Copper Spur UL1 vs. MSR Hubba vs. et al.

so after spending last weekend with a wetted-out tarptent on a platform (and the associated water torture misting) I've decided to get a 'freestanding' solo tent for the whites. I'm pretty sure I've narrowed it down to the copper spur. Anyone want to thrown their fighter in the ring?

particulars:
I'm 6', 175#, prefer a side door, do most of my walking in the north east, I sometimes use a bivy on flatlands but it'd be nice to have a light tent that I can sit up in.

/its been a long wet summer on the east coast, man...

i have the ul3. love it. light, easy to set up. seems to be great workmanship and quality for the weight. can't speak for the ul1, but the ul3 is long enough for me at 90 inches. don't touch: head or foot. i am 6'1.

I have both the UL1 and the Hubba.

The UL1 is lighter. The UL1 has a bit more floor space than the Hubba; headroom is about the same in both. The UL1 is about half again as wide as the Hubba at the head end, narrowing to the Hubba's width at the foot end. They're both side entry, with adequate vestibules, though I personally find the Hubba a little easier to get in and out of (I think it's because the Hubba is a semi-circle, while the UL1 has a definite high end and low end. Both have small rear vestibules, but the UL1 has a small zipper to let you actually use it without leaving the tent.

The UL1 door is hinged on the bottom - meaning you are crawling across it to get into and out of the tent; the Hubba's door is side-hinged, so it's never in the way. That bottom hinge is also tricky to open from the outside with the fly on and vestibule deployed: you open one half of the vestibule, then have to reach waaay into the corner of the closed part, and over any gear stored there, to get the door unzipped so you can get over it. But those are minor quibbles.

I've spent all summer trying decide which wil become my primary tent. I really want to like the UL1, but I'm finding myself leaning toward the Hubba. They're both very nice tents, and both work very well, but somehow the Hubba just seems a little more straightforward, simple, and "honest" to me.

I know the Hubba fly can be set up (with or without the footprint) by itself, using the pole; this makes a very convenient and quickly erected lunch shelter in the rain. The UL1 can too, but I've not tried it.

I also know for a fact that the Hubba can be pitched fly-first in the rain, keeping the inner tent reasonably dry. I'm not sure (but haven't tried it to know) if you can pitch the UL1 fly-first.

The Copper Spur is a really nice tent; you'll like it if you get it.

Quick update - I now have a Copper Spur and am quite happy with it.
Here it is pitched freestanding on a NH tenting platform. I am 6' and fit comfortably in this one - although not as wide as the tarptent contrail. It has ended up being my primary because it is freestanding and very easy to set up (I often hike with a friend who always, about 2 hours into a hike with the start and end points well defined, will start saying "you know, if we push it..." and we sometimes end up pitching tents in the dark. There is room to sit up and enough vestibule for boots on one side (small door!) and a pack on the other. The weight is as advertised, 2lbs 14oz. (in a stuff sack). Ventilation was good, no noticeable condensation - since the tarptent has all mesh sides between the floor and walls, I would get cold in the early AM it was getting below 60F at night and I stayed warm.

Glenn or Acronym - can you post up a picture or two of the zipper for the rear vestibule? I have been thinking of adding something like that for my Marmot Eos. I thought a simple 12-16" slash zipper running diagonally would work but I can see in your picture that the UL1 zipper is semi-circular.

Thanks
Andy

I can't post a picture - I no longer have a resident 7-year-old to help me use a digital camera I also don't have. However, Acronym's picture in his second post shows it pretty clearly.

Another source for a picture might be the MSR Carbon Reflex 2 tent - try MSR's website, or contact their customer support. It appears to be a straight zipper set into a seam in the back wall of the tent, but I'm not positive about that.

http://img299.imageshack.us/img299/3778/dscn0174.jpg
same picture, much bigger.

the vestibule access zipper isn't on the rear of the copper spur, it's on the side - and just large enough to fit a boot out.

Opposite from the main entry equals rear to me.

I couldn't get your link to display, but thanks for trying.

-Andy