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  1. #81
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    I'm the OP. With all the information folks posted here, I bought the Copper Spur 1 about a month ago. I hope to use it on the AT in about two weeks.

    I didn't buy the footprint, but I'm thinking about getting a durable, think ground tarp. Somewhere in these four pages, one or two of you had a suggestion for something that could be bought in a hardware store. If anybody knows (saving me the time of reading through these pages), I'm interested.

    Thank you for your help.

  2. #82

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    You're referring to polycro, aka window cling film.

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AXON8C/

  3. #83
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    Typo in preceding post: "thin" ground tarp.

  4. #84

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    any plastic sheet will do the job.

    i cut down one of these to fit under my tent....

    https://www.amazon.com/Bearhard-Emer...NsaWNrPXRydWU=


    .

  5. #85

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    There's nothing wrong with that as a ground cloth, but it's a one pound item. More appropriate for car camping than backpacking.

  6. #86
    Registered User Crossup's Avatar
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    While any plastic will do polycro is crinkly sounding and slippery. Tyvek is a very popular material with little to no crinkle, is radically puncture proof and is sold online in precut sizes- especially for the Big Agnes tents. They are often sold as DIY footprint kits with stick on straps and grommets. Tyvek is sold in most big box stores like Homedepot but in large pieces.
    That said, without buckles you can not use DIY ground clothes as Bug Agnes Fast Fly setups in windy conditions as the fly has nothing to attach to since Big Agnes flies dont have frame fasteners in general(some like the Fly Creek have a single velcro tab in the middle). I have personally used the Fast Fly setup a few times to beat rainstorms. My method is to lay out the footprint, pile my gear onto it, plug in the frame to the footprint grommets then snap on the fly. That process takes about 2 minutes from the time I open my backpack. From inside the fly I go corner to corner removing the fly from the clip/buckle and grommet and introduce the inner tent straps followed by clipping it to the frame. So if you can beat the heavy rain by 2 minutes you can pitch your Big Agnes while being sheltered.

    Just to be clear, I like polycro, it makes a nice tarp but is known for having the characteristic of tearing easily once started and pretty much requires edging like duct tape(lol, I did use DUCK tape). Here is a large polycro tarp I made to shelter my mountain bike for backpacking, I tested it as a tent shelter for my Fly Creek and found it was a huge failure as it captured all the moisture escaping from the Fly Creek and then dripped it back on the tent which made it wetter than if not covered. So it basically caused it to rain on my tent in dry conditions.

    20181019_183253_LLS.jpg

  7. #87
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    Final Report from the OP: I used my new BA Copper Spur 1 on six-day, 100-mile trip from Lickskillet to Dragons Tooth, VA, over the past week. Very satisfied. Easy to set up. Plenty of room (I'm 6'2"). Thanks to all for helping me find a tent that served well.

    P.S. On the first night (May 11), the wind on the high ridge above Dismal Creek valley was blowing about 30 miles an hour with sleet and snow. What the hey? Tent and I survived.

  8. #88
    Registered User 4eyedbuzzard's Avatar
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    Just an FTI on Tyvek as a footprint if you go that route. There are multiple types of the stuff. Get the stuff they use for making kites and clothing - I think it's 1443R. Lots of sellers on ebay probably have it precut and with grommets or kits for your tent. It's much more flexible and lighter than the house wrap.
    "That's the thing about possum innards - they's just as good the second day." - Jed Clampett

  9. #89
    Registered User Crossup's Avatar
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    Great info, I wondered why the HD stuff was so stiff.

    Quote Originally Posted by 4eyedbuzzard View Post
    Just an FTI on Tyvek as a footprint if you go that route. There are multiple types of the stuff. Get the stuff they use for making kites and clothing - I think it's 1443R. Lots of sellers on ebay probably have it precut and with grommets or kits for your tent. It's much more flexible and lighter than the house wrap.

  10. #90
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Roper View Post
    Final Report from the OP: I used my new BA Copper Spur 1 on six-day, 100-mile trip from Lickskillet to Dragons Tooth, VA, over the past week. Very satisfied. Easy to set up. Plenty of room (I'm 6'2"). Thanks to all for helping me find a tent that served well.

    P.S. On the first night (May 11), the wind on the high ridge above Dismal Creek valley was blowing about 30 miles an hour with sleet and snow. What the hey? Tent and I survived.
    The CSUL1 is a good tent. The Tyvek footprint I made for mine was from a normal roll of Tyvek House Wrap and is 3.6 oz's. If you make one, cut it 3-4" smaller in both directions from the floor dimensions. It defeats the purpose to have it exposed on the edges where it can collect rainwater and pool under the tent.

    Happy Trails...

  11. #91
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    Quote Originally Posted by BradMT View Post
    The CSUL1 is a good tent...
    I would think the UL1 would feel a bit claustrophobic.

    By contrast, I've LOVED my UL2 as a single person tent.
    FWIW: There's only about a 25% weight difference in the UL1 and UL2.

  12. #92
    Registered User Crossup's Avatar
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    I'm with you, but I can see how a CSUL1 would for example be quite a bit less claustrophobic than a FlyCreek, the CS side entrance gives you the ability in nice weather to alleviate the tent "tunnel" effect. I found the FCUL2 to be inconveniently tight despite having pretty much the same floor size as a Copper Spur. I think the fact that the OP is happy with the CSUL1 despite being 6" taller than me tells me head and should room is an under rated feature, which of course is any area the Copper Spurs excel in. All I can say is hats off to those in FCUL1s



    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu View Post
    I would think the UL1 would feel a bit claustrophobic.

    By contrast, I've LOVED my UL2 as a single person tent.
    FWIW: There's only about a 25% weight difference in the UL1 and UL2.

  13. #93
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    Quote Originally Posted by Crossup View Post
    ...All I can say is hats off to those in FCUL1s
    I got to borrow someone's FCUS1. That's where I learned I hated the "head" door compared to the "side" door. Just getting in the tent was like getting into your sleeping bag (which with a UL1, that's the only space you had).
    While I slept ok in the the tent, the next morning, my sleeping bag foot box was wet from coming in contact with the sides of the tent.

  14. #94
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    Quote Originally Posted by HooKooDooKu;[URL="tel:2286118"
    2286118[/URL]]I would think the UL1 would feel a bit claustrophobic.

    By contrast, I've LOVED my UL2 as a single person tent.
    FWIW: There's only about a 25% weight difference in the UL1 and UL2.
    I find the CSUL1 palatial.

  15. #95
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    Quote Originally Posted by BradMT View Post
    I find the CSUL1 palatial.
    So do I. In a one-man tent, useable space to move around is important, and the CSUL1 feels like a much larger tent than it's floor dimensions.

  16. #96
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    I'm probably repeating what is said here so I'll just offer my vote. If you want a free-standing tent, I like the BA Copper Spur. I've used the BA, Hubba and Nemo tents and had most success with BA. I also use Dyneema shelters. I've used Zpacks and Tarptent. If you go that route there are many choices. I've used the Aeon-Li, Rainbow, Duplex, Altaplex and Hexamid. I like the Altaplex by Zpacks a lot since I am tall. The Duplex is a great shelter also.

  17. #97
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    I love my Copper Spur UL 1. It's the older version with more sloped end walls, but still pretty much the same. I wish it wasn't half orange though. Europeans are really into tents that blend naturally with nature, and that happens to be where I'm living now. They look askance at brightly colored tents. When in Rome .....

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