Zpacks - Duplex Zip Tent

Take a look at the [Zpacks Duplex Zip](https://zpacks.com/products/duplex-zip-tent) with the freestanding pole kit. It's $$, but I just got home from a 5 month trip where I slept in mine most of the time, and it performed superbly and still looks brand new.

Is it dyneema?

I just got back from a five-month bike tour that I carried a Zpacks Duplex Zip on. Amazing tent, worth spending up for, 100% recommend.

5'10". Wanted to switch over to dyneema from silnylon. During my AT thru-hike a woman in my tramily was pretty much a professional gear expert by trade, and that's what she hiked with. I did my homework, but what sold me on the Zip was, believe it or not, the magnetic toggles. MAJOR quality-of-life improvement.

Depends on how much you want to spend, but it's totally doable. I just did a five-mouth tour across the US during which I carried this tent: [Zpacks Duplex Zip](https://zpacks.com/products/duplex-zip-tent). The price tag looks intimidating but it paid for itself in just a few nights by keeping me out of hotels.

\>is a there a reason why a solo bikepacker would want a bigger tent I'm not thinking about? One of them, and this--which, I'm not flexing, here, just trying to establish my credibility--is stuff management. I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2023 and like I mentioned, rode an ebike across the US in 2024. A two-person tent for a solo traveler makes stuff management SO much easier. When you have a one-person tent, its interior space is gonna be pretty close to the footprint of your sleeping pad, meaning A) it's impossible to lay out the stuff you need at night in an organized way such that you know where it is at all times, and 2) loose objects like an AirPod or whatever are gonna get misplaced and tend to end up under your sleeping pad, which means you have to sit up and dig around under there to find it. This is a constant hassle, a huge pain in the ass. It's a spicy price, sure, but the avoided cost payback is quick. I put easily a hundred nights on that tent during the five months I was on the road last year. It kept me out of hotels over and over and over and over. Ten days of hotel paid for the tent for the entire trip. And since I took extremely good care of it, it's still virtually new and I'm gonna put a lot more nights on it. Another reason to get a tent like that--and this is a side point to the size you want--is that it's made of dyneema. I'm guessing the lower-priced tents you're looking at are all silnylon. [Silnylon is a SHITTY fabric compared to dyneema](https://valleyandpeak.co.uk/blogs/news/dyneema-vs-silnylon-the-essential-guide-to-choosing-the-right-material). (Picked that article kind of at random, but it covers the bases.) $300 vs. $800 might look like a good trade up front, but you're gonna wear out two or more silnylon tents during the lifespan of an $800 tent. So the cost savings aren't that great. Anyway, I'm obviously a dyneema fanboy. My bottom line is to keep your own counsel. But I like that you're attempting to become informed--many people don't bother doing that. They just to to REI or Amazon or wherever and pick something out without considering long-term payback and what their actual needs are. \---- Edit: one more thing to take into consideration about dyneema. You asked about tent weight. When it rains, dyneema works by shedding water. Silnylon works by absorbing it. So your "ultralight" silynylon tent ends up being a hell of a lot heavier when it's wet outside.

You can get a used in good condition Z-pack duplex for $450 - 600, I bought mine on eBay for $550 and hiked 3000 miles with it, otherwise maybe with a kid the REI flash 2 it’s a complete tent and I just picked up the older brown model for $110 is a little over 2lb with trekking poles, also don’t know if it still is on sale but I also picked up the MSR front range for Person tarp for $200 Which has a huge footprint and is only 2lb!

I hiked the AT with a Z-Packs Duplex, and it was downright palatial. Can’t imagine doing it in a single person tent, no thanks. Have fun out there!

Hi, hiked jmt with a double rainbow. Mine was made in USA before tarptent started manufacturing overseas, so not sure about quality now :( Replaced it with a Zpacks duplex. Loved many things about the tarptent, but also had many issues... 1) Biggest issue I had with the tarptent was that the weatherproofing/seam sealing started to fail. This can't happen with the duplex because the fabric is naturally waterproof 2) Set up is similar but SO MUCH easier & quicker for duplex because it uses trekking poles vs tarptents dedicated tent pole that you have to carry, assemble & shove into a sleeve. I am much less frustrated setting up the duplex vs the tarptent!!! ----- Both tents rely on staking! That being said, if you are new to these kinds of tents they can present condensation issues vs double walled freestanding tents (waking up because water is dripping on your face). Allegedly can be mitigated by campsite selection & leaving doors open etc. Never looked into it much because I don't care Staking is definitely a learning curve and not always possible, might end up having to use rocks to try to secure the tent! Sometimes I didn't have the energy to try to use rocks for every stake, so I just used it like a bivy. These are very loud in the wind if you can't stake well because they depend on staking. My husband hates these kinds of tents, constantly complains about condensation & and will not participate in any complex staking games with me 😂

Perhaps decide first which type of tent is for you. (1) trekking pole (usually A-frame) (2) (semi?) freestanding; (3) tunnel (usually when camping in more challenging weather). Within each category, materials, weight and price should point to what's right for you (DCF is lighter, more expensive, may not last as long as silpoly). We've used trekking pole tents (Zpacks Duplex) for several years. More recently felt that semi-freestanding was a better idea. (BA Tiger Wall 3P; when I travel solo, Nemo Hornet 2P). If weight is secondary vs strength -- Hilleberg tents (tunnel) have an excellent reputation.

I had to get a "real tent" when i started backpacking with my toddler. I ordered a zpacks duplex and has worked fine i will probably switch to a durston pro 2 soon just to check it out. Coincidentally went on a day hike with her shes now 6yr and we had a discussion about when she will be able to sleep with me under the stars and i said talk to your mother about that.

No. I’ve had 3 zpacks shelters. The duplex after doing the entire pct is still going strong. My favorite solo shelter is the hexamid solo tent. They all are light and awesome. They had some wavy stitches back in the day but not anymore.

A Zpacks Duplex with the extra 12 oz of Flex-Poles will also work, but be sure to use your trekking poles as well to support the two tent peaks, so you still need to securely use the peak guylines.

669 g is about the same weight as my Zpacks Duplex and my Durston X-Mid Pro 2, so this tent is NOT 100g heavier.

Oh sorry, I meant the duplex variant (as in, a 2P) my partner and I were using in 2024, not the ZPacks product; too much weight for one person by themselves. Thanks, I'll give the Solomid XL a look. That one's huge!

If you want a free standing tent and like your MSR Hubba NX, you can’t go wrong with a copper spur. I own an MSR Hubba Hubba, Copper Spur HV UL1, and a Zpacks duplex. The MSR and copper spur are basically the same tent with a few minor differences: - copper spur is marginally lighter - msr has more metal clips so is likely more durable than some of the plastic clips on the copper spur (although I haven’t had any issues) - I prefer the interior pockets on the copper spur vs the msr and like that it’s two perpendicular zips per door instead of one big curved zip which is sometimes harder to open when not pitched perfectly taut.

Very happy with my Zpacks Duplex. It’s lighter and cheaper than the Durston tents

Depends on your budget and tolerance for extra weight. I swear by my Zpacks Duplex tent but it’s a lot of $$$.

Most Zpacks tents like the Duplex, Altaplex, and Plex Solo have a 5" overhang around the perimeter. The Pivot actually has a 7" gap around the sides and back, so more than normal. The door can be left open in light rain to help with airflow.