The Lightest Tent In The World - The New Zpacks Plex Solo 

Zpacks Plex Solo: geni.us/Agxnca

I've got a duplex, those seam tapes came off just after a few times uses. I found those tapes are most likely to come off when the tent is under heavy sun burn. This should NOT happens on a 600+$ tent. Very disappointed to see that their newest model still got this problem.

Can you add more context about the size and livability? How tall are you and do you touch at the head/foot with a 2.5-4” pad and 3 season quilt??

Pushing for 1 gram or so but paying much more for a minimum everything (including seals) I’d rather buy a slightly heavier tougher tent that won’t get stolen as it’s pocketable 600 dollars in about 1 min while your away..I understand there is materials & other quality that compensates for being thinner but it’s like an f1 car…it’s the best but at the expense of service life if there is sharp leaves or aggressive butterfly that rams it..

For that Price, i much much rather take a Durston X-Mid Pro 2 and only have 4 stakes and 2 Poles , get much more space and have only 190g more.

Nope. The best bang for the buck is going to be the Zpacks Duplex or Dan Durston X-Mid 2P Pro (DCF). The weight of these tents to how much room you get just cannot be beat.

Those damn rainbow doors . You have to open them all the way (to the mud) to not sit on them and exit.

The biggest CON - is the absolutely awful build quality. Zpacks is innovative, but they are the worst in the industry when it comes to quality. Their designs have an equal number of pros and cons too. For a long time, Zpacks had no competition. So many new pack manufacturers have taken a huge bite out of that revenue stream. With Dan Durston now designing tents, I suspect he’s going to take an equally big chunk out of the shelter revenue stream as well. Personally, I’m not sure I’d buy anything from Zpacks again. I accept the cost, just not the quality or bizarre design choices.

I think I will wait for the Durston Xmid 1 PRO.

Excellent review.Thank you for sharing it. My personal opinion is that paying 600 dollars for that tent would be a very poor investment.

I’m looking forward to getting my Xmid 2 Pro. And like you said, the weight is a bit misleading not considering the needed stakes and guylines. Edit: Xmid 2 Pro has a simpler setup, requires less fiddling and requires a minimum of 4 stakes without the use of guylines.

I feel like Ultralight gear has jumped the shark. You can sleep in a garbage bag with a zipper and then carry it in your garbage bag with shoulder straps for the low low price of $1,000.

That floppy floor always irks me, especially for that price... for a similar price and under the 22oz mark you can get an Durston X-mid Pro 2 (two man).

Nope you just need to get an extender attachment to fit onto your trekking pole if it’s too short. Way lighter, stronger, and cheaper solution than buying their pole.

Z Packs quality control scares me for the price they charge. Tighten that up and I would have no problem spending the money

I’ve always liked the design and lightweight of Z packs tents, but that delaminating seam tape on a brand new tent has crossed them off my list.

For half the price and 3 oz heavier The One by Gossamer Gear is a great alternative. Packs down incredibly small too.

Thank you for the initial review. My main concern would be the seam sealing tape already showing pealing. That should not be an issue right off the bat.

I don’t care how great or light … I would never spend $600 on a two person tent

is the dineema copy of the sixmoon designs lunar solo. 3 time more expensive, without 3 times the benefits....

Nice concept. I still have my Northface Tadpole 2 person tent from more than 20 years ago. It’s a little bit heavier but it has kept me dry in heavy rain and gale force wind in the Rockies and on The Westcoast Trail.

I just wish it had a vent at the top. It couldn't add more than 1 - 1.5 oz max and would be well worth it .

so i have one, but i haven't set it up yet. i went over all my seams and tape and nothing is flaking like that. but did it only start flaking after setup? curious to hear your info after the first impressions.

$600 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? I can rent a mule to carry my gear for that much.

This was an excellent, balanced review.

does the poles POINT go towards the ground? or trek handle go in pocket ?

Yeah, why would they put the tape on the outside? That's just common sense.

At least it is cheaper than gold which is $1,901.00 per oz.

How do close the front doors tight when inside the tent? Like an easier way to do it

You picked this one up quick! I know you're typically a freestanding tent guy, so looking forward to your thoughts on freestanding vs trekking pole. The weight is insane on this tent. I've been looking at ultralight 1P tents for some fast packing or just trips where I'm trying to really cram in the miles and the weight savings is key. The seam taping is definitely concerning. Did not expect that... I'm feeling like I need to go inspect the seams on my triplex a little closer now... Great first impressions!

