Click "Show Chat Replay" to see the Live Q&A in real-time while watching the video. See video description for a link to the review that includes an interview with Henry Shires of Tarptent.
This might be the most thorough, well articulated tent video I have ever seen. This should be used as the high water mark for all tent review/introduction videos.
I bought the Dipole 1 in large part due to this review. The other contender was the X Mid Pro 1, which wasn’t available in time. I’ve been very happy this far with the tent. It has been great in very high winds, rain and hail. Many worry the end window/vents will let rain in and that has not been my experience at all. It is a very well ventilated design and it can do very well against condensation. Tent has stood in 40mph winds all night with 6 stakes. Wonderfully spacious inside. I would prefer the stuff sack to have a rectangular vs square cross section so it would better fit my packing style but that is quite nitpicky. This review is spot on.
I’d personally like to see more of a beak over the struts at the end. Venting is especially important when it’s raining in a single wall tent. I think a few mor inches of over hang would be ideal.
This video review coupled with the very extensive written review is one of the most logical and fair (comparative) analyses I have come across in the hiking community. Thank you very much for your valuable and well spent time.
The width of the 1P is actually 36" at the ends and 28" in the middle, rather than 36" end-to-end. There are so many great details in this review that make it a lot easier to know the tent's capabilities.
Thank you for providing this thorough review. I own two Tarptents (Aeon Li and Moment DW) and love to see them continuing to innovate with new products. Both of these tents look like great options for storm worthiness, roominess and ventilation.
We've been having a discussion about this tent in a UL FB group. The biggest concern I've seen is how those ends / windows on the tent (foot and head ends supported up by short carbon fiber poles) would do with a hard, wind-driven, horizontal rain smashing into them. In particular, it was some Brits who like to hike in Scotland that brought it up .. and those conditions can be common. Anyway ... I'm curious about that too. Will they keep the rain out that's being driven directly into them by 40+ mph gusts (or sustained winds)?
Me too. The ventilation looks great but there isnt a big enough overhang to my mind. It wouldnt take much of an angle for wind driven rain to find its way around the gaps at the edge of the flaps. In addition, albeit probably not a major issue, the noseum mesh is getting wet and presumably will retain some moisture, meaning you put the tent away wet - seems like it would be better with the poly flap on the outside of the mesh, albeit it would not be so easy to put it up or down then.
I recognized the same low end pole system I have over my Tarptent Protail Li, it looks like you can use 4 trekking poles to setup the Dipole 2 instead of having carbon struts.
My only negative about the 2 is how much room you need for setup especially in high winds. Basically looks like my stratosphere except they made the pitch lock ends high and using only one middle pole. Definitely roomier.
The Stratospire has a much larger footprint. If you add guylines to any tent, that shouldn't really impact site selection, because you can always extend or shorten the guylines, stick them into bushes, tie them around rocks or trees, etc.
The Dipole 2 Li feels more spacious to me than the X-Mid Pro, because of the end struts and larger inner floor dimensions. The parallelogram shape of the X-Mid Pro inner tent feels a little smaller than a rectangular footprint (psychologically at least).
for a similar weight (I think), I would take the Rainbow Li. Quick setup without poles, or versatility to use poles to have a standalone tent. Not sure how they compare/compete vis-a-vis strength/integrity. For now, I'm happy with the Aeon Li.
The Dipole 2 Li (with added guylines) definitely pitches more stable and is more aerodynamic in response to a broadside wind than a Double Rainbow Li. The latter offers more headroom and feels even bigger, though.
Why do people speak as if single wall tents develop more moisture than double wall tents? They do not. The condensation is exactly the same. The only difference is that single wall tents are built larger so that they can accommodate the inner bug tent. The additional space makes it less likely that you will brush up against a wet wall or suffer mist from the walls on a rainy night. The first time I camped with a double wall tent I had an improper pitch and the bug netting was touching the second wall. When I woke up I had a puddle of water at the end of the tent, as the condensation transferred from the outer wall, to the bug net, and into the tent bath tub.
Could two collapsed trekking poles (or perhaps a 21" trekking pole section) replace the carbon end poles? I'm thinking for the Dipole 2 if both hikers use two poles. I love the simple four corner stake design a la X-mid, plus this one fits two wide pads!
