"New" Locus Gear Dome Tent

[Sean Passanisi]

Locus Gear is working on a “new” freestanding dome tent.  “New” in the sense that it’s still in prototype stage, though they have posted photos of it over the years.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSuLAUbDSkr/

This seems like a popular design with the mountaineering companies (Black Diamond, etc.).  What are the pros/cons of a dome like this one vs. a mid?

Locus Gear is also using a new hybrid coated PU / silnylon material in the Khafra shelter.

[Franco Darioli]

Many brands have used that 2 pole crossover design because it is the simplest lightest way to get a freestanding shelter.

As far as I know Sopu in Finland was the first to use something like that in 1935 , however I think that Todd Bibler was the first to have the classic shape we know today.

So weight/ease of set up /small footprint/weather resistance  are the advantages .

Lack of rain protected entry and lack of air flow would be the two most obvious downsides.

The 1935 Sopu tent :

[Sam Farrington]

Was unable to determine from the image whether the poles can be inserted into sleeves from the outside, or whether they must be inserted from the inside like the Black Diamond single breathable wall tents. If the former, that would be an improvement, and would allow a faster and drier pitch in the rain.

Assuming the former, entry or exit in rain and other precip remains a problem, as has been pointed out on BPL countless times by Franco, editor Roger Caffin and others. It is not difficult to design such a tent with a protected entry, such as this modified One Planet Goondie shown here:

So it is surprising that Locus would be working on such a design without a protected entry.  And without that, I would go no further.

[Ito Jakuchu]

I’ve seen prototypes of that dome for years now. Nice to see it again, hope it makes it out into production some time.

Dome tents are very popular in Japan. It seems like in the Japan Alps easy over 90% is a dome.

Some reasons are:

Very hard wind and rain (typhoons) in summers.

Often very exposed sites.

Hard ground, stakes almost always secured with small rocks rather than proper insertion.

Small sites.

Conforming to norm.

I’m not saying these are all valid, or mids don’t stand a chance, but these are often reasons stated/thought.  You do see people often on lower elevation with mids/tarps. Also ran down Yarigadake with some guys that used sort of emergency mids (a “Zelt”, https://www.finetrack.com/products/zelt/zelt1/).

Looks like quite a big vent now on top of this prototype.

An earlier prototype from last year had these specs:
Locus Gear Djedi Dome CTB (Breathable Cubenfiber) Prototype
Length : 230cm (7.5ft)
Width : 130cm (4.3ft)
Height : 105cm (3.4ft)
Weight : 850g (1.9lbs) (w/ Easton Carbon FX poles).

[Franco Darioli]

Ito’s photo very well illustrate where those tent perform best. I can’t see myself pitching a pyramid tent in those sort of areas.

[Ito Jakuchu]

Well, it’s out now.

Quite good specs for a freestanding dome tent and all. Not cheap and not a replacement for the Mid tarps of course.

http://locusgear.com/items/djedi-dcf-event-dome/?lang=en

 

[Jeff McWilliams]

“Not cheap” is an understatement.  142,000 Japanese Yen is $1,282.00.  That makes the high price of $600.00 for a Duplex seem like a bargain.

 

 

 

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

The price is super high – I guess the DCF/Event fabric is super pricey – and the non-protected entry is a con, but it sure is beautiful. Locus Gear makes such nice stuff.

I wish they posted the dimensions, but 30-34oz for a 2 person, freestanding tent is quite good.

[Ito Jakuchu]

The dimensions are given as follows:

L 230cm x W 130cm x H 105cm

 

edit- oh ok I see why you said that. The dimensions are on the Japanese page, but  right now omitted from the English page. Will send them a heads up.

[Ito Jakuchu]

So full specs.

Size:
L 230cm x W 130cm x H 105cm

Materials:
DCF-eVent (Upper), DCF-TPU (Bathtub floor)

Weight:
Two versions are available.
With a front mesh panel and without front mesh panel.