As others have said, that seam-taping quality is down right offensive.

Took a screenshot of the build sheet on the pocket to see if the same guy did mine.

I can get a trekking pole tent on Amazon for 40 bucks lol

Im not even subbed and I’m here in 13 minutes! Guess you earned it.

Thanks for the great insight! I think I will pass due to the cost LOL

How can you claim this "tent" as a tent when it lacks a zippered entry/exit zipper and lacks a zippered, netted vent and hood? It is clearly an incomplete tent. Lacking an adjustable vent increases the issue of condensation. Rain, snow, wind and cold wind can enter the tent and has done so except for snow based on a RU-vid video recently presented. Regarding it being classified as the lightest tent in the world, I would like you to be aware that I've made a 4.03 ounce floorless Dyneema diamond shaped tent, 4.4375 feet wide x 8.48 feet long x 3.5 feet high. It is constructed with glue except for adhesive taped Dyneema reinforcements, no need for waterproofing with 1/4 inch bottom hem unlikely achievable with sewing. Glue is stronger than adhesive tape and provides a completely sealed bond not achievable with sewing. My tent has a 3 foot waterproofed entry/exit zipper and a waterproof zippered, netted vent with hood. It has a loop at the peak of the tent for supporting it by 8 or more methods from above vs trekking(s). My tent pole is a carbon fiber arrow shaft along with a partial fishing pole with dome topped cork. A floorless tent is obviously lighter and lower in packing volume than a floored tent. One uses a ground sheet or not and not having to worry about penetrating the floor by sharp rock or twig unseen when prepping the site. The majority of the so called ultralight tents out there are not ultralight.

how tall are you? i know they made the alta plex for taller people

If I just can buy one UL shelter, what your recommendation. Heaxmid Pocket Tarp w/door or Plex Solo

don't need the tent, but love the no nonsense presentation. Well worth a sub, looking forward to the next video 👍

Ah yes the infamous Zpacks quality...at this point it's just tradition. At first I was feeling bummed because I literally just pulled the trigger on a Yama DCF Cirriform tarp, but after seeing your review once again glad I steered clear of Zpacks.

You haven’t even used it and it’s already delaminating… Not ultralight - stupidlight.

2:38 is me talking to my girlfriend

I use a Zpacks 8.5' x 10' Flat Tarp with a Hyperlite Mountain Gear ULTAMID 2 HALF INSERT and ground cloth.

Omer Landing

Wellll... I prefer my Gen 2 Tarptent Notch Li, made in China at THE best tent factory for high quality Dyneema tent fabrication. The quality of this Dyneema tent is absolutely the best available.

is there any cheaper alternative to this? I currently own a Hubba nx 1 and would like to move to something much lighter. my trips are in the Alps above the tree line. what would you suggest?weight is a big concern as I weight 55kg and solo, so I'm trying to cut weight down as much as possible. Unfortunately the Zpack is too expensive, I also live in Europe.. thanks!

Sometimes less is more but not in this case.. give me a North Face 4 season 2 man tent and I'll be fine. Tried tested and true. Can't beat it with a stick. As a matter of fact of sticks fell off a tree they're just going to bounce off a good North Face. They'll rip to that little piece of crap and stab you in the chest. Who wants that?

Call me crazy, but the price is very rarely worth the saved weight for me. Or, it could be my level of inexperience showing.....

600 bucks, good lord ...

Do they have anything new coming out that will be double wall with a connected tub? I need something not only rain/condensation proof, but also bug proof. Summer time mosquitos on alpine lake thru hikes is brutal

My only concern is, I'm 6'1 rocking an EE Enigma quilt on a generous sleeping pad (Maybe 2-3" tall) IS it spacious enough, or do I need to upgrade to an Alta-plex? I'm worried about condensation and having a wet head/footbox if there isn't enough room! Thanks!! And Happy Trails!!

Shoot...I have a plexamid from 2021! Would love this for the High Sierra trail and JMT.

Which UL trekking pole do you use with the plex solo?

I have a hooped bivvy which I use with either a floorless hot tent tipi or a tarp with a stove jack. I've a lot of versatility but I'm still looking to get weight down

Ounces? What's that?

If I'm going to spend that much, I'd get the Tarptent Stratospire Li. I'm not in the cool Zpacks club.

