Joe Valesko of Zpack’s new Joe Valesko of Zpack’s newZPacks™ “Hexamid” Twin Tent or Tarp

[Anonymous]

These are some photos and specs for the Twin version of the Hexamid tent that Joes been working on. This is just a prototype design at this point.

The tent below is shown set up w/ just 6 stakes. Additional tie outs seem unnecessary.

The same optional doorway will fit both the solo and twin versions of the tent.

All numbers shown below are likely to change slightly on future revisions.
Dimensions (when pitched):

Peak Height: 47"
Rear Height: 30"
Length: 9 feet
Width 5.5 feet
Width at ends: 42"
Door Height: 29"

Front Trekking Pole Height: 49-50"
Rear Trekking Pole Height: 31-32"

Weights: (including the shelter, guy lines, seam sealing, and a stuff sack).

Cuben Tarp – around 4.5 oz (versus 3.1 oz for the solo tarp). Target price: $179
Cuben Tent w/ screen – around 10 oz (versus 8.0 oz for the solo tent) Target price: $319

Sil-Nylon Tarp – around 9.5 oz (versus 6.5 for the solo tarp)
Sil-Nylon Tent w/ screen – around 15 oz (versus 11.8 for the solo tent).

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Looks like a good shelter BUT, will it shelter against bugssssss?

I prefer its "vestibule" entrance for cooking in the rain to the TT Sublite that has no protection for the entrance when the door is unzipped.

[Hiker 816]

Although I'm sure it'd be a great two-person shelter as well, it looks particularly appealing as a super-lux one-person shelter. So much room — it'd be a palace! And at only 10 oz, that's still a very respectable weight for a one-person shelter. With all that room, it'd be very easy to move around inside and avoid any rain that might otherwise spray through the door.

And with the completely enclosed nanoseeum netting, it should be completely bug proof — unless you leave the door open.

Awesome!

[BlackHatGuy]

"it looks particularly appealing as a super-lux one-person shelter"

+1. That's exactly what I'm getting one for! And I already have the optional door for those cold and windy nights!

[Nick Gatel]

Very nice!!

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

The green tinted cuben is looking good. I'm still not a fan of the floor though. A 30D bathtub silnylon floor would be big appeal to me.

[Michael Walker]

I do believe I'm going to get myself one of these.

[Mark Verber]

> A 30D bathtub silnylon floor would be big appeal to me.

I am not yet 100% sold on the netting floor… but so far it's worked pretty well. Having netting with ground cloth on to was better than if it would have had a sewn in floor.

–Mark

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

I wonder if needing a 31-32" trekking pole for the rear pole will be a problem for many? Users of fixed length poles will be out of luck. GG LT4 poles shorten to 33" which may or may not be close enough.

[Roleigh Martin]

I've prepaid ordered one of these twin hexamids. Joe was able to accomodate 2 mods for me:

1. substitute a #5 zipper — I have had two #3 zippers from other brand tents fail on the JMT and I want a more durable zipper. (the vendors behind the other tents helped me afterwards so I have no vendor complaints, I just am one who appreciates a more durable zipper and am willing to lose 1 oz weight (approx) for that better zipper.)

2. he is making a .6 oz/sq yd cuben fiber ground cloth that at one end is bathtub-shaped and the other end is velcro'd to become similarly shaped, for use in a strong rain, weight is 1.8 oz. This light of weight of cuben fiber could become punctured by the ground, but I will bring housewrap sheathing tape which works fantastically well with cuben fiber, to repair any punctures.

PS – this is a prototype as well.
When I get the tent I will post photos. I also ordered it with door options.

[William Glazer]

I don't have experience with the 2 person Hexamid Twin Tent yet, but in the photos it doesn't look as though the backside pole is attached at the base. You should be able to offset the pole slightly with no negative effect, because there is tension in all four directions from the pole's top point. I use this concept regularly, with a pretty extreme pole angle, on my Gossamer Gear SpinnShelter. I offset the base around 15 inches.

happy trails–
Ukulele Bill

[Jeremy Platt]

Hi Guys as a first post I thought I would show off my twin hexamid on a recent hike in the blue mountains. It rained pretty hard for a while and it held up great. I have had it in some fairly reasonable winds (~35km/hr) and it has shown no sign of budging but I would like to get the chance to see how it goes under worse conditions.

So far I have found the Hexamid twin to be the perfect one person tent for non snowy winter conditions and am interested to see how i do in a bivy under it in summer. I figure I might sew some netting and a floor into it at a later point (in the style of several modded ones on here) if the bugs get too bad.

[Scott Truong]

Nice… I have a solo, like it very much. Plenty of room for one. Although in the back of my mind there is this nagging desire to want to try the duo. After all who doesn't like "palatial".

Just wondering if anyone has had both and compared the two as far as ease of setup, wind stability (I seem to think the solo would be better for wind), real estate/footprint taken when camping.

Thanks.

[Mary D]

I'd also like to hear about its stability in high winds. I'm also a little concerned because the seams in the Cuben are now being sewed rather than taped. I've read that sewing tends to weaken the fabric.

Has anyone yet had the Hexamid Twin tent or tarp out in 40 mph winds?

[Jeremy Platt]

Indeed it would be interesting to gauge the effect of sewing vs taping. Also, it would be interesting to see if seam sealing changed any of these properties. In the past, when my pack has developed holes I have simply seam sealed it back together and it works a treat. I wonder how much strength it adds to the seams as such. I personally do not worry about it too much in the hexamid at least the vital seams are triple sewed in a heavy looking thread.

[Thomas Burns]

Based on my experience with the single tent, I want a Hex Duo soooooo much! I'm getting up early on September 1 to stand in the virtual line to get one of these fabulous shelters.

It's true that cuben doesn't sew as well as silnylon. I had a minor problem with seam separation at the zipper. (The other seams have never been a problem, and I've used the tent extensively.) What you have to realize is that cuben doesn't require the ultra-taut pitch that silnylon does. Joe was more than accommodating about making the repair, and I haven't had any trouble now that I don't stretch the tent to within an inch of its life.

Cordially,

Stargazer

[Jang-Tian Shieh(Syoten)]

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[BPLwiia]

I would be far more interested in the Hex if it had the silnylon floor too. Not crazy about the idea of a bug netting floor.

[BlackHatGuy]

Mine's got a cuben floor. Works great.

[BPLwiia]

Doug – Cuben floor as in a sewn-in floor or a cuben tarp put down atop the netting?

If sewn in that's exactly what I'm looking for. Do you mind my asking what it cost?

[BlackHatGuy]

"Cuben floor as in a sewn-in floor or a cuben tarp put down atop the netting?"

sewn in floor. Had it out last weekend, finally, for the first time. Did not use a groundsheet. Worked great (except for the below freezing wind, lots of netting on the Hex!).

I don't remember what it cost, I bought it quite a while ago. But pretty much the cost of the Hex Twin, plus the cost of the twin floor, a some minor amount for sewing it in.

Take care,

Doug

[John Roan]

I absolutely love the netting floor. Totally makes sense. Condensation runs out the netting instead of puddling up on the solid floor. I just did a complete review the other day on my blog.

[BlackHatGuy]

"Condensation runs out the netting instead of puddling up on the solid floor."

That's why the netting is sewn about an inch below the top of the floor, so any water running down the netting will run outside the floor, not inside.

[Jason G]

doug, so what does your twin with cuben floor weigh in at?

[John Roan]

I would estimate 12.7oz inc seam sealing, guy lines, and stuff sack. Doug am I close?

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