Hexamid solo vs. Solplex

I have used either a Hexamid Solo or Twin "tent" for the last 4 years. Never had any issues with the bug netting. I used to use a simple groundsheet but then I got the Zpacks Poncho/Groundsheet. It is a great multi use item and, as I am a larger guy, I now use the twin version that is the best designed poncho I have ever used. The hood is excellent with a nice brim and the zippers and shock-cord "belt" makes either venting or controlling the poncho in high winds easy. I like that it clips into the Hexamid and turns into a good bathtub groundsheet, which makes me feel more secure in foul weather. You might think about saving a few hundred bucks and a few ounces and pick up the poncho/groundsheet and keep the Hexamid.

The biggest disadvantage I see, is the cuben floor on the solplex will take more damage being directly on the ground, and it is permanently attached to the shelter.

It is also easily and 100% repairable with cuben tape. But, potential future buyers will probably pay a little less for a shelter with tape all over the floor, than one with an intact floor.

The mesh floor on the hexamid provides a lot of protection for the cuben floor.

As pointed out, the grounsheet poncho does double duty, so can simply wrapping a cuben grounsheet around your waist as a rain skirt.

Not mention as a standalone grounsheet for cowboy camping. Or as an emergency tarp over your head/gear while you are stopped and it starts to pour down in buckets.

I have the zpacks poncho ground sheet as well, and I discovered you can more or less step out of it with it sitting more or less upright still covering your pack while you set of the hexamid in the rain. Win win.

I'd also vote for the Hexamid. I had one and sold it for various reasons…but then seriously regretted it. I purchased the solplex earlier this year to use for my non-pooch trips and really like it – but it is VERY similar to the hexamid. I liked the open perimeter of the hexamid better, and it was far easier to set up (of course, I still need to work on my solplex pitching I guess).

The only thing I really appreciate about the solplex over the hex is the door – I have a very, very stiff back and bad hips and getting in and out of the hex was an issue. But if that's not a problem for you, I'd keep the hex and buy the cuben groundsheet.

Not worth the hassle of swapping out.

But that's just my opinion, having owned both.

I've never used the Solplex, but I'd take the Hexamid solo which I too already own.

+ 0.3oz lighter
+ $105 cheaper
+ Easier to dry removable groundsheet over mesh
+ Mesh seems to protect cuben well
+ The poncho groundsheet is my favorite raingear so I don't count it against the weight or price

– Harder to get in

I use a hexamid solo plus and a hexanet, I use a polycro groundsheet under the hexanet to protect the floor. I love to lay in the hexanet and look up at the stars on a clear buggy night, it is huge! I like options and would never consider a soloplex for the lack of versatility. My setup takes me a few minutes to pitch.

Get the groundsheet, save weight on raingear, and relish in the perfect lightweight shelter you already have. I have a Hex tarp with non-poncho groundsheet. I love it. When it's buggy I put a 7.5 oz. nylon inner from SMD, but it works well year round. The solplex does have a better storm-proofiness/door system, but wear your hexamid out and see what the future holds for all of us.

My Hexamid tent was only 12.5 oz, line, stakes, pole.
Duane

Duane, that weight doesn't include a groundsheet though, right???

My Solplex is 15.2oz (including guylines but without stakes)

I have the Hexamid Solo Tarp (no bug net) and the Solplex, and the latter seems much roomier and rainproof in every regard and ease of entry is also much better.

The Gossamer Gear LT4 pole length was brought up initially in this thread, and in my experience it's the perfect height for the rear of the Solplex when fully collapsed.

Randy, just the shelter.
My custom Solplex with poles, stakes, line, is around 19 oz. if I recall, I asked for the lighter weight floor since I usually have a polycro gc. No returns. Have to weigh it again, I have crs. The Solplex bathtub is pretty slender, with my bad back and neck, I'll need to sit up and not try to look or twist to get stuff behind me. I've used it two nights now after last weekend, I also need to scoot down further as I've set up too far at the head end with my pad and quilt and even with the end pulled up per John, my head touches some, not the shelters fault for my setup too far one way.
Duane

Hi,

Since it is out there now for a while and surely many people have tried it – which one do you prefer for a single Hiker, the Solplex or Hexamid?

Alrighty, so I am going to answer the really big and direct question asked and hopefully share some additional insight along the way.

Are there any DISADVANTAGES to the Solplex?

Yes. But every shelter has disadvantages over other shelters, eh.

They are, in order of importance to me:

(1) The SolPlex requires more pack volume due to the extra material.

(2) The SolPlex requires an extra pole to setup. While not a major issue, it does require a bit more effort to setup over the Hexamid. That said, it is kind of unfair because the Hexamid is the easiest shelter on the planet to setup IMVHO.

(3) The SolPlex will have higher condensation. I cannot explain why, it just does. You would think that in rain the all net floor of the Hexamid would cause additional condensation. But I have had significantly more condensation inside the SolPlex than any Hexamid I have owned (about a dozen in different configurations so far)

(4) The SolPlex cannot handle high wind gusts (60+mph) as well as the Hexamid. An extra tie-out on the back pole point with cordage going down to the back stake can probably resolve this.

Those four points said, I posted a rather detailed post that goes into the differences of these two shelters that might be of interest to you, and that really details the ADVANTAGES of the SolPlex over the Hexamid, of which there are many reasons to go with the SolPlex over the Hexamid IF you plan on being in areas where there is more rain/snow.

It seems as the Altraplex fits in between the Hexamid and Solplex.

Altraplex has single pole with lower entry (from the bottom) and a little larger, making the need to something other than the Hex or Sol more appealing to the Altra.

