Going beyond "lightweight"—"Lightweight and spacious, but not just that"—Big Agnes' Copper Spool UL1 tent, with masterful details, sets a new standard for comfort [Practical Review]
Written by Yasushi Hisatomi
Recently, Outdoor Gearzine has been holding a lot of tent camping events, and when we ask participants, "What kind of tent do you want?", we are surprised to see that many people say "spacious (or, more accurately, "spacious and light")" before saying "light."
Of course, if you listen closely, everyone will say that "lightness" is important, but behind this statement lies a clear, unspoken understanding that "lightness is a given." With the rapid progress made in the 21st century in reducing the weight of tents and all other mountain gear, we are reminded that people's desires have shifted from the "lightest possible" desire to an era in which comfort of living space is more important than lightness. Mountaineering is no longer seen as an "adventure" or "adventure" as it once was, but as one of many variations on travel, an extension of people's daily lives. This trend is evident in the fact that all new outdoor tents released around the world in recent years have prioritized a balance between comfort and lightness, rather than simply focusing on "lightness."
Amid this trend, the backpacking tent we're most excited about this season is the new Big Agnes Copper Spool UL1, a Developed for hikers and climbers who prioritize lightweight design without sacrificing livability, ease of setup, or ease of use, this mountain tent has been reborn this season. Having had the chance to try it out on various mountain trips this season, we'd like to share our review.
table of contents
Main Features of Big Agnes "Copper Spool UL1"
The Big Agnes Copper Spool UL1 is a freestanding, double-walled mountaineering tent that offers both lightweight portability and comfort. It solves the common tent dilemma faced by hikers and mountaineers: choose a lightweight, lightweight tent or a heavy, comfortable one. Its unique hub structure and sub-pole design create nearly vertical walls, creating a vast headroom. Interior storage, including a unique large 3D mesh pocket ideal for organizing small items and providing lantern space, offers a spacious and comfortable living space unimaginable for its light weight. Furthermore, its larger-than-average vestibule and unique trekking pole-mounted awning system provide ample cooking space and the ability to enjoy the view even in rainy weather, providing a level of comfort that can only be found in this tent.
This season's update also features a newly developed proprietary material, "HyperBead™ Fabric," which significantly improves performance, including improved waterproofness and strength, while being lighter than previous models. Other features, such as high breathability to prevent condensation and ease of setup and teardown, have been carefully considered down to the smallest detail, making it perfect for modern hikers who want maximum comfort and livability without sacrificing lightness.
Favorite points
- Amazingly spacious living space thanks to groundbreaking spatial design
- One of the lightest freestanding double-wall tents
- Thoughtful interior storage
- A spacious vestibule equipped with an awning system
- It is a freestanding tent that can be set up anywhere, and is designed to be easy to use even for beginners.
- Highly waterproof HyperBead™ fabric
- Double-wall design provides excellent ventilation and prevents condensation.
Points that interest me
- High price
- The wind resistance and water resistance are not that high, so compared to conventional mountain tents, there are concerns about their performance in extreme storms (they are not designed for winter or harsh mountain climbing).
- Attaching the Velcro on the inside of the flysheet to the poles is a bit of a hassle
Main Specifications and ratings
| Item name | Big Agnes Copper Spool UL1 |
|---|---|
| Number of people to sleep | 1 person |
| Minimum weight | 911 g (inner, fly, poles) |
| gross weight | 1090 g (liner, fly, poles, guy lines, stuff sack, 11 pegs) |
| Fry material | HyperBead™, 15D recycled ripstop nylon with a 1500mm waterproof coating (PFAS-free) |
| Main body and floor material |
|
| Pole material | DAC Featherlight NFL and NSL |
| Indoor size | Length 2.24 m × Width 0.71 – 0.97 m × Height 0.97 m |
| Number of entrances and exits | 1 on the long side |
| Storage size | Φ11×45cm |
| Floor area | 1.9 ㎡ |
| Front room area | 0.8 ㎡ |
| Outdoor Gearzine Review | |
| Living comfort | ★★★★★★ |
| Ease of setup and removal | ★★★★☆ |
| Weather Resistant | ★★★★☆ |
| Durability | ★★★☆☆ |
| weight | ★★★★☆ |
| Portability | ★★★★☆ |
| Versatility | ★★★★★ |
Detailed review
It's one of the lightest freestanding tents out there, yet it's surprisingly spacious and comfortable to live in.
When you first unpack your new Copper Spool UL1, you'll be impressed by the smart, user-friendly storage. Inside the package are the inner tent, fly, poles (including a repair pole), guy lines, and 11 pegs, all packed in a large, accessible EZ Pack stuff sack (see photo below).
When you pack all of this into a stuff sack, some people might think at first glance that the storage size is a bit too big (see photo below), but in reality this is fine, or rather, "this is good."
