Can you imagine that Zpacks has made their tents even lighter? They lately launched the “Lite” model of lots of their tents, together with the one-person Plex Solo Lite.
Zpacks says that is simply the lightest full-featured tent on the earth, they usually’re not improper. Coming in beneath 12 ouncesand packing all the way down to principally nothing, this tent balances ultralight effectivity and luxury for the solo hiker.
Zpacks Plex Solo Lite At a Look
MSRP: $599
Weight: 11.8oz | 334 grams (stakes required, not included in weight)
Supplies: 0.55 ouncessq yd DCF cover, 0.75 ouncessq yd DCF ground, 0.67 ouncessq yd Ultralight Nano-Noseeum Insect Netting
Peak Top: 52″ (132 cm)
Ground Space: 20.6 sq. ft (1.91 sq. meters)
Circumstance of Evaluation
I examined this tent on a number of in a single day and weekend backpacks and even some automobile tenting throughout Utah and Oregon. I set it up in lots of kinds of campsites, from sandy deserts to grassy and rocky meadows and typical forested websites. This tent additionally weathered a few nights of rain and wind fantastically.
Options
Ultralight Development: Coming in beneath 12oz, the Plex Solo Lite is definitely the lightest full-featured solo tent on the earth. Zpacks actually regarded exhausting at what supplies might be slimmed down to chop weight and what was price holding.
Single Pole Setup: To arrange this tent, you want solely a single trekking pole set to 52” (132cm) and at the least six stakes.
Overlapping Storm Doorways: The doorways enable for some air to go by means of, offering air flow. Both could be left open or closed independently. They’re secured with steel hooks that undoubtedly require two arms to be used. Stick-on magnet toggles could be bought to make this simpler, although. The hooks additionally fall to the bottom when each storm doorways are left open.
Rainbow Zipper Display Door: The zipper lets you get into the tent simply from both facet. The mesh door drops inward when open, so it doesn’t should be pulled out of the way in which or tied again. It might give the mosquitos extra of an opportunity to sneak in, although!
Spacious Inside: With 20.6 sq ft of inside house, 28” large on the head and foot finish, and seven.5 ft ground size, this tent has loads of house for one particular person. Any sleeping pad in the marketplace would slot in this tent and never really feel squished.
Deep Bathtub Ground: The 8” bathtub ground will provide you with peace of thoughts when any rain comes your method, and there are even adjustable cords inside to maintain the tub elevated and taut.
Setup
Ease of setup is a vital consideration when buying a tent. I discover that the majority trekking pole tents comply with related setup rules relying on whether or not they require one or two poles. When you’ve arrange one trekking pole tent, you possibly can arrange every other.
I discovered this to be true for the Plex Solo Lite: it arrange as anticipated for a one-pole tent with relative ease. One-pole tents could be trickier to pitch in some terrain in comparison with their two-pole counterparts. I needed to battle with sandy surfaces a few times when establishing this tent, however I may all the time get a superb pitch ultimately.
This tent additionally comes with 10 guylines already put in on the tent, whereas solely 6 are crucial. It’s good to have the additional ones already on the tent. I’ve used them to get extra head house and often left two or three unstaked.
Livability
The Plex Solo Lite is massive for a one-person tent! It has quite a lot of ground house and width. I actually like that the “foot” finish doesn’t taper any greater than the “head” finish, so that they’re primarily interchangeable. This provides you extra choices when choosing your website and figuring out the orientation of the doorways.
It additionally means you should utilize a large, sq. sleeping pad. I don’t use a large for backpacking, however I’ve mates who do, and it limits their tent choices. Nevertheless, once I was automobile tenting, I took my bigger 25″ x 72″ x 4″ pad. It match with loads of room for my duffel bag too.
Sturdiness
One of many largest questions in regards to the new Plex Solo Lite is whether or not the lighter materials used within the bathtub ground will maintain up over time and whether or not the load financial savings are price it. Zpacks says {that a} groundsheet isn’t required with this tent, so that they clearly have fairly a little bit of confidence within the sturdiness. Additionally they point out that discipline repairs are simple and efficient.
