Shelter Backpacks Sleeping Bags Accessories Materials FAQs Payments About/Photos
-May 2012-

There is currently a waiting list of about 6-8 weeks for backpacks, shelters, and sleeping bags. If you need a quicker delivery please ask when you place your order and we will prioritize it. All of our gear is made locally right here in in our workshop.

Accessory items are generally in stock and currently shipping in a weekday or two.    Thanks! -Joe & Sheryl
ZPacks™ Hexamid Solo Tent or Tarp


Description:

The Hexamid is a six sided pyramid style tent for a solo hiker. It is made from the lightest materials available; .51 oz/sqyd cuben fiber, and optionally .7 oz/sqyd ultralight insect netting.

  • Sets up with just one trekking pole or walking stick adjusted to around 48 inches (122 cm), and a minimum of six stakes. Eight stakes are recommended.

    A Tent pole is available if you don't use trekking poles.

    Set up takes less than 2 minutes, watch the Setup Video!
    Text instructions are also available for the tent or tarp.
     

  • Fixed length guy lines using no-stretch spectra cord make setup easy. No line adjusters or knot tying necessary.

  • Ample space for one person plus gear. The tent is long enough for most people to fully stretch out their arms and legs, and tall enough to sit upright.
     
  • Great ventilation, and a great view through the large screen entryway. 6" of screen around the perimeter allows air flow.
     
  • The screen entryway opens with a single rainbow shaped zipper at the top. A single zipper reduces the likelihood of zipper failure, and keeps zipper weight at a minimum.
     
  • Cuben Fiber is made from spectra threads which do not stretch. The tent stays taught all night. (Sil-nylon by comparison can stretch and sag, especially if it gets wet).
     
  • New 4-1-2012! All the seams are triple stitched and taped, and the tie outs are bonded. No seam sealing necessary!
     
  • This tent is unique in that it has a fully enclosed .7 oz/sqyd screen floor. Why a screen floor?
    • It keeps 100% of insects, spiders, ticks, etc out!
    • It is light weight! Use a small, lightweight ground sheet on the inside on top of the screen, just like sleeping under a tarp. Tyvek, or Cuben Fiber ground sheets work great.
    • Your separate ground sheet can also be used for sleeping under the stars or in shelters.
    • Rain spray or condensation runs right out through the screen floor. The ground sheet must be on top of the screen to prevent any water from running onto it.
    • You can adjust the position of your ground sheet, or fold up the edges to block spray if the wind changes to the wrong direction.
       
  • The inside of each corner has a loop for clipping on a Cuben Groundsheet or a HexaNet bug shelter. The peak also has a loop on the inside for hanging a flashlight or stuff sack.
     
  • The expected life span of this shelter is at least one full 2500+ mile thru hike, or many years of casual use with some care. The shelter can also be easily repaired in the field since duct tape or Cuben Fiber Tape sticks well to the fabric.
     
  • All ZPacks gear has a one year warranty against defects in materials or workmanship. Returns or exchanges are welcome.
Photos of a Hexamid Solo Tent in Leaf Green:
Click for full size images

Photos of a Hexamid Tarp in Olive Drab:
Photos of the new Optional Extended Beak:
Photos of a White Hexamid Solo Tent from our Continental Divide Trail thru-hike:
Optional Extended Beak:
By popular demand an extended beak is now available. The extended beak rolls down to block rain spray, deflect wind, and provide some privacy. The beak has an elastic cord which clips to the tent's front guy line. To open the beak just un-clip it and roll it up. The beak adds about 1 foot of vestibule space for shoes, etc.

When hiking solo the extended beak may not be necessary since you can usually slide your ground sheet towards the back of the tent to avoid any rain spray coming in the front. If you are sharing the tent with a second person or if you want to play it safe add the beak.
Dimensions (approximate): 
  • Peak Height: 47 inches (119 cm)
  • Length: 9 feet (2.75 meters)
  • Width at center: 54 inches (137 cm)
  • Width at ends: 30 inches (76 cm)
  • Entryway Height: 29 inches (74 cm)

Weight:

  • A Hexamid Solo Tarp alone weighs 2.85 ounces (81 grams)
  • Seam tape on the tarp adds .9 ounces (26 grams)
  • Bright yellow Z-Line spectra guy lines add .3 oz (8 grams)
  • Optional fully enclosed bug screen adds 5.0 ounces (142 grams)
  • Optional Extended Beak adds .9 ounces for the beak plus .5 ounces of seam tape. 1.4 ounces (40 grams) total.
  • A medium 6" x 12" stuff sack for the tent + separate groundsheet adds .25 ounces (7 grams)
     
  • The Total weight for a Hexamid Solo Tent w/ Extended Beak, including lines, seam tape, and a stuff sack is 10.7 ounces (303 grams).
     
