Quick question for Duplex owners…

[jimmy b]

Hey folks, just got my duplex this weekend and I am super impressed. Played house in it this weekend as heat waves and me don’t agree. I noticed 4 fabric loops about 1/2 inch in dia. at each corner INSIDE the shelter where the tarp fabric meets the netting.  I cant for the life of me figure what they would be used for, except maybe something to do with the MFGing process.

There are also 2 loops inside at the pole support cups. I suppose those could be rigged to hand items from in a pinch but what are the intended purpose of all this extra weight :)

[Andrew Priest]

Will be interested to read what others have to say. I just got notification mine is on the way … exciting :)

[Window walker]

I have an older duplex and I don’t think I have the same loops you describe.  Zpacks is very quick to respond though, you can email them directly. I am very interested to find out what they are for though! Do you have any pics?

 

Edit- I do actually have the loops near the pole cups, I think they are to hang stuff like a clothesline. I use mine occasionally to hang my headlamp.

[jimmy b]

Andrew, I know these have been around for a while now but I think you will be pleasantly surprised. When the mailman handed me the package the other day I actually had to look and make sure that it wasn’t tampered with. I thought for sure there must have been something missing from the box. Geez, these things are incredibly light…..and rooooomy!

[JCH]

Jimmy – I have one of the very first Duplexes sold and it does not have those loops. If I had to guess I’d say it has something to do with the “free standing” Flex option.

Email Joe and let us know what he says :)

[jimmy b]

Ben, I didn’t think to take pics at the time. I just figured I would email zpacks like you said. I posted here out of curiosity and boredom tonight. That and maybe I should wait a while before emailing zpacks anyway. They are so busy they are asking folks to prioritize emails as URGENT for orders and shipping inquiries and all others will be answered when they get around to it. I hate to bother them as I’m good to go for now. Hopefully someone here can enlighten us :)

[Kenneth Keating]

The two loops inside, one each near the pole support cups are in the older versions.  They’re used for hanging items.  I installed 1.25mm Z-line with loops 10″ on center between the two and basically have a clothes line inside the tent .  Works great for hanging or drying out items.

[BlackHatGuy]

I don’t know. But if I had to guess, especially as you’re describing them, I’d say that the Duplex tarp and tent are made the same way, with the tent getting the addition of floor and netting. So the loops would be for those who only get the tarp, and would use those loops to attach a zPacks groundsheet to. But that’s just a guess.

[jimmy b]

Doug, yes, I bet that is exactly right. At least it would make sense if the ground sheet attaches by mitten hooks or similar.

JCH, After watching the set up video for the flex option it doesn’t involve loops on the inside of the tent. The new duplexes do however come with all the loops sewn in to utilize the flex pole option. All you need on a new duplex is the pole and misc hardware kit at 150 clams.

[BlackHatGuy]

“if the ground sheet attaches by mitten hooks or similar.”

Yes, zPacks groundsheets attach to tarps with mitten hooks. They come already installed on the groundsheet, at least mine did.

[JCH]

While the definitive answer should come from Zpacks…Doug’s answer makes the most sense to me.

ZPacks is obviously attempting to deal with a huge volume of orders. The most straightforward way to do this is to standardize their products (they have already eliminated one-off pack customizations). Making the Plex shelters “modular for the purpose of construction” makes a lot of sense.  Crank out tarps and turn them into tents as required.  Even if that’s not precisely how they choose to address the  workload, identically constructing every iteration of the thing being made is a foundational tenet of mass production.

[Author]

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