Help me find a DCF tent

[Gregory K]

So I keep going back and forth, looking for a nice DCF tent.  I am 6’2 and it seems like the only way to get a tent with enough headroom laying on a 2-3 inch airmatress with a 20 degree quilt and not hit the walls was something bigger than a single person.  Obviously a duplex is probably plenty big and super light and If I’m cool with needing 8-10 stakes and nice ground to set it up, then I’m good to go.  I wish there was something of a similar weight that was a little longer and narrower and maybe needed a little less setup perfection.  Is there any others that I should be looking at? Right now it’s the duplex but have a little time to research before I pick it up for a late spring trip.

[Daryl and Daryl]

“DCF”?

[Brad Rogers]

DCF = Dyneema composite fabric a.k.a. Cuben Fiber

[Link .]

. Tarptent Aeon Li – Rain Test, Pitch Options, Tall User Demo .

. Time-outs and Tarptent Aeons .

takes 6 stakes

[David Wiese]

The SMD Haven is like the Duplex (2P, DCF) but is it longer, double wall, and has an offset peak. Much better option for taller people. I’m 6’3″ and use it with my wife.

https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/collections/tarps/products/haven-zero-g

 

 

[Gregory K]

That SMD with bug net is quite a bit heavier than a duplex. I am currently in a tarp tent rainbow at 32 oz. if I’m gonna drop 5-700 on a tent I need to get some serious weight savings from it. If I’m only gonna lose 4oz, I can do that without going to dyneema and save a couple hundred bucks. I’m ok spending the money but want to bring things closer to 20oz or less.

 

That new tarptent looks pretty cool. Never love to be the first adopter of new designs but this ticks a lot of boxes

[Rex Sanders]

I’m 6’2″ and also looking for a DCF or maybe SilPoly tent to replace a Tarptent Moment. On my short list:

DCF
Tarptent Aeon Li https://www.tarptent.com/product/aeon-li/
Tarptent Notch Li https://www.tarptent.com/product/notch-li/
Zpacks Duplex http://www.zpacks.com/shelter/duplex.shtml
Zpacks Plexamid http://zpacks.com/shelter/plexamid.shtml

SilPoly
LightHeart Firefly https://www.lightheartgear.com/collections/tents/products/lightheart-firefly
SMD Lunar Solo https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/collections/tents/products/lunar-solo

Not for me, but you might like them, all DCF:
HMG Echo 2 System https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/collections/ultralight-backpacking-shelters-tents/products/echo-ii-ultralight-shelter-system
HMG Ultamid 2 + insert https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/collections/ultralight-backpacking-shelters-tents/products/ultamid-2-ultralight-pyramid-tent
MLD Duomid + InnerNet https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/duomid/
MLD Solomid XL https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/solomid-xl/

Hope this helps.

— Rex

[William Chilton]

Yama Mountain Gear also has a range of DCF options. They’re all front entry, so not for everyone, but a DCF version of the Swiftline 1 might be available in the near future.

(Check out lead times, though, as YMG is moving premises soon.)

[Gregory K]

Thanks for the help.  I’m very interested in the yama mountain and the new tarptent aeon.  The tarptent really seems like it checks all of the boxes that I care about.  I haven’t used a front entry tent since junior pup tent days back when I was a kid in the backyard, but that Yama looks pretty cool.  Like I said, if I’m gonna spend this kind of money I’m looking to lose some serious weight and those two certainly help me do that over a TT rainbow I’m currently using.  Wonder what the lead time is on that Aeon-Li?

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I’ll likely get a Tarptent Notch Li B/C it is so much like my “beloved” Moment DW. I’m used to the two vestibules/doors, the bottom-to-top venting and the aerodynamic shape.

The Aeon is clever with the one pole support but I still prefer the Notch shape.

[Dalton Cooper]

Not 100% on-topic, but do you have any experience with tarps? At risk of thread drift, I’ll go ahead and suggest a one-person tarp if you haven’t already. If cutting weight is the most important thing to you, a humble 7×9 silnylon or silpoly tarp, even with a floorless bug net, will be lighter than any DCF tent and cost less than $100.

I live in North Carolina and do most of my hiking in the Southeast, so my experience with single-wall tents hasn’t been particularly positive due to the condensation issue. That and my budget (high school math teacher) were what got me into tarping in the first place – I have zero regrets about not owning a tent anymore and would encourage everyone to try a tarp at some point in their hiking careers.

 

[Gregory K]

I’ll probably eventually get pulled down the tarp path but for now I’m a tent guy. I’m in the northeast and most of my backpacking is in the warmer months due to schedule (I’m a teacher also) so bugs are usually a pain. I am relatively new to backpacking and just don’t feel ready to jump into a tarp setup. As I become more comfortable with picking out good campsites and stuff like that I will probably venture down the tarp route but for now I am gonna stick with a tent. Thanks for the tips though.

[Link .]

Gregory, here is what Henry said about the Aeon Li

Not in stock but in production. We’re having some website issues at the moment but should be back up later today. There’s an email notification list on the Aeon Li page if you sign up you’ll know exactly when we open ordering in a couple of weeks.

[Link .]

Cam “Swami” Honan that I linked in my previous recommendation (“The most travelled hiker on earth.”)

has put 550 miles on the tent and given this review

Gear Review: Tarptent Aeon Li .

[Dean F.]

