New Tent from Zpacks?

[Stick]

Aaron, I did tape my Solo+, but after I had seam sealed it and noticed that there were still a few drops that would form along the seam. So, I decided rather than to continue to slop the silicone on it I would just tape it and be done with it. Taping it was very easy, and actually fun (at least it was for me).

Also, I exchanged some recent emails with Joe and he told me that after I posted about my hexamid on my blog and on my YT video he got a lot of request for taped Hexamids. So, he told me that as of about 2 weeks ago all of his Hexamids are now being taped.

As far as the tape itself, I can't say how the tape will do over time since mine is still relatively new. However, when I applied it it seemed to adhere very well and it does not seem to roll up at the edges once it is stuck down. (Although, in retrospect, I do wish I would have rounded the edges rather than leaving them squared, just in case.) However, I love my gear and I treat it that way. I do not throw my gear around and abuse it. If I did I would not have the gear I have. So, at this point I feel like the tape will be fine, but only time will tell.

Even so, if the tape ever does begin to peel or to lift off, I can simply remove the old tape and reapply some new tape.

And I take it from your last post, you do indeed have the Twin? That is cool. What are your general thoughts on it so far?

And yea, I imagine he is pretty swamped right now. This is the busy time of the year for these guys. I have noticed that his waiting list has been 5-6 weeks now. I had ordered a Zero Backpack jsut over 4 weeks ago and it arrived yesterday. I was like a kid at Christmas!

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Stick,

Sounds like the tape might be the way to go, interesting that they're all being shipped that way now. I would think that it would be both more waterproof and add more strength to the seams than silicone. Also getting a shelter in the mail that's ready to go right out of the box is always nice!

We do indeed have a Hexamid Twin with the cuben groundsheet, screen, and extended beak that we seam-sealed upon arrival. So far it's working great. I've had it in some serious winds and it's held up very well. (As long as I can keep the stakes in the ground...) We got a little spray during heavy rainfall along the back wall, but I might have had the pole angle off just a bit. With 2 in the tent I think it works well. Add the dog and things get a bit cozy, but it works. Since there's not really much of a weight penalty moving up to the Twin vs. the Solo or Solo Plus, I just use the Twin for solo trips as well, and I definitely can't complain about any lack of space in that situation.

[Stick]

Also getting a shelter in the mail that's ready to go right out of the box is always nice!

I totally agree with this. Anything right out of the box and ready to go is good!

That is cool that you are enjoying your twin tent. If I expected mine to be used by 2 more times than not I would have went with the twin as well. I agree that it is a very minimal weight difference.

What kind of stakes do you find yourself using? So far I have been using some of Lawson Kline's Ti-Eye stakes and some of his Ti Shepherd Hook stakes. These are basically 7" skewers, but they have done a great job for me so far. In very dry, or sandy ground I don't think they would be ideal, but around here we usually have fairly wet grounds and it is usually hard packed dirt.

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Stick,

I'm using the Vargo Outdoors shepherd hook ti stakes with the florescent orange coating to make them a little easier to find. So far I've found this to be my favorite overall stake design, but at times I may throw in an MSR Groundhog stake or two if the ground isn't frozen.

I haven't had a chance to check out Lawson Kline's stakes, but I do have a few of his cuben dry bags which I really like due to the seam taped design. I'm not sure if they're still in production and there were a few sizes I wasn't able to get before they were out of stock. However, I just checked out the Zpacks site and noticed that Joe's cuben dry bags which previously required seam sealing are now being shipped with taped seams - Score!

[Stick]

I have added some heat shrink tubing to my Ti stakes to add a little color, but it is not quite as bright as those orange coatings...it would definitely suck to lose these little things though!

Lawson doesn't have any stakes or the dry bags available on his site now. I don't think that the dry bags are even listed anymore. The stakes are on his product page, but they are out of stock. I am not sure if Lawson plans to put anymore back in stock. From what I understand he is not making anymore of the dry bags either. I know a while back he was talking about backpacks over on BPL. So I guess we will see what he has been up to eventually. I hope he sticks around, he is a good guy to deal with for sure!

That is cool beans about all this stuff being taped on Joe's site now!

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Stick,

After losing a few of my titanium hook stakes (Without the orange coating) I retrofitted the stakes I had left with the colored heat shrink tubing as well. So far so good. I do however bring a couple without the coating / tubing for use with the Trail Designs Ti-Tri Sidewinder or ULC stoves I'm usually packing.

Edited April 2, 2012 by Aaron

[Abela]

Is the prototype indeed freestanding? From what I can tell it appears that the 2 side guy-outs might be required...And it's hard to see but it looks like the corners might be staked down as well. (Not sure if these are required however) Joe also lists 6 stakes in the weight details.

The shelter itself was considered a free-standing shelter.

Remember that 'free standing' does not mean it can survive a 35 mile an hour hail and rain storm. All that term means within the shelter industry is that it can be setup and moved around without having it staked down.

The hexadome prototype was able to free-stand on its own. It used two 0.248" carbon fiber poles that crossed over each other (it had no pole sleeves on the inside) and the simple x-pattern was enough to keep it free standing.

The stakes were to secure it should the wind come up and you wanted the security of not having the top of the shelter shift. The shelter also had a good amount of material for the doors which could be staked out as a vestibule/porch to help air flow.

The shelter survived multiple weeks of being setup 24/7 without it collapsing or having any failures that I am aware of.

[Stick]

I wonder if he has made any more progress with this tent...I know that it is still not listed on his site yet...but it has been in every known forum now...

I just realized that the link no longer works either...

[Soggy]

If you have questions about the new duplex check out Will Wood's review on YouTube or on the zpacks.com site. That sold it for me.