I have a Tarptent Notch Li and the optional "pole handle pockets" that attach to the inside of the tent where pole TIPS usually go. But now my handles go in the pockets and are securely captured by Velcro bands. Me? I like to keep my dirty pole tips in the ground. My tips are always covered with a rubber cap therefore they don't sink into soft ground very far. BTW, my Notch Li is "tiny" compared to any other solo tent I know! Just enough room to change your mind. ;o) CONFESSION: I'm one of those guilty of putting stake loops at the midpoints of my Notch Li vestibules BUT before I sewed those loops in I laid on TWO circular reinforcements wrapped 50/50 around the edges. The first layer was a smaller circular DCF tape. The 2nd layer is a Tenacious Tape circle wrapped 50/50 over the first layer. I will never put a lot of strain on these stake loops (which are using girth hitched elastic hair bands for the stakes),
There are stakeout points at the bottom of the vestibule zippers that can be attached to a guyline coming from the apex guyline stake (this is shown in the video).
So far so good. We're in thunderstorm season here in Colorado, and with the side panels buttoned up and the ends pitched into 20+ mph winds, we've had no issues with water ingress.
I pack my tents in HMG pods and the Dipole 2 easily folds into their smallest sized pod with room to spare. The collapsed struts go diagonally in the pod. ^rj
very cool design, but it's a little bit heavy and expensive than the competitors. I have 2 tarptent tents which are rainbow li and moment dw. I am looking for a 2 person DCF tent. Dipole 2 li or x-mid 2pro or duplex☹️
Nice vid! For weather, Hilleberg and Fjällräven are the best. Easy to set up, bombproof and trustworthy. Yes they are heavy, but it seems that all the dyneema tent set-ups are just too complicated and have too many steps that need to happen. :( I didn't like my Duplex because of the condensation and door design. Trying to decide between the DiPole and X-Mid. The Luxe looks interesting too!
@@iBlindPanic yes... but Hilleberg and Fjällräven are beast when it comes to bad weather. :) TNF tents are just as heavy, so I would rather use the Fjällräven (my go to).
Wow, the tops of the windows look problematic. I would fear that a lot of rain would come in in case of a thunderstorm with heavy winds. Any experience kn this?
Dipole 2 by a long shot. More stable in high winds. Double Rainbow might be a better choice for ease of setup, it's definitely more intuitive. The Dipole is tricky to pitch.
@@BackpackingLightUSA you can increase stability of the Double Rainbow quite a bit though, if you put trekking poles below the cross strut endpoints. Without them, indeed the rainbow pole often collapses in crosswinds and snaps back up. Which is annoying without a helmet ;)
Unfortunately there is literally only ONE factory in the world that can heat-bond DCF and provide the cut-and-sew/bond precision required to put together a high end DCF tent. All of our best options are pretty much made in the same place, and it’s in China. So if China’s a deal-breaker, we have to be ok accepting lesser quality for now.
Is this really that storm proof? Have you seen 'novice wild camper's review? It looks so flappy and noisy in that video but I'm wondering if it's because of his pitch. (It is his first go) This tent ticks all the boxes but for the money I need more confidence it's going to hold up!
I skipped around in this video. I did not see the part(s) that showed the 1p version, or was that not in this video? Time stamps of 1p section of this video?
They aren't the lightest 1P or 2P DCF tents out there, but we're talking about differences measured in ounces. The fiddliness with the initial pitch goes away pretty fast on all of these trekking pole tents once you learn how the geometry of their tension lines is controlled by stake and guyline tension.
*Preliminary* MSRP is $699 for the Dipole 1 Li and $799 for the Dipole 2 Li. The Dipole 2 Li advantages vs the Duplex include a more spacious interior (including more headroom across its length), and a much easier pitch to prepare it for high winds. Generally, we also see better cut-and-sew(bond) precision in Tarptent shelters which results in more aesthetically-pleasing pitches and better aerodynamics/less flapping.
@@BackpackingLightUSA thanks for the price update. Reasonable for what you get. I already knew tarptent construction is head and shoulders above zpacks.