I long ago decided that a 2-person pyramid with a minimalist 5-ounce bivy is the Ultimate Shelter System, and you can certainly get them in DCF.  (Don’t use a floored innernet- it negates the entire weight savings of using a floorless pyramid.)

Pyramids are easy and fast to pitch- stake the four corners in a square and then pop the pole in.  They will cover 95% of the conditions that you will ever hike in- they are quite bomber for an ultralight shelter.  Getting the 2-person version gives you room for equipment, cooking, changing clothes in public camps, etc.

The bivy keeps the bugs and snakes off, and with one you don’t need a groundsheet.  And, when the weather is nice, you can very easily cowboy camp in it without the pyramid.  Yes, I know that the innernets can be set up alone without the pyramid shell, but you do have to set it up, whereas you just crawl into a bivy.

Negatives?  Well, for some strange reason some people just hate center-poles.  But you can easily cant the pole, if it’s long enough, to keep it out of your way if you are One Of Those.  Or MLD’s DuoMid XL uses an off-center pole.  (IMNSHO the DuoMid XL currently leads the pack as a solo shelter.)  Another negative that people harp about is a “large footprint.”  Which is hooey.  The footprint of a 2P pyramid is hardly prohibitive and I can’t say that it’s noticeably worse than any mass-market 2P tent I’ve dealt with.  I’ve never had a hard time finding a large enough space.

[Franco Darioli]

“Another negative that people harp about is a “large footprint.”  Which is hooey. ”

In this case the Duo Mid XL is listed at 65 sq feet  plus, the total footprint of the TT Aeon is about 30 sq feet.

[Jeff Hollis]

You might want to wait until the new spring 19 Tarptent Rainbow and Bowfind models come out. I am looking for a more traditional tent out of DCM and Tarptent replied to my request by saying they are working on it. As of now most of the options are teepees and pyramids which really limits head volume. A DCF Rainbow would be my dream as may be the Bofin.

[bradmacmt]

Seems to me the TT Moment would be an ideal candidate for a DCF build… I don’t use trekking poles, so I’d be adding a pole(s) to either the Notch Li or Aeon Li. I prefer a DW tent that can be pitched with the body attached to the fly. The Moment in DCF would be my huckleberry as it already starts at a lower weight than the Bowfin 1, and it has a more wind-stable profile than the Bowfin. Perhaps its design doesn’t lend itself well to DCF?

[Jeff Hollis]

I was once drawn to the Moment. I do love hoop tents but once I was exposed to the Rainbow, there was no comparison. I have a Lightheart Solong that I used for 2 days in the rain and moved on. I know it’s not apples and oranges but with the Moment you still have the roof collapsing after the hoop which can’t give you the feel of the spaciousness of the Rainbow or Bowfin. But it may be worth it to you for the weight savings or whatever it is you like.

 

[Jeff Hollis]

People don’t like limited head volume that all pyramids suffer from. Hang out in say a Tarptent Rainbow and you will understand instantly. It is like moving from a teepee to a palace. But keeping it light weight means sacrifices and only you can decide what is right for you and for your particular situation. I love my 2 pound Megalite but since I have only hiked solo for years, I have not used it in years. If I was thru hiking or fastpacking, with long hours of hiking and minimum hours sleeping, say 7-9 hours, then the head volume doesn’t matter and I find the lightest weight shelter, which to me usually means my DCF tarp.

[bradmacmt]

once I was exposed to the Rainbow, there was no comparison.

While I loved the geometry, I could not love the Rainbow. No matter how much I used mine… it was a condensation collecting machine. I sold it. For me, the beauty of the Moment is its pole, weight, solid inner availability, and its wind-shedding profile. The Bowfin essentially borrows the MSR Hubba’s proven geometry (a good thing). If I didn’t already have  a Hubba (HP) I might want a DCF Bowfin. However, I do believe the Moment will be better in wind. The Hubba/Bowfin/Rainbow sit fairly tall, and the big flat surface on its North/South sides do not have a pole (structure) like the Moment.

[Jeff Hollis]

All good points and I failed to say I have actually never even seen the Moment in real life.

I used the Rainbow on part of my AT thru hike and it was so roomy I never brushed the walls but I also used the roof liner.

[Dean F.]

“In this case the Duo Mid XL is listed at 65 sq feet  plus, the total footprint of the TT Aeon is about 30 sq feet.”

Also in this case, you are comparing a 1P shelter to a 2P shelter.  :)

What I was trying to say is that pyramids don’t truly have much more of a footprint than other comparable shelters.

So, a SoloMid is 35 sq ft, if he wants to stay small.  But as I said, I think that the extra space is well worth the extra weight and footprint for a 2P mid.

[Randy Martin]

100% agree that the Pyramid is the perfect shelter.  Add the innernet if you are not ready for a floorless shelter.  Subtract the innernet when you are ready to give the tarp alone a try.  Completely modular and the easiest shelter to setup perfectly 100% of the time.  I setup my Duomid in less than 1 minute to a perfect drum tight pitch everytime.  The single pole keeps things simple and doing the slightly offset pitch provides a massive amount of space for the sleeper while providing an equally massive vestibule.

[Dean F.]

I really think that an innernet foils the whole point of a pyramid.  It gets you no real weight savings over similar tents.  But a BorahGear cuben-floored bug bivy is only ~4 oz, to act as a groundsheet and bug protection.  That, I think, is the perfect option.  Then the DCF DuoMid is 16 oz, for a total of 20 oz for a shelter that is a palace for one.

[Author]

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