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I hiked the PCT in 2018 with a zPacks Hexamid Solo Plus. It was an outstanding tent. Its light weight allowed me to carry a more robust sleeping solution because I’m a side sleeper. That means I need more cushioning for my hips, so I carry two sleeping pads. A good night sleep is critical for a successful hike.<\/p>\n
What I really liked about the Hexamid, was the removable bathtub. I could use the bathtub as a floor if I cowboy camped separate from the rest of the tent. I also took it out when it rained and kept it in the dry portion of my pack. When I made camp, I would put up my tent, and away from the rain I would install the bathtub. I could then strip out of my wet clothes and my tent was completely dry.<\/p>\n
That doesn’t mean that it was perfect. It suffered from a critical zipper failure at Crater Lake. The zipper no longer properly zipped. I used some safety pins to pin up the insect netting. It wasn’t a big deal as the mosquitos were not bad in Oregon and Washington in 2018. I had on night when I set up camp at a stealth site where ants got in. Nothing wakes you up like an ant crawling on your stomach in the middle of the night!<\/p>\n
Despite my best efforts, dirt entered into the throat of the slider so the slider was no longer able to lock the elements. Yes, backpacking teaches all the proper named of the different parts of a zipper. The top and bottom stops; the elements on the tape; and the slider. The slider has a pull tab connected to a crown with a body and the throats.<\/p>\n
Once I was home, there were instructions on zPack’s website on how to repair the zipper and had I been in a better communication situation, I could have fixed it in the field rather easily. All I needed was a new slider and to clean the elements. I had a scissors, Tenacious Tape, and a needle and heavy duty nylon thread. I fixed it and it works fine. I also needed to fix a couple of holes in the bathtub and the fly. There are many many pokey things looking to make pin holes in your gear on the PCT. Tenacious Tape is your friend.<\/p>\n
Regardless, a tent made with Dyneema Composite Fabric is designed for one thru-hike. All that packing and unpacking is not good for it. I still use this tent for backpacking and camping, but it is not going to last another 150 day hike.<\/p>\n
So, as I wrote, I am deciding on a new tent. zPack’s doesn’t make the Hexamid Solo Plus anymore. It has been replaced with the Plex Solo. The Plex Solo is lighter, but has a dedicated bathtub instead of a removable one. Because of that, I started looking around at different models. The Durston Gear X-Mid Pro 1 was very intriguing to me.<\/p>\n
The Durston Gear has a unique layout, using two hiking poles to set up, but only requires four tent stakes. My Hexamid required 10 stakes. Although neither tent has a removable bathtub, the amount of cowboy camping I’m doing on the AT is rather limited. Between the rain, condensation, and bugs, I’ll be in my tent pretty much every night.<\/p>\n
So, that means it all comes down to the zipper. It is what failed before.<\/p>\n
There was no documentation on the Durston Gear site about zipper repair. I asked on Reddit and received very limited feedback. Basically, I need to take better care of my gear. Well, I did take good care of my gear, but sleeping on dirt means your zipper sits in the dirt.<\/p>\n
zPacks, on the other hand, has you covered. To fix the zipper on the Hexamid required some cutting and sewing. On the Plex Solo, the zipper slider is designed to be quickly replaced in the field. They even have a video on YouTube on how to do it.<\/p>\n