Zpacks� Triplex Tent

Jump To:
Ordering Description Instructions Dimensions Weight Construction Material Choices Testimonials

Order:

Triplex Tent - $699

Specifications:

Weight: 22.5 ounces (638 grams)

Shelters are made to order and are currently shipping in about one week. There may also be lightly used gear in our Bargain Bin!

Description:

The Triplex has a comfortable amount of space for three average sized hikers, or for two larger adults with a dog, child, or extra gear. It has two doors, so you get ventilation, views, and vestibule space on both sides of the tent, plus you don't have to climb over your partner to get out.

Features:

Watch the Triplex Tent Overview Video.
Sets up with two trekking poles adjusted to around 48" (122 cm). Slightly taller or shorter fixed length poles will also work. Tent poles are also available if you don't use trekking poles.

A minimum of eight stakes are required for this tent, up to twelve stakes can be used in windy conditions.
Any of the four storm doors can be opened or closed independently. Leave all four open on nice nights for a breeze and great views. Close the upwind doors to block cold wind, or close all four 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 tarp overhangs the bathtub floor by 4-5 inches (12 cm). In calm rain or under wet trees one or two 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.

Tip: 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.
Rainbow zippers on both sides of the tent allow easy entry regardless of which doors are closed, and they give you access to every vestibule area.
This tent has a solid, sewn in 8 inch (20 cm) tall bathtub floor. The bathtub floor is a rectangle 60 inches wide by 7.5 feet long (152cm x 2.3m). It will fit three standard 20" sleeping pads, or two wide pads with space to spare.

If you are particularly tall, you might try propping up the side guylines for even more headroom.
Mesh pockets are conveniently located near each screen door so that they can be accessed from inside or outside the tent. They are a good place to store your cell phone, glasses, headlamp, the tent stuff sack, and spare seam tape (included). The pockets are 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.
There is screen between the bathtub floor and the walls at the ends of the tarp. An elastic cord keeps 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.
All of our tents do pretty well in the wind. The material can handle high wind loads. 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.

Instructions / Set up Video

Print Instructions.
Watch the Triplex tent set up video.

Exterior Dimensions:

Peak Height: 48" (122 cm)
Ridgeline Width: 68" (173 cm)
Width including vestibules: 101.5" (257 cm)
Vestibule space: 20.75" depth on each side (53 cm)
Length: 100" (254 cm)

Interior Dimensions:

Peak Height: 48" (122 cm)
Floor Width: 60" (153 cm)
Floor Length: 7.5 feet (2.3 meters)
Zipper entry height: 36" (91 cm)

Weight:

The tent weighs a total of 22.5 ounces (638 grams) including guy lines, sewn in linelocs, taped seams, and a stuff sack. A piece of repair tape is included with the tent.
10 to 12 Stakes are required but are not included. We have a variety of Ultralight Stakes to choose from.

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

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 .7 oz/sqyd (24 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 for you and included. 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:

The photos here show Duplex tents for color comparison.

.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 2.0 ounces (56 grams) to the weight of a Triplex.

.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 2.5 ounces (71 grams) to the weight to the weight of a Triplex.

Reviews and Customer Testimonials:

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

"Thank you for the Triplex tent � it�s great. It has allowed me to keep the base weight of my pack to about 9 lbs. It�s the perfect size for my friend and I. We�re both big through the shoulders and so your wide 30F sleeping bags and 60 in wide floor are just what the doctor ordered. Again, thank you very much for the great gear." -Doug S.

"The Triplex tent was fantastic against the rain on my JMT hike. It was the most monsoonal JMT I've ever done, it rained nearly every other day for 3 weeks and some days up to 12 hours straight. I kept so dry. One morning I woke up surrounded by about 2" of water around the tent but it did not penetrate the high bathtub tent floor. The Triplex is a great tent for two friends because your backpacks and gear can be the center island of the tent. It was so comfortable for two people. So many hikers stopped by and adored the tent!" -Roleigh M.

