Hexamid Solo Plus with Beak - Just arrived

[forest]

Hi All

Thought I'd post some pic's of my new Z packs Hexamid Solo Plus with Beak.
Oh and the twin cuben ground sheet too.

Getting a early start on my Larapinta Gear List....... ( Have to .... Go To Ground, Cannot use the hammock, grrrr )

Quality of all of it is awesome. Love the blue cuben
Soooo easy to pitch and drum TIGHT first time which is great.
Just need to seam seal it up now.
The size will be a palace for just me, plenty of room for the sleeping mat, pack and gear, I think two mats will fit but it would be cosy. Okay for me and the wife when she comes. (Not often)

Tent weighs 316g and the floor comes in at 110g. That's with guy lines fitted with micro line locs. Will increase a little when the seams are done but that's only by a few g's.

I feel the weather would have to be pretty darn rough for you to get wet in it or it to fail, I mean nearly sideways rain and very very windy. I'm suprised how little it does move when you push on the sides. the shapes quite aerodynamic too if the backs to the wind. Can always pitch it down low anyway but that might start condensation issues, we will see ??
I mean, this is no 4 season snow loading tent, but still... it's impressed me so far, more so than I had originally thought.
Cubens very strong as I have a 4 season hammock tarp that I haven't been able to kill yet even in some big windy storms.

Good test will be Barringtons after new years then Kosi at the end of Jan for 4 nights.
I'll keep ya all posted as it gets some use.... If your interested.

[michael_p]

I'm jealous. Looks great, boy I would love one of those.

[Aushiker]

Looks very interesting indeed. It will be interesting to see how it works out on the Larapinta for you.

Andrew

[under10kg]

This tent is on my list.
Please let us know about condensation issues and the ablitiy to handle windy rainy days.

[Tony]

Hi Forest,

Awsome, I love the beak, I must get one put on mine.

This tent is on my list.
Please let us know about condensation issues and the ablitiy to handle windy rainy days.

Hi under10kg,

I have had mine in damp, rain and windy conditions, the condensation was minimal, and it kept the rain of me quite well, the Hexamid does flap a bit in the wind but no more than most of my other tents, if setup very tight it is not too bad in strong winds.

Tony

[Mountain Rocket]

Jealous of your tent and your dog... just sayin'
Oh an yes that blue cuben does look sexy!

[John Sheridan]

I take it you can cook safely under that beak and you can have it halfway open as well, like like a cool tent and from what I read maybe 400 grams total with rope and pegs ect.

Cheers for the Pictures.

Cheers.

[forest]

Jealous of your tent and your dog... just sayin'

Made me laugh , I do have two of the critters, you can just see the white tipped tail next to the hexamid. Both boys, good value but a handful at times, gotta keep them busy !!
They love it when I play camping gear in the back yard, I think it gets me to there level etc.

I take it you can cook safely under that beak and you can have it halfway open as well

I think you could do it but will have to be careful. The beak is either right open of fully down. No option for mid way as it's a roll up beak.
Me personally, I think I'd cook just outside the beak, tent pitched back into the wind.
Tents and fires don't mix, that's a big investment in cuben to go pooof

[forest]

Just home from the Mountaineer Trail up to Gloucester Falls.

Camped at the Heritage Trail crossing of the Gloucester river just up from the falls.

Was definately expecting condensation as we were level with the river and that's just the nature of the beast.

Temps were around 22°C through the day and they quickly dropped to 8°C and sundown with a low of 0.8°C at 5am. We pitched on hard packed moist dirt near a road. There was very little air movement and no wind all night. To say it was colder than expected would be an understatement..... At least I know my 40°F Hammock Gear Burrow TQ will take me nearly to freezing on the ground, quite impressed by that alone !!

I did experience some condensation but nothing of concern.
Only some minor droplets had formed on the inside above were I was laying, they dried in no time with a wipe and some sun. I think there was one droplet that had ran about 18" down the side and dripped off the mesh floor as it's designed to do.
The tents quite high in the middle so I never looked like bumping the damp area anyway.

My walking mate had a MH single person tent and his was drenched inside to the point it was running along the inside of his floor and drenched the bottom of his pad.

I'd have to say so far I'm very impressed with the Hexamid and going off the other tent on the trip it's quite good with condensation in damp conditions.

Further playing in Kosi over Australia day for 4 nights.

[JohnM]

Took mine around Howitt last week.

Got a bit chilly on the top of Speculation, because there's nothing but mesh down at ground level. Probably not designed for exposed alpine mountaintops, but otherwise performed well. And I certainly appreciated its weight while walking up Mt Buggery.

Good tent for more sheltered locations.

[forest]

Further testing....

Last weekend I had a 4 night trip up on the main range in Kosi with the Hexamid Solo Plus Tent with Beak.
Very, very happy with it.
Easy to set up, heaps of space for one & good storm coverage.
I only experienced decent condensation where droplets formed one night and that was when it was very still and no breaze at all.
A quick swat with the chucks and all was gone anyway.
Other than that there was some minor moisture one other night but we were camped in a bit of a glade and the grass was moist we camped on.
No droplets though, it was just a little damp in some places.
We had very windy weather and heavy rain on the last night/morning. BOM listed gusts of 75km/h and the Hexamid did well to buff that kind of weather.
I had no water at all in the tent and as the back/side was pointed towards the storm there was no need to even close the beak.
It did do some rocking etc as one expects in harsh weather but I was very suprised.
The mesh does as it should and actually keeps any indirect rain drops from getting through which was good.
My poor mates tent didn't fair as well and he commented it just kept closing in on him and getting lower and lower........

