Dyneema/DCF/cuben tents real life experience

[JeffRaines]

So far I’ve only ever used silnylon/silpoly tents both hunting and just hiking. I’ve always drooled over the lightweight offerings that are in the aforementioned material but it’s always been a little out of reach financially until lately. A not-claustrophobic 2p tent for 23-24oz sounds ridiculous… also like something I’d be very interested in!

For those of you with direct experience - was it worth it? Have you had any issues with wear? I’m not overly hard on my tents. I figure if I take care of anything it had best be tents or sleeping bags/pads because those are sort of important!

FWIW I’m either thinking a Durston X-Mid 2 Pro or 2+ pro. Price and weight is very similar between the two.

Thanks for helping me make financially irresponsible decisions.

 

[Beendare]

I asked this awhile back- good reports.

I bought a Tarptent double rainbow earlier in the year and I almost pulled the trigger on the dyneema version. I think the stats were 6 ounces lighter, under 2# but $330 more.

BTW, Best small tent I’ve ever seen at 2.5#

 

[alikrokslideit]

IMO dcf tent doesn't worth it. After some milage with HMG Unbound 2p I'll better stay with si/si nylon tents.
Also, don't quite understand the popularity of dd dcf xmid's but spacious though

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have mentioned this before. IMO dyneema is half the weight for about 3x price. I own and use a dyneema tent and some tarps and ground clothes. My tents are zpacks and my tarps are a mix. I would say durability is a notch below sylnylon but unlikely to be a problem for most. They seem to cut more easily but resist punctures and tears better. They also,seem to wear with creasing. Patching is easy with tape. I think dyneema is slightly louder in wind. It also pitches tighter with less sag and need for adjustment. I give the nod to silnylon for compactness when packed. Dyneema tents can be a little bulky when crammed into a stuff sack.

If you were a thru hiker logging a few thousand miles and looking for the lightest possible pack weight, they are a no brainer. For someone that will carry one 5-10 days a year, they may not be worth the cost. For most, it is marginal. I wouldn’t say not to buy one, but there are easier and cheaper ways to shed a pound or two from you pack.

Big fan of the durston design. My is nylon. I like the option of being able to run it as a tarp, a bug net or a tent with a mesh liner. If I was doing it again, if would have spring for dyneema.

 

[Marbles]

@Desk Jockey hit all the points.

I own two dyneema tent's and would buy more. I like working with them better than sylnylon over all. Packing them is my least favorite thing about them. Bulky, and need to be folded and rolled.

 

[BBob]

I like my DCF stuff and will buy more. I don't have much to add to what's already been said except I've always folded and rolled my backpacking tents, tarps, bivy's so rolling my DCF is't anything different from what I've been doing for decades.