Hi Greg, I'm in the same boat as you. I used a Zpack Duplex in heavier Spruce Green in 2019 (110 days on PCT) and then the X-Mid Pro 2 (woven) in 2023. Love the DD access and fly screen design but I damaged the zips after 50 days on trail and had to get them repaired under warranty. I also found the XMid had way more condensation than the Duplex, I think because it feels like it has more material and I didn't like the Sil Nylon floor although that option has now been addressed in their latest version. I also found it took longer to dry than the Duplex. Like you, I am considering going back to the Duplex without zips, possibly the Classic with the heavier spruce green Dyneema walls, 1oz Dyneema floor, and 2mm guy lines because this is what worked well for me in the past. But I did get used to the less opaque 0.55oz Dyneema walls on the DD, and if the 1.3mm Zpack guy lines hold well enough, I'd be shedding an extra 200g in weight from roughly 633g to 423g if I go with the Lite. That's possibly worth it if I take care of the floor. I do have a one-person Zpack tent's Dyneema ground sheet that I could use to give the floor added protection which weighs hardly anything. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions! Thanks for the great video.
Aww thanks Katrina! Yeah I also noticed the extra condensation in the Durston. Even with the vents open I've never had so much condensation. As you saw I use a 3mm foam sheet as a sit pad etc & am hoping using that under the tent (as I got into the habit of doing with the X-Mid) will protect the duplex lite enough, plus I try to be careful with my pitches anyway. You could always get a regular duplex with the regular thickness floor but lighter fly, they're around 530g? I might even sell the duplex lite after the GDT this year if I'm not in love with it. Ahh fun first world problems hey! 😂 Good luck! Any big hikes coming up you're wanting it for?
@@Greghikes1 yes, first-world problems but whatever rocks your boat, and I love talking gear. I'm doing Larapinta this year and was going to take a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1 but I find it really difficult to unzip the fly and get out of the tent and I get saturated if the fly is wet. The Big Agnes free standing tent is very cosy inside and relatively easy to pitch but I miss the second vestibule, I like cooking in my vestibule and am not sure with the stretchiness of nylon if it will give me a safe enough area in which to cook and it's heavier with more parts than the Duplex. I really don't want to carry tent poles which I see as a weak point. I have simply been spoilt with the Duplex. If you break your trekking poles, which I use rather than carry, which could add more weight, I simply make do with a stick until I can get a replacement pole. Like Darwin On the Trail says, adding more poles like the new Offset model is just introducing more fail points. I plan to return to the US maybe next year so maybe you're right. Get the Classic version in the lighter fly material. I found the Classic's bathtub floor impenetrable, with care taken when pitching with all noticeable potential puncture sticks and rocks removed. I sold it for a reasonable price with no holes in the floor after 150 nights on trail but the 0.75oz roof material had fine pin holes in it along the ridge line mainly. I believe the ground for Larapinta is very hard so staking will be a challenge but because Zpack supplies good-length guy lines, unlike the DDs, I think I can manage the big rock, little rock method if necessary for a tight pitch. And I like the fact I don't have to spend 20 mins before camp trying to work out in my head the maths for how to orient the Durston tent for optimum flat sleep orientation versus optimal wind minimisation from vestibule entry points with its unique design. I'll wear the slightly more difficult entry point with the trekking pole in the middle of the doorway for a more stress-free pitch. Thanks for your feedback.
@@katrinahemingway721 oh are you based in Australia too? Where abouts? I looked heavily into Larapinta just as a fun training hike but the flights were a little too much at the time and I'll be away this winter which I understand is the time to do it! Yes I love talking gear as well 🤗 Are you wanting the regular duplex for the extra width for two people? One of the main benefits I saw with getting the lite duplex was the narrower width, So at a push I could use it as a two-person But mostly it will be a one person, And I felt better about the compromise in floor size for a one person backcountry tent, As I think it's only 4" wider than an altaplex.. The two Canadians I am hiking the GDT with were a bit concerned about its footprint size but as you correctly point out it's much more versatile to pitch a duplex or even a triplex (than a Durston) . I had some pretty creative pitches on the PCT with a three-person tent! 😂Esp in the 🌵🌵. When are you thinking of doing the laripinta? What month? & Over how many days? I was looking at doing it over eight days, that would mean not needing for drops as well. (It doesn't look too tricky terrain-wise, but that also could be my PCT brain saying anything below 50 is fine 😂
@@Greghikes1 Yes Australian from Sydney and doing Larapinta this winter over 16 days with a few very inexperienced hikers so using LTTS for 3-4 food drops. I'm not worried about the width so much. I found the Duplex Classic a palace for 1 and loved having all my gear inside. So I guess I want durability as well but I may forgo the heavier weight roof surface from .75oz to .55oz for weight saving as you suggest but I'm not sure that 0.75oz floor will work as well. With all the duty and postage and tax Zpack is now charging to ship these tents to Australia there's not much change from A$1500. Do I want to pay that much for a Zpack Duplex Lite when I don't know how durable the 0.75oz Dyneema floor will be and will the 1.3mm guy lines work as well as the Duplex Classics more durable 2mm guy lines? I will definitely have to sell my DD X-mid Pro 2 to justify or maybe I just live with the DD now the failed zips have been replaced.
