Zpacks - Altaplex Lite

I just spent a night that was 15°, sleeting, and windy. Did it in a zpacks Altaplex. The weight savings over my Durston X-mid was not worth it. If I had to have one tent it would be the x-mid.

Single wall was not ideal due to the frozen condensation. The lack of space in the vestibule was seriously missed. I can’t prove this but I swear the sleet was louder hitting the zpacks 🤣 Sont get me wrong, I love my Altaplex but I think the x-mid is more versatile and a better design

I have a ZPacks Altaplex, which is a larger single-person tent that weighs 13 ounces. The only downside I’ve experienced is having to be cognizant of pressing against the walls in the rain. On a slight slope one night, I slid down against a wall and pressed outward enough that the perimeter venting was beyond the roofline and got some water in the tent. But 13 ounces of Dyneema is amazing to me having growing up when 5 lbs was an excellent weight for a tent.

A dyneema tent is going to weigh the same as most bivies. A few bivies will weigh less but they don’t come close in comfort or moisture management to a sub-pound trekking-pole tent such as a ZPacks Altaplex or Durston X-Mid Pro.

Zpacks Altaplex and Plexamid. Prior, Nemo Hornet Elite 2p. Several REI tents: half dome quarter dome etc. A Kelty 2p tent from the 2000s. I understand the general concern - but again - as long as you do the little things right you're gonna be fine. For example. You wouldn't set up a tent on a completely exposed ridgeline above 10k ft on a windy day in the Rockies. You could have 100+ mph winds; and if you weren't in it then indeed you'd have no more tent at all. You wouldn't not stake it down. You shouldn't leave it entirely empty. Etc. Etc. Tents, and their strength, it's really about proper tension and taughtness in the guylines and dimensions of the tent. A few years ago in Eagle Cap a severe storm came through while establishing my tent setup. It was monsooning at the same time. Therefore I half assed my setup. 10 minutes later massive gusts ripped a stake out the ground folding the tent in half while I was in it. Buttt that was on me. Poor setup. I got out during the chaos. Re-established the integrity of the hold points - and proceeded to get little to no sleep through the treacherous storm. But was perfectly dry and unaffected. Choose a good tent. Choose a smart campsite. Set it up with good proper tension. All will be fine. If through hikers can make it with a single tent - you'll be fine with whatever you choose.

Of my Zpacks, Durston, and Lanshan tents, the Durston is slightly easier to pitch on flat, spacious sites; Zpacks and Lanshan are easier in other conditions. For a detailed guide, Darwin has an excellent video on pitching this tent type.

The Lanshan 1 and Zpacks Plex are similar, so I'll use the Zpacks as an example. The key to pitching it is that after you stake out the two rear points, you have to make sure the rear panel is taut when you insert the trekking pole. As for why the X-Mid can be annoying on imperfect campsites, the most important reason is its footprint. Dan Durston or other owners often claim that the X-Mid's footprint isn't actually bigger than other tents. This is true, if you only look at the floor plan diagrams, their footprints are about the same size. However, for a perfect pitch, the X-Mid Pro 1 needs a 63'' x 98'' flat area to pull the four corners taut. But the Zpacks Plex Solo really only needs a 36'' x 100'' flat area. The reason is that besides the four corners, the front and rear guylines aren't very demanding about the terrain; you could even tie them to a tree if you wanted. This difference comes from the tent's geometric design, which is why you often see people feeling that the X-Mid has a large footprint. Of course, this doesn't mean the X-Mid can't be pitched on smaller, non-flat sites. Just watch the tutorial Dan put out and practice a bit in a park. I've camped in many tight spots with my X-Mid Pro 2+ and managed just fine. But in bad conditions, I'd definitely prefer something like the Zpacks because when pitching the X-Mid on a narrow, uneven site, there's another factor to consider: the direction your head will be pointing when you sleep. This adds an extra hassle.

I sprung for one. It's my first 1P tent, and honestly that's the thing I'm not sure about - I miss having the extra room of a 2P. I might swap for one of the 2P Durstons at some point. However, for an UL 1P tent, I can't imagine anything better. The reason I went for it is I wanted to try a 1P tent that didn't put any fly material right next to my face - too claustrophobic. If you sleep with your head at the end with the shorter trekking pole, it does just that. The peak is right above your head which provides about 30 inches of head room, and the mesh wall behind the small pole makes it very feel open. I could hunker down in there comfortably if I had to. Not sure I could say the same for something like the Plex Solo (which I know a lot of you love - not dogging it. Just not my thing.) I've taken it out only once so far, about a month ago in Joshua Tree. It was super dry of course, so it wasn't much of a weather test. That said, ventilation is very good. Looking forward to getting it out again soon. Mine comes in right at the advertised 13.5oz without the sack, 14oz with. I cut down a Tyvek ground sheet to the floor shape - 4.5oz. With 8 of the big Zpacks stakes my shelter all in is at 23oz. My only gripe is that the bathtub floor is very 'floaty'. It lacks corner tensioners (which I guess is true of all Zpacks tents? Anyone have any advice on mitigating this?), and so doesn't retain the nice square shape seen in the manufacturer photos. I'm thinking of slapping on some Zpacks adhesive loops to the corners of the floor and some 1/16" elastic shock cord ties. Nothing too tight - I don't want it crazy taut, but it would be nice if the floor had form. The mesh pocket is very small and easy to knock stuff out of, but it did hold my iPhone 15 and a few other thin items. I'm also adding a couple of Zpacks adhesive magnet toggles at the peaks so I can easily hang my magnetic light(s) and use them as loops if I need to. All in all - it's great!

25 and 30oz for a 1 person? My big Agnes cooper sour ul 3 person is 40 oz The lightest and best 1P I know of is the zpacks 1P

Just looked and I have the 3P XL. Packaged weight is 4lbs 😮and I don't use the stuff sacks and only 4 stakes so weighed in at about 6 oz over 3lbs. I have heard great things about durston but my next UL 1P will be the zpacks as I've loved them when I see them on the trail.

Camping Gear covers so many areas, but I assume you mean your sleep kit and mess kit. Ultralight Backpacks: HMG (Hyperlite Mountain Gear), Z-Packs, Gossamer Gear Traditional Backpacks: Osprey, Gregory, Deuter is ayt Tents: Durston Gear, HMG, Z-Packs (Budget Tents: 3F UL Gear / Naturehike) Sleeping Bag: Western Mountaineering, NEMO, Feathered Friends, Therm-a-Rest Budget SB's: Naturehike) Sleeping Pad: NEMO, Therm-a-Rest, Sea to Summit (Budget: Naturehike) Pillow: Sea to Summit (Budget: Naturehike) Stove: MSR, JetBoil (Budget: Naturehike) Water Filtration System: Sawyer Squeeze, Lifestraw Sorry, but The North Face doesn't really excel in this area. The only exception is their Summit Series Line; they've leaned more towards streetwear, in my opinion. Plus, they've pulled out of local distribution in the Philippines. Just in Case you're asking about clothes and shoes, too easy. Arc'teryx, Outdoor Research, Norrona, Patagonia, Mammut, Rab (Budget: Decathlon, Naturehike, Ukay) Shoes: Salomon... and second, Hoka. (Budget: Same Brands but Ukay)

DCF tent from Zpack. I have been thru some big storms with these and no failures if guyed out well.