Zpacks Duplex Lite Tent: Your Ultimate Alternative for Ultralight Adventures

The Zpacks Duplex Lite is a 2-person single-wall trekking pole made with Dyneema (DCF) that weighs 14.9 oz (423g). It’s a slimmed-down model of the Zpacks Traditional Duplex tent, with a 40″ large flooring that’s spacious for one particular person or two good associates with standard-width 20″ sleeping pads. Along with smaller dimensions, the Duplex Lite makes use of a lighter-weight grade of Dyneema materials for its flooring, so that you’ll lose some sturdiness in trade for much less weight and barely higher packability. Whereas Zpacks claims you don’t want a footprint with the Duplex Lite, it’d be one thing to contemplate in case you camp on extremely abrasive soil and can solely add a number of ounces in case you use one thing like window wrap. Dyneema DCF flooring do develop pinholes ultimately and leak, and whereas they are often patched with Dyneema restore tape, discovering the holes is a little bit of a manufacturing.

• Weight: 14.9 oz /  423g
• Kind: Single wall tent
• Structural: Non-freestanding, trekking pole tent
• Capability: 2 individuals
• Doorways/vestibules: 2/2
• Exterior Dimensions w/ vestibules: 88″ (w) x 100″ (l) x 48″ (h)
• Inside Dimensions: 40″ (w) x 90″ (l) x 48″ (h)
• Packed Dimensions: 5″ diameter by 11″ tall (3.5L)
• Cover Materials: 0.55 oz/sqyd Dyneema Composite Cloth
• Flooring materials: 0.75 oz/sq-yd Dyneema Composite Cloth
• Pockets: 0
• Seam-taped: Sure
• Tent Stakes: Not Included
• Execs: Weights lower than a pound, doesn’t sag when moist,
• Cons: Translucent materials is much less non-public, single wall development is liable to inner condensation

The Duplex Lite has a basic A-frame design with an oblong footprint, two doorways, and two vestibules, making it simple to pitch with out worrying about which course the ends are dealing with. It requires two trekking poles to pitch, with the handles pointing up since there isn’t a grommet or further materials within the peaks to forestall the poles’ carbide ideas from puncturing the fabric.

The Duplex Lite requires a minimal of six guylines and stakes to pitch, 4 on the corners and two for the peaks. All of the guylines are precut and linked with line loc adjusters, making it simple to stress the strains with out knots or extra {hardware}. Two extra guy-out factors on the roof panels could be optionally staked out to create extra shoulder room contained in the tent. That is greatest achieved by tying them to a pair of extra trekking poles or sticks to drag the panels out horizontally as an alternative of staking them on to the bottom at an angle.

Every vestibule has two doorways that may be rolled again collectively or independently, held open by dowels. The doorways overlap to dam climate moderately than being joined by a zipper, eliminating a possible level of failure. An exterior dowel can be out there to carry them closed, however it isn’t reachable from contained in the tent. The vestibule doorways are staked out utilizing the identical guyline because the peaks, utilizing a particular trident-shaped piece of {hardware} that hooks onto rings on the base of the doorways. The vestibules aren’t terribly large, however you possibly can often maintain your backpack underneath cowl.

The internal mesh tent doorways are vertical moderately than slanted and have doorways with rainbow zippers, which is good as a result of they allow you to exit by both facet of the vestibule. Many tents have display doorways that solely open on one facet of the vestibule, affecting pitch orientation. The mesh could be very superb and protects in opposition to bugs of all sizes.

The bath flooring is 6.75″ deep, which helps stop working water from coming into the tent. It’s hooked up to the facet partitions and door with mesh, so it could “float” over uneven surfaces whereas offering air flow alongside the tent’s sides and ends. The peak of the bath will range, although, relying on the peak you set your poles, because the mesh sidewalls and doorways hold from the ceiling. The beneficial pole top of 48″ creates a big air hole underneath the vestibules and sides of the roof for air flow. Whereas there may be sufficient overhang between the roof and the ground to forestall rain from splashing again contained in the tent, you possibly can decrease the poles in stormy climate to cut back airflow via the tent.

With 40″ of inner width, there may be sufficient room to carry two 20″ large inflatable sleeping pads, even untapered ones, because the tent flooring is a real rectangle. With 90″ of inner size, there may be further storage on the head/and or foot finish of the tent to carry incidentals or footwear. The overhead area is equally good when mendacity down, and you may sit up fully within the middle of the tent underneath the tent ridgeline.

Sadly, there are not any pockets on the tent’s inside. Granted, the middle pockets (hooked up to the edges of the bath flooring beneath the doorways) on the opposite Zpacks Duplex variants are poor for safely securing glasses or telephones, so that is no nice loss. However you have to be VERY cautious to not crush delicate eyewear or electronics when utilizing any of the Zpacks Duplex tents. Within the Duplex Lite, as within the different Duplex Fashions, the most effective place to hold a pair of glasses is from the cords hooked up to the door zipper when positioned vertically. This additionally makes it simple to seek out them at night time.

Duplex Comparability

The Duplex Lite is a superb choice if you wish to personal one ultralight tent for solo use that can be used with a accomplice. At 14.9 oz, it’s a palace for one that permits you to retailer all of your gear contained in the tent. It additionally has a smaller pitching footprint than the unique Duplex Traditional, making it simple to erect in smaller tent websites, though it’s incompatible with the Duplex Freestanding Flex Equipment. The Duplex Lite can be a superb choice in case you frequently camp with a accomplice, with as a lot width (40″) as many standard two-person tents.

The Duplex Traditional is a greater choice in case you frequently camp with a accomplice and/or favor a tent with extra width (45″), particularly when utilizing a two-person sleeping pad. The Traditional has barely bigger vestibules for exterior gear storage, a deeper bathtub flooring, and mesh pockets, one on both sides, beneath the door. The Traditional can be out there with heavier cover supplies (relying on the colour chosen) that are much less translucent and extra non-public. As well as, it’s appropriate with the Duplex Freestanding Flex Equipment.

The Duplex Zip is nearly similar to the Duplex Traditional however is extra weather-worthy. It has magnetic door toggles, vestibule door zippers, and peak vents, which may also help scale back inner condensation even when the vestibule doorways are closed. It, too, is on the market with heavier cover supplies (relying on the colour chosen) which might be much less translucent and extra non-public. Additionally it is appropriate with the Duplex Freestanding Flex Equipment.

Suggestion

The Zpacks Duplex Lite is a 14.9 oz single wall trekking pole tent made with DCF (Dyneema Composite Materials). Massive sufficient for 2 individuals and a palace for one, it’s an excellent backpacking tent for tenting in well-protected places with gentle floor cowl, though simply augmented with an ultralight footprint to guard the ground when pitched on extra abrasive surfaces. {Couples} requiring extra space, privateness, or weatherworthiness ought to choose the Duplex Traditional or Duplex Zip, with a bit weight penalty.

Store the Duplex Lite

Disclosure: Zpacks donated a tent for overview.

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