Anyone NOT impressed with their Zpacks Duplex?

The Duplex pitch is a finicky thing. It can be made “perfect”, but you have to adjust everything specifically for how many doors are open. A nice taught pitch with all doors closed immediately becomes “floppy” if you open a door and leave it open. Makes using the tent in changeable conditions a bit of a chore.  If you can settle on a door configuration and the weather remains steady it is storm worthy. If a stake or guy fails or loosens in a storm it can get ugly. That said, I’m not convinced that is not a general characteristic of minimal UL shelters. I have remained  bone dry in many a downpour with up to 25 mph winds in the Duplex.

FWIW, after loving my Duplex for 8 years, I’ve gone to the Durston XMid 2 Pro and I will not be going back…superior in so many ways, worse in none, and all for a couple ounce “penalty “.

I previously owed a Zpacks plexamid, and went to a Durston Xmid Pro 1p this year–agree that the Durston is superior in many ways!

“I’ve gone to the Durston X-Mid 2 Pro….all for a couple ounce “penalty “.”

I’ve been steadily working on making our Pro series tents as light as possible, so the 2024 versions are getting even lighter.  The X-Mid Pro 2 with the optional Dyneema floor is down to 18.2 oz, so it is now lighter than the Duplex and I think the worlds lightest 2P tent now.

I had a duplex back in the day, was never really a fan of it. Pitched it several times and wanted to like it, but then went with a Lunar Solo and couldn’t understand what all the hype was about from the duplex. The Lunar Solo, I believe was easier and faster to pitch,  not as finicky and something like half the price. I also really liked the Six Moon Designs Haven set up much better then the duplex. That being said,  I honestly prefer my tarp and bivy over them all.

“I’ve been steadily working on making our Pro series tents as light as possible…”

I lived with a DCF floor for 8 years with absolutely no problems, but I prefer the woven floor of the XMid 2 Pro.  I quoted the word “penalty” because I do not see those very few ounces as a negative.  I’m sure a version that is a few oz lighter will appeal to some, but I’m done obsessing over every ounce.  I would choose the woven floor XMid over the DCF floor every time.

Yeah our woven floors are working well and I think a good practical option since they are very light and offer reasonable durability. I’ve historically not done DCF floors because 1.0 oz DCF is bulky and barely lighter. However, we are adding a DCF floor option now because we have a new unique version of DCF that makes more sense as a floor. It offers similar durability to 1.0 oz DCF but packs quite a bit smaller and weighs less, so now it doesn’t have that packed size penalty and it actually saves weight. It still only makes sense for the ‘weight weenies’ though since it’s quite a bit more expensive for a modest weight savings, so we going to provide both woven and DCF floor options going forward so people can choose what they prefer.

We had a  lego man head sized pebble immediately punch a hole through the brand new DCF floor. This was easily fixed with the handy repair kit Zpacks included and obviously the material, not Zpack’s issue but I think I would choose a woven floor given the choice.

Personally, I hate the floating bathtub floor design.  Feels like your sleeping on a garbage bag.  Much prefer the structure of the floor on my XMid Pro1.  Also, the heat bonded seams are the only way to go now.  Zpacks still sews and tapes the seams.  Also, the cut and sew quality is actually quite embarrassing for such an expensive tent.

I love mine. Took a couple of outings to figure out the best way to pitch(was my first trekking pole tent), but now it’s easy. I got the now discontinued camo pattern. Many complain about the rainbow mesh doors, I really like being able to have the entire side open, with the mesh out of the way. Easy enough to simply roll it a couple times and put in on the inside. It fits me and my wife fine-6’2″, 5’7″. I use her trekking pole or a stick when solo to lift up the head and or foot end if needed. My only gripe is I wish it pitched a little lower to the ground. During cold windy days it’s quite drafty inside. During very high winds it can suffer from a buffeting effect that feels like mini-sonic booms inside the tent, but for a trekking pole tent it can take some really nasty winds in my experience.   I personally don’t need zippered doors. All in all I am quite happy with it and would buy it again without question.

I love my Duplex, though I have never used any of the comparable tents from Durston, Gossamer Gear, etc, so my experience is relatively limited.  I’ve had mine for a little over 8 years, and it has never leaked, and has stood up to some pretty severe weather.  Definitely fiddley to set up, and my pitches are often pretty ugly.  :)  I rarely use it anymore, I’ve mostly gone to mids, but I still think it’s a great lightweight 2-person tent, and I’ve never felt the need to replace it.

Did you find that it was imperative to stake out the wall lines in sustained rain?

In heavy or sustained rain, I find it critical that the canopy edge between the corners is taught.  If not the canopy can sag in the middle and drip into the bathtub.  The vestibules are storm worth in most any condition. Staking out the wall panels is primarily good for increasing interior volume but in my experience is not critical for wind performance IF the overall pitch is taught. As stated previously, my experience is that a taught pitch can only be created AFTER you have made a door position (open/closed) decision.

