Zerogram Zero1 on Massdrop.

Johnathon, do you know anything about the tent material, the “Sil-coated 15D nylon polyurethane.”

Not precisely, but I’m just going to assume the worst and imagine it’s the kind that breaks down over time.

The only basis I have for my assumption is that most commercially produced tents nowadays seem to use PU coated Sil. It’s not a strongly-gounded assumption, but there it is.

Jim,

I replied to your comment on Massdrop:

“Swimjay, “sil-pu” is something that I, and many others, first came across in 2015. I actually make my own gear and I’m really excited about this material. I cannot attest to this specific supplier/manufacturer but I’ve worked with a similar fabric from ripstopbytheroll and I’ve been very happy with it.
I wouldn’t worry much about the new coating. From what I’ve seen (actual lab tested results by Roger Caffin of Backpacking Light) the material is at least as good as silnylon as been.”

Here’s the link I mentioned where Roger was testing the hydrostatic head of a similar fabric: http://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/97405/

Hi Jordo,

I replied to your message on the drop – the main point is that rbtr is selling silicone/polyurethane coated polyester and the zerogram tent is a nylon material, so you can’t equate them. Looking at all the photographs of the material that Robert Nisley posts, I also think that Kyle spec’d an especially tight weave which helps with the long term durability of the waterproofing.

Overall, I can’t help but feel that Zero1 is a lighter clone of the Tarptent Protrail, but with a side entrance and less ventilation. The weight they saved by eliminating the bug netting and seams around the perimeter of the protrail bathtub floor, they ended up using for the side entry. You gain back a lot of ventilation with the side entry, but you have to close that if it rains, and it seems to be a vulnerable place for water to leak in.

I agree that this is an interesting shelter, and it makes more sense to think of this as more comfortable than a bivy, rather than a small one-person tent. It’s certainly not the shelter for everyone.

Not sure how familiar everyone is with Massdrop, but we have a voting system to gauge interest in products. If you’d like a Zerogram product other than the Zero1, vote for it and I’ll see if I can make it available for a future drop. Vote here:
https://www.massdrop.com/vote/Next-Zerogram-Product

[Disclosure: I am the Ultralight Buyer for Massdrop]

The ZeroGram Zero1 is back on Massdrop, but only 1 tent left:
zerogram-zero1