Thank you for this video! I'm interested in this tent, but worried that without the head guy line (maybe even with it?) I'd be too tall and too close from the DCF. I'm 190cm tall. A 10cm longer, narrower version would have been ideal I guess.
Yeh I'm 188, I think you'd be ok as if solo you could run a little diagonal, that's my plan. Though you can get a fair bit more room with the head and foot guy outs
@@TrekOfficiel hi, as long as you guy out (with a stick!) additional points at the head & foot it's fine. I'll try to film a little on the next trip in May, but using it as a solo tent & sleeping right down the middle seems best. (I usually sleep diagonal in the triplex when solo as there's 2 guy points per end) I think it'd struggle for enough length with 2 tall people though, as there's only 1 guy point at each end.
Thanks for the review, we do use two 20" pads, on repacks website it seems that it's a tight fit but your video show two 25". So would you say that this duplex lite can fit two 20 comfortably ? If I get the duplex lite I would use it mostly as a 2p tent...
@@Greghikes1 Nice, thanks for your answer. I'm just a bit concerned about the durability of the floor. Also the x-mid pro 2 with DCF floor would be cheaper (like $100 cheaper) here so I'm really not sure if the duplex lite is worth it...
Sorry about the dodgy sound quality & low light at the end!
Hi Greg, I'm in the same boat as you. I used a Zpack Duplex in heavier Spruce Green in 2019 (110 days on PCT) and then the X-Mid Pro 2 (woven) in 2023. Love the DD access and fly screen design but I damaged the zips after 50 days on trail and had to get them repaired under warranty. I also found the XMid had way more condensation than the Duplex, I think because it feels like it has more material and I didn't like the Sil Nylon floor although that option has now been addressed in their latest version. I also found it took longer to dry than the Duplex. Like you, I am considering going back to the Duplex without zips, possibly the Classic with the heavier spruce green Dyneema walls, 1oz Dyneema floor, and 2mm guy lines because this is what worked well for me in the past. But I did get used to the less opaque 0.55oz Dyneema walls on the DD, and if the 1.3mm Zpack guy lines hold well enough, I'd be shedding an extra 200g in weight from roughly 633g to 423g if I go with the Lite. That's possibly worth it if I take care of the floor. I do have a one-person Zpack tent's Dyneema ground sheet that I could use to give the floor added protection which weighs hardly anything. Decisions, Decisions, Decisions! Thanks for the great video.
Aww thanks Katrina! Yeah I also noticed the extra condensation in the Durston. Even with the vents open I've never had so much condensation. As you saw I use a 3mm foam sheet as a sit pad etc & am hoping using that under the tent (as I got into the habit of doing with the X-Mid) will protect the duplex lite enough, plus I try to be careful with my pitches anyway. You could always get a regular duplex with the regular thickness floor but lighter fly, they're around 530g? I might even sell the duplex lite after the GDT this year if I'm not in love with it.
Ahh fun first world problems hey! 😂 Good luck! Any big hikes coming up you're wanting it for?
@@Greghikes1 yes, first-world problems but whatever rocks your boat, and I love talking gear. I'm doing Larapinta this year and was going to take a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL 1 but I find it really difficult to unzip the fly and get out of the tent and I get saturated if the fly is wet. The Big Agnes free standing tent is very cosy inside and relatively easy to pitch but I miss the second vestibule, I like cooking in my vestibule and am not sure with the stretchiness of nylon if it will give me a safe enough area in which to cook and it's heavier with more parts than the Duplex. I really don't want to carry tent poles which I see as a weak point. I have simply been spoilt with the Duplex. If you break your trekking poles, which I use rather than carry, which could add more weight, I simply make do with a stick until I can get a replacement pole. Like Darwin On the Trail says, adding more poles like the new Offset model is just introducing more fail points. I plan to return to the US maybe next year so maybe you're right. Get the Classic version in the lighter fly material. I found the Classic's bathtub floor impenetrable, with care taken when pitching with all noticeable potential puncture sticks and rocks removed. I sold it for a reasonable price with no holes in the floor after 150 nights on trail but the 0.75oz roof material had fine pin holes in it along the ridge line mainly. I believe the ground for Larapinta is very hard so staking will be a challenge but because Zpack supplies good-length guy lines, unlike the DDs, I think I can manage the big rock, little rock method if necessary for a tight pitch. And I like the fact I don't have to spend 20 mins before camp trying to work out in my head the maths for how to orient the Durston tent for optimum flat sleep orientation versus optimal wind minimisation from vestibule entry points with its unique design. I'll wear the slightly more difficult entry point with the trekking pole in the middle of the doorway for a more stress-free pitch. Thanks for your feedback.
