ZPacks™ Hexamid Solo-Plus Tent
Well I resisted the urge to purchase a Cuben Fiber tent for quite some time but I finally caved in for many good reasons. A few reasons that I resisted are that generally speaking, anything made of Cuben Fiber tends to be pricey and another is just to resist the technology. Well, once I got it I couldn’t understand why I waited so long. This tent is now my go-to tent for any long trail hikes where I want to keep my weight down.
So the main reason I finally gave in and bought this tent was primarily due to a good friend that I had hiked with many times who loved his ZPacks tent and it’s pretty much the only tent I’ve ever seen him bring. He has hiked and completed some pretty long trails and his ZPacks Hexamid Solo tent is still going strong which just blows me away because this tent is so light (Approximately 15.4 ounces not including stakes) that it just doesn’t seem possible. Below are some of the things I considered in my evolution to Cuben Fiber.
The Silnylon good:
A) Lower price than Cuben Fiber
B) Higher puncture resistance
The Silnylon bad
A) Stretches
B) Must be seam sealed
C) Heavier than Cuben Fiber
The Cuben Fiber good
A) Doesn’t stretch
B) Taped seams – no seam sealing
C) Completely waterproof
D) Very light
E) Rips/Tears can easily be repaired in the field with Cuben Fiber tape
The Cuben Fiber bad
A) Lower puncture resistance than silnylon
B) High price
C) This one is questionable – I’ve been told you get more condensation on the walls of single walled Cuben Fiber tents
After considering all the positives and negatives of Cuben Fiber and silnylon I finally became a believer and went and bought the same tent but in the larger size because I’m around 6’2″ and wanted the extra room. I also went ahead and upgraded to the heavier .74 Ounce/Square Yard plus I went with the twin size Cuben bathtub floor because I figured it would give me options and it only added about 1.1 ounces. The standard Solo Plus weighs around 17.7 ounces less the stakes but the heavier material and larger floor add about 2.6 ounces for a total tent weight of 20.3 ounces. This is truly incredible to me that I can have a shelter that weighs around a pound and a quarter!
Another cool thing I like about this tent is the bathtub floor – I can use it with other tarps or by itself anytime because it’s very easy to unclip from the tent body.
ZPacks™ Hexamid Solo-Plus Tent
Description:
The Hexamid Solo-Plus is a palace for one average sized hiker plus gear, or a good fit for an above average height person. It is large enough to occasionally squeeze in a partner. It has fully enclosed screen, a detachable bathtub floor for versatility, and storm doors for 360° rain protection.
I ended up using my Zpacks Hexamid Solo-Plus Tent when I hiked a section of the John Muir in the Sierra Nevadas back in 2015. It was the first time I really put the tent to the test and I couldn’t be happier with it. It’s so light and so easy to set up. Now it does have a sizable footprint because it isn’t free standing and to get a proper pitch you really need to stretch the lines out taut and in the right directions. Now, I may have a slightly different viewpoint once I use the tent over time but in either case the footprint will always be the same.
This tent is tough as nails and awesome!
Cincinnati
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