@@pgreenx - This is a *far* superior tent to the Duplex, I think we can agree, and will be worth the spend to those that buy it. But the Duplex is *10 oz lighter* in weight and will most likely be $50 - $100 cheaper in price (and may also pack down smaller due to having no struts to accommodate). That is why the Dipole 2 Li may not be the Duplex killer you suggest. But, I could be wrong....we will just have to wait and see! 😉
Isn't it SAD that tent makers just don't seem to WANT TO GET IT !!!! It is not that the know how isn't there. B. A has great tents for room, build etc but the ONE dynerma tent they make and the materials are INSANELY THIN. And they price them as if they are made of cobalt or titanium, gold or platinum !!!!!!!!. Every pole tent has issues. Especially single-wall and they're trying to shave weight !!! R they greedy or lazy OR,, r we asking for to much from them ? In the mean time we have to pick the compromise that suits us!! Or we r ok to settle for x rather than z !!¡. Room, head room, weight, set up, price, ventilation, condensation, packability, storm worthy, vestibule space for storage or cooking n kitchen duty, basics like POCKETS !!! Rain proof,. Snow loading, wet out, COLORS THAT don't attract bees and whatever. WOW 😲 !! Someday we will be able to go on line and BUILD OUR TENTS !!!! there's a company that will be busy into the new millennium !!!!!! Like E. E quilts n bags !!!!! I love those guys !!!!! Oh well, maybe my grandkids !!!
Click "Show Chat Replay" to see the Live Q&A in real-time while watching the video. See video description for a link to the review that includes an interview with Henry Shires of Tarptent.
This might be the most thorough, well articulated tent video I have ever seen. This should be used as the high water mark for all tent review/introduction videos.
Dude your reviews are a godsend for us youtube campers. The technical spec, the detail, the vocabulary! I'm here for it.
I bought the Dipole 1 in large part due to this review. The other contender was the X Mid Pro 1, which wasn’t available in time. I’ve been very happy this far with the tent. It has been great in very high winds, rain and hail. Many worry the end window/vents will let rain in and that has not been my experience at all. It is a very well ventilated design and it can do very well against condensation. Tent has stood in 40mph winds all night with 6 stakes. Wonderfully spacious inside. I would prefer the stuff sack to have a rectangular vs square cross section so it would better fit my packing style but that is quite nitpicky. This review is spot on.
Great review. I love the thorough detail you get into and still make it watchable without being boring.
I appreciate that! - rj
I’d personally like to see more of a beak over the struts at the end. Venting is especially important when it’s raining in a single wall tent. I think a few mor inches of over hang would be ideal.
This video review coupled with the very extensive written review is one of the most logical and fair (comparative) analyses I have come across in the hiking community. Thank you very much for your valuable and well spent time.
The width of the 1P is actually 36" at the ends and 28" in the middle, rather than 36" end-to-end. There are so many great details in this review that make it a lot easier to know the tent's capabilities.
Thank you for providing this thorough review. I own two Tarptents (Aeon Li and Moment DW) and love to see them continuing to innovate with new products. Both of these tents look like great options for storm worthiness, roominess and ventilation.
Thanks for the feedback Lisa!
This guy does the best reviews on UA-cam.
What an excellent discussion of DCF.
Awesome review....it'll be the dipole 1 or xmid 1p dyneema! Can't wait for your comparison!
Great review, I own a Notch Li and an Aeon Li. It looks like my next will be one of these. No one builds well tensioned tents like Shires.
Great review. In depth and extremely helpful. I am struggling to decide which Tarptent I want to get.
Good camera work Chase.
(Stephanie did the cam work on this one!)
Very interesting tents and a nice overview though I think all those mentioning that it feels a bit like an advertorial may have a point.
My favorite Tent is Tarptent double Rainbow Li
That looks awesome. Love both the Tarptents I have. You guys make a great product
We've been having a discussion about this tent in a UL FB group. The biggest concern I've seen is how those ends / windows on the tent (foot and head ends supported up by short carbon fiber poles) would do with a hard, wind-driven, horizontal rain smashing into them. In particular, it was some Brits who like to hike in Scotland that brought it up .. and those conditions can be common.
