Zpacks Offset Duo Tent Assessment

Backside Line

For a superb long-distance shelter for thru-hiking, the Zpacks Offset Duo impressed us at each flip, turning into one in all our favourite ultralight tents that we examined. It’s troublesome to guage this tent with out evaluating it to the legendary Zpacks Duplex, which has been a staple on thru-hikes for years. The Offset Duo makes a robust case that it’s a greater shelter for extra individuals than the outdated traditional. And we agree.

Beginning with inside livability, the 32.6 sq. ft of flooring area is extra usable than different A-frame model shelters because of the exterior pole that lifts the massive entrance panel away from the foot space. The swap to L-shaped doorways is a welcome change from the rainbow doorways Zpacks used for years, and the addition of peak vents significantly improves breathability now that the rainfly extends nearer to the bottom.

When testing this within the native forests within the Midwest, we liked the spacious feeling of the inside, notably not worrying a couple of moist footbox or having our heads brush the partitions. The Offset Duo ought to be comfy for individuals as much as 6 ft tall, and though we didn’t take a look at heights above that, Zpacks charges it for people as much as 6’6” tall.

The largest draw back is its expense, even for a Dyneema Composite Fiber (DCF) tent. It’s among the many costliest we examined in our lineup, nevertheless it’s price noting that this tent is laser-focused on long-distance thru-hikers who will use it night time after night time for months on finish. It represents a worthwhile funding for that objective or for many who prioritize efficiency over worth of their gear choice course of. Moreover, it’s not our favourite tent for windy storms on account of its massive entrance panel, nevertheless it ought to deal with the most typical climate situations with ease.

What we’re left with is a tent that delighted us throughout testing. It’s roomy, light-weight, well-made, and could be an important alternative for sharing with somebody on an extended journey.

Consolation

After years of the Zpacks Duplex being branded as a “two particular person” tent however primarily utilized by one, we’re happy that the Offset Duo’s slight changes to a traditional design have resulted in vital positive aspects in consolation. This tent comfortably accommodates two individuals, finish of story. There’s a purpose we’re starting with a comparability to the Duplex. The Offset Duo appears like a considerate response to maybe the preferred ultralight tent of all time, aiming to create a tent the place “two individuals can truly be comfy.” It updates the design decisions, replaces a number of options, and finally leaves us with a successful product.

The largest change is the offset poles. In a traditional A-frame, the trekking poles are positioned in the midst of the tent physique, making a symmetrical design that reduces each headroom and footroom. The Offset Duo shifts this excessive level to 1 aspect, offering considerably extra headroom, and makes use of a brief exterior carbon fiber pole linked to a panel pull to extend footroom.

This adjustment significantly enhances the livability of the tent. With a flooring area of 32.6 sq. ft and a peak top of 48 inches, the ensuing inside is spacious sufficient for 2 individuals.

The enhancements lengthen to the door designs. The trekking poles aren’t positioned in the midst of the doorway, enabling simpler entry and exit, and so they additionally accommodate massive L-shaped doorways. We love this design, because it permits for unzipping simply the underside part to shortly seize one thing within the vestibule with out letting in a ton of bugs, and we by no means have to fret about netting falling to the bottom as with top-separating rainbow door designs. The vestibules are massive and spacious, offering ample gear storage, and the waterproof #3 zippers really feel fantastic.

We managed to suit two normal 20-inch sleeping pads and two 3-season quilts inside with none points. When adjusting the quilt ends to a snug distance from the outside partitions, we nonetheless had a snug quantity of headroom for somebody round six ft tall.

Weight

Essentially the most interesting factor concerning the Offset Duo is its extremely low weight of 21.1 ounces. This may be lowered by one ounce by omitting the tip pole and utilizing a spare trekking pole, which we suspect most individuals can have since it is a two-person shelter.

We acknowledge the worth of getting a devoted pole right here, and we’re glad Zpacks included it. Uncovered trekking pole handles are infamous for attracting the undesirable consideration of deer and different animals that discover the salt from our sweat within the cork or foam handles delectable. An additional ounce for that peace of thoughts in a identified problematic space looks like a good commerce.

