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Zpacks� Plexamid Tent

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Ordering   Description   Instructions    Dimensions   Weight   Construction   Material Choices   Testimonials

Description:

Features:
 

• Watch the Plexamid Overview video with Will Wood.
   
• Sets up with a single trekking pole adjusted to around 48" (122 cm). A Tent Pole is available if you don't carry a trekking pole.
   
• This tent pitches with a minimum of 6 stakes, however up to 10 can be used in windy conditions. Extra stakes also help pull the walls out for more interior space.
   
• The storm doors can be opened or closed independently. Leave one or two doors open on nice nights for a breeze and great views. Close the upwind door to block cold wind, or close both for 360� rain protection. The overlapping doors are closed with custom made metal hooks, with a toggle at the center to keep them pinned.
   
• The canopy overhangs the bathtub floor and the screen doors by 4-5 inches (12 cm). In calm rain or under dripping trees the doors can be left open for air flow without water dripping on the floor space. In almost all conditions at least one downwind door can be left open for air. For even better rain protection with a door open, use the included elastic cords to pull the screen door back away from the rain spray, as shown. 
   
• A single closed door creates enough vestibule space for storing a wet backpack or muddy shoes, if you don't want to bring them into the tent.
   
• There is screen between the bathtub floor and the walls around the perimeter. Elastic cord keep the bathtub elevated ensuring the screen slopes downwards away from the bathtub. Any condensation will run down the walls and out through the downward sloping screen, rather than onto the floor.
   
• A rainbow zipper gives you extra space to get in or out of the tent and gives you access to the vestibule area. The doorway is tall for easy entry.
   
• This tent has a solid, sewn in 8 inch (20 cm) tall bathtub floor. The bathtub floor is 38 inches (97 cm) wide at the center and tapers to 28" (71 cm) at the head and foot. The floor is 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) long. There is plenty of space to stretch out, with room for your gear beside you or at the ends of the floor. Tall hikers can add even more head and foot room by propping up the side guylines.
   
• A Mesh pocket is conveniently located near the door so that it can be accessed from inside or outside the tent. It is a good place to store your cell phone, glasses, headlamp, the tent stuff sack, and spare seam tape (included). The pocket is about 8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm).
   
• A separate groundsheet is not required for this shelter. The floor material is reasonably durable, and all Dyneema Composite Fabric gear can be easily patched in the field with repair tape.  If you do prefer to use a groundsheet as a precaution, Flat Groundsheets are available.
   
• All of our tents do pretty well in the wind. 60 mph (100 km/h) gusts are no problem. The material can handle high wind loads and as long as your stakes stay in the ground (use rocks if available) your tent will stay standing. Dyneema Composite Fabric is not particularly noisy, however almost any tent will make a little noise in the wind. Ear plugs are not a bad idea for windy nights.
   
• This tent rolls up to about 6" x 12" (15 x 30 cm). It is a loose fit in an included Medium-Plus size stuff sack which is 7" x 13" ( 18 x 33 cm).  The squared off peak is built in and rolls up with the tent (no disassembly).

Set Up Instructions

• Watch the Plexamid set up and take down video with Will 'Red Beard' Wood.
   
• Print Instructions.
  

Weight:

• The tent weighs a total of 14.8 ounces (420 grams) including guy lines, sewn in linelocs, taped seams, and a stuff sack. A piece of repair tape is included with the tent.
   
• 10x Stakes are required but are not included. We have a variety of Ultralight Stakes to choose from.

Construction:

• Our tents are made from Dyneema Composite Fabric. DCF has several advantages over other materials:
   
  • DCF has a very high strength to weight ratio. The material can handle high wind force and does not tear easily.
  • DCF is inherently waterproof. There is no DWR to worry about wearing out.
  • DCF is not coated with any chemicals. It is PFC free.
  • DCF doesn't absorb any significant amount of water. No extra water weight to pack up.
  • DCF is made from Dyneema threads which do not stretch. The tent stays taut all night. Nylon material by comparison can stretch and sag, especially if it gets wet.
  • The seams are stitched and then taped water tight. The tie outs have bonded reinforcements for high strength. No seam sealing necessary!
  • Tape sticks well to it. Any damage can easily be fixed in the field with our DCF Repair Tape.
     
