Head to head
Zpacks Duplex vs Zpacks Plex Solo
The Zpacks Plex Solo gives each person more floor — 20.6 sq ft against 14.1, which is the difference between roomy and standard. The Zpacks Plex Solo is the lighter carry at 12.3 oz, and the Zpacks Plex Solo is the cheaper of the two at ~$599.
 Zpacks Zpacks Duplex |  Zpacks Zpacks Plex Solo | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ultralight | Ultralight |
| Rated capacity | 2-person | 1-person |
| Floor area per personestimated | 14.1 sq ft (standard) | 20.6 sq ft (roomy) |
| Floor area | 28.1 sq ft | 20.6 sq ft |
| Peak height | 48 in | 52 in |
| Minimum trail weight | 17.8 oz | 12.3 oz |
| Weight per personestimated | 8.9 oz (trail weight) | 12.3 oz (trail weight) |
| Pad fitestimated | 2 × 20 in pads fit, 25 in pads do not | 1 × 25 in pads fit |
| Fits sleepers up toestimated | 7ft tall | 6ft 8in tall |
| Doors | 2 | 1 |
| Freestanding | non-freestanding | non-freestanding |
| Poles | trekking poles | trekking poles |
| Wall type | single wall | single wall |
| Season rating | 3-season | 3-season |
| Packed size | 4.75 x 12 in | 4 x 11 in |
| Approx. price | ~$749 | ~$599 |
Zpacks Duplex
The Duplex is the tent the Pacific Crest Trail standardised on, and its numbers explain why: 17.8 ounces, 28.1 square feet, a 90-inch floor, two side entries with overlapping storm doors, and a pitch that takes six stakes and two 48-inch poles. It is single-wall, which is the whole compromise — there is no inner to catch condensation, so on a still, humid night the walls are wet and you wipe them. Zpacks sells the 3-person as the Triplex, which at 38.4 square feet and 21.7 ounces is the most floor per ounce of any tent in this catalog.
Best for
Long-trail hikers who will pitch it two hundred nights and want the weight gone.
Zpacks Plex Solo
Twelve point three ounces is the lightest full shelter in this catalog — bathtub floor, bug netting, taped seams, storm doors, all of it — and it stands on one 52-inch trekking pole. Fifty-two inches is also the peak height, which is the tallest here, so you can sit fully upright in a tent that weighs less than a litre of water. Twenty point six square feet for one person is roomy by solo standards. What you accept is single-wall condensation, a $599 price, and a shelter whose fabric you handle carefully for the rest of its life.
Best for
A solo thru-hiker whose base weight is the whole point.
Rows where the two differ are tinted. Specs are the makers’ own; floor area per person, weight per person and pad fit are our arithmetic on them.