@@katrinahemingway721 oh are you based in Australia too? Where abouts? I looked heavily into Larapinta just as a fun training hike but the flights were a little too much at the time and I'll be away this winter which I understand is the time to do it! Yes I love talking gear as well 🤗
Are you wanting the regular duplex for the extra width for two people? One of the main benefits I saw with getting the lite duplex was the narrower width, So at a push I could use it as a two-person But mostly it will be a one person, And I felt better about the compromise in floor size for a one person backcountry tent, As I think it's only 4" wider than an altaplex.. The two Canadians I am hiking the GDT with were a bit concerned about its footprint size but as you correctly point out it's much more versatile to pitch a duplex or even a triplex (than a Durston) . I had some pretty creative pitches on the PCT with a three-person tent! 😂Esp in the 🌵🌵. When are you thinking of doing the laripinta? What month? & Over how many days? I was looking at doing it over eight days, that would mean not needing for drops as well. (It doesn't look too tricky terrain-wise, but that also could be my PCT brain saying anything below 50 is fine 😂
@@Greghikes1 Yes Australian from Sydney and doing Larapinta this winter over 16 days with a few very inexperienced hikers so using LTTS for 3-4 food drops. I'm not worried about the width so much. I found the Duplex Classic a palace for 1 and loved having all my gear inside. So I guess I want durability as well but I may forgo the heavier weight roof surface from .75oz to .55oz for weight saving as you suggest but I'm not sure that 0.75oz floor will work as well. With all the duty and postage and tax Zpack is now charging to ship these tents to Australia there's not much change from A$1500. Do I want to pay that much for a Zpack Duplex Lite when I don't know how durable the 0.75oz Dyneema floor will be and will the 1.3mm guy lines work as well as the Duplex Classics more durable 2mm guy lines? I will definitely have to sell my DD X-mid Pro 2 to justify or maybe I just live with the DD now the failed zips have been replaced.
Nice review Thank you!
Thanks! 😁
Thank you for this video! I'm interested in this tent, but worried that without the head guy line (maybe even with it?) I'd be too tall and too close from the DCF. I'm 190cm tall. A 10cm longer, narrower version would have been ideal I guess.
Yeh I'm 188, I think you'd be ok as if solo you could run a little diagonal, that's my plan. Though you can get a fair bit more room with the head and foot guy outs
@@Greghikes1 Hello Greg, what are your thoughts a good month later? Does your sleeping bag / quilt touch the mesh (head/toe) if on a thick pad?
@@TrekOfficiel hi, as long as you guy out (with a stick!) additional points at the head & foot it's fine. I'll try to film a little on the next trip in May, but using it as a solo tent & sleeping right down the middle seems best. (I usually sleep diagonal in the triplex when solo as there's 2 guy points per end) I think it'd struggle for enough length with 2 tall people though, as there's only 1 guy point at each end.
@@Greghikes1 Thank you! They should have done a Duplexl Lite and not discontinue the offset which I find flawed in design
Thanks for the review, we do use two 20" pads, on repacks website it seems that it's a tight fit but your video show two 25". So would you say that this duplex lite can fit two 20 comfortably ? If I get the duplex lite I would use it mostly as a 2p tent...
Oh definitely, it's designed for 2x20 pads. If you do a low pitch you might have room for a water bottle next to each pad but not much more.
@@Greghikes1 Nice, thanks for your answer. I'm just a bit concerned about the durability of the floor. Also the x-mid pro 2 with DCF floor would be cheaper (like $100 cheaper) here so I'm really not sure if the duplex lite is worth it...
Would’ve liked to see it with one pad. 😢
@@hikebot haha I know! I totally forgot. I'll maybe do another video
@@hikebotupdate video with just one pad coming in a couple of hours 😁
How much does it weigh in American? LOL
😂 yeah I figure the 2% of the world that still uses imperial can Google it 😁
👍👍