Without front mesh panel: Body 580g (incl.stuff Sack), Carbon fiber poles 300g (incl.stuff Sack), Total 880g
With the front mesh panel: Body 680g (incl.stuff Sack), Carbon fiber poles 300g (incl.stuff Sack), Total 980g

Additional, optional, groundsheet:
Material: Black 15D Silicone / PU HyBrid Coating Ripstop Nylon
Size: L 230cm x W 130cm
Weight: 130g (w/ guyline and linelock on each 4 corner, incl. sack)

[Ralph Burgess]

Seems to me that it’s basically a lighter DCF version of the Direkt 2 or Firstlight, and that’s its only role – a low temperature high altitude mountaineering tent.   What else could you use it for?   With any kind of moisture, you need to close up, giving you a single wall tent with no ventilation.  eVent or not, that isn’t going to work except at low enough temperatures.

[Ito Jakuchu]

I think that is totally correct. I don’t think you would choose this tent as an alternative for a mid or something general like it. Even if it does have a vent in the roof.

I do think it would work well in the Japanese Alps in all seasons, but of course I have no experience with it, or the DCF eVent. Easily 98% of tents are domes in the JP Alps, and this would be a lighter, more generously sized, and more expensive alternative.
I guess it would be great as a lighter alternative to the Direkt 2 and Firstlight too, but would love to see somebody review it, especially the fabric.

A lot of people here have more money than time though so perhaps for them it’s all good.

[Ian]

I like the idea of having a single wall tent that I can crawl into and raise it from the inside during stormy weather.  Most of what I’ve seen from BD has been too short for me at 6’3”.

That price tag though…

[Franco Darioli]

Most of what I’ve seen from BD has been too short for me at 6’3”.

looking at the angle of the poles, I would think that the Locus has a similar usable  length to the Bibler El Dorado/BD Lighthouse .

[James Marco]

I think that tent will not fly.
1) It needs a rain-protected entrance. Holding the peak height and extending the vent cover to 50% rather than the existing 25% of the front door slope would improve coverage and protect the zipper from rain.
2) Only in bug season would I consider a full tent (fully enclosed, fully bug proof, fully weather tight.)
3) The cost (around 1300USD plus shipping & stakes) is literally too high for what you get.
4) The size is VERY tight for two people (7’6″x4’2″,~41″height) and not touch the sidewalls. Your bag/quilt WILL get wet unless used solo.
5) The poles are very heavy: >10oz.
6) Winds will be a problem at that width/height requiring extra staking.
7) In winter, a double walled tent is almost mandatory to hold some heat.
8) The floor/wall junction is always problematical. Joining two different fabrics and leaving the seaming to the weather has always proven to be problematical. (For me, I always get leaks at the corners after a year or so.)
9) Condensation will be a b1tch. For any ventilation scheme to have a chance of working, a high and low vent is needed, or, some sort of cross ventilation. This lacks a low vent. Instead they rely on the porosity of the DCF/cuben which is known to be poor.
10) The overall weight (36-38oz or 2#4-2#6) is very high for solo tent, though not terrible if you are small enough to fit two people in it.
11) The DCF/eVent combination fabric is simply a waste. The eVent is supposed to breath and repel moisture. When combined with the DCF/cuben, it does not. The cuben does all the waterproofing and the eVent only supplies a LOT of unneeded strength. A lighter fabric would certainly help the weight with no reduction in strength, but perhaps some loss of insulation would be noted from such an arrangement.
12) There is no internal pockets nor internal web loop at the peak to allow putting my glasses in and a light hanging from the peak. Just the external web loop for lifting the tent. Or for a peak candle to allow ventilation to be driven by the heat. In cold weather (<20F,) there is no storm flap to prevent spin-drift and preserve heat. While they mention cold weather, they made no accommodation for it.

[Brad Rogers]

This is not a Backpacking tent, but rather a Mountaineering tent to compete with the Bibler/Black Diamond and MH Direkt2.  All of those tents share a very similar design that is proven that in the conditions it was designed for.  It’s below freezing so you don’t have to worry about rain dripping in (The BD tents aren’t even made from WP fabric).

