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The Big Agnes Copper Spur HV Expedition is quite a sturdy type of tent, technically 3+ seasons and it is fairly lightweight. It can withstand strong winds and snow buildup. It’s not for real expeditions nor winter alpine conditions. It is a great choice for average wild camping imo.
My copper spur broke on me in a wind storm (granted it was very high wind on an exposed mountain). 2 of the 4 plastic buckles that the tent pole goes into at the end broke. Also my friend on the Colorado Trail broke 2 big Agnes tents this summer while setting up (once the tent pole bent/broke, other time I can't remember because I hadn't met them yet). I still think it's a good tent, but as a backpacker and mountaineer who cares a lot about weight, I probably wouldn't buy it again, I just don't quite trust it. Cleverhiker has very good points, but honestly thru hiking generally doesn't put you in a crazy exposed campsite like the top of a Scottish highland summit
It's out of your budget but the Big Agnes Cooper Spur is top notch. Ultra light and very sturdy. Will fit well in your 40l pack. I have used mine dozens of times over 100s of miles. Have fun.
My personal tent is a Big Agnes Copper spur 3 person that I got on sales at the end of the season. I use that for Scout events and backpacking. Our family tent is a Coleman 6 person we got at Costco. Sometimes I bring my old 2 person REI dome tent and stick one of the kids in that when we do family camping. The Cots fit in the Coleman. It's hard to set up the larger tent by myself, with a little help it is pretty easy especially not that my son is taller than me.
For good tents I always shop the REI outlet website around major holidays because they always have a coupon for additional savings even off the outlet price. Scored a Big Agnus 3 man tent for a little over a hundred bucks with a retail just over 3 hundred. Good little tent. Honestly this is a great way to get new gear cheap. Before we bought a 23foot RV we use to buy most our gear that way.
I would recommend checking the rei outlet. Since this is a holiday weeekend they will have a members only coupon that can be applied to outlet prices. I bought a great Big Agnes 3 man tent normal price of 300 for about 120. If you are not picky on a specific model it is a great way to get quality gear on the cheap. If you are not a member it's cheap to join and lasts a lifetime.
For quality camping equipment I tend to wait for a holiday then check out REI outlet online. If you are a member you get a 20 percent off coupon that works for outlet prices. I bought a 2 person Big Agnes tent that retailed for over 3 hundred dollars. My cost was about 120 I think. It was years back but it's a great tent. We would budget 2 big ticket items every year until we had everything we wanted.
Big Agnes are exceptional. Buy one secondhand, get the two person, and never look back. My buddy and I both use one, they are light, small, and truly worth every cent.
We each have our own hammock... Def my preference! We have a 2 person Big Agnes that we put our packs in or use if the weather is really bad (even tho I have a rain fly for my hammock now!)
When’s the last time you actually set up a modern tent? If you’re picturing threading tent poles through sleeves then I’d get the hesitancy. Modern tents are extremely easy to set up now Takes me <5 minutes to set up my 2P big Agnes tent. Going bivy seems overly aggressive when just getting back into camping
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