Big Agnes
Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2
Best use
- Made for
- Backpacking and wild camping
- Not for
- Winter mountain
Why these labels
- Backpacking and wild camping: The maker states this use, and the published specs do not rule it out.
- Winter mountain: 3-season rating, not built for winter storms
From the maker's stated use and the published specs.
- Summer wild camp: 7/10 UK, roughly May to September, nights above about 8 °C, sheltered pitches.
- Three-season hills: 4/10 UK hills in spring and autumn. Wind, rain, and nights near freezing. Capped at 4: needs rain protection 5+.
- Winter camp: 4/10 UK winter or high ground. Below freezing, strong wind, possibly snow. Capped at 4: needs the maker's 4-season rating and wind 7+.
- Weight: 8/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
Two people who want a roomy, freestanding tent at about 1.2 kg for multi-day trips
- Freestanding
- Yes
- Sleeps
- 2
- Seasons
- 3-season
- Min. weight
- 1.18 kg
- Flysheet
- 1,500 mm
- Inner length
- 224 cm
Packed size 4.75 L, 50 cm long and 11 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
About one and a half 2-litre bottles long and about as wide as one. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Alpinetrek £467.46 In stock. Free delivery. Tangelo colour; Lichen Green is £549.95. Free UK delivery from £85.
View at shop: AlpinetrekUltralight Outdoor Gear £474.99 In stock. Free delivery. RRP £549.99 on the page. Free UK delivery over £15.
View at shop: Ultralight Outdoor GearTiso £550 In stock. Free delivery. Free delivery on orders of £50 or more.
View at shop: TisoPrices checked 8 Nov 2026 on each shop's own page; shops can change them. We earn no commission on these links; shops are listed by price. More
Our ratings (out of 10)
1 to 10, compared with the whole market. Each says what it's based on. How we score
Weight
From maker's figures 8/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 8: Clearly better than most.
Big Agnes's trail weight of 1.18 kg is in the 1.0–1.49 kg band (1.37 kg with stakes, guylines and sack). OutdoorGearLab measured 1.16 kg and Ultralight Outdoor Gear 1.24 kg without pegs and bags.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 3/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 3: Below average. Fine for some trips, not others.
Fly 1,500 mm is the 1,500–1,999 band, band 3 (5 out of 10), then one band lower because the floor is also 1,500 mm, under 2,000 mm. Reviewers kept dry in heavy rain, and the fly fabric is said to stretch less when wet.
Wind
From reviews 6/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 6: A bit better than average.
The HyperBead UL2 handled windy nights when pitched taut and guyed out in two established tests. A separate Quebec review reports a sleepless night in strong wind.
Reviewers disagree on this.
Space
From maker's figures 7/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 7: Better than most.
Big Agnes's 2.7 m² inner floor ÷ 2 people = 1.35 m² each, which is the bottom of the 1.35–1.59 band; the floor tapers from 132 cm to 107 cm wide, so it just takes two regular mats. Big Agnes's US figure converts to about 2.69 m², 1.347 each, just under the line, so this is borderline.
Packed size
From maker's figures 8/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 8: Clearly better than most.
Packs to 50 cm long x 11 cm across: 3.1416 x 5.5 x 5.5 x 50 = 4,752 cm³, so 4.75 L, in the 4–6.9 L band (Big Agnes's US figure for the pack size comes to about 4.0 L, the same band).
What reviewers say (out of 10)
Ratings marked * are from reviews and are not part of the trip score. They are reviewers' scores, not our own measurements. How we score
Pitching*
Reviewers' average 7/10How quickly and easily one person can pitch it, including in wind and rain.
3 reviews on pitching, e.g. "it took me about 3 to 5 minutes to fully pitch the tent".
Condensation*
Reviewers' average 7/10How dry it stays inside on still, damp nights; higher is drier.
3 reviews on condensation, e.g. "The thinner rainfly fabric is quite breathable, which helps with condensation and keeps the UL2 from feeling clammy inside.".
In short
Good for
- Two people who want a roomy, freestanding tent at about 1.2 kg for multi-day trips
- One person who wants a lot of space, headroom and storage for a few hundred grams more than a solo tent
- Three-season wild camps where pack weight and pack space matter, ideally with a dry spell to pitch in
Strengths
- Light for a freestanding double-wall tent: 1.18 kg trail weight
- Steep walls and a 102 cm peak make it feel big, with large storage pockets
- Two doors and two vestibules, each able to convert to an awning with trekking poles
- Quick colour-coded pitch you can do alone, and you can pick the tent up and move it before pegging
- Packs small (50 x 11 cm), and the new HyperBead fabric is said to be stronger and more waterproof than the older version
- Can be pitched fly-only with the optional footprint, or inner-only on warm nights
Weaknesses
- Inner goes up first, so it is awkward to pitch in rain
- Thin fabric needs care: clear sharp sticks, and the fly zips can snag when wet or pulled fast
- Fly can lose tension after long rain and need re-tensioning in the night
- Fly and floor are rated only 1,500 mm; the inner is mostly mesh and drafty in cold wind
- Floor tapers from 132 cm to 107 cm wide, so it is snug for two and OutdoorGearLab only fits two with a small amount of kit
- Light stakes (8 supplied): carry a few stronger ones for hard ground
- Only two reviews cover wind and durability for the current tent, so those two are estimates, not reviewed scores
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (9)
- Big Agnes: Copper Spur UL2 ultralight tent specifications (HyperBead, current model)
- Tiso: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 listing (Big Agnes's metric specifications)
- CleverHiker: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 tent review
- OutdoorGearLab: The best backpacking tents of 2026 (Copper Spur UL2 tested; updated June 2026)
- JB Mountain Skills (YouTube): Tent review, Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 vs Naturehike Mongar 2
- Valley and Peak (YouTube): First look, Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 with new HyperBead fabric
- OutdoorGearLab - Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Review
- Gear Reviews - Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 review: room for one in Quebec
- Better Trail: Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 tent review