Joe Valesko of Zpack’s new 9oz tent

[Jim Colten]

now i cant decide if i want a duo mid, solo mid, or hexa mid!

Not a bad problem to have, eh?

[hunter nelson]

very true
i laughed so hard when you said that because i almost typed the same exact words :)

[Phil Brown]

I wonder if Joe hasn't switched to building gear full time, seeing how he is adding more products since his return from the CDT. I have been using a cuben tarp he made for me the past 2 seasons, and I must say his workmanship and quality are outstanding. I have no doubt anything he puts out it going to be great.

[George Geist]

Thanks for the picture.

It looks like the point of the tent pole is sticking through the noseeum floor. Is there a grommet for the point to keep the pole from poking holes in the net floor?

The Brawny, which had a similar design, had a lot of problems with condensation. What has been your experience in that regard?

[Nate Meinzer]

This looks like the "Holy Grail". Wow. 9 oz for that! or 3.3 oz for a nice tarp/shelter. Decision decision, but I hope I can get one!

[Jolly Green Giant]

@ Al

The trekking pole handle is inside the tent in a reinforced cup at the peak of the tarp. It then runs through the mosquito netting outside the tent to the ground which negates the need for a grommet. The area where it passes through is nothing more than a small patch of Cuben with a slice in it big enough for the pole to pass through.

Because it has one big window and can be raised up at all sides, the ventilation is top notch.

Keep in mind, the picture above was taken by Joe. The quilt you see, I believe, is one of his homemade versions. It seems to me Joe is somewhere in the ballpark of 5'5"-5'7" (sorry, I can't remember but he is under 6'), so for size references, assume you're looking at a quilt to fit someone that size. He said he could stretch his arms over the top of his head with no problem. For the averaged size person, this might be a great fit for a true UL'er. Keep in mind though, the pitch of the tarp is steep, so it comes down at a hard angle at the corners and doesn't make it useful for heads or feet, but might work fine for gear.

[Ross Bleakney]

I'm curious as to how much room is above one's head, if one is, say 6 feet tall. I have a Cuben Refuge X, which is a fine tent, but because it slopes down quite a bit, there isn't much room above the head. My wife and I decided to stick with our Squall 2 for that reason. I have kept the Refuge X, but only use it for solo trips.

By the way, I like the picture (it helps a lot). What I really like, though, is drawings like this: http://www.tarptent.com/scarp1_2.html

[Anonymous]

I will set up my tarp version and take a pic of me inside for reference when I have more time, but here is a pic of the tarp in its stuff sack. It's a wee little package. It weighs a lot less than a piano ;)

[Barry P]

Can it be set up decently with a fixed length pole (115cm)?

-Barry

[Anonymous]

I really have not been able to set mine up as of yet… setup instructions for both the tent and the tarp read 'Adjust your trekking pole to about 45" to 46".'

Of course those are the setup instructions that were included with the tarp I received… I cannot say if these are the finished specs and that the shelters are finalized and release ready, as they are not available for sale at this time. So take the above with a grain of salt. But, I am pretty sure that the one I have is the one that will be offered for sale when he starts taking orders.

Folks, I can honestly say that this Hexamid Tarp is very well made… as nice as anything I have received from the other highly respected cottage gear makers… this may even be nicer. I am really impressed, and I think this shelter is gonna drive Joe batty… seeing as he is going to have to make a whoooollllle lot of 'em ;)

[Anonymous]

Great name for a tent. Amazing that Golite or others hadn't already used it.

[Brett Peugh]

http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/hexamid.shtml

[Mark McLauchlin]

Very cool, great images and an even better weight, Oh to have an endless supply of cash :)

[mark vasko]

This looks very similar to the SMD Oasis sil nylon tent at 13 oz with no floor.

[Robert Richey]

It seems with this design that you would need to be prepared to repitch if it was raining and the wind shifted.

[Jim Sweeney]

But wouldn't that (needing to repitch when the wind shifts) be the case with any tarp, if one expects it to completely seal out any rain? For example, with a GG spin-twinn, an excellent tarp, the only way to have all four sides sealed to the ground would be to have the tarp right on top of you. With Joe's tarp, the default position is to have just one open side, and that side has a substantial beak.

