ZPacks Duplex on the AT? Or something else???

[lukejmills]

Considering buying the ZPacks Duplex for my thru-hike. Just curious as to whether or not this tent would be good on the AT, since it's not free standing. I've also looked at the Big Agnes Fly Creek and am now considering the SMD Lunar Solo tent. Kind of want something general purpose though that might last me through my thru-hike and for a few more trips afterwards.

Thanks!

[blw2]

I can't answer your question directly, about through hike....
but after much research and deliberation I ordered a duplex and it just came in the mail yesterday. I still haven't been able to set it up to check it out....

but after lifting the box....then holding just the tent, all I can say is WOW. Compared to my similar sized REI 2 man, the thing weighs NOTHING. Wow!!

[soumodeler]

It should be fine if you treat it with care. Lots of people use them on thrus, and many last for more than one thru hike. I love mine, and have used it extensively on the AT.

[Rex Clifton]

I have owned all three tents and still own the Duplex. I used the Fly Creek (the old version) for three years and it was OK, but the tent sits low and is kind of uncomfortable given the front door entry, small vestibule and the fact that it collects quilt a bit of moisture for a double wall tent (it needs a vent in the rear). I absolutely hated the Luna Solo. It was difficult to set up, does not have a real bathtub floor and was, overall, nasty. The Duplex is, IMHO, the best ultralight tent on the market. It has tons of room, two side entries and two large vestibules, all for around 20 ounces. I have not used it enough to attest to it’s durability ( I got the .51 version). The downsides are that it is not free standing and it’s bloody expensive.


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[blw2]

As I mentioned, I just got my duplex, and just today Will Woods posts a vid with a preview of a new Zpacks design not yet released. Looked promising for a 1 man + option. Probably be a while before they sell it though is my guess.

[Rex Clifton]

As I mentioned, I just got my duplex, and just today Will Woods posts a vid with a preview of a new Zpacks design not yet released. Looked promising for a 1 man + option. Probably be a while before they sell it though is my guess.

I saw that too, the tent looks pretty cool! I almost bought the Hexamid Solo Plus but couldn’t get over having the bug net sit under the bathtub floor. It looks like this is a redesign of this Hexamid, so I think they will bring it out pretty quick. With Will spilling the beans, they’re gonna get a lot of inquiries regarding availability.


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[fastfoxengineering]

I saw that too, the tent looks pretty cool! I almost bought the Hexamid Solo Plus but couldn’t get over having the bug net sit under the bathtub floor. It looks like this is a redesign of this Hexamid, so I think they will bring it out pretty quick. With Will spilling the beans, they’re gonna get a lot of inquiries regarding availability.


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Yes it looks real nice. I wouldn't mind scoring one before hiking north in April.

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[bigcranky]

Been using non-free-standing tarptent style shelters on the AT for many years, including a Triplex and a Hexamid Twin from Zpacks. Never had a problem pitching one of them.

[Shrewd]

The duplex is a very popular tent on the trail.

Big Agnes is as well, and the fly creek is on a pretty great sale at REI right now.

It’s worth noting that it takes some practice to set up the duplex fast.

You should see do it a few times at home as well as a few shakedown hikes and you’ll be good to go.


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[lukejmills]

Thanks all, think I may take the plunge on the Duplex. I've heard mixed reviews about the Big Agnes Fly Creek, but only good things about the Duplex (with the exception of those who neglected it by sitting on it at camp/using it to cowboy camp on). Think it'll be well worth the money if it holds up for this thru hike and a while longer. Would another thru-hike, e.g. PCT, be a little too hopeful to squeeze out of it?

[Dogwood]

Thanks all, think I may take the plunge on the Duplex. I've heard mixed reviews about the Big Agnes Fly Creek, but only good things about the Duplex (with the exception of those who neglected it by sitting on it at camp/using it to cowboy camp on). Think it'll be well worth the money if it holds up for this thru hike and a while longer. Would another thru-hike, e.g. PCT, be a little too hopeful to squeeze out of it?