Also, the cut and sew quality is actually quite embarrassing for such an expensive tent.

Agreed.  I’ve seen a video with Joe, where he blatantly said “..you can teach anyone to sew…”  Basically admitting he hires sewers that have little to no experience.

Also, the cut and sew quality is actually quite embarrassing for such an expensive tent.
Agreed.  I’ve seen a video with Joe, where he blatantly said “..you can teach anyone to sew…”  Basically admitting he hires sewers that have little to no experience.

I know Zpacks went through a period a few years ago when their sewing quality was much criticised, but is this still true? After steering clear of them for some time, I’ve bought a pack and a tent from them in the past year and the quality of stitching on both has been extremely high, better than on the HMG tent that I own.

As for the Duplex, I used to own the earliest version; I never had trouble with rain dripping down into the tub, though you do need to be careful not to leave gear pushing the tub outwards. I also found it very easy to get a good taut pitch, though I think the cut of the tent may have changed after the initial version.

HMG has their own set of problems. Quality control on sewing has never been one of them. Nor have they admitted to ever using unskilled labor. Has Zpacks improved their sewing control? A new thread should be started for that conversation.

HMG has their own set of problems. Quality control on sewing has never been one of them.

I didn’t mean to imply that the stitching on the HMG is poor – it isn’t – but rather to emphasise how good the sewing on the Zpacks is.

To be fair, quality of sewing was not what I worry about. Our duplex was purchased this summer (23) and took an absolute wind beating in Indian basin with no problem.  Probably worse than anything I remember in the Cascades. It necessitated me inspecting everything next morning and found nothing loosened or amiss.  particularly like the uncomplicated zippers.

I can concur with Alexander. I have had the Duplex on a ridge-not smart or planned-when we got caught in a storm. Ripping winds-60mph+ gusts. Tent held up. The only issue was one lineloc slipped repeatedly so I tied a knot on the line. That line has not slipped again and except for some line abrasions from stacking many rocks on the stakes,  it was unscathed.

So much massive gusts of wind coming through this thread, I’m surprised it’s still staked out =))

Well to be fair I had probably 20-30lbs of rocks on top of each stake.

My old Duplex with the non-zippered doors has weathered some good storms over approximately 200 nights of use and I haven’t had that problem.  Though, when I know a storm is coming or underway, I pitch the tent so the bathtub floor walls are just a little bit higher for added rain/wind protection.  It reduces the width of the tent slightly.  When sharing the tent and having my 25″ wide pad next to my partner’s 20″ wide pad it limits how high I can raise the tub floor wall.  Also, in high winds with the non-zippered flap doors (not sure about the zippered version) it does have a windward side that helps it handle the gusts better.   So far it’s held up really well for the amount of use.  No issues with the seams, sewing, or holes in the floor.  (knock on wood)

I’m frankly surprised about how much slack Zpacks gets for the quality compared to the cost of their products.  Even Ryan made a comment in his last video about their sub standard quality.  What am I missing?

I don’t understand why Zpacks gets a bad rep on the forum, and having an entire thread with such a provocative title is kind of an extreme case in point. Not at all worried about spray and drips, use a tarp. Want more protection from rain, carry an extra 8 oz. If you want bombproof shelter, carry a bombproof shelter. Choices abound. If you want to save ounces, then you are bound to be making compromises … maybe headroom, maybe relying on a good pitch. Each tent has its pros and cons.

And then … some people complaining about the appearance of stitching and others making vague comments about “quality.” I also understand that there are some concerns about the durability about DCF cut on a bias under tension. I get it, I’ve read the threads. But honestly I feel like a lot of the criticism is overblown and people just like to pile on. The vast majority of people are apparently satisfied under typical use conditions, and there are a lot of users out there. Their gear is in stock when you need it, people are generally happy with the weight and the price, so it keeps selling.

FWIW, I have owned a tent, a pack, a sleeping bag, and some accessories from Zpacks (and other cottage manufacturers), and I have no complaints about quality. I have used the pack and tent for years with no problems, and I haven’t babied them. I’m not necessarily a devotee of the brand, and my most recent purchase is a Durston tent, but the gear I have owned has been effective and durable, and totally satisfactory. So I don’t get the excessive criticism. They sell a lot of gear and so you are likely to hear some complaints, but the designs are well established and time-tested and there are also many satisfied customers. Their prices are in line with competitors and I appreciate that they hold the line on weight. I will often read rave reviews of a new pack and then I’ll check it out and see that it’s 8-10 oz heavier than my Arc Blast, which I’ve been happily using for years.

Agree with everything Dan said.  Never had a problem with any of the ZPacks gear I own.  I love my 8 year old Arc Haul and it looks and functions today exactly as when I got it.  Were it to need replacement, I’d likely simply buy another.