Anyway ... I'm curious about that too. Will they keep the rain out that's being driven directly into them by 40+ mph gusts (or sustained winds)?
Me too. The ventilation looks great but there isnt a big enough overhang to my mind. It wouldnt take much of an angle for wind driven rain to find its way around the gaps at the edge of the flaps. In addition, albeit probably not a major issue, the noseum mesh is getting wet and presumably will retain some moisture, meaning you put the tent away wet - seems like it would be better with the poly flap on the outside of the mesh, albeit it would not be so easy to put it up or down then.
I have the Dipole1 and the ends have been very good about keeping out rain even in high winds. Very well designed.
Really well done review, thank you. Looks like this might be a great option.
I love these reviews! Would love to see a review of the Stratospire.
This looks like a better design then the GG the2 as far as possible rain splash back.
I recognized the same low end pole system I have over my Tarptent Protail Li, it looks like you can use 4 trekking poles to setup the Dipole 2 instead of having carbon struts.
Yes, two collapsed trekking poles for the ends in place of the carbon struts is totally feasible.
My only negative about the 2 is how much room you need for setup especially in high winds. Basically looks like my stratosphere except they made the pitch lock ends high and using only one middle pole. Definitely roomier.
The Stratospire has a much larger footprint. If you add guylines to any tent, that shouldn't really impact site selection, because you can always extend or shorten the guylines, stick them into bushes, tie them around rocks or trees, etc.
@@ryanjordan7062 really? This looks much larger than the SS Li.
@@ryanjordan7062 interesting that it’s smaller. I will have to check specs.
Would love to see a comparison to the X-Mid Pro 2P and/or the StratoSpire LI
i am also a Baumann
Same here
Very interesting tent. I wonder how it compares to the xMid 2Pro with livable room.
The Dipole 2 Li feels more spacious to me than the X-Mid Pro, because of the end struts and larger inner floor dimensions. The parallelogram shape of the X-Mid Pro inner tent feels a little smaller than a rectangular footprint (psychologically at least).
This is great video. Subscribed.
gotta love your reviews, amazingly detailed/ Thank You.
for a similar weight (I think), I would take the Rainbow Li. Quick setup without poles, or versatility to use poles to have a standalone tent. Not sure how they compare/compete vis-a-vis strength/integrity. For now, I'm happy with the Aeon Li.
The Dipole 2 Li (with added guylines) definitely pitches more stable and is more aerodynamic in response to a broadside wind than a Double Rainbow Li. The latter offers more headroom and feels even bigger, though.
I have the Double Rainbow Li. The sides cave in during wind. This Dipole seems more stable, the way it is guyed out.
Why do people speak as if single wall tents develop more moisture than double wall tents? They do not. The condensation is exactly the same. The only difference is that single wall tents are built larger so that they can accommodate the inner bug tent. The additional space makes it less likely that you will brush up against a wet wall or suffer mist from the walls on a rainy night.
The first time I camped with a double wall tent I had an improper pitch and the bug netting was touching the second wall. When I woke up I had a puddle of water at the end of the tent, as the condensation transferred from the outer wall, to the bug net, and into the tent bath tub.
Yes, this should be a posted comment at the top of every tent review.
Could two collapsed trekking poles (or perhaps a 21" trekking pole section) replace the carbon end poles? I'm thinking for the Dipole 2 if both hikers use two poles. I love the simple four corner stake design a la X-mid, plus this one fits two wide pads!
Yes, collapsed trekking poles work fine in place of the end struts.
Any idea when these will be available?? Great review! You guys are the best.
They are expected to ship in early September, so pre-orders will open up probably sometime in July.
@@BackpackingLightUSA Same question so thanks for the reply!
I have a Tarptent Notch Li and the optional "pole handle pockets" that attach to the inside of the tent where pole TIPS usually go. But now my handles go in the pockets and are securely captured by Velcro bands.
Me? I like to keep my dirty pole tips in the ground. My tips are always covered with a rubber cap therefore they don't sink into soft ground very far.
