ZPacks Pivot Solo Tent

I love the weight.   I need to see a video of someone inside….on a 3 inch pad…in a sleeping bag.

“ I love the weight.   I need to see a video of someone inside….on a 3 inch pad…in a sleeping bag.”

And also sitting upright inside the tent atop that 3” pad. My issue with the Altaplex and Solplex is how cramped they become as soon as you sit up inside them. If this tent solves that issue then it might edge out the Duplex Lite.

Amazingly Zpack did away with the Welcome Mosquito rainbow zipper and adapted the more common L shaped zipper. With the offset shorter pole, it almost looks like they wanted a unique, clever design, ala Tarptent or Duston. Likely it will be popular with thruhikers.

“My issue with the Altaplex and Soplex is how cramped they become as soon as you sit up inside them. If this tent solves that issue then it might edge out the Duplex Lite”

You can bet the Pivot will provide far more headroom and space than a 1P single pole mid. Just look how steep the walls are at head and foot ends. My concern would be wind worthiness and how well the Pivot might stand up in a storm. Perhaps decent. Has a smaller footprint than Duplex.

Same concept as the GG Whisper, which I contend has more livable bugproof space per ounce than any other shelter. The ZPacks Pivot with .51 fly and .75 floor (13.5 oz) matches the Whisper.

Impressive how they are still shaving the ounces.

I like the “integrated trekking pole flaps” on the floor.  Clever idea and much simpler than the loops on others. I will be interested in real world use reports.

I like the “integrated trekking pole flaps” on the floor. Clever idea and much simpler than the loops on others. I will be interested in real world use reports.

I’m stunned this is the first time I’ve seen this feature on a trekking pole tent given they’ve been around for over a decade. You would think it would have been a standard feature years ago.

@JG H How tall are you? At 6’3″ I have not experienced lack of room while sitting up in the Altalplex. Having started my UL tent journey with Pocket Tarp I guess I have tempered expectation from sub 16oz, single pole tents.  All of the single pole tents do suffer from length though. There is only so much you can do with a single pole and even the Altaplex is just on the cusp for me in regards to having my quilt touch the ends. I welcome the Pivot Solo as it looks to solve this issue.

@ Brad W

I am only 5’7” tall, so it’s not the headroom that’s the issue. I’m an Irish fireplug with a 17.5” neck, a 44” chest, and a shoulder girth over 50”. I can’t sit up in single-pole mids without feeling confined and I certainly can’t change clothes in one without banging on the walls and the netting.

I understand their appeal, and I would love to like one, but I’ve been happier paying the weight penalty to get the roomier tent and shaving some of that weigh off elsewhere. Are you able to sit upright and change clothes without bumping the walls and netting?

I’m in the market for a new solo tent, so maybe the Pivot is an option which is why I want to see some reviews and more pics/vids. Or maybe I need to revisit the Altaplex? The Duplex Lite is still the leading candidate for me, though, because I never have issues with tent sites being too small. Anything else worthy of considering would have to be measurably lower in weight and allow enough room to sit up and change clothes without banging walls.

I guess I never really thought about whether I touch the walls of my tent when changing clothing. Not a major consideration for me. TBH, I don’t change clothing very much, and touching the wall wouldn’t bother me. I also don’t really care about headroom.

I do understand that some people just don’t like to feel confined, though. For me, I prefer a cozy tent that’s as small and light as possible, to fit in small sites. The extra triangle in the OP tent (and some of the other trekking pole tents like plexamid, etc.) is perfect for a small/medium dog. It’s not enough for my current dog, unfortunately.

I like the “integrated trekking pole flaps” on the floor. Clever idea and much simpler than the loops on others. I will be interested in real world use reports.

I’m stunned this is the first time I’ve seen this feature on a trekking pole tent given they’ve been around for over a decade. You would think it would have been a standard feature years ago.

I’m already brainstorming how to retrofit the XMid Pro with this feature :)

Overall shape is different than Whisper or Wisp. Pivot has virtually same width at head and foot ends whereas GG and Big Sky are much wider and taller at head compared to foot. However, the taller offset pole 2/3 forward and a shorter pole at foot end are the same idea, albeit not as much disparity with the Pivot.

@JG H I don’t often change clothes, but taking my shirt off I would touch something with my arms, but I would in almost any tent and it’s not a metric I ever pay attention to. I also don’t mind a small bivy-my friends don’t understand how anyone could sleep in a bivy. I guess it’s what you are used to.

I was eyeing the Offset Solo after seeing the room inside on my friends tent. It would be fantastic. The pivot seems like a slight compromise in size but no struts and single entry which I like.

The Pivot Solo strikes me as an intelligent design. As others have said, I’d like to see some video with a person in it on a 3″ pad. My only observation is that its upper venting seems marginal. Henry Shires and Dan Durston really have a handle on upper vents. Zpacks, not so much.

I’m not a trekking pole guy, but two poles at 4 oz’s would still make this about 1/4lb lighter than my Rainbow Li. However, at this point, nothing has dethroned the Rainbow Li for me, and I suspect it will take a lot to do so.

