Should I Buy A Hexamid Solo?

Only one reason why you should… that is: if you feel that $400 bucks is worth a 10 ounce lighter backpack.

Go for it. You will discover if its your type of thing or not. Its a good stepping stone to a plain tarp as well. You can always sell it at a minor loss. Or even better, buy used and sell it with virtually no loss but shipping. Thats a no brainer.

If the sole main reason is to drop 10-11 ounces from your main shelter system, then I say don't do it for $400.

Instead, I'm positive that you could spend the $400 on multiple item upgrades in your pack that would total to an even greater weight savings.

Of course I haven't seen a typical gear list of yours and can't say for sure.

Just because it's one of the "Big 3" people automatically jump on shelter upgrades first thing. It's more flashy and sexy than improving a bunch of little stuff you can't really show off to buddies on the trail or just to make yourself feel like a "better" backpacker cause of the price tag of your tarp.

If you are happy with the performance of your current shelter, I can all but guarantee you could make better use of that $400.

If you're not a bivy user, yes. It's a great design/piece of gear; one of my favorites actually. If you do use a bivy though, or see yourself going that route down the line, then a Hexamid is not to ideal for that application.

Hey man- it's all just toys, and if your'e even thnking about it then you've already decided that the money isn't a big deal. Depending on what shape it's in, you ought to be able to get $150 or so for your SMD tent, so the difference is only something like $250 or so. You culd squander that easily on a night out or a sportcoat. And if it doesn't work out for you, you can always sell it here and only lose a few bucks on the deal. And like a previous poster said, this is a pretty freakin' cool tent to brag to your buddies about!

Love the responses. So varied, yet all with valid (and helpful) points of view.

I think your last name (Whynot) provides a great answer…….

Yes.

Hope this helps!

I use mine with a bivy. Planned it that way and works great.

b

No. 10 oz loss for an inferior design makes little sense.

Kind of at the same point myself looking to replace an old Tarptent Moment SW with Hexamid Solo Plus or Twin tarp with matching bug shelter (ZPacks or other). The Moment works fine but thinking a tarp shelter/optional bug net would be more packable/easier to dry, easy to erect storm shelter, and lighter — I would still keep the silnylon TT for potentially snowy trips, however.

What will you be able to do after you have a Hexamid that you can't do now?

Spend your money on acquiring skills or adventures.

If you know how to travel cheap, $400 could fund a pretty serious outdoor adventure.

Of what you're looking at, I've only owned the Hexamid Twin and have never owned a SMD shelter. I really enjoy my Twin and don't regret purchasing it. While last summer's gear acquisition spree was expensive, I'm left with a kit that I'm 95% happy with. If the Hexamid family is an inferior design, well then I guess ignorance is bliss and I'm a happy backpacker.

Only you can say if losing pack weight at $25 per oz (assuming you sell your SMD for $150) is worth it or not. I also don't know what your financial bottom line is. Agree with Craig, somewhat, that if you'd have to sacrifice time from traveling and backpacking to fund this shelter, I'd make do with what you have.

It's a good step toward an open tarp or other system. It's kind of freeing to get beyond the traditional or hybrid tent where you are all zipped up inside all of the time. I have the Hexamid an Ground sheet too. I sold a SMD Trekker and have really like the move to tarps. if you're in a hot humid area with bugs 9 months a year, maybe you should stay where you are, but if not, I'd try it. It's a natural progression and as someone else said, it's all just toys anyway. I like using the hexamid and ground sheet for 80% of the trips I do. I have SMD's Serenity net and take it along if I expect bugs and leave the cuben floor at home. I can't say enough good things about how well the SMD serenity and Hexamid fit together. For my more luxurious trips, car camping, and camping with the dog, I'll take the SMD net tent and a duomid. But I prefer the Zpacks shelter, as the floor and tarp with guylines, is around 9.5 oz. Home light home.

In my opinion, unless you are doing a many multi-night backpacks or a through hike it's hard to justify dropping that kind of money on a 10oz improvement to your shelter. Clearly shelters are the most lusted after gear choices UL Backpackers have. I have mentally come around finally to the point that given the # of nights I am out and general short distance of my trips (i.e., < 40 miles per trip), that I don't need to push the envelope of the very best and lightest.

Having said all of that, this forum provides a great opportunity to try a piece of gear and sell it if it doesn't work out without losing much at all. Especially the Hexamid.