Anyone who's used a tent in the mountains knows how much easier it is to set up and take down a tent with a spacious stuff sack and a large opening like this. Traditional cylindrical stuff sacks, which you can cram into as tightly as possible, may look smaller, but if the tent is slightly wet or dirty, it can be difficult to pack, making a big difference in the amount of work required. Furthermore, a large, flexible stuff sack makes it easier to fill gaps in a backpack (and of course, it still has a compression closure for compacting). While the secret is in the details, truly excellent gear often pays attention to these small details.
The total weight of all these parts combined is 1090g. The minimum weight (tent, fly, and poles only) is 911g. This weight is more than 200g lighter than the Mont-Bell Stellaridge the Zain Arts Yar 1, lightest tents recently, at 860g, it is clear that this is one of the lightest freestanding double-wall tents.
Of course, single-wall trekking pole shelters that are the ultimate in ultra-lightweight style often weigh in at around 500g, but the concept of this shelter is fundamentally different, and the living comfort and functionality (which I will explain below) are completely different, so I would like to make it clear that it should not be compared on an equal footing.
A uniquely comfortable space that can only be experienced in this tent
When you hear about a one-person tent that maintains this level of lightness, you might imagine a small, cramped space where the walls feel like they're right up to your face. However, the Copper Spur UL1 offers a comfortable living space that's hard to imagine considering its weight, and this is undoubtedly its greatest strength, something that no other tent can match. The secret lies in its unique pole structure (see photo below).
The clever pole structure, with its pre-bent poles and angled hubs, maximizes living space with minimal weight.
Big Agnes has a long-standing relationship with DAC, a leading tent pole manufacturer, and worked with the company's founder and legendary designer, Jake Lahr, to develop a unique hubbed pole structure for this tent.
While traditional freestanding tents typically have two crossed poles, this tent's hub structure connects multiple poles at key points, allowing all four side walls to be raised almost vertically from the ground. The interior height is 97cm, so your head won't get stuck. This creates a vast amount of headroom above the shoulders, significantly reducing the feeling of pressure around the face that you might experience with traditional dome tents, making the interior feel even more spacious than its floor area suggests. What's more, this pole structure also contributes to minimizing weight, which is a neat touch.
The end walls of the tent also rise almost vertically, making it not only spacious but also preventing your sleeping bag from touching the sagging wall when you sleep.
The tent is nearly 1m wide, about the same width as a typical solo tent, yet it feels almost as spacious as a compact two-person tent.
Although I wasn't able to try it out this time, this tent can be set up in "Fast Fly" mode on warm, sunny days by omitting the inner tent and using only the flysheet and footprint (sold separately) (see photo below). In this case, the weight can be reduced to just 737g. This means that users can adjust the balance between comfort and weight to a considerable extent with just this one tent, depending on the purpose of their trip and the conditions.
However, it's important to note that the more vertical the tent's side walls are, the more difficult it is to deflect the wind. Of course, this tent has taken this into consideration to some extent, and although the side walls are upright, it is a very stable dome-shaped tent, the hubbed pole structure is flexible, the flysheet is angled, and it comes with guy lines to increase stability, so it's not particularly vulnerable to wind. It seems like it would be able to withstand normal three-season mountaineering without any problems, but it's important to note that it's not designed to be strong enough to be taken out safely on full-scale alpine or winter mountain climbing, such as variation routes or winter traverses.
Convenient and ingenious internal storage
If you look at the ceiling above your feet in the mesh inner tent, you will see an extra-large wedge-shaped storage bag (or more like a shelf) called the "3D Bin Pocket," which is something I have never seen in any mountain tent before (see photo below).
You can easily throw in your smartphone, headlamp, sunglasses, lighter, towels, etc. here, and you can even place your headlamp here to use as a lantern. You can even dry wet clothes there. I've never seen such convenient storage space as standard before, and it's on a completely different level of convenience than the small pockets in other tents.
By the way, there are two other small mesh pockets on the other side (see photo below). With just these, you'll have no problem with internal storage.
A spacious vestibule that can be used as an awning for comfortable relaxation
But that's not all that makes this tent so incredibly comfortable. Another innovative feature of the Copper Spur UL1 its awning-style vestibule .
Next to the large entrance on the long side for easy access, there is a spacious vestibule on the right, providing enough space to protect a backpack and dirty hiking boots from the rain (photo below).
In addition, there are two zippers on the front of the door, and by using trekking poles (sold separately) to flip up the tip of the fly, the space in front of the entrance can be expanded into a porch with an awning (see photo below).
This not only allows you to cook comfortably while avoiding the sun and rain, but also opens up the entrance and provides shade for relaxing, making it a versatile tent. It's convenient and expands the ways you can enjoy your trip, and I was impressed by this thoughtful feature that I had never seen before. After all, how could anyone come up with such a unique feature in a mountain tent?
