MLD Cuben grace tarp Vs. Zpacks hexamid. Storm worthiness?

I have no experience with the hexamid using super light pole… I use it with a 4.1oz GG LT4 trekking pole. I typically carry one GG LT4 which is normally lashed to my pack but it does get used for river crossings and holding up the hexamid. I have weathered storms where I measured the wind at 40mph (so likely peaked higher than that) without any structural problems using the hexamid. I have a first generation (beak didn't exist).

–Mark

+1 everything mark said above.

I take a single hiking pole that often times gets shoved into the backpack and comes out for crossing rivers and as an extension aid while navigating through the tree fall downs, and for use in supporting a shelter.

However, this chart gives us some insight:

MLD Grace CF + MLD Poles
ZPacks Hexamid w/o net + beak + Yana Pole (the lightest hiking staff out there)
ZPacks Hexamid w/o net + beak + ZPacks 48″ Pole

My numbers could be wrong, but if they are right, the MLD setup is ahead in the weight category and the ZPacks+RL is ahead in the price category.

As for “storm worthiness”… pretty much a non-issue. Both of these shelters have been proven and proven and proven again by long distance hikers on just about every trail out there.

As for the “worthiness” of the poles that ZPacks offers for use with their shelters, I have had them in wind gusts of up to around 35-38 mph and while they did flex a bit they have never snapped on me.

+John Abela

I own the MLD Grace Duo in cuben and I like it alot. However I used my smaller BPL stealth tarp for a PCT hike in 2010, and I have to say I like the pitch better on that tarp. I also use the MLD poles. They work really well, but I think they might be a weak point in a nasty storm? No evidence to back this up, but they seem to be the weakest point in my set up. Great when there is no storm, and I guess if there is one you can always use sticks….

Evan

Can someone speak to the wind worthiness of the Hexamid spectra cords? they seem really thin. I'm going to replace/double the two main lines…maybe four lines or all of them. Thoughts?

Even the skinny 1.25mm stuff is rated at 200lbs. You'll rip the guyouts before the cords snap. Larger is easier to work with though for a very small increase in weight.

The zline is very strong.

Its not that abrasion resistant though.

In very windy conditions I put rocks on top of stakes, and Ive literally shredded the zline by friction between rock and line.

It didnt , but there wasnt much left of it. The yellow out sheath was gone, and some of the inner strands broken

If it is just wind and rain you are worried about, I think the Hexamid is a fine choice. I have had mine in similar conditions to Mark with no trouble what-so-ever. I was also using a Gossamer Gear LT4 pole.

As for the Z-Line, strength is not a problem, but I do agree that it is not the most abrasion resistant guyline out there.

Yeah I noticed that my cord was abraded just from clipping and unclipping the mitten hook on the beak. Naturally, I noticed this just as a huge storm was pouring down around me. Failure of this line would have been disastrous. I'm going to swap out the structrual lines for something more abrasion resistant. Any suggestions? Oh yeah, and I'm going to snip-shorten those stupid mitten hooks so that attaching and unattaching them is easier.

I also use a G4 hiking pole for support; haven't had the tent in high winds yet though. Good to hear that everyone's experience is so positive with this set up in wind.

I do think we have had this discussion before.

I own a MLD Solo Grace Tarp. While I have no experience with the Zpacks Hexamid, the Grace Tarps ability to withstand high winds seems mostly depend on
1) where i place it
2) softness/hardness of the ground
3) the stakes I use
4) how acute the angles are on the guy lines vis a vis the stake

At the end of Sept, I thought I had placed the tarp in a protected area in a small stand of wind stunted trees (Krummholz) with somewhat soft ground at about 10,800 feet on the PCT. That night we had a big wind storm with gusts up to 40 to maybe 50 mph using the Beaufort Scale. The stakes blew out twice during the night and I re-rigged the tent. The third time, after listening to the stakes bounce off the rocks, I just stuffed the tarp into my pack.
I should have tied the tarp off to the trees I was camped among.