Almost unanimously folks, myself included, promote the gear they own or approaches they take. ZP is a current darling in this regard. You might factor this into opinions when considering your shelter desires.

You should not consider the ZP tent shelters light wt with perhaps greater coresponding durability. Consider them low wt on the UL spectrum to SUL tent designs with correlated lower durability and higher price tags. There are reasons why these shelters are so light.

Respectfully, you could look at it as Shrewd validly stated. You could also look at it as most folks don't expect to purchase a new $600 tent every 1.5 or so TC caliber length thru-hikes.

I think 150 nights in the hands of someone like Coffee who is a backpacker with some diverse experiences is certainly possible.

If it's your goal to get an AT and PCT NOBO out of a ZP Duplex it's certainly possible but IMHO unlikely. For an AT thru followed up by a CDT thru I'd say NO.

Of course, how often it is set up, days to complete such thrus, where specificallly you set up, weather the tent is subjected, how well it's set up(tensioned out, etc), etc factors. Consider those factors to put yourself in the best position to achieve your goal.



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[Coffee]

In terms of long term durability, having owned a zPacks shelter (Hexamid Twin) for five years and I've lost track of the number of nights (but it has to be 150+), I am very happy with the weight/durability situation. The tent itself shows some wear primarily near where the tent poles supports connect to the cuben fiber and I have added extra cuben tape there to reinforce. There are no holes or rips whatsoever in the canopy. Somewhat amazingly, there are no holes of note in the mesh floor. My groundsheet is still working fine. I have replaced the guy lines twice, both times because I chose to tie out to rocks directly rather than pile rocks over my stakes and that's hard on the guy lines after a while. I have 2.5 JMTs, 1 Colorado Trail thru hike, several Appalachian Trail segments, and a 900 mile segment of the PCT on this tent plus shorter hikes like the Foothills Trail. So although I haven't put the tent through the rigors of an uninterrupted long trail thru hike, it has been through at least the equivalent (rain, wind, hail, snow, you name it).

So at the risk of promoting the gear I have, I'll say all of that. But also that I'm very very careful with my gear in general and try not to be hard on it. So your mileage may vary.

I do wish zPacks still offered the Hexamid Twin but the Solo Plus may well be fine for my purposes based on what colorado_rob says above. Since I use the tent as a solo shelter the headroom in the back isn't a big deal. I feel like I should buy a new tent before this summer since I have some extensive plans and will sell my Twin to someone on WB, probably someone just getting into cuben who wants a cheaper used shelter.

[colorado_rob]

In terms of long term durability, having owned a zPacks shelter (Hexamid Twin) for five years and I've lost track of the number of nights (but it has to be 150+), I am very happy with the weight/durability situation.

Agree, I am very pleasantly surprised with the durability of my 4.5 year old, 100+ night zpacks solo+. Frankly, I don't see any wear. I suspect the failure, when it eventually happens, will be a big tear. The fabric must be aging, it's just not yet obvious.

UV is a big tent killer in the long run, I suspect Cuben is not too different from nylon. The good news is that the AT is pretty low, near zero, on the UV scale compared to here out west. So if you use a zpacks for an entire AT before say, a PCT or CDT, you won't have a lot of UV againg in the tent.

[Coffee]

Agree, I am very pleasantly surprised with the durability of my 4.5 year old, 100+ night zpacks solo+. Frankly, I don't see any wear. I suspect the failure, when it eventually happens, will be a big tear. The fabric must be aging, it's just not yet obvious.

My first cuben product was a small ditty bag from zPacks - also 0.51 material. The failure eventually was at a seam. It started to fray. I also have a 1.0 dry bag from zPacks and that material failed around the velcro at the top. So eventually the material will fail, it is just a matter of when. I would feel totally comfortable with my 5 year old hex twin for a shorter trip but I'm worried about relying on it for a month or more just because it would be such a pain to replace a shelter mid-trip (zPacks currently has a 2 week lead-time). One thought I had, if I choose to not sell it, is to order a Solo Plus and leave it at home ready for a friend/family to ship to me if my Twin starts fails for any reason. That way I'd get maximum use out of the Twin and only replace it when it fails. But maybe I'll sell it relatively cheaply to someone who could get some use out of it.