[Frank Deland]

"This looks very similar to the SMD Oasis sil nylon tent at 13 oz with no floor."

I agree with Mark Vasko above. The SMD Wild Oasis has a longer front "beak" which helps with warmth and wind protection.

(BTW I own a Zpack found it both durable and comfortable to wear with large functional pockets on the hip belt)

Wild Oasis used on the JMT:

Where you see the three tie-outs in a row, I added the middle one. The original needs only six stakes.
Like the Hexamid, pitch the Oasis with opening away from the wind. If the wind changes direction, these shelters are very easy to switch around, as James S. refers to in the post above this one.

[David Ure]

Hopefully it is functionally longer than the WO – which is too short for longer than 6 footers….

[Mark Compton]

Jolly Green Giant Said- Basically, I’m holding out for the two person version which will be a foot wider and utilize another trekking pole. This configuration should raise the useable area of the pitch enough to get it off my face and feet and make it more useful overall.

I want to like this design/concept and was prepared to pull the trigger"but",the additional trekking pole presents a delimma for me. I "don't" use trekking poles?

I was prepared to utilize an available stick hopefully found at the campsite that is durable,and the right height but finding two without hacking up the forest would be more difficult. My minimalist approach has left me with a conundrum?

I like it simple and adding poles to my gear selection is not something I welcome. I suppose I could carry collapsable poles of some type? I'm going to assume the pole placements are both in the front? I can't wrap my mind around the configuration. Any thoughts or insights??

[BlackHatGuy]

"I suppose I could carry collapsable poles of some type?"

Just a thought, but perhaps you could order the Lightrek 4s and ask that the cork handles and bottom tip pieces come separate instead of affixed. Then you'd have a very lightweight, but pretty hardy carbon fiber adjustable poles, but still have the other pieces if you ever decided you did want to use trekking poles.

There's probably a less expensive way to achieve the same thing, which I'm sure someone will point out. But I do like the ability to convert the poles to trekking poles if you ever decide to go that way.

[Christopher Kayler]

I'm still not sure I understand the rationale of having the screen floor on the ground, and then putting your pad on top of that, instead of having your pad beneath the screen floor, with your sleeping bag / quilt on top of the screen. Seems like the pad would protect the screen floor quite a bit.

Maybe it's just because it's hard to get your pad under the floor, and to move it around?

?

[Mary D]

I would think it wouldn't matter whether your ground sheet is under the netting or on top of it. It would be a lot harder to move the ground sheet around for varying conditions, such as windblown rain, if it's outside the tent.

For those of us with dogs, though, it would be almost essential to have the ground sheet on top to protect the netting from dog claws. I clip my dog's claws frequently, so I have not had any trouble with their snagging the netting or floor on Tarptents. In a Tarptent, though, he's not actually walking around on the netting as he would be in the Hexamid.

[Franco Darioli]

From the original post :
" Rain spray or condensation runs right out through the screen floor. You can adjust the position of your ground sheet, or fold up the edges if the wind changes to the wrong direction."

To me this idea is far from a "Eureka" moment.
This is the way I see it.
For dry still ,weather this will be indeed a very light insect proof solution. However if it rains (not drizzle) you will very likely end up with sprays during the night and a wet dirt-soaked floor to pack up in the morning.
Even on dry ground I would think that the mesh will pick up sand and dirt or forest duff.

Christopher, if you put the groundsheet on the outside, you will end up with water channeled directly towards your sleeping bag,pack,clothing.
I cannot see also how you could move around directly on top of a mesh floor without damaging it.
Franco

[George Geist]

If I have been hiking in the rain, I'm likely going to have to set up the tent over mud (sometimes politely called wet dirt). A screen floor is going to become packed solid with mud where I lay/crawl on it. Not just a simple shake in the
morning to clean a muddy screen floor. But if I don't clean it it will become stiff when the mud dries.

I agree with Franco. A noseeum tent floor is not a Eureka moment in tent design.

[David Ure]

"I cannot see also how you could move around directly on top of a mesh floor without damaging it."

+1

Also – what is the point of the mesh floor? Just run mesh netting around the perimeter and leave it floorless.

[Author]

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