• DCF is semi-transparent. In bright sunlight you can see a fuzzy silhouette of a person sitting inside the tent. You cannot see any details and it has a suitable amount of privacy for changing clothes etc. In lower light (such as in the evening or at night) you cannot see through at all. We also have thicker, darker DCF material available as an upgrade that you can choose.
  
  One nice thing about DCF is you can also see the outlines of trees and your surroundings for a more connected outdoor experience.
   
• This tent has fully enclosed .67 oz/sqyd (22.7 g/m�) insect screen. The holes in this screen are super tiny, even the smallest insects cannot get through. Our tent screen is about 30% lighter than comparable Noseeum screen with no noticeable decrease in durability.
   
• The bathtub floor is made from 1.0 oz/sqyd DCF. This material weight is more than twice as thick as the canopy material and is more resistant to abrasion and punctures. As with all DCF it is easy to patch with tape.
   
• Lineloc 3 adjusters are sewn to all tie outs. Bright yellow Dyneema Z-Line cord is cut and attached for you. The yellow lines are very easy to see night or day, and Dyneema has very low stretch.
   
• 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.
   
• All Zpacks gear has a two year limited warranty against defects in materials or workmanship. Please see our return / warranty policy.

Material Choices:

.51 oz/sqyd Standard Dyneema Composite Fabric The default material choice on this tent is .51 oz/sqyd Dyneema Composite Fabric. It has high tensile strength and can handle strong winds, storms, and all the typical conditions a tent will be in. This is the weight I used on all my long distance hikes, and I've never had a problem with it becoming damaged. If it ever were to get punctured or torn, I know that I can fix it easily in the field with Repair Tape. A piece of matching repair tape is included with the tent. The floor material on our tents is always thicker more puncture and abrasion resistant 1.0 oz/sqyd DCF regardless of which tarp material you pick.

.67 oz/sqyd Camo Dyneema Composite Fabric This material has the same Dyneema thread count as standard .51 oz/sqyd, but with a slightly thicker laminate with a Camo pattern on it. The Camo print brings the fabric weight to .67 oz/sqyd. It blends in to nature well. It is darker, less transparent and offers more privacy. DCF has a bit of a sheen to it when it is new, but it dulls down significantly with some use. This video by John Abela shows the Opacity and Color of the Camo fabric This material is more expensive. It adds around .6 ounces (17 grams) to the weight.

.74 oz/sqyd Spruce Green Dyneema Composite Fabric This material has a higher Dyneema thread count which gives it a higher tear strength. The standard material is already difficult to tear, so in our opinion this weight is unnecessary. Some people like it for added peace of mind. It is also a bit thicker and darker than the standard weight. It is less transparent and offers more privacy, but it is not as dark as camo. It adds around 1.2 ounces (34 grams) to the weight.

Reviews and Customer Testimonials:

Please email us with feedback (good or bad) if you have any!

"I received my Plexamid tent much earlier than expected so a test trip into the Tennessee AT mountains was in order! The hike up to Overmountain Shelter was beautiful with that light tent riding well inside the pack. Setup was quick and all stakes were used. The rain and 40mph gusts started that night and continued for the next 24 hrs. In spite of being on the crest of the valley where the storm was coming from, the tent held beautifully! At one point in the night, and all the next day, we were in a blowing, wet, fog bank/cloud. Naturally there was condensation. I am 6�2� and sleep on a 2.5 inch pad with an older Zpacks 20 deg quilt, so my head and footbox were occasionally against the roof with the strong winds pushing in. I remedied that once back home by using a home made tent pole to pull the head section up and out (similar to Zpacks