Thread with some pic's in action
viewtopic.php?f=47&t=8855&p=117270#p117270

[ULWalkingPhil]

I'm planning on the Larapinta. Wish I could use my hammock, but I realise that's not a possibility. I've been eyeing this tent off, done some google search and came upon your post.

Nice tent, just wish I had the money to purchase it. Might consider selling my Hilleberg Namatj 2 plus tent to fund this particular tent. My hilleberg is a bit of an overkill for me and to heavy to carry backpacking.

After owning the tent now for some time, you still happy with it?

[Mountain Rocket]

To chime in with some semi-relevant rabble, I am having the hardest time trying to decide what variation of the Hexamid to get. It is between the Solo and Solo-Plus for me, but there is also 0.51oz or 0.74oz cuben, as well as what thickness the groundsheet should be (and should it be twin or solo plus)? At least the beak is a given for me. Sigh, life is hard.

My partner comes along some times but on the flip-side, I have a much heavier but roomier Nallo 2 for winter/camping with someone new to it all.

[Mark F]

I have the Solo Plus with beak but without the netting floor and have been impressed with it but I have only had it out on 4 occasions and conditions were quite benign. My logic was that for 26g I got a bigger shelter that I could squeeze my partner into (155cm, 54Kg) if needed. For a shelter of that size I feel the .51oz is fine but would go to .7 for larger shelters.

I opted to have a separate inner that I could take or leave at home for greater flexibility. This is designed and will be built over the next couple of weeks (1oz cuben floor, 10D fabric roof and lower door, nanoseeum mesh for the upper door). I expect it will be no heavier than the netting floor with a light groundsheet (165g + 35g = 200g). I have decided that for many conditions a mainly fabric based inner is better than the pure mesh that is so common and doesn't weigh any extra. It cuts cold winds, keeps out blown dust (eg Larapinta) and should handle dripping condensation better. Zpacks used to make a separate inner but it seems to have disappeared from their site.

As for ground sheets if you can get some Polycro, it is the lightest you will find (35g for a reasonable 1 person ground sheet) and lasts remarkably well. I have used 1 sheet for about 40 days with care on the AAWT.

[andrewa]

I've just received my Hexamid twin, and only had a play with it in the front yard. Before going on, i need to say that I'm used to 2 people in a Hilleberg Nallo 3GT.

The hexamid twin looks a tight fit for 2 guys, fine with a close companion. Whilst floor space would be adequate for 2 guys for sleep, there's not enough room to sit comfortable in the back of it, nor is there room for extra gear inside. A shorter person would be able to sit at the rear .

The 0.5 Cuben looks very adequate for the tarp. My floor is made of heavier Cuben. Not sure what weight, but i just got a standard .

Not sure about the beak. It does provide a lot more shelter against rain, but, does it provide significantly more storage space? I'm going to make a longer vestibule for mine, as storage space is important for me. I'm planning to design one that can either provide an extended open covered area, or a vestibule, or just be left behind.....

A

[forest]

After owning the tent now for some time, you still happy with it?

Just thought I'd follow this one up.

Yes I'm still very impressed with the hexamid solo plus. It's seen a little more use but nothing worse than the kosci trip last January I posted the link too.
All in all it's a great little shelter. I sure like the low weight......

As for size I can fit myself and wife in it but things are tight. It's a great shelter for 1, Fit's two but there isn't much free space with both mats out. I'm glad I opted for the twin floor sheet as when alone it's a palace for me.
Plenty of space for 2-3 people to sit around in, I've done that a few times now in the rain with mates. It's plenty high enough around the center pole to do that.

Goodluck on your search.

[quicky]

Nice one Forest

I have a Hexamid Solo, along with Joe's Arc Blast (which is seriously comfortable), and 30F quilt custom sizing.

Anyways, I love the Hexamid...just the right size for 1. My big three combo now has me weighing in at approx. 1.2kg, with a base pack weight now sitting at about 2.5kg.

I want to kiss whoever invented cuben fiber.

[John Sheridan]

I think it was the Cubans !!!

[Onestepmore]

As for ground sheets if you can get some Polycro, it is the lightest you will find (35g for a reasonable 1 person ground sheet) and lasts remarkably well. I have used 1 sheet for about 40 days with care on the AAWT.

Polycro is available for Gossamer Gear in 2 sizes
large 72" x 96" $US9.00 One to a pack
http://gossamergear.com/shelters/shelte ... large.html
med 40" x 96". $US 9.95 Two to a pack
http://gossamergear.com/shelters/shelte ... edium.html

[quicky]

This tent is on my list.
Please let us know about condensation issues and the ablitiy to handle windy rainy days.

I have used my Hexamid Solo many times now....I have never had condensation, regardless of the conditions.
On my first night with it, it was windy, raining and quite cool (0C night) with a lot of moisture in the air. Not a drop in my tent.