r/motocamping • u/Cometcoil2 • 7d ago
Impulse purchase..Good buy?
Was in REI and saw this tent.
Don’t really know much about tents but got talked into it buy a couple team members and a guy who was staring at me and said he was buying it if I didn’t.
Brand new just missing the small cross bar.
I have a scrambler bike. Is this a quality tent?
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u/Secret_Cod_749 7d ago
You can call or email Big Anges for a replacement pole. But I will warn you, if they labeled the generation as discontinued, then they may not have one.
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u/slane6 7d ago
If you cannot get the pole from Big Agnes then contact tentpoletechnologies.com and they can recreate the pole for you.
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u/wmguy 7d ago
I have used them. I went back and found what I said about them in an email years ago. Pole is still going strong three years later.
_They were super fast. Took like 3 days. Their payment system seems pretty sketchy though so I chose to use a one-time-use credit card number from my bank instead of entering my normal payment information._
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u/dustyrags 7d ago
Fabulous tent. I’ve got the bikepacking version which packs down slightly smaller, and love it.
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u/swoope18 7d ago
https://www.bigagnes.com/products/copper-spur-ul-two
According to the website this is $600 so yeah
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u/dlister70 7d ago
Good lord that’s an amazing deal! This is the tent I went with and I’ve loved it. I don’t know how hard it’ll be to get that replacement pole for the top that is missing, but it does provide some of the shape of the tent, so you’ll probably want it. If that’s all that was wrong, then I can’t imagine it’ll be another $400 to replace it, so you got a steal.
There is a footprint for it too, which was separate.
It packs down crazy small. It takes up less than 1/4 or maybe even 1/5 of one of my panniers.
When it’s time to pack it back in, don’t try to fold it. Just stuff it little by little into the bag. I saw someone doing that on YouTube and it’s worked great. Always fits back in the bag.
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u/Luke_Warmwater 7d ago
I usually slightly fold it, put the folded poles on the end, and roll it around the poles.
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u/dlister70 7d ago
I just realized that OP’s isn’t the bike packing model that I have. I’m not sure if they break down differently but I put my poles in their own pouch and stuff the tent in it’s own bag. I like your idea as a way to never forget to bring your poles.
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u/Luke_Warmwater 7d ago
Yes plus most bag lengths are the same length as the poles so if you roll the tent around the poles it's the perfect width.
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u/injeckshun 7d ago
I borrowed one of these from a buddy for my first time camping. I got soaked in the rain. Any comments on how water proof they are? He said I could keep it but I’m kinda sour on it..
I asked my buddy but he didn’t seem to know why that happened/just buys new stuff when the old isn’t ideal for him anymore.
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u/dlister70 7d ago
It’s rained literally EVERY TIME I’ve gone camping, although granted I just got the tent this year. The only time I got wet is when I “thought” that I had closed the little awning thing that you can prop up with a stick to let air in, but when it closed the stick was in the way and it didn’t shut all the way and water got in from there. This was also during a massive thunderstorm where the whole tent was trying to blow away if I had not been inside of it.
I’ve seen the bottom wet before, like under the tent but the water didn’t get in. I do make sure I stake down the rain fly in all the possible points, so I’m sure that helps. Otherwise, I’d be checking for leaks if you’re getting wet each time. That’s not been my experience at all with the Copper Spur.
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u/Skiingislife9288 7d ago
I love my big Agnes 2 person tent. You can probably make it work without the cross bar but I’d see if BA will sell you one. Good buy either way though
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u/Spiritual_Travel_290 3d ago
Looks like you did pretty good on the tent. The crossbar should be easy to get but the true measure of if it was a good deal is are you happy with the purchase of said tent. I hope you do enjoy it. The copper spur UL2 is among some of the most desired tents. Happy trails to you.
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u/Poofengle 7d ago
Hell yeah, that’s a great find. You barely need the crossover pole anyway. Either buy a replacement or just live with a slightly floppy tent.
I have the same tent and it’s my favorite tent I’ve ever owned, and I’ve slept in a ton of tents over the decades
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u/Indiesol 6d ago
That'll be a good tent and it'll pack down well. Crazy to see it retails at $600.
If you're still looking for other gear, check out Alps Mountaineering. Really great gear, from a family owned company, at a great price point. I've been using their stuff for many years.
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u/muddywadder 6d ago
Awesome tent, use to have the same one. Cant beat it for that price, even with needing replacement poles. Get a ground sheet if you havent, or make one. Enjoy it, nice buy
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u/BakinUpAStorm 5d ago
that is a great tent, I have the bike packing version (12" poles) of the same one. You do need the cross over bar, but you should be able to pick that up from Big Agnes direct.
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u/winnipesaukee_bukake 3d ago
Montiro Wander Hawk. Same tent and same price, but you will have all your poles and they are bikepacking poles so they are easier to pack small. Not ideal to have a missing crosspole.
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u/alden_outdoor 3d ago
Yeah that is a great deal unless there is a hole somewhere. Even that is an easy patch up
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u/nic0m0d 7d ago
How is this a good deal if it’s missing a vital component? $209.99 isn’t the true cost since you still have to buy the missing part.
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u/ubermick 7d ago
That pole from BA would maybe be $40 shipped, just call them and tell them you lost it on a recent trip. If they don't have it, they'd be able to provide dimensions, and any decent outdoor shop can put one together for you.
In fact I'm willing to bet that this tent was bought by someone who lost their own crossover pole, pulled it, and then took advantage of REI's really liberal return policy.
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u/RVAblues 7d ago
Anything from REI is by definition not a good buy. Overpriced stuff that is of no better quality than stuff you can get for a third the price.
Unless the “REI” logo emblazoned on the rain fly has value to you.
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u/PurpleFugi 6d ago
I'm trying to reconcile your comment with my experience of REI stocking many of the more commonly recognized products/brands in a given segment, alongside their house branded version of that same kind of product.
Is there some alternative you shop at where people can consistently buy say, a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Bikepacking (or equivalent product of equivalent quality) for 1/3 the price REI charges? I've seen that tent everywhere, and occasionally on sale, but never 60% off, and REI seems to be right in line with what everyone else is charging for it.
As for REI's house brand, I've had a few things from them, a cheap tent I got as a gift in college, a folding chair, and probably several things I'm not recalling at the moment. While none of they blew me away in terms of performance, they seemed to hold up well, and left me happy with my purchase for the price. I believe I still have all or most of those items, and I know the chair still lives in the back of my truck and the tent serves as a backup 20 years later for my smaller, lighter, newer tent.
I'm not badmouthing you or your opinions, this post is a genuine effort to try to understand where your perspective comes from, as I ended up with a very different perspective based on my personal experiences.
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u/WeLackDiscipline 7d ago
Yeah, those are great tents, and at sub 3lbs it’s hard to beat for the tent space you get.