Lightest Non-Bivy Shelter for 2018?

[Jesse Jakomait]

Here is my collection:

2.2 oz CF ground sheet.

4.8 oz 7’x9′ Cuben Fiber tarp

6.4 oz Zpacks Hexamid Solo tarp only

20.0 oz Zpacks Duplex

20.9 oz Black Diamond Beta Light tarp tent

I’ve owned the 7×9 tarp and Beta Light for a decade but almost always used the Beta Light because how well is closes in the sleeping space and is a fortress in strong winds.  Looking to upgrade I picked up a Duplex last year for a full featured 2 person shelter that laughs at bugs and rain.  For fair weather weekend adventures (most of the time in CO), I recently picked up a tarp only version of the Hexamid Solo.  I’m frequently above treeline and heard the Hexamid does better in strong winds over the Solplex.  I tried bivy sacs and hated them and at 6.4 oz for the Hexamid, I doubt you can even find a bivy that light.  The pocket tarp is the only thing I know of that is lighter but is a bit scary with the 0.34 oz/sqyd CF fabric but like yourself, wanted the lightest thing that was not a bivy.  No bug protection is fine for me 99% of the time and saves a ton of weight.  I do need to add my CF ground sheet that is 2.2 oz to every setup other than the Duplex.  That’s what I ended up with!  Good luck.

[Eric Blumensaadt]

Greg, do your tents have inner walls? I realize it’s extra weight and can be a problem if they get wet when folded up with condensation on the inner side of the fly, a PITA at the next campsite B/C you now have a damp inner tent.

But I like double walled tents in cooler temps and rainy situations. Trade-offs, always.

 

[Greg Mihalik]

Eric,

My reply was directed towards your emphasis on floors.  The “double versus single wall” topic has been beaten to death elsewhere.

To answer your second question, the Zpacks Hexamid Solo and Solplex are both single wall. With DCF/Cuben absorbed condensation is not an issue. Any residual moisture can be quickly wiped away.

[Yoyo]

Jesse,

I think we have the same idea.  Do you ever have issues in Colorado with bugs?  This year, on the CT, I only experienced one section (Holy Cross) where mosquitoes were a nuisance, but that was during the daytime.  After dark, I rarely experience issues.  I do recall some pretty bad mosquitoes a couple year back in the Indian Peaks (Devil’s Thumb Lake?), but again that was during the daytime around dusk…

My proposed setup for next year is:

ZPacks Hexamid Tarp = 6.4 oz including guylines (6.7 oz including the stuff sack)

Zpacks cuben groundsheet = 3.2 oz

Zpacks carbon stakes (8) = 1.75 oz

That’s a total of 11.35 oz for the complete shelter system.  Now add a headnet (mine is 0.1 oz) and you are around 11.5 oz.  Still not bad, albeit limited bug protection.  For an additional 6 oz you can have a Solplex (fully enclosed) or a Hexamid tent (fully enclosed).

Now you have to tell me where you found your 2.2 oz cuben groundsheet.  Are you using this with your Hexamid Solo tarp?

I really can’t say enough things about the Hexamid Solo (tent or tarp).  After having owned the tent for 4 years, I’ve never gotten my bag wet nor had any tears of the cuben fabric or the mesh.  The ease of setup with one trekking pole is great too.  My trekking poles are already set at the proper height (GG LT4’s), so I don’t have to fiddle with them in camp.  Not something I’d like to do with the LT4’s (they are notorious for slipping once you undo them).

As for the pocket tarp…I think I mentioned this before but I ran into a guy using a modified pocket tarp on the CT this summer.  He said that according to Joe, no one has ever managed to tear one.  So I think the 0.34 oz / yd2 is up to the job.  Sadly, he sold it to someone else…If only Joe would produce a version of the pocket tarp with the storm doors and attachment points for the cuben groundsheet, I’d be all over it…Well, maybe not.  The 0.51 oz / yd2 is good enough I suppose.

[Jesse Jakomait]

David,

Bugs – I’ve been adventuring a lot over the last 10 years in CO and seldom have an issue with a tarp without mesh.  I tend to camp above treeline a lot chasing mountain summits which have fewer bugs than average.  I also find a shelter that pins to the ground around the entire perimeter (like my old Beta Light) does a reasonable job to stop you from getting swarmed and giving you a pretty good safe zone.  You might have a few insects crawling around the outside of your sleeping bag but rarely is anything buzzing or biting your face.  In late June / early July there can be bad mosquitoes in select pockets but I’ve only been in that situation once (by Telluride in the Wilson Peak area).  I’ve done the CT 5 times, hiked all the 14ers and about 40 13ers and camp probably 30 weekends per year.  The Wind River Range is a completely different story though!

Ground Sheet – It’s a 7 year old ZPacks 1.0 oz/sqyd CF bathtub ground sheet.  I had to re-weigh it to make sure i wasn’t lying to you after I pulled that number from my gear weight spreadsheet.  Its 2.16oz.  I just bought a sewing machine and am about to make another one out of 0.51 oz/sqyd CF myself hoping to knock that down to about 1.2oz. I’ve used the ZPack version with every tarp tent since I got it and considering its condition I think I can go thinner without destroying it immediately.  Admittedly I haven’t used my Hexamid yet since I only got it a few months ago and have been sidelined recovering from 2 surgeries since July but the plan is for the Hexamid and my new ground sheet to take the place of my old Beta Light and Zpack ground sheet for almost all of my adventures.

Total – I usually hike with poles so I don’t count the weight with my shelter and I never carry stakes.  I just wrap the tie-outs with rocks and call it good.  I’ve gotten up in the middle of the night a few times to find bigger rocks the size of cinder blocks to make sure my tent doesn’t blow away but I probably would be doing the same thing if I had stakes.

0.34 oz/sqyd tarp – maybe if I get good at sewing it might be worth a try to replicate my Hexamid solo out of the lighter material?!

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