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Talk me out of a Zpacks duplex

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 15:36:07 No.1182916 View View Reply Original Report

>Pros
+600g
+great ventilation
+quick pitchtime
+very storm resistant
+huge interior for 1, comfortable for 2
+piss right out of 2(2!)vestibules
+completely water repelling fabric
+decent bathtub floor can survive 8" flooding
+side entrance

>Cons
-£500($700)
-sometimes shoddy stitching
-heavy hail will shoot holes through it
-single layer (condensation)
-£500
-not good in snow
-£500
-£500

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 15:37:12 No.1182917 Report

Quoted By: >>1182921

Actually it's £460, my bad

You can order it in 0.74 cf instead of 0.51 for more toughness and longevity

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 15:46:38 No.1182921 Report

Quoted By: >>1182933

>>1182917
>0.74
If you are going to order a duplex from the US it's well worth getting the 0.74 and ordering it with some cuben repair tape.
>£
Seeing as you as using £££ I'm guessing you're also a britbong. This isn't the best tent for our climate. If you want a high end cuben shelter that will so will in the UK then maybe look at a Duomid or Trailstar from MLD. Ron is a wizard and IMO makes the best cuben shelters on the market.
I own a Hexamid and think it's a great shelter, however, I got it lucky and bought second hand on ebay. While it's awesome, I don't think I'd order a brand new zpacks shelter. My solomid is just better all round. I wouldn't hesitate to order a brand new shelter from them. As I'm certain I am getting higher quality at a lower price.
Don't forget, ordering from the US will result in an import tax bill. This is a % of the items rrp so the more expensive the item the higher the tax.
TL;DR: Buy MLD.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 16:00:38 No.1182933 Report

Quoted By: >>1182939

>>1182921
Thanks man, I'll have a look at this
What do you mean when you say it's not great for bong weather? I'm in Cornwall, we get mid to strong winds but no snow ever, and rarely any frost. I'll be using it for spring/summer/autumn expeditions to various places around Evrope

Was the bathtub of yours made out of tougher option cuben too?

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 16:10:16 No.1182939 Report

Quoted By: >>1182954

>>1182933
The Duplex and Solplex are great tents don't get me wrong. However, if you ever wanted to say head up to the Lake District then I would sleep better in a more tested design. IE a pyramid style tent. I honestly think that MLD's solomid and duomid tents are the best thing out there. The trailstar is a close second but it's a little more fiddly and needs a bigger space to set up. Just to throw this into the mix. Trekkertent up in Scotland make a great tent called the Stealth. They do a 1 person, 1+, and 2 person version. The 1+ is just a little bigger than the 1. I used it while hiking the GR11, a 500 mile route coast to coast along the Spanish Pyrenees, and it was fantastic. pic related.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 16:25:57 No.1182954 Report

Quoted By: >>1182964 >>1182975 >>1183322

>>1182939
Woah, you opened my eyes to some pretty cool tents. The thing about the duplex is the headroom - I primarily go /out/ to draw and paint, I carry a plein air kit, and to have a cosy decently sized tent to sit/squat in at the end of the day or like you did, throw your quilt over the canopy in horrific sun on a desolate treeless plain, well it makes the twin pole style much more attractive than the enclosed pyramid. I also go with a gf or sometimes a mate or my brother too, so the idea of two doors and vestibules sounds lux.

When you're in your duomid do you find your head brushing up against the roof? How convenient is the vestibule for cooking in rain? Is cuben fibre as napalm-y as I've heard?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 16:40:41 No.1182964 Report

Quoted By: >>1182977

>>1182954
I'm not the best person to ask as I mostly hike alone and my shelter only acts as a place to sleep. I have been hiking stoveless for a good while as well so don't need space to cook. The duplex is great and a lot of people love it. I just don't think it's worth it's price tag. Plus the cuben comes into it's own in the context of long distance walking where every gram starts to make a difference. It's not the most durable material in the world, especially when compared to silnylon/poly. It's super tempting to buy the "best". However, unless you are looking to buy a shelter to take on a long thru hike I would say your money is better spent else where. I only ever take my cuben shelters out when I am hiking 100 miles+