Personally, I welcome this kind of playfulness. Moreover, this function is not just playful, but can be called a surprisingly "groundbreaking structure" in the sense that it expands the vestibule, which was previously only a place to store luggage, into a living space in the tent.
If you don't use trekking poles, the vestibule door can be rolled up completely to create an open mesh.
The vestibule and door can be opened to this extent using a toggle. The inner door is also equipped with a door keeper that can be quickly secured without rolling up, making it easy to enter and exit.
Breathability and ventilation are also good
It's difficult to completely eliminate condensation in any tent, and condensation is a troubling problem for hikers. The Copper Spur UL1 is double-walled, and the inner tent has a mesh upper structure, so it's basically resistant to condensation. However, the fact that it also has an effective ventilation system means this tent offers peace of mind against condensation.
For example, the flysheet has a large Velcro vent above it that can be held open with a clamp, ensuring good ventilation even when it's raining (see photo below). The rainfly's zipper can be opened from either the top or bottom, so you can also open the top to let warm air escape. These features combined meant that during testing, we didn't experience any discomfort or worry about condensation, even in humid conditions.
The large, covered ventilation openings do not become blocked by the weight of the fabric caused by rain or other factors, providing excellent breathability at all times.
Setup and teardown: Detailed functions designed to make setup easy for anyone
The Copper Spur UL1 has been a national favorite for many years, and its lightness and comfort aren't the only reasons. Its numerous smart, well-thought-out features make it easy for even beginners to use. For example, the TipLok Tent Buckle ™ (pictured below), located at each corner of the tent, combines three functions—stake-down points, pole fastening, and flysheet attachment—into a single part. Also, the color-coded pole and clip system makes pitching the tent easy by simply matching the same colored poles and clips. These are just a few of the features carefully crafted with beginners in mind.
The TipLok Tent Buckle™ combines three functions into one part: securing the poles, securing the pegs, and attaching the flysheet. The color of the poles and this part are the same gray, making it difficult to mix up the types of connections.
the Copper Spur UL1 freestanding, hanging hook structure means it can be set up on any surface, and in some cases, even without pegs , making it extremely simple to set up and quick and stress-free, even after an exhausting hike (see photo below).
To set up, ① secure the four corners with pegs, ② set up the poles, ③ hang and secure the hooks on the inner tent, ④ put on the rain fly, ⑤ fasten the poles and fly with Velcro, and ⑥ peg down the last remaining space to complete the setup.
Weather resistance: Improved waterproofing, yet lighter and stronger for even greater protection
No matter how light, comfortable, and easy to use a tent is, it can't be used safely if it isn't strong enough to withstand the harsh outdoor environment. The last thing to check is how strong the tent is against rain and wind. In this regard, it's worth noting that the performance of this tent has been significantly improved thanks to the adoption of HyperBead™, a
This fabric, used for the bottom of the inner tent and the fly sheet, is made from a more environmentally friendly material and is about 6% lighter than the fabric of the previous model, while offering approximately 25% better waterproofing and 50% stronger performance. What's even more amazing is that the PFAS-free water repellent applied to the fabric does not deteriorate over time, meaning that it has been officially announced that its high water repellency does not need to be reapplied. While we weren't able to conduct a durability test, the water repellency was certainly impressive (see photo below). Of course, all seams are seam-taped.
However, the water resistance of the fabric itself is a little low at 1500mm, which is a bit concerning, but in reality, due to its high water repellency, steep side walls, and the fabric's tendency to not sag even when wet, rain always runs off without accumulating on the fly, and in field tests it prevented water from seeping in better than this specification suggests.
Summary: I've been waiting for a tent like this. A three-season tent, the ultimate destination for those who don't want to give up on lightness, comfort, or ease of use.
the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL stand out from other tents isn't its outstanding features, but the perfect combination of its top-class lightness, ease of setup, spacious living space thanks to its advanced pole structure and storage system, the latest water-repellent HyperBead™ fabric introduced in this season's model, and a host of unique and original features designed for ease of use.
Of course, it's not superior in every way to traditional freestanding dome tents for mountaineering that have existed up until now. If you're looking to do hard mountaineering in harsher environments, there are probably better options than this tent. However, for many modern hikers and mountaineering enthusiasts who enjoy everything from low mountain hikes in the snow-free season to long trails and even multi-night traverses of the Alps, this tent is an unrivaled and optimal choice in that it offers exceptional lightness without sacrificing comfort, livability, or weather resistance. Due to exchange rates, it's not exactly an affordable price, but its high quality and unparalleled performance make it well worth it.
Hikers who prioritize a comfortable tent experience and are looking for the perfect balance of lightness and comfort should definitely check this out.
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