Again, thanks for all the great opinions and insight…extremely helpful. This post has been a great example of the value of BPL to me.

I'd rather drop $400 to save 10-11ounces in my pack weight then spend $10/week at Starbucks and spend over $500/year. But that's just me. Whats important to some people is different then others. In the last 6 months, I spent about $400 to just save 4.5oz and consider it a good tradeoff. But I crossed the 10 pound baseweight years ago and can only drop additional weight by tiny amounts which often means replacing 2-3 year old expensive gear with today's expensive gear as the next lightest thing comes along. But as I always seem to have another long distance trail thru-hike as a goal every few years, it might be easier for me to justify since I know I'll be carrying it for several months straight.

I recently bought their Hexamid Solo Tarp (with no netting or floor) to try out since I could drop my 8oz. CF tarp total weight to 6.2oz. It seems well made, and if my experience with cuben fiber tarps is anything to go by, it should last a long time. I don't see any issues with it for rain protection; at least compared to my cat. tarp. But I'm a bivy user who mainly cowboy camps and only puts up a shelter for the rain so what I'm looking for in a shelter is mainly just the lowest weight possible with adequate rain coverage. I didn't go for the beak, since I'm use to much more open shelters coming from non-shaped tarps. I also suspect that using the beak would lead to condensation issues.

There comes a point where anything under $50 per oz saved is a bargain.

Worth it to some, not worth it to others. Just depends.

Unfortunately, too many things like that have been worth it to me. But, its pretty much my only vice these days so that makes it OK. I much prefer toting a 6-7 lb basewt much of the year instead of a 10 lb one.

Beyond weight savings, you need to consider whether this type of tent–which is more a tent/tarp hybrid–is for you.
I'm used to a two pound solo tent with its own poles; one that is fully enclosed and that I trust is bomb proof.
The Hexamid is a completely different deal; more finicky in its set up, and partly open on one side. I've only used mine a few times but I worry about wind with this tent; I think that the design will allow gusts to enter and turn the tent into a sail. But the majority of owners don't complain about this. Also, I don't like not having my poles if I go for a day trip while out backpacking. but this last is minor.

I'm keeping my hexamid but with reservations. It may well prove itself this coming season.

"I think that the design will allow gusts to enter and turn the tent into a sail. But the majority of owners don't complain about this."

Possibly to prevent post purchase dissonance.

Easily yes.
I do not have extended beak. I have the original run. With seam sealing it’s 8oz (also with line). Add 1.6oz for 8 Ti stakes. And then 1.5oz for the polycro and it has protected me in ugly storms; <12oz for protection.. Mine was $275 but now it has raised to $295; but the new taped seams sound nice.

It has been great not retentioning after an hour as compared with silnylon. Or if it’s raining during the night, silnylon will sag but not the hexamid. It’s such a simple concept– that it’s beautiful. The small pack size allows me to take a smaller pack.

I have WAY LESS condensation as compared to my tarptents (Rainshadow, Double Rainbow, Virga).
That’s why the hexamid has been my goto tent. Here’s my little tent backpacking in Arches National Park over the weekend:

-Barry
-The mountains were made for Tevas

"Should I Buy A Hexamid Solo?"

NO! Get a hammock/tarp.

It's these decisions that are maddening. Once it's made to go with the ZPacks, my very next thought would be, "I'm dropping $400 beans on a solo shelter. For a little extra I can get a two-person Zpacks and be set for good. Hmmm…"

"Possibly to prevent post purchase dissonance."

My twin is rapidly approaching its 1 year birthday. I had to break the news to it that no Chuck E Cheese birthday party until I see how it does in a wind storm. If I see a windstorm in the forecast, I'd probably play it safe and bring my mid. On the chance I get caught up in a windstorm that wasn't in the forecast, my general plan is to stake the tarp to the ground and hold onto my @$$ for dear life. It may do well but as of now, its untested for me. I have the twin groundsheet which I can roll up in as a bivy in a pinch.

In a situation of very high humidity, low temperatures, persistent rain, and the beak lowered, I found condensation was heavy. The spray from the energy transfer from the raindrop to the condensation created a misting effect but I would just occasionally wipe down the inside with my towel. My sleeping bag didn't get pelted with too much mist and the DWR made that a non-issue. Had I not been sharing the Twin with my daughter, I would have just left the beak up and moved towards the back.

I do recommend going with a twin or duplex. The few extra ozs are well spent for the extra room.