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 16:49:38 No.1182975 Report

Quoted By: >>1182979 >>1183021 >>1183324 >>1183351

>>1182954
>When you're in your duomid do you find your head brushing up against the roof? How convenient is the vestibule for cooking in rain? Is cuben fibre as napalm-y as I've heard?
Not that anon, but I am a 202 cm built like a brick shithouse guy from Switzerland. Got a MLD duomid xl, and I love it! I can sit upright with considerable margin, have all my stuff in the dry, cook easily in the vestibule and it holds up any bad weather I encountered so far, be it Swizzyland or Scandinavia. I got the Nylon variant, because Cuben is overkill for me. I replaced all guy lines with some dynema lines and clamcleats and did silicon all seams. The inner from mld is soso lala, If I would buy again, then likely a ookworks custom inner. Also, I use a collapsible mountain staff as pillar, hiking poles don't hold my weight and I can't be arsed to rig them together every time I make camp. With this setup I can pitch the tent fast and in every weather condition.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 16:50:13 No.1182977 Report

Quoted By: >>1182989

>>1182964
Well, thanks for the advice bud, you're right - it's easy to go for the "best" that doesn't necessarily suit your needs, or overkills them.

I am looking for a tent that'll serve me well over a long distance, house 2 people and one that I can happily take on a plane, so the MLD trailstar or duomid looks pretty damn tempting. Cheers for the reviews! Man, stoveless, that's a step I'm not up to taking just yet, pretty impressively spartan. What's your favourite stoveless meal? How did you rate the GR11?

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 16:51:23 No.1182979 Report

Quoted By:

>>1182975
>silnylon duomid
This guy gets it!

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 17:01:27 No.1182989 Report

Quoted By: >>1182991 >>1183021

>>1182977
>stoveless
It's funny I actually find it way more comfy. I can just eat straight away. So I start my evening meal while I am setting up my shelter then finish it encased to glorious down! I fucking hate boiling water.
>stoveless meal
On the GR11 I mostly ate what you see in the pic. But you get the picture. In less foodie places there a lot more couscous.
>rate the GR11
11/10. Absolutely awesome. I mean first/last bits at both ends aren't anything to write home about but the middle section in the high mountains is stunning. I'm heading to the US to attempt the AT this year, but if I have to finish early or something I will be going to the Pyrenees as quickly as I can. I'm hoping that won't happen and I can finish by late August/early September so I can get there. Look the HRP as well, it's a higher altitude route the follows the same path. If you want to dip your toes into long distance hiking I can't recommend it enough. It's challenging but accessible. As in you could attempt it with very little hiking experience but it's a real accomplishment to finish it.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 17:02:36 No.1182991 Report

Quoted By: >>1183021

>>1182989
Nice forgot the shot.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 17:21:06 No.1183016 Report

Quoted By: >>1183028

>>1182916
I'd challenge your point of it being 'very' storm resistant.

I'd say it's less stable than a single hoop tent, and way less than a geodesic design.

At best I'd consider than a summer tent.

I'm only just back to tents after 8 years exclusive hammock / tarp camping..I paid £80 for my vango helium and it strikes a good balance between weight, price and durability

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 17:23:36 No.1183021 Report

Quoted By: >>1183053 >>1183203

>>1182975
Woah, that's almost the perfect pyramid tent! I was looking at the huge Seek Outside Silvertip, but you two anons have talked me down. That landscape is gorgeous! Since we're on the topic, favourite routes and places to hike to in Switzerland and Scandinavia?

The only thing I can complain about with these tents is that they're very visible on a landscape. Bongland is so densely populated and such a desaturated sickly green that any single colour tarp stands out like a beacon, which makes the zpacks camo cuben pretty attractive. Also I'm autistic about colour, perhaps it's a British trait that everything has to be subdued earthy shades.

