Locus Gear Khufu owners, talk to me

I have the MLD Duomid and using the little pole extender is absolutely a NON ISSUE with me.  It goes in the stake bag with my stakes…completely unnoticed.  I pull the stakes out of the bag to stake down the duomid, pull out the extender (that is just as long as the stakes – it’s nothing to carry) and put it on my pole…insert the pole and I have my shelter.  NON ISSUE.

I also use the DPTE from LG when I want to use the inverted V in the Duomid – works like a champ.

I think they are quite close…I don’t like the storm flap on the burly zipper of the MLD that LG does not have, and I think the Khufu is 1.5 oz lighter (?)…but other than that I can’t really see a substantive difference between the two.

Not really sure why you are worried about your poles in the Duomid??

I own a silnylon Khufu and a cuben Solomid so I might be able to offer some insight.  MLD mids are built more “burly” than LG’s.  The zippers are bigger, there’s a buckle on the bottom of the zip, there’s a storm flap covering the main zip and the vent is larger.  Also, the MLD seams are fully taped and waterproof so no seam sealing is necessary.  This all adds up to a heavier shelter by a few ounces.

With all that said, both are excellent shelters and either will work with your poles and a DTPE style apparatus.  If it matters, you might want to consider wait times.  Right now LG is running at a 7 to 9 week turnaround while MLD is 1 week once they return from holiday vacation.

I own the Cuben Khufu. It’s super well built, but if I had to do it over, I’d get the larger mid – it’s just too short for me, esp with two people. I’m 6ft.

I don’t have a Khufu but I do have an LG Hapi which I love. I’ve had it out in some medium-ish rain without any issues. I have also used a duomid which I think is also great too. As written, the duomid is burlier but I think it’s more burly than necessary though. Just my opinion. The LG is really well made and more than burly enough. The specified weight includes the attached line loc 3’s and their attached guy lines. If you end up getting it and we’re concerned, you could buy 1″ cuben fiber tape and seal the seams yourself.

I wrote up a pretty detailed comparison of the Khufu vs DuoMid at my blog here:

http://intocascadia.com/2015/02/17/review-locus-gear-khufu-sil/

I like using a single pole, rather than the DTPE, for simplicity. An extender is no big deal for the DuoMid but I still like how the Khufu doesn’t need one.

I have the first Locus Gear Khufu Hapi (now just called Hapi), cuben version.  It’s similar in length and height to the Khufu, but considerably wider.  I use it with the DPTE and love it.  It’s the perfect size for my wife and I – 6′ and 5’9″ respectively – while retaining the less is more ethos.  I’d seriously consider the Hapi over the Khufu for a modest weight and cost penalty.

There have been numerous threads on seam sealing vs. sewing, and it was a major concern before I ordered last March.  I will say that Locus Gear has a very finely tuned, specific method for their seams that optimizes the thread holes.  I ran mine under heavy spray from a hose for 10-15min with no leaks or drips.  I’ve also really cranked mine down for a tight pitch without any thread holes elongating.

You’ll notice that HMG’s Ultamids are almost wholesale copies of LG’s designs (LG’s ‘mids have been around years longer) and that’s quite an endorsement when you consider how good HMG’s stuff is.  It’s worth noting that HMG’s stuff is arguably more durable than both MLD and LG, so there’s that.

First Impression Review

Locus Gear Hapi

Hey Katherine,

I have a cuben Duomid and a carbon DPTE if you want to meet up sometime so you can test it out with the BD poles.

Steve

Yay Steven! (I pm’d you). Very curious to hear from any BD Alpine Carbon Cork users.

Thanks for the input so far. My choice will come down to which non-big-deal feels the smallest: pole height v seams.

Not too concerned with the burliness factor as both seem sufficient and both will still be lighter than my hammock set-up!

This would be for me solo (use a TT SS2 w/my son) and i’m 5’6″, so aiming for just enough space for rain clearance/dripline.

I forgot to mention my poles are BD Alpine Carbon Corks.  They worked fine with the Khufu in both dual or single pole modes and with or without a Solonet inner.  In single pole mode I sometimes put a flat rock under the pole tip rather than a pole jack.  I’ve since switched to using a bivy rather than an inner with my mids.  Waaaay more room in the shelter with this setup.  Bivys are not to everyone’s liking however.

