Zpacks - Plexamid or Duplex?

[fwafwow]

My plan is to use the tent just for me (and I'm ~6'2") so I can keep my gear in the tent with me and be less likely to have something push the bath tub wall outside of the roof material. I've done some research to compare the two (there are some good YouTube videos on this topic) and think I've decided that the extra room of the Duplex is worth the additional $50 and 4.6oz. I welcome anyone else's input comparing these tents. Also, for those who have this or other DCF tents, how frequently have you had to make repairs? I'm trying to decide whether to buy repair kit items up front, and which to get.

 

[Rican0624]

I have a plexamid that I have hunted with and I have a buddy that I hunt with that has both. If you plan to keep your gear inside, then definitely the duplex. There is not much more room in the plexamid for gear and the vestibule is pretty small for putting stuff in there. On my Oregon hunt it rained and my gear got wet around the edges because it took up most of the vestibule. For backpacking gear it’s perfect because I don’t bring as much gear and my bag is a lot smaller. I think the duplex vestibules are a littler bigger as well but not positive. But if it’s just you, you will have enough room to put gear inside anyways. Hope that helps.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have spent a few nights in a six moons shelter similar in size to the pleximid. For 4oz and $50 I would go duplex for the extra room when solo and for the option to add another person on a future trip.

Apart from requiring a bit more set up room and a second pole the only downsides to the double are cost and weight. 4oz and $50 is pretty minimal IMO.

 

[leprechaun]

I have a Duplex. I got it in 2016 on the AT in Virginia. My girlfriend and I used it all the way to Mt Katahdin in Maine. We continue to use it for overnight trips and I used it on my backcountry elk hunt this year.

The second night we were setting up the tent I was tensioning one side while my girl was tensioning the other side. I heard and felt a "pop" and said "Hey, looks like a stake pulled out over there."
She replied "No the stakes are all still in the ground..."

Oh no. There was a 3-5" tear in the tent partway up the door. Not starting from the bottom. No problem, we have cuben tape and we taped it up. Next town I got to I emailed Zpacks. They basically told me that this can't happen with cuben fiber and it must not have happened the way I said it did. They did everything but call me a liar and then offered me $20 off my next purchase. The joke's on them because I never bought anything else from them... My theory is an employee was cutting material off the roll and somehow scored the middle of my material? Something created a failure point. Accidents happen, what matters is how the company handles it.

That said, the tent is really cool and we really enjoyed it.

Pros:

Super lightweight and roomy for 2, even better for one.

Easy to set up.

Cuben fiber doesn't absorb water and stays lightweight even in a deluge.

Cons:

Customer Service.
Fragile (My dog once slashed a large hole in the netting material with one claw stroke). I wouldn't want to toss it in a blackberry briar but for normal use it is fine.

In very humid environments condensation will form on the inside. Then, falling rain will make it splash down on you. It's a single wall tent, all single wall tents will have this problem unless they are really good at reducing condensation.

If not set up properly it is possible to have gear or your body on part of the bathtub wall. If you chose a poor location to set up this might allow water to flow in to your tent. I had myself and a friend hunting out of this tent last year in a heavy down pour. My feet or something were on the bathtub wall and allowed water to pool inside, getting some of my gear really wet. This was totally my fault, second to last day of a really tough hunt and we were setting up in the dark and rain. That said, your typical freestanding tent or tent with poles will be set up to the correct height automatically so this mistake is somewhat engineered out.

This tent provides very little in the way of warmth, the material is very thin and only single wall. That said I have camped at 7000-8000' in the winter and gotten 6-8" of snow and been ... Okay... I had to get out and brush snow off to keep the tent from collapsing.

Not free standing-- More than once we have had to get creative setting this tent up on rocks or rocky surfaces. If you can't get a stake in the ground you have to pile up heavy rocks or figure something else out.

Workmanship--I don't know anything about sewing but you can hold up a Duplex next to most any other tent manufacturer and see the difference in the skill of the creator. I don't know why this is, but for the most part it is minor cosmetic stuff and doesn't make a difference.

Summary: If I had to do it again I'd probably still buy this tent. I know Tarptent has some DCF tents out now that I would look at as I have better feelings about the Shires and their business and have had good luck with their products so I would consider them as well. I am pretty sure nothing competes with the Duplex in room / weight. I plan on using the duplex again this hunting season unless we are getting hammered with snow.

One recommendation I'd make is not to skimp on stakes thinking you are gonna save even more weight, get a nice set of MSR Groundhogs or even the mini groundhog. Well worth it in this kind of shelter to have rock solid anchor points. I have some of those tiny Ti shepherd's hooks and they offer no resistance and just pull right through the dirt.

