inches vs . 38 ), but the usable interior space is much larger (“ HV ” stands for high volume ) because the Copper Spur is shaped like a boxy dome rather than the Fly Creek ’ s triangular wedge shape . The Copper Spur also has two doors — one on each
PHOTO BY KEVIN WING