ZPacks Pivot Solo

Brad, have you had a chance to get more experience with the Pivot Solo yet?

Like you, I’m looking for a UL tent for a long hike. The Pivot Solo seems like a funky design to me but has had good reviews. My main concern is head and shoulder space sitting up. I’m willing to carry extra ounces for better livability. I’m 6′. I was really liking the Offset Solo design but Zpacks discontinued it. I do use trekking poles though so a 2 pole tent makes more sense to me.

Jerry wrote: “If the foot of your quilt/sleeping bag touches the wall it will get condensation on it

That sometimes happens to me, but I try to avoid it.

But, I’ve never noticed any water penetration inside the quilt.  The down never loses loft.”

I’m 5′ 9″ and use a sleeping bag. There’s many nights I’ve spent down in canyons and valleys near water where condensation was unavoidable. I’d dry my tent and bag out in the morning sun and jsut roll with it after an hour plus breakfast. By late afternoon, I’d set up my tent and leave my bag rolled out. Never an issue in terms of wetness invading my bag. So in a way the Pivot answers a problem that I don’t have. In other parts of the country, it could be a more significant issue. It does seem to add to ventilation inside the tent. I tend to hike high and so nights are cold. single wall tents are cold. Double wall tents avoid this issue by using mesh inside…but I don’t want to divert the conversation and piss some people off by bringing this up.

Brad, have you had a chance to get more experience with the Pivot Solo yet?

Rob, it’s going to snow here tomorrow, but when it warms up and dries out later in the week I’ll probably set the tent up again in the backyard. I typically don’t get into the backcountry here until mid/late June at the earliest as the Snowpack is still pretty stout until after the 4th of July. My plan is to use it exclusively this summer. I’ll report back my sense of it after a few outings. However, I’m really impressed with its head n’ shoulder space compared to every mid I’ve ever tried.

Gotcha Brad. I appreciate your feedback.

I have the Pivot Solo.  I’m 6′ (183cm).  On a 3 inch pad, I can pretty much avoid brushing the dcf.  I prefer to use the foot end as the “head”end, as the offset foot pole provides good headroom adjacent to the main pole–which means you don’t have always sit directly in the middle, as you do in most small ‘mids.  I won’t want to be much taller, in terms of head room, at least–perhaps 6’2”.  Slightly tangentially, I have an Altaplex tarp (since discontinued) which I like very much and use with an old Hexamid bathtub floor that gives a lot of head  and other room,  as you don’t have an obligatory screen and door determining where you must sit up.  If I need insect protection I take the S2S nano single net (80g), and I can add a winter inner when needed.

 I have an Altaplex tarp (since discontinued) which I like very much and use with an old Hexamid bathtub floor that gives a lot of head  and other room,  as you don’t have an obligatory screen and door determining where you must sit up.

How high do you set your trekking pole on the tarp?