Duplex Lite – 14.9 oz

Interesting. I’ve been waiting for some info on this new product.

The regular Duplex was my main shelter for many years and preformed good enough for summer conditions and some wind/rain here and there. My wife and I are not large individuals so this may be the right proportions for us, but I worry about something only 40 inches wide. We have regular 20 inch wide pads and even in the 45 inch floor Duplex it seemed to put some strain on the entry zippers. Probably my lack of pitching skill, but still, that is pretty narrow.

I do love watching the race for “the lightest tent in the world” and I applaud things that are new and innovative. This seems more about shrinking an existing product, but still fun to check out.

I like these 1.5 person tents for one person and a dog.  I always liked my Plexamid, so I would have considered this if I hadn’t already bought the new Durston X-mid Pro 2 in October when it was back in stock.  The Durston does seem to have some nice features and a great design, so I’m looking forward to trying it out.

Love the new dimensions, but not too keen on the floor material choice. :)

I totally agree Eric, but I’d go one step further and choose the spruce green .75 fly as well, however ZPacks only offers .51 with the Duplex Lite.

On another note, I see ZPacks products are now available on Moosejaw website and the only other retailer I have noticed selling their stuff is Garage Grown Gear. Going the way of HMG and SMD where they are now wholesaling. https://www.moosejaw.com/f/tents?pageNumber=0&filterFacets=X_BRAND%3AZpacks I wonder if Moosejaw’s recurring 20% off specials will apply? Does that mean Durston tents could end up on campsaver or backcountry.com? Not likely as long as demand is huge and supply lags behind.

They are sticking with those damn “rainbow” doors.

I am hoping for a Duplex Slim. 30″ wide. And for the rainbow doors I guess I am in the minority. I like they can be tucked inside and gives me lots of room to access vestibule. Not a fan of open, hanging doors.

There tends to be dirt and pine sap and mud splash in the great outdoors. Zippers don’t handle that well. Especially #3 and below zippers.

Moreover, depending on pitch, tents can stress zippers. A good taught pitch can put pressure on zippers. Conversely, a slack pitch can cause zippers to catch in fabric, if one is not careful. Hard to be careful at three in the morning on a cold night when you urgently need to pee. etc.

The rainbow zipper compounds all of this, ime.

I really really like a #5 zipper.

Brad W – I like your Duplex Slim idea.  That would put this tent down in the 13 ounce zone.  Dreaming a little more, if they did freestanding Duplex Slim it would be around 23 ounces (based on their current flex kit).  That would put it in a class all to itself.  I think the lightest freestanding I’ve seen is like 30 ounces.    I also agree, the rainbow doors are great in providing a nice large opening especially when you have a great view, bringing your pack inside, with your partner, or for taller hikers.

I think I saw Duplex Slim as an opening act for the Grateful Dead back in the day…

It’s funny how they went away from their original concept with the zip and then came back to it.  I wonder what the offerings will be 2 years from now.  Will things simmer down or will we continue to see a good amount of innovation from everyone?

I’m surprised it took Zpacks so long to come out with a slimmed down Duplex. It seems like many people use the original Duplex for 1 person. I couldn’t imagine using this for 2 people though, but for 1 it would be a good size.

Could someone explain what is a “rainbow” tent door?  Thanks.

Mesh door is shaped like an arch or a rainbow.  Falls to the floor when fully unzipped.

Mesh door is shaped like an arch or a rainbow. Falls to the floor when fully unzipped.

You should be a marketing copy writer :D

But seriously that is exactly what it does. Collects dirt and debris. A real antiquated design choice, but I’m not sure there was another option for this type of design. It’s certainly not the end of the world, and can be worked-around with a little forethought.

Well, it just depends on whether you’d prefer to have the door fall on the ground or hang in your way. Pros and cons either way.

The rainbow door can fall inside the tent where it isn’t dirty. Hanging doors always get in my way when I’m tying my shoes. There are no good zipper doors. Always something annoying about them.

“There are no good zipper doors. Always something annoying about them.”

True. Same thing about hiking partners. Me included.

#5 zippers are far less annoying than than #3. I’m willing to take the 2 ounce weight penalty, pronto.

Raising the dead here…

Does anyone have Duplex Lite? I’m wondering how the floor is performing in real-world use.

Also, I personally would prefer an inverted T or a D styled door. It annoys me that the door on my Duplex just collapses to the ground every time it’s opened. Ugh. I get that they don’t want to make a wholesale change to the door for a number of reasons, but why not offer an inverted T as an option? Or maybe a rainbow on one side and D or inverted T on the other? Why do all the rainbow warriors get what they want but we can’t? LOL

Long live the rainbow zipper.