The virgin hidden tent vs The Chad Neon Orange Tipi

>>1182989
>>1182991
Ah, nesquick, nectar from heavens. I'm really interested in those trails, if you haven't done the higher altitude one do you recommend the GR11 or HRP? Did you get attacked by midges and mosquitoes much?
Good luck on the AT, I'm looking into the Carpathians for spring but you might have convinced me to do the Pyrenees. Did you come down from the trail very often, and was there much in the way of interesting Ye Olde villages and ruins along the way?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 17:33:05 No.1183028 Report

Quoted By:

>>1183016
I based that on watching a couple videos of duplexes in 50mph storms across a plane, they held up pretty well compared to the other backpacking tents in the group with only feathering on the doors, but you're right, they're not storm proof and the fact that heavy hail shoots right through cuben is downright retarded, but I suppose heavy hail isn't very common and passes after 10-15 minutes most of the time anyway

The helium looks like a good design, but I'm looking for a much lighter one that uses trekking poles since I use the poles and extra weight allowance for a tripod for plein air painting

Do you have any reccs for a light 2/3 season tent with good ventilation? The helium looks like it'd roast two people to death in summer sun

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 18:01:05 No.1183053 Report

Quoted By: >>1183324

>>1183021
It comes in a browny colour as well.
I'd say start with the GR11 and if you liked it head back and have a go at some of the HRP sections. No midges there! Or at least not enough for me to remember them. I resupplied in village shops every 3-4 days. I passed through a number of various ruins. There is a lot history along the Pyrenees so ample opportunity to take detours to areas of interest. The GR11 is much friendlier than the HRP in terms of resupply as the route takes you through villages.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 19:14:31 No.1183112 Report

Quoted By: >>1183115

One pro I like as a Zpacks tent owner is how easy they pack away. I have the Solplex myself, you can stuff it away in your pants cargo pocket if you wanted. Cuben stuffs really well.

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 19:16:31 No.1183115 Report

Quoted By: >>1183117

>>1183112
You must be using a different cuben fiber to me, and everyone else I've seen. Silnylon IME packs away _way_ smaller than cuben!

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 19:18:28 No.1183117 Report

Quoted By:

>>1183115
Huh. I have a few sil tents, cuben definitely stuffs away much easier for me.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 20:38:00 No.1183178 Report

Quoted By: >>1183193

Thoughts on Tarptent Stratospire?

Anonymous

Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 20:58:22 No.1183193 Report

Quoted By:

>>1183178
>Tarptent
Well respected and highly regarded company. Looks like a cool design. Other than that I can't speak for it's robustness or weather proof ness

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 21:20:49 No.1183203 Report

Quoted By: >>1183207 >>1183324 >>1183325

>>1183021
As mentioned, the Silnylon ones are available in green, brown and grey also, so you can get your virgin variant. Grey is imho the most discreet color as it blends well into almost all environments.
Regarding places, I enjoyed the middle stretch of the Nordkalottleden (Kilpis to Abisko) a lot, like you're walking alone between heaven and earth (pic related). Also found some mind-blowing beautiful spots in Iceland, and with the benefit of hot springs along the way. Switzerland is a bit complicated, per see wild camping is legal, but with a lot of caveats, in the end you need to be above tree line to be on the save side. Small mountain lakes in Prättigau are my favourite spots, not to many hikers and excellent fly fishing. but then there is tons of nice places here. I also had a great time in the Assynt region of Scotland, though I suspect the locals were only so friendly to me because not English.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Wed 17 Jan 2018 21:28:50 No.1183207 Report

Quoted By: >>1183325

>>1183203
another pic of the Nordkalott, amazing landscape.
If you plan Scandinavia or Scotland, you want to have a inner, not because of the weather, but because of the bugs, at times midges, blackflies and mosquitoes are insane and you'll be grateful for the safe space.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 00:09:08 No.1183322 Report

Quoted By:

>>1182916
This is much more of a luxury gear item than you seem to think. By nature, it's going to be very delicate, although I don't know about "shoddy stitching." My experience with Zpacks workmanship has only been positive. However, this tarptent uses really lightweight materials in its construction. On top of that, it's a lot more expensive than comparable tents, so the performance to price ratio isn't very high.

