New beak for the zPacks Hex

I think it's great. I have a door for mine, but I think the beak would be better. I thought about doing something like the beak for mine. Something like a triangle that would go from the peak to one corner and to the stake for the peak, and this would serve as a vestibule to keep my boots dry. The beak does the same thing, but it offers better weather protection from all sides…although I still have yet to experience rain or snow in mine, even though rain was predicted twice last weekend.

Can you get both the door and extended beak on a Hex Solo or Twin?

I don't see why not. All it takes is for Joe to sew in the loops at the end of the door.

I'm going to keep my eye on this thread. I was wondering the same thing, "can he retrofit the beak".

I'm not sure which direction to go.

I have the door as well, and used it for the first time. It works very well so far (no wind), and looks good. I left the top of mine undone, and sort of folded, flopped it over, so that the top was open for venting.

I don't think I pitched it properly/full height, so with the door attached there was no mesh showing/fully enclosed and I built a snow wall around the sides, so was worried about ventilation.

Slept pretty well though. No wind, -2*C:

Now what I'm wondering about is the floor once you have a beak. You wouldn't need to move the floor around the avoid spray, and could sleep two small people in there in pinch.

Another advantage of the door, besides having the option to not take it, is that you can adjust the height of it and coverage depending on conditions and venting/view desireability.

I"m using the tyvek, and with duct tape, fashioned a bathtub floor. The head and foot end stay up, but the sides sort of flop over.

No big deal, but I'm kind of anal and lazy.

Wondering if the Cuben zpacks floor would be worth it?

Maybe with little loops on the mesh/corners to tie the floor corners to hold up bathtub shape. Not even sure if this would work.

Would having it sewn in be much of a weight savings (cutting out mesh bottom)?

Of course all this makes the shelter a lot more expensive, and probably heavier.

I don't know. Works pretty good as is.

Hey Scott, nice snow shot. That reminds me of a problem I had.

I am now getting into the winter season with my Hexamid I bought last April.
Two weeks ago I took it into Idaho’s Eastern mountains (nearing Tetons). I plopped it on snow, slept, woke in the morning. The snow became caked heavy on the mesh floor. I struggled pulling the ice chunks off when packing up. I was afraid I would rip the mesh. So I left the snow on the mesh and stuffed the tent into a grocery bag—- since it wouldn’t fit back in its stuff sack. My 8oz tent became a 32oz tent.

How do I keep the snow off the floor mesh? Should I have brought a separate ground cloth and put it under the tent (besides inside the tent)?

Thanx,
-Barry

I'm so glad to see people using it in the snow. Joe's normal bathtub floor is 1.2 oz/yd cuben fiber, but I think a lighter version would work. If it was built with the same stuff as the shell, it might save weight a little weight. The thinner cuben might wear out faster, but I always use a polycro ground sheet under my Hexamid anyway. Also, it should help prevent rain and snow-induced weight gain.

I've thought the same thing about having loops to keep the walls up. Like the same type of loops used for the door, but on all corners. Add a couple micro biners and it should work well. If the loops aren't built into the tent, it should be fairly easy to glue or tape in some loops.

Hey Barry, yeah sorry I don't think I can be too much help with the snow and the mesh. I only camped in snow the one time and it wasn't exactly planned.

I stomped down the site or area where the tent would be as best I could, then just put my tyvek groundsheet/bathtub inside the tent.

I had a bit of snow stick to the mesh, but not too bad. I didn't bother trying to get it back into the stuff sack. Not because of ice on the mesh but the cuben tent had some ice on it.

I really couldn't see any harm in, doing as Eugene does, having another ground cloth (something light/polycro) underneath the mesh in in snow/winter.

Sorry I can't be more help. I haven't had the Hex out in windy conditions. I'm going to have to do some experimenting in the backyard to see how it goes.

Eugene, do you have the cuben floor? Does it hold it's shape?

I have to look at the mesh again and see if sewing a few loops in would be doable without damaging the tent. I'd likely just use the spectra-cord that ZPacks sells. That stuff is awesome, super light and it's sticky.

Duct tape works well with the Tyvek.

I don't have the cuben floor, but eventually I'll get another Hexamid made with a few custom options, including a ~.5 oz/yd cuben floor with those loops…maybe a few other things too.

"Would having it sewn in be much of a weight savings (cutting out mesh bottom)?"

I believe Zpacks uses 0.7oz/yd2 noseeum netting. If you cut out a small 20" x 72" section of mesh you'd save 0.8oz. More realistically, you'd probably cut out a bigger section of maybe 30" x 80" which would save 1.3oz….maybe 1.5oz max if you go as big as you can.

I personally would prefer the floor sewn in place just to keep things simpler. I would use 1.2oz cuben for the floor with no groundsheet. You could use a lighter cuben floor (ie. 0.51oz cuben) but overall you're going to wind up heavier because if you use lighter cuben then you pretty much need a groundsheet. The lighter variants with the thinner mylar layers develop pinholes too easily to last a long time as a stand alone waterproof tent floor and I don't like 'disposable' gear.

IMO, 1.2oz cuben can be used without a groundsheet and you'll get nice long life out of it. So my opinion is that a sewn-in, 1.2oz cuben floor is the lightest and simplest option. The solo size is 3.4oz minus 1.2oz for the cut out section of netting and you've solved the floor problem for 2.2oz.

BTW, the new beak looks really good. A Hexamid + Sewn-In 1.2 Cuben Floor + New Beak would be sweet.

I'm taking the Hexamid with the new beak out this weekend and will post pics when I return.

Scott…I have the Hexamid Solo Plus floor and it does hold it's shape well. I use a floorless pyramid tent in the winter and use this with it. It is very well made with tie loops at all 4 corners.

I wouldn't use a ground cloth under the Hexamd as if it rains i twill cause water to run inside your shelter. I am getting the cuben floor for mine and hope with the 3 inch turned up corners that it will help deflect some wind also. I have the door already.

I've never given Bivies much thought, but another thread got me to thinking aobut using something like the MLD Superlight (5.5-7 oz) with the Hexamid for winter use.

It's only a couple ounces heavier than the Tyvek floor, and combined with a beak or door, you should be pretty solid for most reasonable winter weather. Especially if you're using a quilt and maybe some vapor barrier clothing/gear.

Wind non-withstanding, but if Joe used a prototype for the CDT without ill effects (or I'd trust he'd tell us), should work.

It'd cost a more than a cuben floor, though reasonable, and weigh a bit more, but you'd have another piece in the arsenal.

Anyone tried, or have an opinion?

I took the Hexamid out this weekend. Worked well. I found that if you aren't pitched on a level surface the beak isn't very rigid and will flap in the wind. Otherwise, I liked it. The Hawaii rest comes in 2 weeks.

h

I always put mine outside. I've only experienced light rain.

“if you aren't expecting rain in the forecast would it be better to put the ground cloth under the netting?”

I wouldn’t because my backpacking equipment would snag on the floor; Velcro, etc. is mean to netting.

I’m just wondering if I should put a 2nd groundcloth down on top of snow so the floor/netting won’t be impregnated with ice in the morning. That is a pain to peel off.

-Barry

@ Jason. I should have mentioned that my Hexamid doesn't have a floor.

" I found that if you aren't pitched on a level surface the beak isn't very rigid and will flap in the wind."

Would using adjustable line locks fix that? that way you could adjust the angle that you stake it?

I do have like locks but perhaps I didn't do as good of job pitching it as I could have.