Tent - Zpacks Duplex Tent

What did I buy? I bought the Zpacks Duplex tent in 0.51oz/sq. yd Olive standard cuben fibre. In its bag, it weighs 580g (20.5oz) without pegs. I use the titanium pegs that came with my previous tent, they weigh 68g (2.4oz) for 11 pegs (there should be 12, don't ask!) in their bag. The stakes are very similar to the tough titanium stakes that Zpacks sell.

   At High Cup Nick, on the Pennine Way, in Sept 2014. Ready to start cooking...

I bought it in July 2014. It arrived in August, and in September I took it along the Pennine Way. It did well, so I took it along the Pyrenees in July and August 2015. Altogether I have used it for perhaps 30 nights, and carried it for about 1,000 miles. How did it get on? very well indeed...

What did it cost? USD$570, or £342.60 at the then exchange rate. That may seem a lot, but you can pay much more. A Terra Nova Solar Ultra, which weighs more and is smaller (but is a double-skin tent) will set you back £1,200, no less!!

The model currently on sale is a little different to the one I bought. Now, it comes with two internal mesh pockets for storing stuff, which I covet and think are a great idea. Also, the tent doors are secured by metal clips rather than the plastic toggles mine has. I suspect that is also a good idea, as the toggles are a bit fiddly.

So, how has it been for you? This really is just an awesome tent. It is well made and robust - it still looks new, and I have had nothing break or go wrong at all. The design is really effective - see below, re condensation - and the tent is big, much bigger than the Terra Nova Laser (full size, not competition, 1,380g) that it replaced. Unlike the TN it is a two person tent that two people actually could use. It would be cosy, but not unduly so. For me, at almost 6' 5", it is very spacious. The tent fabric is a teensy bit translucent, but not so much as to cause any problem. If you are particularly shy, you can have camo or some other colour material that is less see-through.

Erecting, and knocking down, the tent are easy once you've done it a few times, a little less so perhaps if it's unduly windy, but not hard even then.

Condensation, don't tell me there isn't any.. well, indeed you can avoid it altogether if you want. The tent has four doors, two each side. I found that if two of them were left open, ideally one on each side, there would be no condensation. If one or none were open, then sometimes there could be, if it was cool or cold outside and if there was little or no through ventilation. A through draft is the key, if you want to avoid having any condensation. This goes for all tents, single or double skin, not just this one. The TN Laser had it too.

Another point about the Duplex is that the outer overhangs the bathtub floor all around by an inch or two, so if there is condensation it runs down and outside, and not into the tent. In the morning it is very easy to give it a quick wipe down with a microfibre cloth or similar before demounting it. The overhang also means that doors can be left open in the rain, unless it is windy as well.

So, no problems at all then? No, no problems at all.

There are three more points worth mentioning. The tent as supplied does not have lineloc or other guyline length adjusters. I found that awkward, and after a while I ordered and fitted some micro lineloc adjusters, and I recommend you do too since it enables you to choose where to put the stakes in, to avoid stones etc. It also makes it easier to fine-tune the pitch tautness. They are light and cheap, and I've had no problems fitting or using them.

The second point is about performance in high wind. I had some problems on two occasions in very windy mountain conditions. However, the wind on that first occasion was unexpected, and thinking about it since, there are things I could do that would help next time. In particular, I think a couple of high performance stakes, such as the V stakes Zpacks sell, one for each of the main guylines, and/or a supply of stones to secure the pegs would be good. The thin titanium spikes I use are not spectacular for grip. Zpacks say that so long as the pegs stay in the ground the tent will be OK, and that is probably true. The tent is strong and despite the problems I had, the tent fabric was undamaged. However the sides of the tent are quite tall - normally a good thing, of course! - and can allow strong winds to create quite a push, which is transferred to the pegs and can pull them out. All I can really say is that next time, I will try harder to prepare the tent well, and will report back here afterwards!

Finally, note that the tent makes use of two walking poles - though if you don't use them, you can buy dedicated tent poles separately. Using walking poles can be a (admittedly, very slight) nuisance since you can't easily use the poles while the tent is up, to get to a water source for example. Also if you break a pole, as I did twice, you potentially have an issue. I had to tape my broken pole together so I could use it for the tent, but that was OK. I wouldn't say it was a problem, more just something to be aware of.

Update 2024: the tent has just completed its third (my 4th) Pennine Way and is still in good condition and still brilliant. I have three V stakes now that I put on the upwind guylines, and that has helped its stability in windy conditions.

Especially given its weight, I think that overall this is a really, really impressive tent, both in design and in build quality. I love it! I happily recommend it, as the best tent of its type that I have ever seen.

2,700m up, in the Spanish Pyrenees

 Near Refugi Enric Pujol, Spanish Pyrenees, dwarfing a 1-person tent next door..


Near Refuge Arlet, French Pyrenees, surrounded by Spanish scouts & guides! But they were very well-behaved...