That is a real nice tent

For many people not being able to pack a tent horizontally is a deal breaker, however if you're like me and don't mind packing your tent on the outside your money is much better spent on tents like the tarp tent aeon li which can be had for as low as $450 with blemishes. That's competitive pricing imo for what you get.

wow that weight is amazing. I still prefer the ease of setup with the duplex over the other half pyramids....to much finikyness but less than 14 ozs is very tempting.

Thanks. I always appreciate your honest and considered reviews.

Great vid. Don't know about being the lightest, but definitely an option. BA has the Scout Carbon 2 at just 12 oz.

I’d rather carry a 4-5 pound tent for 200 bucks knowing it won’t fall apart in the wind .

Thanks for the review. Looks an awesome tent for the weight. I’m debating whether to go for this but not sure if it’s suitable for guile in the uk and scotland. How does it fare in high winds and bad weather? Atb, Michael

I always try to get 8 inches deep too… but I’m in the same boat as you 👀

Thats a loooot of money for a tent, that is useless for most parts of the year in northern scandinavia...

Nice I like Zpack but I will never pay that. Great review as always thank you.

No zipper??? But wind tho.

396 g

Hard pass! 😂

I have the X-mid 1 and if I ever pay that much for a Dynema tent it will be the X-mid 1 Pro , if it ever becomes available. In all of my years of camping the X-mid is the simplest and easiest tent to set up. The other benefit is all of the interior room it offers.

Did you purchase this, or was it sent for free to review?

Isn't this just the plexamid with out the struts?

My gossamer gear The One is only 17 ounces and half of the price. It’s also probably more durable and has more width up top.

Well my Big Agnes Scout 2 Carbon Tent (2 person fully enclosed tent) is 11 ounces, just saying.

That is a really nice tent. The price is steep.

As always, really informative. Great video. I really like this reviews! Because I'm able to learn from others experiences what kind of gear suits me best 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

My DIY DCF floorless tent weighs 4.7 ounces, 5 ft X 9 ft X 3.5 ft high. Waterproof entry/exit zipper and hooded, mosquito vent. Hangable from above or interior pole. 4 tie-downs closed tent and 5 tie-downs for open tent. Floorless to provide user floor method preference.

Seal seal tape pealing after a couple days is inexcusable imo for $600

Maaaannn, for $600 it better be perfect…this one wasn’t. If it were me, it would already be on its way back.

How much is this tent? $1100? 😏

Only being able to get it 4” deep is average 😉

My hexamid solo is 10.3oz and you can still buy them for possibly cheaper than this.

$599.00 Weight 13.9 oz = 395 g

"TOO-MUCH-MONEY!"

thank you for this honest review

That price is high as the sky

Sounds like they have other maker as all those little negative details you mentioned is not typical of their past products..

I had planned on purchasing a duplex this year, now I'm not so sure.

The Big Agnes Scout Carbon is 11 ounces.

you mention possible lighter tents I'm curious ?

HIGHLY recommend! My wife and I thru hiked the AT for 5 months straight and used nothing but a Zpacks duplex tent with the trekking pole set up... we abused the tent and never had any leaks, or significant amount of water ever get in the tent.... Zpacks quality is incredible with the cuben fiber material. It is ultra-lite and does take some practice to get a quality pitch with a few stakes and trekking pole. The string angle for the vestibule is important to get right! Worth the money!

Great post my friend. I appreciate this review and your honest opinion.

Thought you weren’t a single wall guy. 😭🤘

Looks just like my SMD Lunar Solo, only instead of Sil Poly its Dyneema. I’m at 29 oz. with stakes and Sea to Summit dry sack, and at about 1/3 the cost.

Great review. I’ve been eyeballing the Plex Solo. How are you feeling about it now, 9 months after this video?

I don't like the fact that Zpacks makes millions off hikers every year and built their company literally on our backs but won't make anything out of .75oz/yd so they can bleed you again in another year or under.

Looks like a single use tent. Ultralight is often a trade-off for durability but this is extreme

Shave that beard off and you're going truly ultralight.

Looking to go light! Currently love my freestanding Marmot Tungsten UL 1P. Great for most of my needs. We are looking to do the Kings Canyon High Basin Route which basically doubles the elevation gain/loss of the JMT. My knees are telling me I need to lighten the load. Curious your experience in 1) dealing with condensation you might get with this tent and 2) setting up on rock slabs (high alpine camping) or in sand? For the weight alone this tent is a contender…

Thanks for a great review as always.