I personally all the time use a polycryo groundsheet for any tent. It’s so gentle, retains your tent ground dryer and cleaner, and provides peace of thoughts that your ground gained’t rip on something. With this, I had no considerations in regards to the sturdiness of the ground and skilled no injury.
The remainder of the supplies are the identical as every other Zpacks tent, they usually’re common for a cause. DCF has been round for some time now. It’s simply patchable and performs nice as a shelter materials. It stays extra taut and dries a lot sooner than every other tent material.
The distinction with conventional materials is starkest within the morning. At instances, my mates’ tents had been nonetheless moist with dew whereas mine was utterly dry. After an evening of rain, my tent was nonetheless nearly utterly dry by the morning.
Lite vs Basic
What’s the distinction between the 2 variations of this tent? Is the Lite model price it? Nice questions! Let’s first begin with what’s the identical about them.
The excellent news is that each variations of this tent are the identical value, in order that doesn’t have an effect on the choice in any respect. They’re additionally each the identical precise design and dimensions — they didn’t make it smaller simply to make it lighter.
Now let’s speak in regards to the variations between the 2.
The Lite model is, as anticipated, lighter by 2.8oz. How did they reduce these ounces? The reply is usually within the ground materials and the guylines.
Zpacks used 0.75 ouncessq yd DCF ground materials, which is 25 p.c lighter and packs down smaller than their customary tent flooring (that are 1.0oz/sq yd).
Additionally they used thinner 1.3mm man traces as an alternative of the usual 2mm man traces. I discovered that the 1.3mm model can typically get caught within the Lineloc adjusters, which may most likely be prevented with the 2mm man line. The man traces could be simply swapped.
No pocket: The Lite model additionally lacks a pocket, in contrast to the Basic, however that is one other merchandise that may simply be added later in the event you determine you really need one.
General, I see no cause not to decide on the Plex Solo Lite over the Basic except you’re actually robust in your gear.
Zpacks Plex Solo Lite Execs
The lightest full-featured tent on the earth: That’s a reasonably big professional. It’s loopy {that a} complete tent can weigh lower than 12 oz. Sufficient mentioned there.
DCF: I’ve lengthy desired a DCF tent, and it’s as nice as everybody says it’s. It dries so quick and holds its pitch significantly better than every other shelter materials.
Inside House: So far as one-person tents go, this one has a ton of room. Any pad will match, and there’s nonetheless room for further gear.
Zpacks Plex Solo Lite Cons
Value: This tent, like all DCF shelters, prices nearly $600. Nevertheless, for the lightest tent on the earth that also gives consolation, it might be price it.
Transparency: The DCF is comparatively see-through. It’s fuzzy sufficient that particulars aren’t clear, and you’ll change garments with sufficient privateness. Folks can undoubtedly inform you’re in there, although.
Finicky Doorways: I didn’t love the hook system for the storm doorways. It requires two arms to make use of, which isn’t nice for getting out for a loo break in the course of the night time. I do assume I’ll ultimately strive the stick-on magnets to handle this. The hooks additionally dangle within the filth in the event that they’re not in use, and I didn’t love that both.
General
I’d extremely advocate this tent to anybody on the lookout for a solo tent. For the load financial savings, it nonetheless has loads of options and is sufficiently big to be comfy. Getting the lightest model doable additionally permits you wiggle room so as to add the options you need, like a pocket or the stick-on magnets for the storm doorways. Thus far, I don’t really feel that the lighter ground materials has compromised the sturdiness a lot.
Store the Zpacks Plex Solo Lite
Comparable Tents
Durston X-Mid Professional 1
MSRP: $654
Weight: 15.4 oz
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid 1
MSRP: $599
Weight: 16.8oz
Gossamer Gear DCF Whisper
MSRP: $499
Weight: 9.8oz
The Zpacks Plex Solo Lite was donated for objective of assessment
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