BTW, my Notch Li is "tiny" compared to any other solo tent I know! Just enough room to change your mind. ;o)
CONFESSION: I'm one of those guilty of putting stake loops at the midpoints of my Notch Li vestibules BUT before I sewed those loops in I laid on TWO circular reinforcements wrapped 50/50 around the edges. The first layer was a smaller circular DCF tape. The 2nd layer is a Tenacious Tape circle wrapped 50/50 over the first layer. I will never put a lot of strain on these stake loops (which are using girth hitched elastic hair bands for the stakes),
Good luck in windy weather with those side panels
There are stakeout points at the bottom of the vestibule zippers that can be attached to a guyline coming from the apex guyline stake (this is shown in the video).
Also not sure how the side panels would cope with prolonged driving rain.
So far so good. We're in thunderstorm season here in Colorado, and with the side panels buttoned up and the ends pitched into 20+ mph winds, we've had no issues with water ingress.
My experience also- very dry inside
If there would be some snow, would it pile up on the tent, or would it slide off with a tight pitch?
If you have your pole lines out than it's pretty good , but this tent really is a 3 season tent anyway ,
Why the sil nylon side windows? Why not just make it all DCF… Thanks for the awesome review
Great question. Silpoly is incrementally cheaper and easier to "scrunch" (a good trait for a retractable vent) than DCF?
@BackpackingLightUSA dcf collects condensation more than sil poly so anything that might be touching your skin or gear they made sil polu
This tent seems like a serious competitor to the Durston XMid.
Interesting. Ryan what is the pack size when properly folded up etc. in a presumably equipped stuff bag? Sans stake bag.
I pack my tents in HMG pods and the Dipole 2 easily folds into their smallest sized pod with room to spare. The collapsed struts go diagonally in the pod. ^rj
very cool design, but it's a little bit heavy and expensive than the competitors. I have 2 tarptent tents which are rainbow li and moment dw. I am looking for a 2 person DCF tent. Dipole 2 li or x-mid 2pro or duplex☹️
What is the bath tub height? Currently and/or planned.
Depending on the pitch, it seems to work out to be around 4 inches (10 cm).
Nice vid!
For weather, Hilleberg and Fjällräven are the best. Easy to set up, bombproof and trustworthy. Yes they are heavy, but it seems that all the dyneema tent set-ups are just too complicated and have too many steps that need to happen. :(
I didn't like my Duplex because of the condensation and door design. Trying to decide between the DiPole and X-Mid. The Luxe looks interesting too!
I have a Hilleberg and an old North Face, prefer the NF, Hilleberg are not for backpacking unless you are in a very specific environment.
@@iBlindPanic yes... but Hilleberg and Fjällräven are beast when it comes to bad weather. :) TNF tents are just as heavy, so I would rather use the Fjällräven (my go to).
Would you replace your Khufu with this? I'm actually looking at both the DiPole 1 ( similar footprint to Khufu ) and the Khufu.
Would this model be suitable for camping above the treeline and how would it perform in winds up to 40 mph?
Looks great
Wow, the tops of the windows look problematic. I would fear that a lot of rain would come in in case of a thunderstorm with heavy winds. Any experience kn this?
Looks awesome! Do you know if Tarptent will be releasing the Dipole in silpoly or silnylon?
From Tarptent: "We are not done with this design..." so there you go.
As you said LG has a pole in the center, why no use a DPTE !
Thank you!
do you prefer the Double Rainbow or the Dipole 2?
Dipole 2 by a long shot. More stable in high winds. Double Rainbow might be a better choice for ease of setup, it's definitely more intuitive. The Dipole is tricky to pitch.
@@BackpackingLightUSA you can increase stability of the Double Rainbow quite a bit though, if you put trekking poles below the cross strut endpoints. Without them, indeed the rainbow pole often collapses in crosswinds and snaps back up. Which is annoying without a helmet ;)
How long has this tent been available? How is this tent not more popular? Especially, the 1person since it has 2 doors
First ones came out November’22.
So your dipole is a quad pole
What make and model is the pack you have inside the dipole 2?
That's a McHale Windsauk in full Dyneema with the P&G harness extension.
Looks fabulous but I'm not getting the confidence from the review that water (splash) wont get in with driving rain from the two sides.
Me too
I have not experienced any rain getting inside in my Dipole1 in heavy, windy rain. I find it very well engineered in this regard.
It can come down to cost?
Any ideas?
