Zpacks Duplex Lite Tent: Your Best Selection for Ultralight Adventures

The Zpacks Duplex Lite is a 2-person single-wall trekking pole made with Dyneema (DCF) that weighs 14.9 oz (423g). It’s a slimmed-down model of the Zpacks Basic Duplex tent, with a 40″ extensive ground that’s spacious for one particular person or two good pals with standard-width 20″ sleeping pads. Along with smaller dimensions, the Duplex Lite makes use of a lighter-weight grade of Dyneema materials for its ground, so that you’ll lose some sturdiness in alternate for much less weight and barely higher packability. Whereas Zpacks claims you don’t want a footprint with the Duplex Lite, it’d be one thing to think about if you happen to camp on extremely abrasive soil and can solely add a couple of ounces if you happen to use one thing like window wrap. Dyneema DCF flooring do develop pinholes ultimately and leak, and whereas they are often patched with Dyneema restore tape, discovering the holes is a little bit of a manufacturing.

• Weight: 14.9 oz /  423g
• Kind: Single wall tent
• Structural: Non-freestanding, trekking pole tent
• Capability: 2 folks
• Doorways/vestibules: 2/2
• Exterior Dimensions w/ vestibules: 88″ (w) x 100″ (l) x 48″ (h)
• Inside Dimensions: 40″ (w) x 90″ (l) x 48″ (h)
• Packed Dimensions: 5″ diameter by 11″ tall (3.5L)
• Cover Materials: 0.55 oz/sqyd Dyneema Composite Material
• Ground materials: 0.75 oz/sq-yd Dyneema Composite Material
• Pockets: 0
• Seam-taped: Sure
• Tent Stakes: Not Included
• Professionals: Weights lower than a pound, doesn’t sag when moist,
• Cons: Translucent materials is much less non-public, single wall building is vulnerable to inside condensation

The Duplex Lite has a traditional A-frame design with an oblong footprint, two doorways, and two vestibules, making it simple to pitch with out worrying about which route the ends are going through. It requires two trekking poles to pitch, with the handles pointing up since there isn’t a grommet or further materials within the peaks to stop the poles’ carbide ideas from puncturing the fabric.

The Duplex Lite requires a minimal of six guylines and stakes to pitch, 4 on the corners and two for the peaks. All of the guylines are precut and related with line loc adjusters, making it simple to rigidity the traces with out knots or further {hardware}. Two further guy-out factors on the roof panels may be optionally staked out to create extra shoulder room contained in the tent. That is greatest accomplished by tying them to a pair of further trekking poles or sticks to tug the panels out horizontally as a substitute of staking them on to the bottom at an angle.

Every vestibule has two doorways that may be rolled again collectively or independently, held open by dowels. The doorways overlap to dam climate fairly than being joined by a zipper, eliminating a possible level of failure. An exterior dowel can also be accessible to carry them closed, however it’s not reachable from contained in the tent. The vestibule doorways are staked out utilizing the identical guyline because the peaks, utilizing a particular trident-shaped piece of {hardware} that hooks onto rings on the base of the doorways. The vestibules aren’t terribly extensive, however you may normally maintain your backpack beneath cowl.

The interior mesh tent doorways are vertical fairly than slanted and have doorways with rainbow zippers, which is sweet as a result of they allow you to exit by both facet of the vestibule. Many tents have display doorways that solely open on one facet of the vestibule, affecting pitch orientation. The mesh could be very fantastic and protects towards bugs of all sizes.

The bath ground is 6.75″ deep, which helps stop working water from coming into the tent. It’s hooked up to the facet partitions and door with mesh, so it may “float” over uneven surfaces whereas offering air flow alongside the tent’s sides and ends. The peak of the tub will differ, although, relying on the peak you set your poles, for the reason that mesh sidewalls and doorways grasp from the ceiling. The beneficial pole peak of 48″ creates a big air hole beneath the vestibules and sides of the roof for air flow. Whereas there’s sufficient overhang between the roof and the ground to stop rain from splashing again contained in the tent, you may decrease the poles in stormy climate to scale back airflow via the tent.

With 40″ of inside width, there’s sufficient room to carry two 20″ extensive inflatable sleeping pads, even untapered ones, for the reason that tent ground is a real rectangle. With 90″ of inside size, there’s further storage on the head/and or foot finish of the tent to carry incidentals or footwear. The overhead house is equally good when mendacity down, and you may sit up utterly within the middle of the tent beneath the tent ridgeline.

Sadly, there aren’t any pockets on the tent’s inside. Granted, the middle pockets (hooked up to the perimeters of the tub ground beneath the doorways) on the opposite Zpacks Duplex variants are poor for safely securing glasses or telephones, so that is no nice loss. However you have to be VERY cautious to not crush delicate eyewear or electronics when utilizing any of the Zpacks Duplex tents. Within the Duplex Lite, as within the different Duplex Fashions, one of the best place to hold a pair of glasses is from the cords hooked up to the door zipper when positioned vertically. This additionally makes it simple to seek out them at night time.

Duplex Comparability

The Duplex Lite is a good possibility if you wish to personal one ultralight tent for solo use that can be used with a associate. At 14.9 oz, it’s a palace for one that allows you to retailer all of your gear contained in the tent. It additionally has a smaller pitching footprint than the unique Duplex Basic, making it simple to erect in smaller tent websites, though it’s incompatible with the Duplex Freestanding Flex Equipment. The Duplex Lite can also be a fantastic possibility if you happen to often camp with a associate, with as a lot width (40″) as many typical two-person tents.

The Duplex Basic is a greater possibility if you happen to often camp with a associate and/or favor a tent with extra width (45″), particularly when utilizing a two-person sleeping pad. The Basic has barely bigger vestibules for exterior gear storage, a deeper bathtub ground, and mesh pockets, one on all sides, beneath the door. The Basic can also be accessible with heavier cover supplies (relying on the colour chosen) that are much less translucent and extra non-public. As well as, it’s suitable with the Duplex Freestanding Flex Equipment.

The Duplex Zip is nearly similar to the Duplex Basic however is extra weather-worthy. It has magnetic door toggles, vestibule door zippers, and peak vents, which might help cut back inside condensation even when the vestibule doorways are closed. It, too, is out there with heavier cover supplies (relying on the colour chosen) which are much less translucent and extra non-public. It’s also suitable with the Duplex Freestanding Flex Equipment.

Suggestion

The Zpacks Duplex Lite is a 14.9 oz single wall trekking pole tent made with DCF (Dyneema Composite Materials). Massive sufficient for 2 folks and a palace for one, it’s a superb backpacking tent for tenting in well-protected areas with tender floor cowl, though simply augmented with an ultralight footprint to guard the ground when pitched on extra abrasive surfaces. {Couples} requiring extra space, privateness, or weatherworthiness ought to choose the Duplex Basic or Duplex Zip, with just a little weight penalty.

Store the Duplex Lite

Disclosure: Zpacks donated a tent for evaluation.

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