Plex Solo

Hey, zpacks fre duo is outstanding in wind. It barely moves. I also have the plex solo, it is also really good in wind. it’s my go to for summer fall above tree line. I had it in 80-90 km winds I had to get up and out a couple times to re set things and beef up the lines as the wind was a surprise, my friends big Agnes was destroyed, poles where actually snapped. One thing is, unlike my fre duo the plex has 10 steak outs so it takes a bit of time to set up but I always found a way. It’s under a pound so that’s awesome. I’m gonna get hate here- I also have xmid 2p+, fantastic tent but it’s a sail in the wind. Had it in sustained 80+ km winds while my son had the fre duo, the duo again barely moved! And was quite. He slept most the night! Me in the xmid! Holy shit ! That thing was as if I was in a wind tunnel, the noise was defining, and cut through 3 steak outs, I was able to repair on the go so it would continue to stand. But.. it did stand. Yeah not good in big wind, if I know for sure there is wind, big wind- first choice - fre duo, last choice- x-mid.

I’d forget those heavy options - save yourself the equivalent of (considerably) more than a glass bottle of wine in weight on each tent and consider getting Durston trekking pole tents. They are proven options for 3 season UK hiking, reasonably-priced, and way way lighter! Nobody needs a Hilleberg or equivalent for a summer C2C! Truly! Edit: By the way (and out of budget for you), my personal shelter preferences for hiking in 3 seasons anywhere in Europe (Scotland, the Alps, the Med and anywhere in-between) are the ZPacks Plex tents - a Plex Solo Lite for me on my own, a Duplex when I'm out with the Mrs. No need for an even more expensive 1.3Kg - 3.5Kg Hilleberg when you can take a 332g or 507g tent to cover the same conditions. Hillebergs are great if you want a 4 season shelter for exposed environments, and even then I'd only have one for actual winter trips. It's like buying a Ford F150 Truck to go shopping or to take trips down the M4 from London to Bristol - total overkill!

I live part time in the Southeastern US. While I love my Borah Gear bivy during shoulder season, it’s too stifling for me during summer months, even the all-mesh bug bivy version. For summer, I either bring a tent (Zpacks plex solo) if mosquitoes are really bad or a flat tarp with a Sea to Summit nano net if they are moderate to mild.

I didn't like mine very much. I found it to be hard to pitch mostly because it was too big and a little unwieldy. Always has problems finding a spot with enough good space for it to fit easily, and had to resort to securing the guy lines to logs, tree branches, etc. And I don't think I ever got the floor to be a bathtub (just a sad groundsheet). That said, it is very roomy inside and I never had a bad night in it. I never had it in much rain though, only high-ish winds, which when secured properly, did just fine (except for dirt blowing in, due to my inability to get the bathtub going). And while I realize all trekking pole tents involve more hassles, I think the Lunar Solo is at the higher end of that scale. I now have a Plex Solo. Which still comes with "problems," but at least it's about half the weight, so I'm willing to put up with them. The Lunar didn't weight much less than my Nemo Hornet 1P, so I found myself just using that instead (before the Plex Solo). Edit: I should practice what I preach, that tent review/opinions should include where they've been used. In my case, it was summertime, in the Sierra Nevada, CA.

Haven't used the re-introduced version with the netting, but imo the Hexamid Pocket Tarp is the best shelter out there--when conditions allow for it. However, I would probably get pretty annoyed having to lift the netting up to get in and out of it. But without the netting, the Pocket Tart is very easy to set up (pitches much better than a full tent like the Plex Solo, which I also have), and it's so nice to be able to get in and out without a zipper and netting flopping around. It also pitches well with shorter poles, like the 125mm I have (lightweight, fixed length running poles). But, as I mentioned, rather than get the version with netting for when there are bugs, I got the Plex Solo. I realize I could instead find camp spots away from the bugs, but I like camping by water, especially scenic lakes (largely for photography). Others don't care so much about that.

Always sharing. I have a three person tiger wall for me and a kid (or both kids). I have 3 20 inch pads (last model Nemo tensors) when it’s both kids. For one kid, we use two wide REI helix pads (25 inch). If all 4 of us go, then I bring a 5 person copper spur, and then it’s 2 helix and 2 tensors. I use a quilt, but my wife and kids are all in sleeping bags. Solo, I mostly stick to my plex solo (with wide helix and quilt).  I carry most of the gear under any group configuration. The 5 person tent is tough. I like the copper spur, but any tent that fits 4 is going to be a pain in the ass. The tiger wall 3UL is not too bad, poles and all. Be mindful of usable space. If you share a 2 person tent, it may limit your pad selection. 

The normal xmid worked really good for me and it is quite affordable. My tent pick if I were to do it again probably would be the plexsolo, it weighs a decent bit less and takes less space. 1p is plenty big enough for me and the trail is dry enough where I don’t think I needed double walls. This is assuming you were going for a trekking pole tent though.

My Zpacks Solplex tent. I used it on my PCT thru hike, and its still in such great shape I plan to use it on my next thru hike. I love being able to pitch such a small footprint in a tiny site but I can still squeeze my pack and shoes inside with me its raining a lot. It also weighs less than a pound.

I love my Zpacks Solplex (or plex solo, they changed the name for some reason). It is nice and small and fits into all those tiny spots left in between all the giant Durstons. And it weighs less than a pound.