  • A ground sheet and 8 stakes are sold separately, and are not included in the price or weight. If you choose to use a Solo size Cuben Fiber Groundsheet (2.7 ounces), six clips to attach it to the shelter (.4 ounces), eight 6" titanium stakes (1.6 ounces) and a cuben fiber stake sack (.1 ounces) then your Grand Total for the complete shelter would be 15.5 ounces (439 grams).

    These weights are as accurate as possible. Compare carefully! Many other manufacturers leave out seam sealing, lines, stuff sack, stakes, ground sheet etc from their weights.

Ordering:
There is a waiting list for this item, see the notice at the top of the page.
 
Hexamid Solo Tent w/ Screen
Extended Beak:
Color:
Hexamid Solo Tarp (no screen)
Extended Beak:
Color:
Joe's Review, and questions answered:
In 2009 I tested the cuben fiber Hexamid Solo on a full Continental Divide Trail thru-hike. The trip took 154 days traveling roughly 2,651 miles through the rocky mountains. Over the course of the trip the tent went through just about every type of weather, from gusting wind, to rain storms, snow storms, sub freezing temperatures, etc. I hiked the first half of the trip solo, the second half with my wife Sheryl. We used the same solo tent for the whole trip.  (Gear list)  (Photos)

Won't I get wet if rain is blowing towards the screen door?
Probably not. Ideally the tent should be pitched with the back or sides into the wind. If rain does start blowing towards the door it is easy enough to just slide your groundsheet to the back. You can use your shoes and water bottles to prop up the edges of your ground sheet to give you even more protection, or tie the corners up to the corners of the tent. If you want to play it safe you can add the optional extended beak. On my trip I carried a detachable doorway (which has now been replaced by the extended beak) but never needed to use it while hiking solo. It was needed a couple times after Sheryl joined me.

How durable is the material?
The tent held up really well over my five month trip. I didn't get any punctures or tears, and didn't have to do any repairs. The cuben material feels paper thin and I was careful with it, but I think it is just as durable as silicone nylon would be. Cuben has the advantage that duct tape sticks really well to it so repairs in the field are a breeze if needed. (Duct tape will not stick to sil-nylon). I would be comfortable using the same tent on a second thru-hike.

Won't the screen floor wear out quickly?
Surprisingly no! I was careful about picking up sticks and rocks and never got any holes in the floor. Sharp things like needles and thorns that can normally cause holes go right through the screen without doing any damage. If it did ever get a hole, it would likely be under your ground sheet anyways.

Will the tent fit two people?
The Solo tent is meant for one person. Sheryl joined me for the second half of my thru-hike; with two people the tent was a very snug fit, but it worked for us. Most people would want more space I think. You will need the extended beak, as there is no extra room to avoid rain spray with two people. We also used a 5 foot wide tyvek ground sheet that we could fold up at the sides. One nice thing though is we both had room to sit upright and cook outside the front. Consider the Solo-Plus or Twin version of the tent if you are a big/tall person or a couple requiring more space.

How does the tent do in strong wind?
Reasonably well, about the same as a typical tarp. Whenever possible choose a sheltered location such as under tree cover. If forced to camp in the open position the back or side into the wind and make sure it is staked out well. The cuben material is designed for making sails and can handle the stress of high winds.

Not convinced? Here is a very informative outside review of a Hexamid Twin:
4.5 out of 5 - Highly Recommended - http://www.mountainultralight.com/2011/01/product-review-zpacks-hexamid-twin-tent.html

Here is a review of the Hexamid Solo-Plus by HikeItLikeIt.com:
http://hikeitlikeit.com/2012/zpacks-hexamid-solo-plus/

Shipping is just $3.95 in the U.S., $9.95 Internationally and up.