Advice On new Tent Please..Big Agnes?

[madeintahoe]

I am finally going to buy myself a new one person tent....I am wondering if anyone knows or even has one of the three choices I am considering.
Copper Spur UL1
Fly Creek UL1
Seedhouse SL1

I am a bit confused..as these three tents are all close to the same size..so I am assumming the reason the Copper Spur is more is because the material is going to be more thicker?
And advice or suggestions would be very much appreciated
Thanks everyone!

[BrianF]

I can't offer a comparison for you, but last year I bought a Seedhouse 1 and I love it. Or at least I love the weight and the quality - it is so much nicer than a bivvy bag and not much heavier. It is very generously sized compared to a bivvy but it is tight to manuever around in (like anything more than sitting up). I am 5'10" and getting turned around to stick my feet out the door at the head end to put on my boots took more contortion than this old body likes in the early morning. The vestibule works for muddy boots but not much more. I did have room inside for all my extra clothes etc at night. It does need staking out to be taut, but I used it in rain and wind and it did what it is supposed to - kept the inside dry. I did get some condensation on the fly while in very damp conditions, I think that might be because there is no high venting unless you can unzip the door at the top, which you can't if it is raining, with the door top unzipped I had no condensation
All said, I am really happy with it and will gladly carry it on all my solo trips. Big Agnes is a good choice.

[AlmostThere]

Judging from the specs, the Seedhouse is slightly heavier and can accommodate a taller person. Fly Creek is lighter by quite a few ounces than the other two. Copper Spur is longer than the other two and has a side entry.

I would choose side entry, every time, no question. I'm not sure what the vestibule is like on the Copper Spur - hopefully is deep enough to allow a "wet" entry without drenching the interior. I have watched too many people trying to enter the sloping Big Agnes end entry tents in the rain to want to try it myself. If it's raining hard, it just goes right in. I'd want a poncho to cover the whole end of the tent so I could finagle my way into the door without dripping and raining on the gear I had inside.

All that said - I don't have a Big Agnes tent. My tents are tarp tents - I have a Lightheart Solo I will be trying out soon, and have a Tarptent Sublite and a Sierra Designs Lightening XT. All side entry with usable vestibule space (the Sublite's is barely enough for shoes and my stove tho).

[Ikan Mas]

I purchased a Seedhouse 1 last year to replace my REI Roadster, which was beginning to show its age. It was a big improvement. Also, the first time I had bought a Big Agnes product. More room, more stable, and overall easier to manage than the old roadster. I have room in the tent for me and the pack. No problems with condensate. Seems to be holding up well. I also picked up the footprint and use it, which keep the bottom cherry. I would recommend this tent.

[madeintahoe]

Thank you all so much! I have in the past read where people like the Seedhouse model..seems to be popular.
Brian..do you find it long enough for you? I am also 5'10"

The side entry the Copper Spur has me interested in that model. I think I would be happy with any one of these...just deciding on which one I guess!
Thank you all again so much..really appreciate it!

[DriveFly44]

I have the copper spur 2 and love it........side entry is the way to go. Expensive but a quality tent. I've had it for three seasons and it is still in great shape. Good luck on your choice.

[BrianF]

It was plenty long enough for me, with a bit of extra. I didn't bring my pack in but did have plenty of room along the side for spreading out some gear, for the weight it really has good space. I can see the end entry being more of a problem in the rain than a side entry, but the truth of it was that the entry on the seedhouse is so small, I pretty much had it ploggered up going in and out and didn't have any significant rain make it through - more water came in on my rain jacket than anything. My choice at the time between the fly creek and the seedhouse was largely based on cost - I got a great deal on the seedhouse on sale.

[madeintahoe]

Thank you Brian..that it good to know...it's nice to have a little extra room also once inside for your gear as well.

Drivefly...Thank you..I am going more towards the Copper Spur because I really love that side entry and I like that there is a bit more solid fabric going up the walls..A bit more private once inside...I did find one on sale...just have to commit to buying it now!
Thank you all again!

[fishmonger]

I am finally going to buy myself a new one person tent....I am wondering if anyone knows or even has one of the three choices I am considering.
Copper Spur UL1
Fly Creek UL1
Seedhouse SL1

I have a Copper Spur UL3 and it is an awesome tent. I also have a Speedhouse SL1 and think it is a very poor design - small, poor ventilation, takes a zillion pegs to set up, not free standing ever, etc. Everything I don't like about it seems to be what differs from the Copper Spur design. It's probably well worth the extra money on that design.

[oldranger]

Maideintahoe

I started using the Flycreek UL1 last september. Opting for the somewhat heavier but simpler to set up tent compaired to my Tarptent Contrail. It is big enough to fit in my 25x78 inch Exped downmat. As Almostthere indicated it is a bit challenging to enter without getting moisture inside during rainfall or snowfall. But I experienced several days of multi hour rainfall last sept. and a day and a half of snowfall this year and managed to keep everything dry. I, too would like to get a side entry tent but have not found one quite to my specifications yet. I do prefer double wall to single wall options and it is really nice when I don't need to use the fly. One problem with my Big Agnes tents is that the mosquito netting is not very durable compared to that in the Tarptents.

Mike

[schmalz]

I picked up a Fly Creek 1 this year and have only used it one night so far. It worked great for that one night, but that's obviously not a huge endorsement. I'm going out for 9 days solo so that will be the real test.

The tent is easy to setup, light, and fits me and all my gear in it. I don't mind the front entry that much.

[fishmonger]

I should be more detailed about my review of the Speedhouse SL1

used it on a hike from the Portal to Sawmill Pass trailhead in fall 2010, I think.

The tent has no vents other than the front door. when you open the top zipper part of the door and the top of the door on the fly to let the warm air escape, you are open to rain falling straight in your face. The space in the vestibule is barely enough for two boots and a water bottle, while in the tent you can stuff some clothes and items like camera and maps next to your head, while in the bottom of the tent, the floor wraps up so fast, your sleeping bag will always touch the sidwalls.

Sleeping at Trail Camp the first night out, it was so cold, I had all zippers shut. By 3am I woke up with my down bag solidly wet on my chest from my breath, and ice crust on the outside. Froze through the rest of the night. In the following nights I tried to keep the door open and use the whole thing more like a tarp but it was raining twice at night, so that meant shutting the doors and getting steamed again. Without any decent cross ventilation across the top of the tent, it just is bound to get wet in there unless you have weather that allows you to sleep without a tent anyway. The copper spur design has two vents at the top of the fly for cross ventilation. Works great on the large UL3, so it should be even better for a single user UL1.

personally, for summer solo trips, I think I'd be looking at a tarp tent with netting. for any other season I prefer much more robust tents than any 3-season lightweight offering these days.

Speedhouse SL1 - looking out the only vent at Trail Camp on a 20F degree morning

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my hiking buddy Mousie marking he spot where rain hits you when you leave the top of the fly door open for ventilation

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