The Zpacks Duplex has been the go-to tent for ultralight hikers – together with us – for years. However over that point, there was one widespread criticism: the zipperless vestibules. In response, Zpacks launched the Duplex Zip to cater to those that had been involved about splashback and sideways rain getting inside.
We put the Duplex Zip to the take a look at to see how this new model compares to the commonplace Duplex, and to search out out if it’s well worth the added value. Learn on to see what we discovered throughout our 500-mile take a look at hike on the Arizona Path.
Fast Specs
Zpacks Duplex Zip
Value: $699
Listed Weight: 20.4 oz.
Measured Weight: 20.5 oz.
Dimensions (LxWxH): 90 x 45 x 48 in.
Notice: Weights don’t embrace poles or stakes
Professionals
- Ultralight
- Sturdy materials
- Packs small
- Wonderful climate safety
- Nice air flow
- Spacious
- Simple to pitch
- Easy zippers
- Massive doorways & vestibules
Cons
- Costly
- Inside condensation
- Non-freestanding design
- Deal with with care
- Troublesome to shake out
- Pockets solely okay
Professionals
Ultralight
Similar to the usual Duplex, the Duplex Zip is extraordinarily mild. At simply 1 lb. 4.4 oz., it’s the second lightest two-person tent on our lists of the Finest Backpacking Tents and Finest Ultralight Tents (overwhelmed out solely by the usual Duplex).
This low weight is much more spectacular when you think about that Zpacks doesn’t pass over any of the useful particulars included on related tents. It has absolutely waterproof zippers on each vestibules, peak vents, and magnetic door closures.
So how does the Duplex Zip obtain such a low weight? The primary motive it’s so mild is as a result of it’s non-freestanding. This implies there are not any tent poles – it depends on trekking poles or separate carbon fiber poles for the construction. However the Duplex Zip can also be lighter than different very related non-freestanding tents.
How does it try this? With some good materials selections. Let’s have a look at the practically an identical Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 2 which is listed on the identical inside space because the Duplex Zip (28 sq. ft.) however weighs about 4 oz. extra. The Unbound ground is definitely made with a lighter materials (0.8 oz./sq. yd. DCF) than the Duplex ground (1 oz./sq. yd. DCF), however the Duplex makes use of a lighter mesh and lighter guylines. These small weight variations add up when unfold out over an entire tent, and that’s how the Duplex Zip stays one of many all-time lightest tents available on the market.
Sturdy materials
The Duplex Zip is constructed with .55 oz./sq. yd. Dyneema Composite Material (DCF) on the cover and 1 oz./sq. yd. DCF on the ground. These extremely mild materials have a excessive tensile power that makes them way more sturdy than their weight would counsel.
We’ve used a normal Duplex (made with the very same materials) for hundreds of miles with no main tears or strains on the material, and it’s nonetheless going robust. We examined the Duplex Zip over 500 miles of mountain climbing via the unforgiving Sonoran Desert, and the consequence was the identical.
Usually the primary issues on a tent to go are the zippers. Zpacks deliberate forward for this and included two alternative zipper sliders with the Duplex Zip, and so they designed the doorways in a approach that makes area restore simple.
Additionally included with the Duplex Zip is a size of restore tape for patching minor punctures and tears.
Packs small/stuff sack included
DCF tents typically don’t pack down fairly as small as equally designed nylon or polyester tents, however the Duplex Zip rolls up right into a manageable measurement.
The true professional right here, although, is the wonderful stuff sack included with the tent. It comes with a Medium-Plus DCF Drawstring Sack (included on our listing of the Finest Stuff Sacks), which might run you $29 when you had to purchase it individually. Many tentmakers attempt to reduce just a few grams by making the stuff sack simply barely sufficiently big to retailer the tent. However with the minimal effort the Duplex Zip matches proper into the stuff sack and not using a fuss.
Wonderful climate safety
The Duplex Zip readily sheds wind and rain because of the additional wall guyouts, factory-taped seams, inherently waterproof cloth, and the addition of waterproof vestibule zippers. And within the off-chance that rain does discover its approach beneath the vestibule, an 8 in. DCF bathtub ground retains you well-protected from splashback.
One constant criticism of the usual Duplex is that the hook closures on the ends of the vestibules go away a small hole the place blowing rain may creep into the residing area. We’ve weathered some fairly intense downpours in that tent and by no means discovered the vestibule closure to be a lot of a difficulty, however the Duplex Zip eliminates that potential downside completely.
As if we hadn’t sung the praises of the DCF cloth sufficient, one other large profit is that it doesn’t stretch and sag when moist. A decent pitch eliminates flat spots close to the height the place water may pool up, supplies additional construction to guard towards wind, and helps shed inside condensation. With this tent, when you fall asleep with a taut pitch, you’ll get up with a taut pitch.
Nice air flow
Should you’ve used a single-wall tent earlier than, you’re acquainted with the fixed battle towards inside condensation. To keep away from the dreaded drippy inside, a tent must be very nicely ventilated. The Duplex Zip is designed with a number of efficient air flow options, so you may get some good airflow in nearly any situations.
