Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Footprint Review

Overview

The Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Footprint is a custom-cut groundsheet designed specifically to protect the Copper Spur UL2’s notoriously thin floor fabric. At 142g (5 oz), it’s a purpose-built companion rather than a universal groundcloth — and its headline feature is the Tiplok™ buckle integration that enables a Fast Fly shelter setup. It’s aimed squarely at Copper Spur UL2 owners who want manufacturer-fit protection and the option to ditch the tent body on fair-weather nights.

Key Specs

Spec	Value
Weight	142g (5 oz)
Dimensions	88 × 52/42 in (L × W head/foot)
Material	HyperBead™ 30D nylon ripstop
Waterproof Rating	1500mm (silicone + PU treatment)
Seam Sealing	Taped with waterproof, solvent-free PU tape
Fast Fly Compatible	Yes (2020+ models with Tiplok™ Buckles)
Compatible Tents	Copper Spur UL2, Copper Spur UL2 mtnGLO (2020+)
PFAS	No intentionally added PFAS
Comparison	See how Copper Spur UL2 Footprint compares to similar gear

Performance

Let’s start with the elephant in the tent: the Copper Spur UL2’s floor is thin. The tent uses a proprietary HyperBead® fabric — 15D nylon with 20D solution-dyed ripstop and a 1500mm waterproof rating. That’s genuinely featherweight construction, which is exactly why the UL2 is built with thinner fabrics, making it important to be mindful of sharp sticks when choosing a campsite — or to invest in a footprint. The footprint is the manufacturer’s answer to that caveat.

Protection — real, but not bulletproof. In practice, user experiences range pretty widely. One owner logged 112 miles with the footprint in use and cleaned it after each trip, finding not a single tear or puncture on either the footprint or the tent. On the other end of the spectrum, another buyer reported that on their very first use at a marked campsite, a piece of gravel punched through the footprint and into the tent floor. That’s a frustrating outcome for a $90 accessory, but it’s also a reminder that 30D nylon is not a tank — site selection still matters. The footprint is proven against rocks, roots, tree debris, boggy ground, and rainwater wicking under the tent in heavy rain, but hardpack gravel is a real adversary for any ultralight groundsheet material.

Waterproofing from below. This is an underappreciated benefit. Under the right conditions, water beneath the tent floor can be pushed through the floor coating due to body-weight pressure exceeding the coating’s pressure rating. Adding a second 1500mm-rated layer with taped seams provides meaningful backup against ground moisture, especially on wet soil or snow-adjacent camping.

Fast Fly — a genuine differentiator. The Fast Fly setup lets you stake out the footprint, insert the tent poles into the corners, drape the fly over the top, and buckle it in for an even lighter, smaller packing setup. For Copper Spur UL2 owners, this footprint enables you to easily set up the shelter dry in the rain — which is genuinely difficult without it. This is the feature that separates the OEM footprint from a DIY alternative, and it’s a real one. No Tyvek sheet you cut at home will replicate this.

Compatibility caveats. The footprint is fully compatible with Copper Spur UL2 models made after 2020, but older versions of the tent lack the matching Tiplok™ Tent Buckles. Current Copper Spur UL2 tents have buckles to connect to the footprint for Fast Pitching — if your tent predates the buckle system, that feature simply won’t work. Double-check your tent’s model year before ordering.

Setup friction. Multiple users flag a consistent gripe: the footprint has to be set up in specific ways to avoid being loose, with the preferred method being to stake down the footprint first. It doesn’t naturally stay taut under the tent body without some deliberate technique. An alternative approach is to pitch the tent normally, then pull the footprint clips around to secure with the rainfly and cinch down — this also helps to keep tension on the footprint so it isn’t loose. It’s workable, but it takes more fussing than you’d expect from a $90 add-on.

The price question. At $90 retail, this footprint is hard to justify on floor protection alone. The two most popular ultralight groundsheet alternatives are Polycryo (sold by Gossamer Gear) and Tyvek home wrap — both of which cost a fraction of the price. Polycryo runs about half the weight of Tyvek, around 40g (1.4 oz) for a typical tent footprint. If you don’t care about Fast Fly, a custom-cut Polycryo groundsheet will come in lighter and cheaper. The math only works in the OEM footprint’s favor if you’re actively using the Fast Fly mode or want the confidence of an exact-fit, buckle-integrated setup.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Purpose-fit shape eliminates the guesswork of cutting a DIY groundsheet
• Fast Fly compatibility is a genuine functional upgrade over generic alternatives
• HyperBead™ fabric with 1500mm rating and taped seams is quality construction
• PFAS-free — a meaningful environmental plus
• Slim 142g weight for a full-coverage nylon footprint
• Packs small enough to tuck inside the tent bag

Cons

• $90 is steep for a piece of shaped fabric; DIY Polycryo does much of the same job for under $15
• Fit can be frustratingly loose if not staked out in the right sequence
• Provides less puncture resistance than you might hope — site selection still matters
• Fast Fly and full compatibility limited to 2020+ tent models with Tiplok™ Buckles
• No coverage under the vestibule areas — an area some users wish were included

Who Should Buy This

This footprint is worth the premium for Copper Spur UL2 owners (2020 and newer) who plan to run the Fast Fly configuration regularly — think shoulder-season trips with uncertain weather, where ditching the tent body to save weight and pitch time is a genuine strategy. It’s also a sensible buy for owners who camp frequently on rough or rocky terrain and want the peace of mind that comes with a manufacturer-matched, properly anchored groundsheet. If you’re mostly camping on soft forest duff and will never use Fast Fly, a cut-to-size Polycryo sheet will protect the floor adequately for far less money.

Verdict

The Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2 Footprint does what it says — it protects a vulnerable tent floor and unlocks a useful Fast Fly mode that no generic ground cloth can replicate. But at $90, it’s priced like it does a lot more, and the fit frustrations during setup are a legitimate knock for a tent-specific accessory at this price point. I’d rate it a 6/10 — a solid buy if Fast Fly is in your game plan, a hard sell if it isn’t.