So I finally got around to setting up this shelter at Liberty Park this past weekend. My initial impressions:
- At 13.6 oz (386 g) on my scale, this tent is probably the lightest fully enclosed shelter which has a reasonable amount of space inside (admittedly, there are lighter bivies out there) that is currently on the market. The “beta V” refers to the use of 1.2 mm cord and lineloc V’s, which further lighten the original Plexamid from 2018 (weighing 14.8 oz).
- My first pitch was rather poor, but once I got the hang of it (stake out back 2 corners taut and then front guyline), I’m pretty impressed with the interior space. I set up my Hexamid side by side with the Plexamid, and it’s clear that the Plexamid has significantly more room, both in terms of length and width. Now that I sit in my Hexamid, I’m reminded of just how cramped it is. While it works for me (I’m only 5’7″), the extra room of the Plexamid is really appreciated. I can put my pack in the back of the tent on the side (away from the pole) or at my feet. The tent is so long that I would actually prefer something shorter, maybe by 8-12″ or so.
- My main two concerns are: (i) condensation and (ii) the struts which form the rectangle at the peak. The tent seems to have somewhat less ventilation than my Hexamid around the sides and the the back due to the fact that the cuben floor is sewn in to the mesh, such that there is only about 3-4″ of mesh between the walls and the floor around the tent. The plus side to the Plexamid is that when doors are open, there is quite a lot of air flow, as the doors open to the ceiling, unlike the Hexamid, where there is a “beak” (on my 2013 model, anyway) that slopes down from the peak of the tent.
- Update: According to Joe, the tent will be shipping with new struts soon. He has sourced a new material or manufacturer that will help supposedly with their durability. A pair of these new struts is on its way to me as we speak in the mail. I’ll post an update once they arrive.
- The tent is currently unavailable on ZPacks’ website due to the struts issue. But should be back soon once that issue is sorted out.
- Conclusion: I like this tent. I think the built-in cuben floor will absorb less moisture than my Hexamid. It’s nice to be able to put my pack inside my tent instead of outside, as I had to do with my Hexamid. I wish the tent were a little smaller though. I think that the weight could be cut down to around 12.5 oz or so if it were about 8-12″ shorter, which would be an incredible weight for a fully enclosed shelter (sans stakes).
- I don’t know of anything better on the market right now. The Tarptent Aeon Li is another option, I know, but is slightly heavier. I don’t think that tarp and bivy setups, for me at least, are worth it since this shelter is pushing the weight boundaries at 13.6 oz. I did the math, and my ZPacks Hexamid tarp with a bivy would still come in around 12 oz or so. Minimal weight savings with much less interior space.
Here’s my brief video look at the tent. I hope to post an update when I get the new struts and I have taken the tent out in the field. I’ll be doing some section hikes on the AT this summer, starting with MA/VT and then a trip in NH.