I'm no poorfag, but this is the definition of diminishing returns. I'd much rather spend that $700 on a nice down sleeping bag (if you don't have one) and a slightly less expensive tent, tarp or tarptent. Even if silnylon is also a little fragile, it's still less expensive, so when you break it, you'll cry less when you struggle to patch the hole.

>>1182954
I also have a Duomid (non XL). My head doesn't brush up against the roof if I sit up. It's quite tall inside. The XL version is going to be even taller, but you will need to figure out the poles. With mine, I can use a single hiking pole as support, but any taller and I might not be able to do that.

I don't cook in my tent because I don't want to attract bears, but it doesn't really have a separate vestibule, per se. It's a pyramid-shaped tarp with a single, undivided footprint that you can do whatever you like with. You could cook under it, if you were so inclined.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 00:11:43 No.1183324 Report

Quoted By: >>1183330 >>1183346 >>1183351 >>1183818

>>1183203
>>1183053
>>1182975
You guys pitch your tents in some really exposed sites. I'm always worried about wind gusts in the mountains. Not just testing my guy lines, but I don't want my sleeping bag and other gear to be blown into a lake! I'm always sleeping down in the trees or, if none are available, then in a protected spot out of the wind.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 00:14:51 No.1183325 Report

Quoted By: >>1183343

>>1183203
>>1183207
Pretty cool shit man, going visit a camping buddy I know outside of Edinburgh and i'm pumped to hit the highlands, live in Louisiana so I don't get to see shit like that

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 00:26:29 No.1183330 Report

Quoted By:

>>1183324
not as exposed as you might think, those spots were as good as it gets here's another perspective of the same place. that said, I had to hunker down in a road ditch once in Iceland and wait out a storm for a full day. Really depends on the weather, and the bugs, altitude and some wind are a godsend on some days.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 00:47:29 No.1183343 Report

Quoted By: >>1183354

>>1183325
Just went trough 300+ pics from my Scotland trip, 3 of them show blue sky. Funny, I didn't experience the weather as bad. you can have a nice time in the remote parts, I did a pub crawl and ate at every place that sells hot food and drank at every pub, which meant I had a drink and hot chow every 2-3 days. Cask ale is the tits!
In retrospect I brought way to much gear, but it was my first time and I wasn't aware how convenient camping and hiking in Scotland is. bring a rod along if you are into fishing, brown trout is great. Also if you are near the coast you can forage for clams and limpets and such.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 00:51:01 No.1183346 Report

Quoted By: >>1183352

>>1183324
P.S. next tree was around 40km from that spot, and you want to be above tree line, mosquitoes eat you alive if you go down to the low valleys before the first frosts.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 00:54:34 No.1183351 Report

Quoted By:

>>1183324
alternate view of this spot >>1182975

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 00:57:24 No.1183352 Report

Quoted By: >>1183358

>>1183346
I didn't realize you were in Scandinavia until after I posted. Where I go backpacking in Colorado and Wyoming, typically I'll be hiking below or along the treeline, or else not be too far above it that I can't descend a bit to find a protected campsite.

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 01:01:01 No.1183354 Report

Quoted By:

>>1183343
Thanks man, and my buddy has all the gear I need, I look forward to the pub crawls, I did a wwoof type deal in Southern Ireland and did it a shit ton and it was so nice

Anonymous

Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 01:03:44 No.1183358 Report

Quoted By:

>>1183352
Fuck me, that looks gorgeous! I'd love to camp like that, make a campfire at night, fish and maybe hunt small game.
But as mentioned, camping below tree line is difficult (not impossible) in Switzerland, and the trails I picked in Scandinavia were mostly subarctic highland above tree line for vast distances.

Anonymous

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Anonymous Thu 18 Jan 2018 21:10:41 No.1183818 Report

Quoted By:

>>1183324
Sometimes you have no choice. Which is why it's nice to have a slightly more bomb proof shelter.

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