The Offset Duo makes use of Dyneema Composite Fiber (DCF) cloth all through its building to realize an extremely low weight. The usual configuration options 0.55oz/sqyd DCF for the fly and 1.0oz/sqyd for the ground; nonetheless, you may order it with a thicker 0.75oz/sqyd DCF for the fly to supply additional peace of thoughts.

Nonetheless, we imagine that an improve is pointless for many customers. The usual weights have been utilized in Zpacks tents for years with out difficulty and have endured many thru-hikes.

Whereas DCF is light-weight, it’s sadly a fairly cumbersome materials, and Zpacks charges the packed measurement at 6×13 inches when rolled casually. That is bigger than competing silnylon or silpoly shelters, however contemplating the opposite advantages of DCF, we imagine it’s a minor difficulty that most individuals gained’t thoughts.

Ease of Use

Regardless of the deviations from the traditional A-frame design, we discovered the Offset Duo equally simple to make use of. Setup was simple, utilizing 4 nook stakes to safe the doorways and two trekking poles on the peaks. Each the vent and door connect with the identical stake with a guyline, which generally is a bit fiddly at instances, however that’s a minor nitpick that ought to grow to be second nature over time.

The offset trekking poles additionally make getting out and in of the tent a breeze, because of the massive rainfly and internet doorways. Talking of these doorways, the magnetic closure mechanism is great right here too, snapping along with a satisfying click on. 

In case you are transitioning from a standard pole tent to a trekking pole model like this one, it should take a while to regulate to how a majority of these shelters pitch. We advocate practising earlier than taking a tent like this on an journey, however when you grasp the basics, we discover it simply as quick (if not sooner) than a standard pole tent.

Climate Resistance

DCF is likely one of the strongest materials out there, making this a very good tent for weathering storms. It doesn’t stretch or sag within the presence of water, guaranteeing a safe pitch that ought to final so long as your stakes maintain agency. The one draw back is the massive uncovered panel on the entrance. Though the geometry is healthier damaged up by the foot pole than if it weren’t there, it’s nonetheless a considerable part of material that can catch the wind. This isn’t sufficient to discourage us from taking the Offset Duo on an extended path, nevertheless it wouldn’t be our first alternative for a path identified for being very windy.

We want Zpacks had included some attachment factors on the peaks for man traces. Throughout harsh climate, these can considerably improve tent stability. Sadly, the straightforward setup we talked about earlier doesn’t apply when getting ready the tent for a storm. If you happen to anticipate inclement climate, a trekking pole tent like this may require extra time to arrange correctly, because it lacks the constant inner construction of a standard pole tent.

You’ll spend extra time checking the strain of the material panels and adjusting stakes to make sure that all components of the tent are adequately tensioned. The excellent news is that when all the things is pitched nicely, trekking pole tents can stand up to some fairly extreme gusts; they only require a bit extra effort to achieve that time. Since this tent primarily targets long-distance path hikers fairly than being particularly designed for harsh climate, we imagine the extent of climate resistance is acceptable.

The vestibules pitch decrease to the bottom than different Zpacks tents, which ought to assist considerably with splashback in rain. Splashback happens when rain falling on the bottom subsequent to the tent splashes below the rain fly and onto the tent. It might additionally splash tiny flecks of mud onto gear, which might add as much as a dirty backpack and footwear over the course of the night time.

Whereas they nonetheless don’t go as little as we’d desire for optimum safety, they’re undoubtedly higher than what we’ve seen with different tents. These decrease vestibule heights do sacrifice some airflow, however thankfully, the Offset Duo has a very good vent design that we imagine greater than compensates for this. The 2 vents are massive, and though they’re not notably deep, they’re held open by a guyline, which we discover to be a intelligent characteristic.

Sturdiness

Using DCF building with time-tested thicknesses for the rainfly and flooring means that the Offset Duo ought to have an honest lifespan. Though we haven’t taken it on a full thru-hike to check its sturdiness firsthand, a number of components instill confidence that it ought to final for a major interval.

The kind of DCF used is identical as that on the ZPacks Duplex and different Zpacks tents, that are identified to endure at the least a strong thru-hike of a 2,000-mile path. This longevity will range primarily based on how tough you’re on gear, campsite choice, and whether or not you cowboy camp on high of your tent (please keep away from this if you wish to stop pinhole punctures).

Moreover, the general match and end of the tent is great. Zpacks has improved their high quality in recent times, addressing their previous popularity for high quality management points, and we like to see it right here. 