Brad, how much weight would you need to shave off your shelter to make you consider retiring the Rainbow? I started comparing some shelters when I read your post and the Altaplex Lite with the 58” CF pole would weigh a half pound less than the Rainbow Li.

I started comparing some shelters when I read your post and the Altaplex Lite with the 58” CF pole would weigh a half pound less than the Rainbow Li.

JGH, going through the numbers carefully, I think the Altaplex would only shave around 5 oz’s given it should have 10 stakes.

Aside, I have no plan to retire the Rainbow. I love it that much. It’s really my ideal tent. It vents well, and condensation has been non-existent so far. It’s roomy, and I don’t bump walls in it anywhere. This summer I had it in some pretty helacious wind and rain above timberline, and it performed beautifully.

When I retire in a couple years I have a couple of long walks in mind, so am mulling over something even lighter for that trip(s). However, the Rainbow may be my go-to choice – it is at this point. I won’t ever use trekking poles (BTDT in the 1970’s, though still occasionally use them packing out dead elk or snowshoeing). My cane is my “third leg” but isn’t long enough for a shelter pole, and it’s doubtful its handle would work well with a tent anyway. Mid’s are really not satisfactory to me – at lot of the advertising just doesn’t take into account a 3″ pad or inflatable pillow… those two conspire to push one’s head right into the tent roof. Not so with the Rainbow Li.

But, this little Pivot Solo might be something I try out. I’ve got one of Durston’s adjustable 3.1 oz carbon poles en-route from Canada. Coupled with a 1 oz 32″ pole from ZPacks, a 4 oz penalty might be an acceptable compromise given how light the Pivot Solo’s starting weight is.

But bottom line, the Rainbow isn’t going anywhere for my day-in, day-out local backpacking.

“I’m already brainstorming how to retrofit the XMid Pro with [pole tip flaps] :)”

I’m curious what you prefer about the flaps? The reason we use loops on the sides of the floor for the pole tips is because (1) they anchor the poles so the poles can’t be knocked over, (2) they hold the floor down (so the zippers operate nicely), and (3) you can have them pulling out to help stabilize/tension the floor. From my understanding of the flaps, they can only do #2.

Dan, I was under the impression the ZPacks Flap had a hole or something to handle a pole tip. Looking more carefully, I see that’s not the case. Seems it would be easy to set a grommet in the flap to accommodate a pole tip though.

I’m curious what you prefer about the flaps?

I’m not sure I do…but almost every time I set up the tent I forget to put the pole tip in the loop.  Maybe that says more about my intelligence than it does about the design, but I thought it might be easier to slip the flap under the already tensioned pole.  Maybe not.  But trying it’ll give me something to do :)

I can’t count the number of “improvements” I’ve tried out only to return to my previous method.  Thinking about it and trying is half the fun.

I presently use the Cascade Mtn Tech poles without baskets (or straps), and the loops on my Xmid often ride up past the small nub where baskets would attach.  Minor inconvenience only. Not sure if I would prefer flap OEM; am sure I will not tape one as retrofit extended from Dyneema floor. A light plastic grommet might be nice OEM; but again not worth effort to retrofit.

Re Pivot itself, I would have preferred this design when I first bought a Hexamid years ago for AT, and then again when I bought a Duplex before CT for more interior volume and less wall contact when condensing or icing. A TT Aeon is currently my lightest for LD trips, and it’s setup is very easy and stormworthy. The Xmid Pro 2 is my “palace” for multi-day campsites on trail projects and for low mileage family outings.

Dan, I was under the impression the ZPacks Flap had a hole or something to handle a pole tip. Looking more carefully, I see that’s not the case.

I believe I can see the slit for a pole tip in the photo. The Offset Duo flaps definitely have holes for pole tips and therefore can be used for Dan’s 3 functions.
Some pole tip protectors are too big to fit through the slit, as in Zpacks photos of the Pivot.

Looks like I misunderstood the intended use of the flap.  You can see pretty clearly the slit in  this photo. If the intention is for the pole tip to be in that slit then I would wonder how long before it was damaged (the slit ripping out).  I would trust the xmid loop much more in this regard.

I would wonder how long before it was damaged (the slit ripping out).

I have 55 nights on the Offset Duo with no signs of damage to the flap or slit. There is little sideways stress on the slit in use.
I tend to camp on hard ground, though, and I imagine damage could be caused by a pole tip sinking into soft ground (in which case a pole tip protector would be wise).

The flap with slit for tip is a great solution for when you’re using trekking poles with tips covered or uncovered, but also with a dedicated pole that doesn’t have a basket to hold down a loop like on the X-Mid. This solution keeps the bottom edge of the bathtub secured to the ground no matter which type of pole or covering you might be using. For this tent in particular I don’t think I would use two trekking poles. Probably a single trekking pole for the peak for adjustability and a single 32” carbon tent pole they sell for $20 that only weighs an ounce for the other. This would give a backup trekking pole in case one has an issue (all too common) all for only an ounce penalty.

But I still need to see a review video of how the setup of this is. Is it super fiddly to get a decent pitch? It takes a lot of stakes for such a small footprint. I do love the amount of floor space for the weight and footprint.

Nice to have extra options on the market.