@bulwyf –  great info! Do you happen to have any pics of it?

Yes, I have a MLD bivy (my existing ground set-up is bivy + hex tarp) and will use that with the mid some, if not much, of the time. Budget-permitting I want to get the matching 1p net while I’m at it, esp if i go w/LG, so that’s an option over the long run.

Here’s what I’m wondering about: Pythagorean theorem says the hypotenuse on the Khafu is 153 cm (probably roughly the same for Duomid). Useable length on the BDACCs are 130 cm. LG doesn’t give specs for the DTPE. Is it 23 cm, plus enough extra for pole/extender overlap? Can you make the V go all the way wide as the mid? [edited, on closer look seems more plausible]

Katherine,

I’ve owned my Khufu for a few years now, I’ve also hiked with the BD Alpine Carbon Cork poles quite a bit and used them a number of times with the Khufu in conjunction with the DPTE. All works well… I have the dual inner, but otherwise same setup. I rarely use the inner.

On once occasion a couple of years ago I spent a couple of nights near the Peter Grubb hut snow camping with this combo. We had hellish weather with winds 40-50 mph and gusts over 60 mph/ Some other BPL’ers were out there and can attest how nasty it was out there. I thought the whole thing would implode or explode but it never did. I used snow states that had set over the course of the day and they were rock solid, the Khufu was pitched really tight and all the force from the winds was being transmit into the poles. I couldn’t believe how much they were bowing under the load; if they ha been less beefy carbon poles I think they would have snapped. I thought for sure I’d have some stressed seams after a couple of nights of that, but it all held up.

The Locus Gear quality is very good. I posted a review a few years ago, I should probably update it with some of the above info.

The Khufu is very similar to the MLD Duomid dimensionally, but of the two I preferred it.

I found the DPTE a little fiddly and have been tinkering with another home made idea instead, maybe a little overkill for some people.

Cheers!

Jacob.

I used the BD alpine carbon cork poles for my first JMT trip – with the duomid + solo inner net.  I brought along the little pole jack.

I really liked the vestibule space of the solo inner inside the duomid…it was a dream to be able to zip that door closed and cook and live inside that space during a somewhat hellish wind storm we had at the base of Forester pass one morning…

Here is my set up at the backpackers camp in Yosemite.

I do use the DPTE set up (inverted V) when I use the duo inner net, but honestly I find the fiddle-factor to be a teensy bit higher with that than with just putting that pole up in the center of the mid.  To be honest, I’m not sure there is an easier shelter to set up anywhere, ever.

Stake out 4 corners.  Insert pole (with jack stuck on end of pole) through the vent in the middle.  Stake out front door, rear panel.  Done.

Also – don’t worry about your poles.  Poles are poles – I used the BD alpine carbon cork for a while and they were fine, now I use the Locus Gear CP3s with Gossamer Gear handles and they’re fine, too.  No difference whatsoever in terms of shelter set up with either pole…

What does DPTE stand for?

Jennifer, your setup looks great. Is that a rain skirt under your pack? That looks a really nice setup.

@matthewphx “DTPE” = dual tip pole extenders

http://locusgear.com/items/dpte/?lang=en

Gotcha! Thanks for decoding.

It IS a rain skirt!  I use it as a nice ground sheet inside the vestibule to keep my stuff dry.  I also use it at rest stops and lunch stops to sit on sometimes – it’s quite nice to have!

I’ve been through a ton of shelter set ups and this is the one I keep coming back to.  I really like the flexibility of having no inner, a duo inner (for me and the dog if he needs bug protection too) or the solo inner if I’m going alone and need bug protection.  It’s just a beautiful set up.

This was a really helpful comparison of the Duomid and Khufu, which both appear to be great designs and very well made. I really like the Hapi design for 2 (no crawling over tentmates = better sleep); for solo use I like side entry for the views.

One factor I’m very curious about that didn’t come up – In a storm/high winds, can all the bottom edges of the Duomid and the Khufu be pitched flush to the ground? I recall reading a Locus Gear user who wrote the Khufu could be pitched like that, but the Duomid was designed such when all the corners were properly staked out there would always be gaps along the bottom edges of the shelter. This is probably by design, to reduce condensation, but I like to be able to pitch a shelter flush or near flush to the ground when needed.