"The Triplex has arrived and I've used it twice and there are only two words to describe it....BLOODY AWESOME!!!! I've owned a couple of your competitor's tents and I put my hand on my heart and say with honesty neither were in the same universe let alone ball park.
The craftsmanship is second to none, and it is the first Dyneema Composite Fabric stitching and tape work I felt confident in the integrity before even using it. The second night I used it I made a point of staying next to a lake on a night when heavy dew was expected. I woke about 4am and to my (very impressed) surprise, the entire inside was bone dry! Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable and positive customer experience and a top tier fantastic product." -Dean C. (UK)

"My son and I were on the AT practicing for Philmont with another troop and we let the boys choose the sites. My son and I got stuck with an awful site but since we were not expecting much rain I did not worry too much about it. Well it became an ass kicking down pour for about two hours. When the wind started to blow I closed up the open door on each side of our tent. The tent was sitting in INCHES of standing water. No joke. I got in to check the gear and it was like a water bed. The floor moved and made waves. The most outstanding part is that the only water inside the tent was what I brought with me on my rain coat! Later the rain subsided and the tent spot drained fairly quickly. It stayed completely dry. I was blown away. Thank you so much for all of the great innovative gear." -Dan G.

"In the morning everything was pretty much dry, including my rain jacket and bibs ... I later found out that the rain gauge at the nearest reporting station showed an accumulation of close to 10 inches during that storm."
Triplex Tent Review by Will S.

"We finally got our new Triplex tent out for a summer trip in Denali State Park. Thought you might enjoy this photo with the central Alaska Range in the background. It's the best tent we've ever used." -Bryan F.

"I'm thrilled with our new Triplex - we got hailed on in the Sierras last weekend, and 4 of us comfortably hid inside! Very, very nice build quality also!" -Tammy C.

"We recently completed our 2015 AT Thru-Hike. We love our Triplex tent. This is the way to go for two hikers. We comfortably fit both of us and all our gear into the tent. When we had to sleep in shelters (really bad weather, or the Smokies), we missed being in our Triplex! The bathtub floor is excellent. It keeps the water out! During a thunderstorm, water was running down a slope under the tent. You could feel the water flowing under the tent, and we stayed completely dry on the inside. Very impressive!" -Pace & Mac

"This year my family and I hiked the Appalachian Trail. Although other families have done it in the past, we were the only family in 2015 to complete the entire thing with all members. We loved the Triplex tent. Midway through the hike, four of my kids swapped out their hammock systems for ground sleeping. We were easily able to get all four of the younger ones in one Triplex tent. So their sleep system weight for 4 hikers was less than 6 oz. per person. You just can�t get more ultralight than that!" -Brent H.

"I need to thank you again for getting my Arc-Zip backpack and Triplex tent. They both did a great job on my 17day, 270mile Pennine Way walk in England. The possum gloves and socks were also awesome. I have also been using the tent and pack for trekking in SE Asia. As you may be aware, southern Vietnam is in the tropics, where the mean temperature at this time of year is around 32deg C and up to 98% humidity, with rain down pours that can fill a pale in seconds. No condensation, plenty of ventilation, no bugs, snakes or rain inside either :) "-Andrew B.

We did 100km of coastal Naikoon wilderness, Haida Gwaii, BC, 6 nights, 0 humans. The Triplex Tent was brilliant. Thank you for making sure we had one for our trip! -Rod B.

"Here is a photo of our Camo Triplex tent at Shi Shi Beach in WA. There was very HEAVY fog and it is actually a color pic so that tells you what kind of moisture content was in the air. Got down in the forties. We got some moderate condensation inside but stayed bone dry. No-see-um vents on the side slope for run-off worked nicely. Superb tent. Cant say enough good things about it." -Brett & Steph

"I have just returned from walking the The Camino de Santiago in Spain. Our route covered 800 miles. We camped in snow, rain, wind, and blistering heat. Our much loved Zpacks Triplex Tent performed fantastically, by far the best tent for backpacking that I have ever owned. I could open a shop with all the tents I own, there's a lot! Thanks again." -Andy S.