[tflaris]

We saw plenty of Zpacks tents on our 500 mile Section last year.

YMMV


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[blw2]

I just set up my new duplex in the back yard a few minutes ago. (just got it in the mail a couple days ago). I didn't get it perfect in 30 seconds but I didn't find it difficult to set up, although I did watch the set-up video a while back when considering it, and again a couple days ago.

Being used to pulling the corner stakes on a tent so that a tent floor in other tents is taught before pitching, I fumbled a bit at first on it. It seems a little more slack is needed here than I first understood, but otherwise it goes up fairly easily. I fumbled a lot more with some of the dome tents, trying to figure out which pole goes where....

For first impressions, I'm pleased with my purchase. When I think about the price I still cringe a bit, and honestly I'm a bit embarrassed to tell people how much I paid, but wow....the weight (or lack of it)...just wow.

I wouldn't call it a palace really. I've seen that written about it many times...a palace for one. Well I suppose it is, compared to a bivy or the 1 man tents that are near-bivy sized, but I'm used to using a 2 man for just me. Two in there, sure....but IMO they'd need to be family.

[Shrewd]

Think of it this way - for less than one month’s rent of a small apartment you own a home for six months.

And I think getting 2 thrus out of a cuben tent to be....maybe unlikely. I suppose as long as you’re gentle with it.

My cuben tarp is holding up fine but I never slept on it so it’s apples and oranges.




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[blw2]

Think of it this way - for less than one month’s rent of a small apartment you own a home for six months.

And I think getting 2 thrus out of a cuben tent to be....maybe unlikely. I suppose as long as you’re gentle with it.

My cuben tarp is holding up fine but I never slept on it so it’s apples and oranges.




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yeah, no I get that..... $ per day aint bad for a long distance hiker. I'm just a weekend warrior looking to do a week long section + some local stuff once in a while, so in my case it's very extravagant.

[Coffee]

Regarding durability of the 0.51 cuben, I would have no concerns whatsoever. I've owned a Hexamid Twin (now discontinued) for five years and it is still fine but showing its age a bit after 150+ nights. It's a terrific shelter and the material is amazingly durable (don't let the thinness fool you). I have recently begun thinking about replacing the Twin and the Duplex is on the radar along with the Hexamid Solo Plus. My main concern regarding the Duplex is the space required to pitch the tent. It has a pretty large footprint. So you might have difficulty getting into small sites. Otherwise, it's obviously a terrific option. For me, I'm more tempted by the Solo Plus Hexamid given that it has a removable ground sheet that can be used in shelters or cowboy camping. I would buy a new Hex twin in a nanosecond if it was still offered but I'm having to choose between what's available.

[fastfoxengineering]

Regarding durability of the 0.51 cuben, I would have no concerns whatsoever. I've owned a Hexamid Twin (now discontinued) for five years and it is still fine but showing its age a bit after 150+ nights. It's a terrific shelter and the material is amazingly durable (don't let the thinness fool you). I have recently begun thinking about replacing the Twin and the Duplex is on the radar along with the Hexamid Solo Plus. My main concern regarding the Duplex is the space required to pitch the tent. It has a pretty large footprint. So you might have difficulty getting into small sites. Otherwise, it's obviously a terrific option. For me, I'm more tempted by the Solo Plus Hexamid given that it has a removable ground sheet that can be used in shelters or cowboy camping. I would buy a new Hex twin in a nanosecond if it was still offered but I'm having to choose between what's available.

Will "RedBeard" wood just announced in his YouTube channel of a new hexamid design coming out very soon. He even shows it off. Looks slick.

Might be something your interested in.

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