I'd agree with aaron that the altaplex looks like the best of both worlds. I've been very happy with my hexamid twin tarp as my only 3 season shelter until recently. I got got a duplex but havent had it out in enough conditions to compare the two. RNo condensation issues in the 3 nights I've had it out. I think how you choose to orient the doors is important, but its also nice to be able to close everything up if conditions get really bad. The twin has considerably less coverage. Have never had any condensation issues with it. Both are simple to set up. If I were buying a solo shelter, I'd buy the altaplax. Two person, duplex. I'm not concerned about floor abrasion. Cuben is extremely easy to tape & I'd be surprised if Joe isnt willing to replace it at a reasonable cost down the road.

At 6ft 5 my views may be a bit skewed but I started with a Hex Long, the extra 2 poles on the ends killed it for me, but I loved the shape of the tarp. I then moved into some other shelters from other manufactures and came back to Zpacks for both a Duplex to use with my son, and a Solplex for solo use in bug season. I have since sold the Duplex as he has decided that hiking is not for him right now. I have received an Altaplex which is looking to be a very neat shelter, especially for someone as vertically challenged as myself.. If I was about 2 inches shorter I would have kept the Solplex that I now have for sale. If you want to try a Solplex, mine has about 3 nights on it and at $400.00 you could always resell it!..

I had quite a bit of condensation in my Solplex about three weeks ago now. It had stopped raining, so my plan to hike up a local FS road went smoothly. No rain overnight, but lots of condensation in the morning where there was some fog also, 30 or 32F, one side of the door open, as bad as a TT, floorless, original Squall when set up above a creek. In other trips, clothing laid along side my sleeping bag has gotten wet from condensation between the item and the bathtub sides, not from moisture rolling down the walls. I'll have to stuff my clothes I guess in my pack or put them inside my bag with me to keep them dry. I believe the footprint for some reason is a little smaller than the Hexamid tent I had, both a pita to set up in any wind or breeze, the material is so light.
Duane

Jeff,
how do the two door flaps on the Solplex fit together? are they attached in any way… Velcro, zipper, fold? If there is no attachment, I would be concerned in high winds about them opening up. Your thoughts on that?

thanks,
billy

The doors on all of the "Plex" shelters overlap on the top and are not connected again until the bottom when they are attached to the guy line. When this line is pulled tight, all slack is removed, the overlap is extended all the way down the doors and with the lack of stretch with cuben I do not see a challenge. As always a little preplanning goes a long way with any shelter.

I'm still spinning around in an infinite loop on this topic.

For me, sleeping outside of shelter is necessary when conditions permit. So comparison would be between Hexamid w/ bathtub floor vs. Solplex plus separate groundsheet. If I understand correctly, almost all of the Hexamid deficiencies are "solved" by the bathtub floor EXCEPT that damn low entry (which I suspect would bother me). I wish Joe would make a Hexamid with a Solplex-like door (or, conversely, a Solpex with a modular floor). Is there some structural reason why that doesn't make sense?

I understand trade-offs but… grrrrr. It would be perfect iffffff…..

I wish Joe would make a Hexamid with a Solplex-like door (or, conversely, a Solpex with a modular floor). Is there some structural reason why that doesn't make sense?

Why are you asking people on BPL… just email Joe at zPacks.
Odds are he will make you what you want at little or no extra cost.

billy

@ Billy:

The (then) new on the market Zpacks Solplex was where I got my idea for Hexamid Solo doors from – as photographed in this thread:

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=91132

Very happy with this solution!

I want to get my ducks in a row first rather than bother Joe with ill-informed ideas or questions.

@IVO, you've changed the detachable part that Joe calls "extended beak", but you still have the Hexamid's low entry that is integral to the tarp itself (what I call the "integral tarp beak"; is there a better technical term for it?). Or am I misunderstanding?

At least from pictures, the Solplex appears to have a much higher entry, which is really a function of the integral tarp shape. It's less clear to me but it looks like the Solplex storm doors also give a larger protected vestibule area. So what is the trade-off for the much more comfortable and functional Solplex door system? (Well, weight must be the answer. But it doesn't seem intuitive to me that it should be so.)

Charlie W:

You are not misunderstanding.
I took a beak-less Hex Solo tarp, with all its shortcomings
;-)
and added doors similar to the Solplex door design.

The entrance is still low, but being only 55 yrs. young, and a bit under 5'6", this works very well for me.

I dare not compare my shelter to the Solplex, of which I know nothing, nor do I care much about.

I’ve been reading reviews like crazy and trying to make a decision between the Solplex vs Hexamid solo.  Help me please!  The last 2 points below are what have me waffling the most.  My primary use case is the JMT in Aug/Sept and other Sierra stuff.

Summary (keep me honest):

-Storm worthiness = near equal.  Hexamid has slight perceived advantage according to some reviews.   Zpacks says it’s about equal.

-Ease of setup = Hexamid has slight advantage.  (One less pole)

-Condensation = ????   Found 2-3 reviews complaining of bad condensation in the Solplex.   I contacted Zpacks who said the Solplex has more mesh ventilation,  so it should be better than the hexamid.   Wish there was some objective scientific test to conclude this.

-Headroom = ????  Peak height is similar.  But where the head and feet are concern me the most.   For the Solplex I’ve noticed several pics of people using additional poles and guy lines to pull the fabric up away from the head and foot areas.  I’d rather not hassle with that.   But I’ve seen a few videos including the setup video from zpacks where it looks like there’s tons of room so that may be unnecessary?

Any other data points you can suggest I’m all ears.

Ps: I’ve put a fair amount of mileage on my Hexamid solo-plus and love it.   So naturally I’m leaning toward the Hexamid solo to save a few ounces.  But years ago I “loved” my Merrell Moab boots until I discovered trail runners….so I’m trying to keep an open mind for the Solplex.