First, Zpacks added peak vents on the apex of every vestibule that are held open by a guyline. Although these aren’t the best defenses towards condensation buildup, many UL tents – like the usual Duplex and Gossamer Gear The Two – utterly omit peak vents. Others, just like the HMG Unbound 2, embrace vestibule vents however don’t present any approach to make sure they keep open. By comparability, the Duplex Zip peak vents are an actual perk.
The Duplex Zip is designed with a floating cover. Which means the DCF cover tarp is totally separated from the DCF ground by mesh across the total perimeter. This large space of mesh can permit for some very nice airflow, however it additionally serves a very ingenious objective. On the head and foot, the mesh slopes downward away from the tent inside to supply an escape for condensation because it runs down the partitions.
The most important air flow profit lies inside the vestibule design although. Mesh partitions let surprisingly little air via, and their profit is significantly diminished with a stable swath of DCF cloth in entrance of them. The excellent news is that each side of the Duplex vestibules could be rolled again and secured with handy magnetic closures. Rolling again each doorways will present the utmost quantity of airflow, or you possibly can roll again one facet at a time to stability inside consolation with what the climate is doing.
The Duplex Zip is designed with a number of efficient air flow options, so you may get good airflow in nearly any situations.
Spacious
Typically within the tent world, ultralight can imply cramped quarters. However the Duplex Zip inside has loads of area for 2 hikers and two units of compact UL gear. Although there’s not sufficient ground area for 2 broad pads to suit with out severely impeding the bath ground, you could possibly fairly match one broad and one common pad.
Headroom is the place the Duplex Zip actually shines. Whether or not you’re sitting up or mendacity down, there’s loads of area to maneuver round with out carrying the DCF partitions as a hat. The symmetrical design and parallel peaks guarantee each occupants have loads of room whereas sitting side-by-side. We desire this symmetrical design over tents with offset peaks, just like the Durston X-Mid Professional 2, the place one individual will get the quick finish of the headroom stick if two hikers are occupying the identical facet.
The Duplex Zip is lots sufficiently big for 2 hikers simply needing a spot to sleep each night time, however pairs wanting somewhat extra wiggle room for taking part in playing cards or ready out rain will love the extra area within the barely heavier Triplex Zip.
Simple to pitch
Setup is fairly simple on the Duplex Zip, and the symmetrical design makes it fairly forgiving on uneven terrain or if the stakes aren’t at precisely 45° from the corners.
That mentioned, this level comes with a slight asterisk – the Duplex Zip is kind of fast and straightforward to arrange if you will have expertise with non-freestanding tents. However even when you’ve by no means arrange a non-freestanding tent earlier than, Zpacks supplies an easy-to-follow tutorial video on the product web page that may have you ever pitching your tent like a professional very quickly.
One other factor that makes the Duplex simple to pitch is the dimensions and form of the footprint. Most individuals can be happy to have a extra spacious tent. However as UL tents get greater and larger, we’ve seen that there’s some extent of diminishing returns. A tent just like the Durston X-Mid Professional 2 – which has a fairly large footprint – is usually a bit limiting in relation to campsite choice.
Most backcountry campsites are located in such a approach that they make the least affect attainable on the setting, which suggests they are typically small. On this case, it pays to have a tent with a smaller footprint – just like the Duplex Zip – to open up extra campsite potentialities. And remember the fact that – as we outlined within the level above – a smaller footprint doesn’t must imply a good inside.
The Duplex Zip is kind of fast and straightforward to arrange you probably have expertise with non-freestanding tents.
Easy zippers
This one is fairly simple, however it’s an excellent level of comparability with the very related Hyperlite Mountain Gear Unbound 2 tent. Throughout testing, we discovered the waterproof zipper on the Unbound 2 vestibule somewhat powerful to function. Even after a number of hundred miles of use, we by no means bought that zipper to a degree the place we may open it with one hand, and sometimes we wanted to loosen the vestibule guyout to get it zipped all the best way.
In distinction, the Duplex Zip zipper was clean and straightforward to make use of from the primary time we arrange this tent. It may be operated with one hand – even when the pitch is actually tight. And it simply feels clean going up or down.
Two massive doorways & vestibules
Most two-person shelters embrace two doorways and vestibules these days, and the Duplex Zip is not any exception. The vestibules have loads of room to retailer your gear outdoors if that’s your factor, and the rainbow doorways open up broad so it’s simple to get out and in of the tent.
Some hikers don’t love the rainbow door as a result of it could actually fall onto the bottom and cling to dust and particles when opened up all the best way. However we’ve by no means been bothered by that, and we discover that the door is extra inclined to fall inward than outward.
Cons
Costly
The Duplex Zip is costlier than all of the two-person tents on our Finest Backpacking Tents listing and the second most costly on our listing of the Finest Ultralight Tents.
Taking a look at comparable tents, the usual Duplex prices $30 much less and related tents created from sil-nylon/sil-poly – just like the Gossamer Gear The Two – will run you many hundred {dollars} much less. We expect the Duplex Zip is unquestionably well worth the added value over sil-nylon/sil-poly tents when you can swing it as a result of it’s lighter, doesn’t sag when moist, and the material itself is waterproof as a substitute of counting on coatings or tape for waterproofing.