 

[fwafwow]

One recommendation I'd make is not to skimp on stakes thinking you are gonna save even more weight, get a nice set of MSR Groundhogs or even the mini groundhog. Well worth it in this kind of shelter to have rock solid anchor points. I have some of those tiny Ti shepherd's hooks and they offer no resistance and just pull right through the dirt.

These are all really great posts - thank you everyone!

The customer service comment is concerning, especially for such an expensive item. As for the stakes, I had planned to get the carbon fiber ones Zpacks carries, so I appreciate the alternative recommendations.



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[Rican0624]

These are all really great posts - thank you everyone!

The customer service comment is concerning, especially for such an expensive item. As for the stakes, I had planned to get the carbon fiber ones Zpacks carries, so I appreciate the alternative recommendations.



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I have had very good customer service from Zpacks. I’m sure everyone has different experiences, but I had an issue with one of their products and they got back to me quick and sent me a replacement very fast.

 

[fwafwow]

Update - based on the comments, and after a few hours/ rabbit holes, I'm now considering the Duplex vs. the Tarptent Stratospire Li. Intended first use is CO elk in September, but hope to use it for AZ mules in Jan too, at a minimum. I have been focusing on going UL, but I'm also a rookie and welcome advice, especially if a few extra ounces increases comfort. I also DO NOT have firsthand experience of the weather variability for CO in September. (Note, I deleted two MLD tangents - including a tarp as an option - from the sixth draft of this post....)

Here are my high-level thoughts:

• Duplex - lighter and less expensive. 2 year warranty against defects.
• SS Li - add $90 and 6.6oz, but some good reviews out there. But 4" less length and 3" height. Indefinite warranty (against defects) for original purchaser.

Please let me know your thoughts. Do any of these ever go on sale?

 

[Rican0624]

Update - based on the comments, and after a few hours/ rabbit holes, I'm now considering the Duplex vs. the Tarptent Stratospire Li. Intended first use is CO elk in September, but hope to use it for AZ mules in Jan too, at a minimum. I have been focusing on going UL, but I'm also a rookie and welcome advice, especially if a few extra ounces increases comfort. I also DO NOT have firsthand experience of the weather variability for CO in September. (Note, I deleted two MLD tangents - including a tarp as an option - from the sixth draft of this post....)

Here are my high-level thoughts:

• Duplex - lighter and less expensive. 2 year warranty against defects.
• SS Li - add $90 and 6.6oz, but some good reviews out there. But 4" less length and 3" height. Indefinite warranty (against defects) for original purchaser.

Please let me know your thoughts. Do any of these ever go on sale?

Can’t speak for the tarptent, but another thing that is great about the Zpacks is the weather durability. Tons of guyouts on my plexamid and tp-ish construction does really well in the wind, same for the duplex. My buddy has taken his duplex out during snow and it can do descent in moderate snow loads but probably best to bring something else if that’s likely to happen. Early season though, no problem.

 

[gdog]

I'm doing the same. I think I've decided to go with Tarptent and either the Strato LI or the Aeon LI. I've got a Cimarron with stove for hunts later in the year, so this would be a lightweight summer early fall setup. Trying to decide if I could get away with the Aeon LI. I like everything I've read about Tarptent and Henry has been very responsive to all my questions.

 

[fwafwow]

I'm doing the same. I think I've decided to go with Tarptent and either the Strato LI or the Aeon LI. I've got a Cimarron with stove for hunts later in the year, so this would be a lightweight summer early fall setup. Trying to decide if I could get away with the Aeon LI. I like everything I've read about Tarptent and Henry has been very responsive to all my questions.

Yep. I saw the Aeon Li last night and was wondering about whether I could fit my pack, bow and boots inside without any problems or if I'd feel cramped. And Henry was also immediate in his response to my email question.

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[gdog]

For once being short has an advantage, in that I should have room for my gear to be covered either in the tent or under the vestibule. On the TarpTent Aeon page, they show a 7ft guy in the tent. The Aeon LI with stakes is claimed to be 17.5 oz, which would be pretty sweet.

 

[wind gypsy]

There are some good comparisons between duplex and SS Li on Backpackinglight and outdoor gear lab. I have a SS2 and am a big fan, if I had to pick only one tent to use for everything I think a SS Li would be it.

Vs the duplex you get a double wall, bigger vestibules, better weather resistance, and more efficient use of space. The Aeon Li is intriguing as well.

 

[erica@tarptent]

Hey folks: I work for Tarptent, so holler if you've got any questions about the Aeon Li or the StratoSpire Li. We are intrigued by and stoke about the backcountry hunters we've started to see using our shelters.