Made in China?
That’s also a deciding factor.
Unfortunately there is literally only ONE factory in the world that can heat-bond DCF and provide the cut-and-sew/bond precision required to put together a high end DCF tent. All of our best options are pretty much made in the same place, and it’s in China. So if China’s a deal-breaker, we have to be ok accepting lesser quality for now.
@@BackpackingLightUSA Some others say, the best factory, is in Vietnam.
No price point yet?
Interesting. We're happy to investigate that. What's your source for "others say, the best factory, is in Vietnam?"
@@BackpackingLightUSA Dan Durston. Of course, it could just be, his sales pitch.
@@billpetersen298 Dan isn't doing any DCF shelters at the moment is he? He may be referencing silpoly manufacturers and not DCF.
Similar to the Notch Li, only single wall and way roomier.
The Notch Li is a double-wall tent (with both mesh and solid fabric inner tent options), requires apex guylines, and is shorter/narrower.
Is this really that storm proof? Have you seen 'novice wild camper's review? It looks so flappy and noisy in that video but I'm wondering if it's because of his pitch. (It is his first go)
This tent ticks all the boxes but for the money I need more confidence it's going to hold up!
Want specs!
read the video description
I skipped around in this video. I did not see the part(s) that showed the 1p version, or was that not in this video?
Time stamps of 1p section of this video?
16:09
Yikes, you have more tent knowledge than anyone on this forum.
Omg it has a window wtf 😳
Looks a little fiddly, and not that light for DCF.
They aren't the lightest 1P or 2P DCF tents out there, but we're talking about differences measured in ounces. The fiddliness with the initial pitch goes away pretty fast on all of these trekking pole tents once you learn how the geometry of their tension lines is controlled by stake and guyline tension.
Duplex killer……!
Perhaps.... but we don't yet know what the price is. Duplex is $699 @ 18.5 oz; Stratospire Li is $729 @ 28.6 oz; Dipole 2 Li @ 27 oz could be $$$ ?
@@johnwilson6954 for sure more money buy what’s the diff when in the 7-800 range. My guess is it’s $800 with all the technical cutting, fabrics etc.
*Preliminary* MSRP is $699 for the Dipole 1 Li and $799 for the Dipole 2 Li. The Dipole 2 Li advantages vs the Duplex include a more spacious interior (including more headroom across its length), and a much easier pitch to prepare it for high winds. Generally, we also see better cut-and-sew(bond) precision in Tarptent shelters which results in more aesthetically-pleasing pitches and better aerodynamics/less flapping.
@@BackpackingLightUSA thanks for the price update. Reasonable for what you get. I already knew tarptent construction is head and shoulders above zpacks.
@@pgreenx - This is a *far* superior tent to the Duplex, I think we can agree, and will be worth the spend to those that buy it. But the Duplex is *10 oz lighter* in weight and will most likely be $50 - $100 cheaper in price (and may also pack down smaller due to having no struts to accommodate). That is why the Dipole 2 Li may not be the Duplex killer you suggest. But, I could be wrong....we will just have to wait and see! 😉
Isn't it SAD that tent makers just don't seem to WANT TO GET IT !!!!
It is not that the know how isn't there. B. A has great tents for room, build etc but the ONE dynerma tent they make and the materials are INSANELY THIN. And they price them as if they are made of cobalt or titanium, gold or platinum !!!!!!!!.
Every pole tent has issues. Especially single-wall and they're trying to shave weight !!!
R they greedy or lazy OR,, r we asking for to much from them ? In the mean time we have to pick the compromise that suits us!! Or we r ok to settle for x rather than z !!¡.
Room, head room, weight, set up, price, ventilation, condensation, packability, storm worthy, vestibule space for storage or cooking n kitchen duty, basics like POCKETS !!!
Rain proof,. Snow loading, wet out, COLORS THAT don't attract bees and whatever. WOW 😲 !!
Someday we will be able to go on line and BUILD OUR TENTS !!!! there's a company that will be busy into the new millennium !!!!!! Like E. E quilts n bags !!!!!
I love those guys !!!!!
Oh well, maybe my grandkids !!!
With this design, it's easy to get a tent for "basketball players". Without adding much weight.