However is it value the additional $30 over the usual Duplex? Since we’ve by no means discovered the usual Duplex vestibule flaps to be a difficulty, we’d save the cash and purchase that model. However for hikers who typically backpack in areas with constant nasty climate the place blowing rain is a giant situation, the Duplex Zip could also be a worthwhile funding. You actually can’t go improper with both model.
Condensation could be a difficulty with single-wall tents
We’ve by no means examined a single-wall tent that was utterly resistant to inside condensation. However the Duplex Zip has lots of good options that assist handle moisture as we highlighted in our level above about air flow.
Nonetheless, with the appropriate (or ought to we are saying improper) set of situations you’ll possible get up to a humid Duplex inside within the morning. Sleep with the vestibule doorways open at any time when attainable to chop down on the quantity of condensation you expertise inside.
Don’t let this scare you off from single-wall tents, just like the Duplex Zip, although. Inside condensation is a minor inconvenience, and we normally simply carry a small Packtowl to wipe down the partitions within the mornings.
Non-freestanding design could make campsite choice tough
We love non-freestanding tents for journeys the place we wish to maintain weight as little as attainable, however they arrive with potential pitching challenges in some environments. The construction of the Duplex Zip depends on the power to drag the nook guyouts taut, however hard-packed floor and rocky terrain could make it fairly tough to get tent stakes secured.
With somewhat creativity, we’ve by no means discovered ourselves ready the place we couldn’t get the tent pitched nicely sufficient to get sheltered sleep. We’ve needed to tie the nook guylines to rocks, logs, or shrubs on a number of events, however there’s nearly all the time a strategy to get the tent pitched utilizing issues within the surrounding setting.
Nonetheless, it may be a problem to pitch this manner, so that you’ll must resolve if that’s one thing you wish to cope with earlier than buying the Duplex Zip or every other non-freestanding tent for that matter.
Ultralight supplies should be dealt with with care
We talked about in our professional about sturdiness above that we’ve used the Duplex for hundreds of miles with none actual sturdiness issues. However that is nonetheless a chunk of ultralight gear, and as such it actually pays to take some additional care when deciding on your campsite. Taking time to verify your website is free from sharp rocks or sticks will go a protracted strategy to lengthen the lifetime of your Duplex.
Troublesome to shake out dust & particles
Irrespective of how cautious you’re, you’re certain to trace some particles into the tent. Once you roll it up, small twigs and pebbles left inside can harm the Noseeum mesh, so that you’ll wish to shake the tent out periodically to mitigate the danger.
This can be a fairly minor gripe – as a result of it’s actually extra of an inconvenience than something – however the non-freestanding design of the Duplex makes it tough and awkward to shake out. As a result of the tent could have no construction to carry the doorways open if you decide it up, dust and particles are likely to get caught within the corners. This job is unquestionably simpler you probably have two folks working at it – one individual to carry the door and peak aside and one individual to shake the tent – however solo hikers can simply flip the entire tent inside out and shake it to get stuff out.
Pockets aren’t essentially the most helpful
That is on no account a dealbreaker, however the dinky little pockets within the Duplex Zip are subsequent to ineffective. Once you’re sleeping two contained in the tent, the pockets generally tend to get misplaced beneath sleeping pad baffles, and something within the pockets is liable to getting squished.
We wouldn’t put something tremendous essential in there, like glasses or a digital camera, however it’s fantastic sufficient to retailer your headlamp in an easy-to-reach place for nighttime toilet breaks.
Backside Line
General, we actually love the Zpacks Duplex Zip. It’s ultralight, very sturdy for the burden, and it supplies good safety from the weather. Although it’s actually costly, we predict it’s value the fee if preserving weight to an absolute minimal is your precedence. And because the DCF cloth is quite a bit harder than you’d assume primarily based on the burden, the Duplex Zip is an funding that may final for hundreds of path miles.
Should you’re caught deciding between the usual Duplex and the Duplex Zip, we suggest actually serious about the sorts of environments and situations you wish to backpack in. Are you heading out into the Rockies throughout summer time monsoons or are you hitting the Sierra within the gentle early fall? Hikers who head to the mountains it doesn’t matter what the climate is doing could profit from the extra safety supplied by the Duplex Zip, however those that anticipate fairer climate will possible desire to avoid wasting a bit of cash and go along with the usual Duplex.
Irrespective of which choice you select, you’ll be getting one of many lightest, most spacious, and hardest ultralight tents available on the market. Study extra about how the Duplex Zip stacks up towards the competitors on our lists of the Finest Backpacking Tents and Finest Ultralight Tents.
Extra Data
We hope this overview helps you identify if the Zpacks Duplex Zip is best for you. As all the time, please go away a remark beneath you probably have any suggestions, questions, or solutions or go to our Fb web page and Instagram to affix the neighborhood dialog. Should you discovered this overview useful, please share on social media and click on the little coronary heart button beneath to provide us a digital excessive 5!
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