[Steve Collins]

And…first batch is sold out. I was actually emailing them for a set up video or picture and must have missed out as I had one in my cart. Looks like a great alternative to similar BD/Bibler, MSR and Mountain Hardware alpine tents. Was hoping to get one in time to use this winter.

PS – for those that have discounted the materials and design, please do a little research, as said above a couple times this is a specialized piece of gear for special situations. Maybe do some research before blasting a really innovative new tent. PPS – description clearly states there is a zipper flap and the size is significantly larger than the competition.

[Roger Caffin]

a really innovative new tent.
I don’t mind a little bit of marketing hype, but this is seriously way over the top. It’s a POP-UP, for heavens sake!
If it is raining you will get water on your gear inside.
If it is snowing you will get snow on your gear inside.
Under almost any conditions you will get condensation on your gear inside.
I have seen so many of these before.

Cheers

[Ken Thompson]

First batch sold out

[Steve Collins]

Roger – I was thinking beyond the design of the pole structure, obviously nothing that hasn’t been done for years. I am referring to the construction technique, use of materials, floor space for a mountaineering /alpine tent, etc. as a guy who is almost 6’4” I have had too many uncomfortable cramped days waiting out storms in my I-tent, old early winters goretex tunnel and Black Diamond hilight – it’s my opinion. YMMV :)

[HkNewman]

Looks sweet but want to know how it handles condensation in a number of climates before laying down that cash (it would have to be an “all in one”).  Also solo…

[Steve Collins]

This is not an all in one tent for most people. This is a specialized piece for your kit. Saying this tent is a poor design because it is not all in one is like taking Roger’s stove on a summer hike of the FT instead of alcohol or esbit, sure it would work but it’s more than needed and there are better solutions.

[Roger Caffin]

Hi Steve

Very ‘specialised’ maybe, but even so, to call it a really innovative new tent is STILL a bit over the top imho.

And all my other comments about rain and snow coming inside as soon as you open the door and condensation remain perfectly true. A pop-up with no verandah is a terrible ‘solution’.

Now, your comment about the problems you have met with a few tents over your 6′ 4″ height – I sympathise. But I do not think that a larger pop-up is the best solution, not even under any conditions. But then, that is just my opinion.

Cheers
PS: I use my ‘winter stove’ in the summer as well as in the winter because it is more convenient (lower, better stability), easier to adjust and much faster. But then, I AM biased. I admit it. :)

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

The Dyneema Project release a very well done short video on the Djedi Dome. It’s worth watching.

[Sam Farrington]

Hi Roger, – As already noted, agree with you and others about the need for overhead protection to allow entry and exit with protection against rain and snow.  There are a multitude of ways to do this, but a basic two pole dome like the original Jansport Wedge is not one of them.  The tunnel design is one of them, but not the only one.

So wish you would stop using the phrase, “Pop-Up” derisively about tent designs.  In fact, a design that uses a frame to create a self-supporting tent exerts much less pressure on stakes (or on deadmen, or rocks, etc).  There are a multitude of places besides Japan where this is a critical advantage in windstorms.  To put it another way, if the stakes anchor the tent but are not as critical to support it, they are not nearly as critical to keep it upright as stakes are for trekking pole tents, or for tunnel tents attacked by winds from either side.  The challenge, of course, is to design the most aerodynamic structure, resistant to winds from all directions, not to mention best strength-to-weight, protected entry and egress, etc.  I once read and keep in mind an article about structures designed for wings for sailplanes, and learned that one such design was incredibly better than the others in all respects, due simply to the design of the frame.

Of greater concern to me is whether the waterproof breathable material from Dyneema is sufficiently vapor permeable to keep a single wall tent dry inside in conditions that would otherwise make such a tent wet and uncomfortable on the inside.   If the answer is yes it can, then the material is a big step forward despite obvious drawbacks that can be remedied.   I doubt that it can, but will keep an open mind; although it is of no practical importance to me, having no expectation of purchasing the material let along the tent anytime soon, if ever.  But who knows?  The fabrics available today are a far cry from what we had to work with just a few years ago.

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