Talking of high quality management, we will’t give full marks but as a result of we encountered a small tear within the fly of the DCF throughout our first setup of the tent. We’re assured it didn’t happen when opening the delivery field, as we’re all the time cautious with any gear field.

Moreover, the included stuff sack would have proven a tear if the knife had pierced the field, nevertheless it was in excellent situation. The tear was solely 1 / 4 inch and may be simply patched with some DCF tape, making this a minor difficulty. Nonetheless, it prevents us from giving higher marks, and it highlights the significance of carrying patch kits on the path. Fortunately, Zpacks contains DCF tape within the field, so you need to be ready for any small points which will come up.

Ought to You Purchase the Zpacks Offset Duo?

Though we wish to think about this tent by itself, it’s troublesome to not examine it to the favored Zpacks Duplex, because it appears to enhance upon that tent in practically each manner. For that purpose, the first group of individuals we advocate the Offset Duo to are potential Duplex patrons. Except you’re counting grams or love another side of the Duplex, we boldly declare that the Offset Duo is a greater tent for most individuals.

That’s, after all, if worth isn’t a difficulty. The Offset Duo is likely one of the costliest tents in our lineup and even prices a premium over the already dear Duplex. For these sharing the tent on a thru-hike that lasts months, we imagine investing in a snug sleeping expertise is a sensible use of your sources.

If you happen to’re not targeted on the lightest weights or are simply trying to find a tent for informal backpacking, we wouldn’t advocate this tent both. Not as a result of it isn’t nice for weekend excursions, however just because it’s extreme.

We’ve different glorious tents higher suited to informal use that we’d counsel, and the Offset Duo is priced for these investing in a long-distance path. Nevertheless, if you’re searching for your subsequent long-distance tent and love the design of the Offset Duo, we may give it a robust endorsement.

What Different Ultralight Tents Ought to You Contemplate?

If the Zpacks Offset Duo Tent isn’t the proper match, our greatest ultralight tents information has many different choices.

Durston X-Mid Professional 2+ Assessment: The Offset Duo and X-Mid Professional 2+ are remarkably comparable of their objectives, aiming to create a really livable and well-designed ultralight tent for everybody. They each obtain this in numerous methods, and in our opinion, they each succeed fantastically. Nevertheless, when it comes right down to it, we loved the X-Mid only a bit extra for our model of backpacking. This doesn’t make the Offset Duo a nasty tent; it merely solves sure issues in numerous methods, and we occur to barely desire a special resolution. Each tents ought to supply glorious consolation, climate resistance, and ease of use. Nevertheless, the X-Mid’s barely extra spacious inside, higher wind resistance, simpler setup, and cheaper price imply that we imagine it’s the general better option for most individuals. Which one is best for you will rely by yourself preferences, so when you really feel extra inclined towards one, go for it. Each are glorious.

3FUL Lanshan 2 Professional Assessment: If the Offset Duo is costly sufficient to make you suppose ultralight gear isn’t for you, the Lanshan 2 Professional presents a compelling counterargument. Whereas it will not be as featherlight on account of its full silnylon design, it’s greater than enough when shared between two individuals and comes at a worth considerably decrease than the Offset Duo. What you obtain for that worth isn’t a subpar expertise both; it’s a strong tent. We admire the comfy inside, ample vestibules, and simple setup. The material will not be as sturdy, the vents may be considerably cumbersome, and we discovered the door closure a bit of complicated initially, however total, for a finances tent, we will’t consider a greater choice.

Zpacks Pivot Solo Assessment: If you happen to appreciated the general really feel of the Offset Duo however don’t require the additional area for a second particular person, they really supply an Offset Solo. Nevertheless, for our choice, we favor the design of the Pivot Solo a bit extra because it incorporates lots of the qualities that make the Offset Duo / Solo glorious, however in a a lot lighter bundle with some enhancements. It makes use of two trekking poles internally to create area as an alternative of counting on an exterior pole, options one L-shaped door to save lots of weight, and is each lighter and extra inexpensive. Whereas it isn’t our favourite one-person shelter total, it’s so shut that for anybody who actually enjoys what Zpacks is doing with the Offset Duo, we imagine the Pivot Solo will delight them.