Coming in at the #1 spot: The Big Agnes Copper Spur 3.
This is the second of the two new 2011 purchases to make the list. Many of you are familiar with my love for my solo tent, the Tarptent Rainbow. Because I love that tent so much I purchased the Double Rainbow for the times when MrC is backpacking with me. But that tent has never been comfortable for us – there are a lot of issues with the 2 person version that I simply don’t have with the single version. So before our longer backpack this summer I decided I wanted to replace it. After a lot of research I settled on a favorite brand of many of my backpacking friends, Big Agnes. We chose the larger 3 person version for the space and comfort and it was a great choice.
Of all the items on this year’s list this probably has the least use, but I’ve been so happy with it that I had to include it. The reasons I love it?
- Super quick to set up and take down
- Breaks down into multiple pieces (body, fly, poles, stakes) so it is easy to split up into relatively even loads
- The interior space is huge. We can both fit in there with all of our gear with plenty of room to spare. We can sit up, play cards, and move around without annoying each other. It’s a tent that I would be comfortable in for a long time, which is nice when you have to wait out storms.
- The side walls are high enough to keep out blowing dust, rain, or snow.
- Sleeping without the fly is possible and the mesh ceiling of the inner part is fine enough to allow for star gazing.
- We have had little to no condensation issues
- It has doors and vestibules on both sides so we don’t have to crawl over each other to get in.
- It weighs about 4.5 lbs. That’s 2 lb heavier than the Double Rainbow but in our opinion it’s worth it. It’s one of the few sub-5 lb double walled 3 person tents on the market.
Great review Ms. C. Hopefully mighty helpful if nieces & nephews take an interest in bping. Wife, sisters, cousins, other kin? Nah!
It’s interesting how, quite a while ago come to think of it, when hiking with a good bud or two, we’d all use the same tent. Now many, maybe most, take their solo shelters unless with family, sig others, etc. So three buds will pitch three shelters. I even tend to find my own site away from others, reclusing (that’s now officially a word—‘cause I say so) myself there when time for night-night.
Anyway, do you still take your Rainbow when you know you’ll be sleeping alone? If you were to buy another solo shelter, would it be another Rainbow? I’m just curious because I’ve owned Henry’s Contrail for a while now and am becoming a little weary of, IMHO, its pesky nature, pitching and thru-the-night tweaking.
The only reason I got the Contrail instead of the Rainbow was a couple of videos I watched of Rainbows straining contortions in high Sierra winds. I had a tarp, not the best I’m sure but perhaps as strong as sylnylon, rip a long, jagged vent down its ripstop weave a couple decades ago.
So the videos made me wary but now I wish I had gotten input from more folks with Rainbow experience such as yourself.
I’m sorry this got so lengthy. Again, very interesting review, one that I’ll keep for future reference.
Hey Thanks, Jim J;0)
Thanks for the tip on this one. I have the Copper Spur 1 (absolutely love it) and we’re thinking it’s time to get something lighter for the two of us. We’ve had our eye on the Copper Spur 2, but maybe the Copper Spur 3 is the right answer; it’s still way lighter than the old REI half dome that we’re using now.
This is my go-to tent, taking it on multiple backpacking trips up Mount Whitney and in the Chicago Basin in Colorado. It has done excellent in a variety of harsh conditions.
But it truly is a 2-man tent.