Jen those photos were very helpful – sweet setup! Dan and Jake, enjoyed your Khufu reviews – and Jake nice DPTE replacement! I imagine a solid connector is less fidly and more sturdy. What specifically about the Khufu do you both prefer to the Duomid besides weight savings?

I may be in the minority when I say this, but I wish more shelter manufacturers offered cuben in stealth colors like Zpacks camo (need not be camo – just colors that blend in well), with the exception being winter, when I like bright shelter colors – reds, yellows – for visibility and cheer on grey winter days.

@jenmitol – I’ve got a ULA skirt with a sewn-in elastic top hem which keeps me from laying it flat. I think I need to do some surgery and replace the elastic with shock cord and a cordlocks so that I can lay it flat like you do. Or maybe buy/make a cuben skirt…

Jennifer – you said somewhere your 6’3″ brother used the duomid with the dtpe to sleep diagonally? He would struggle with either single or duo inner otherwise?

Im asking because I’m thinking that at 6’2″ that if I would need to use the dtpe or dual pole extenders to use the inner I may as well go up to the duomid xl where I’ll get the room I need with simple setup for only 1oz or so.

Then of course we we bring he HMG mids into the mix……

@Jen, @Jake and @Dan, In a storm/high winds, can all the bottom edges of both the Duomid and the Khufu be pitched flush to the ground?

@Dan and @Jake, What specifically about the Khufu do you both prefer to the Duomid besides weight savings?

Katherine,

I would hold off on the LocusGear Mid and lurk on the forms for a used MLD DuoMid. They have been around a long time and have been popular, so they appear on the Gear Swap Forum with some regularity and on Ebay on occasion. I got mine a couple of years ago for $265 and it is going strong. There is no loss in quality or design either. I often see them for around $300. Likewise, the inners also pop up, often as part of a Mid sale. Also, I recommend getting 4 Ruta Locura 9″ carbon stakes for the 4 corners.

1. Don’t worry about the seams.
2. I recommend a 2/3 inner (not a 3/4) (That’s 2/3 of a full 2-person inner). It’s asymmetrical fore-and-aft, giving better internal space, while still providing a sizable vestibule. Much better arrangement than a 1 person  inner. LG sell them to custom order – not on the website, you need to request a price list. I’d go with the bug shelter rather than the fabric, which I find claustrophobic (I have both).  I’m 5’8″ at last count.
3. The DPTE is definitely a tad more fiddley to pitch (than the single pole), but the space gained makes its use well worthwhile. You can stretch out under the long midline, and when using a 2/3 inner, stash more gear against the back of the inner than the front. Makes great sense in use.
4. in my opinion, the lower apex makes the Khufu more stormworthy than the DuoMid, but still provides more than adequate headroom.
5. LG offers great after-sale service.

OK – I just asked my brother for more specifics about his experience borrowing my duomid with the duo inner and the DPTE set up:

he is 6’4″ and weighs close to 270 or so.

He does not remember if he needed to sleep at an angle or not, but said he never noticed being cramped and thought he had plenty of room.  He did say he would sometimes wake up smooshed against the sides, but it was not an issue for him (a non-backpacker, non-camper) and still says he loved it and thought he had plenty of room.  His friend had a cheapo walmart coleman dome tent and complained of being wet constantly – my brother said he was dry (despite a lot of rain) and cozy the whole trip.  He will be camping again with us in Big Bend when he brings our water cache via motorcycle – and this is a FIRST! (usually he just rents a cabin – lol!)

“@Jen, @Jake and @Dan, In a storm/high winds, can all the bottom edges of both the Duomid and the Khufu be pitched flush to the ground?

@Dan and @Jake, What specifically about the Khufu do you both prefer to the Duomid besides weight savings?
The Khufu (or any other LG mid) can be pitched flush with the ground.  I usually pitch mine about 4-6 inches off the ground since the inner mesh/silnylon tent walls are a good 6″ tall anyway – this gives good ventilation but still blocks wind.</div>
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<div class=”likebtn_container”>Pure opinion, but I much prefer the look of the LG mids and the color options for cuben fiber (blue, white, black, aluminized).  When I bought mine it was significantly less expensive than the MLD equivalent, but I’m not sure if that’s still true.</div>
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