"I did a week up in Washington (Snoqualmie Lake Trail to Deer Lake) with our new Triplex Tent. Fantastic. Like a castle. Had 30 hours of drenching rain and 45 degree nights. We wetted-out while hiking, so we spent lots of time in this tent to avoid hypothermia. Despite almost no breeze, and misty saturated air, this tent saw only minimal condensation inside. We had a little bit of misting when big drops from the trees crashed into the tent and knocked the moisture loose, but barely a nuisance." -Dave C.

"The Zpacks Triplex tent is certainly the best most spacious and light weight tent for two people to be found. Here is a photo of my Spruce Green Triplex Tent with the walls propped up with your 32 inch tent poles and trekking pole cups for a perfect pitch!" -Alden N.

"I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the Camo Triplex Tent which I used for the first time last weekend during a two night hiking and wild camping trip in the Snowdonia national park, North Wales. The tent is truly AWESOME! It ticks all of the right boxes for me, the quality of materials and workmanship is first class and the design and features are far superior to any other shelter I've used before!" -Mike O.

"I just finished my 6th Philmont trek and this year I used the Triplex tent and Pointy hat on this one. Both were outstanding pieces of gear. I received many compliments on the Pointy hat (along with a fair number of odd looks) and the Triplex tent was a life saver. We hiked in the �monsoon� season and had torrential rains 8 of the 10 days we were in the back-country. I slept dry and comfortable in the worst weather conditions Philmont could produce and the Pointy hat kept both rain and sun at bay. Thank you and your crew for creating an exceptional line of outdoor gear." Ellis W.

"I wanted to tell you how much the wife and I love the triplex tent. We carried it for nearly 900 miles on a recent biking excursion. It is so light and compact � even with the optional set-up poles � that no one could believe it was full-size tent. My wife, who may have been a skeptic at first, soon came to love the simple setup, the big and actual, usable vestibule space, along with the easy ingress from the separate side door. We slept in plenty of humid places, so with 2 people we often had condensation in the morning. I love that the material doesn't absorb water. Unlike nylon tents we own, if you mop off this tent inside and out before you roll it up, you�re not carrying an extra quart of water that you couldn�t mop up because it was soaked into the fabric." -Seth J.

"Here is a photo of our Triplex tent on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon before heading down to Bright Angel camp for a couple nights. Thanks for getting it to us in time for our trip. I can't tell you how many folks came up to us and were asking about or complementing the Triplex and Zpacks at Bright Angel. You guys are doing a great job. Keep it up!" -Rich E.

"I just wanted to let you know how much I love my Triplex tent! I go backpacking with my son often and this tent gives us enough personal space without being too heavy. Before we had used a popular brand ultralight tent that simply was too small for both of us, so I knew I had to find something that would give us more room without adding more weight. Thank you for being the perfect solution and for making such a quality product. Check out the Triplex tent pitched by a gorgeous lake in the Sawtooth Range." -Heather R.

"This past summer (2017) I took the Triplex tent on a ten day section hike on the JMT. I really liked the weight, the small packed size, and that I could use trekking poles to pitch it. The tent was very waterproof in the one storm we had and condensation was a minimal problem. The ability to leave the vestibules open on the leeward side of a rain storm was a big plus. Overall, I would give this shelter a five star rating. I cannot see myself ever going back to any of my other tents except for car camping. This will be my go-to shelter for all future back country camping with a partner." -Arthur G.

"The Triplex has been my shelter option of choice for two people for the past several years, or two and a dog. The dimensions offer a generous amount of space when used as a 2 or 2.5 person tent." Read the full Triplex Tent Review by Aaron Z. at Trailgroove.com.

"Thought you might enjoy this fantastic photo of your triplex tent I took, while we were walking the Australian Alps Walking Trail. This was taken just after it stopped raining, as the sun was setting." -Claire P.

"We were able to sell our original triplex to a very nice guy for a fair price, and the new camo Triplex came today. Rich set it up and told me all the tweaks from the first to the second are things we wished for -- mesh pockets on the sides instead of the ends, vestibule slightly overlapping, reinforcements in all the right places. Thank you, Joe and Zpacks, for making a fabulous tent even better!" -Laurel & Rich E.