Description
The Altaplex Tent is a larger, taller version of our popular Plex Solo Tent. It is designed for hikers who enjoy the simplicity of a single pole shelter but require more space.
Our Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles will adjust to the minimum required 56" (142 cm) height, and we also have 58" Tent Poles, our Carbon Fiber Staff, or a Trekking Pole Jack if your preferred trekking pole is not long enough.
Our Pivot Solo Tent is another good choice for extra head and foot room with bells and whistles like magnet toggles and zipper storm doors.
Features
Made from waterproof, durable Dyneema® Composite Fabric:
- Choose "Lite" to push boundaries with our tried and tested .55 oz/sqyd DCF canopy, .75 oz/sqyd DCF floor, and 1.3mm guy lines.
- Choose “Standard” to add opacity and extra durability with a .75 oz/sqyd DCF canopy, 1 oz/sqyd DCF floor, and 2mm guy lines.
- Sets up with a single trekking pole adjusted to around 56"-58" (142-147 cm). If your trekking pole is too short, add one of our trekking pole jacks to increase the height or use a 58" Tent Pole.
- Sets up with a minimum of 6 stakes but 10 stakes are recommended in windy conditions. Stakes are not included but we have a variety of Ultralight Stakes to choose from.
- The storm doors can be opened or closed independently. Leave one or two doors open in nice weather 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.
- Overlapping storm doors allow for a small amount of airflow without the need for additional venting. There are no zippers on the doors that could potentially fail over time.
- A single closed storm door creates enough vestibule space for storing a wet backpack or muddy shoes.
- The screen door has a rainbow zipper which allows easy entry regardless of which storm door is closed. You can access the vestibule area on either side. The screen door conveniently drops inwards rather than hanging in your way. No need to roll it up or secure it.
- Fully enclosed .67 oz/sqyd ultralight insect netting keeps even the smallest insects out and adds ventilation around the perimeter.
- The bathtub floor has tall walls and is recessed from the perimeter to keep you protected from splash-up and condensation. In calm rain or under wet trees the door can be left open for air flow without water dripping or falling into your living space.
- 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 seen in the photo gallery.
- If you are particularly tall, you might try propping up the side guylines using Trekking Pole Cups for even more headroom.
- An integrated mesh pocket allows you to stow small items like your headlamp, glasses, or phone.
- The durable floor material does not require a separate groundsheet. Flat Groundsheets are an optional precaution.
- All zipper sliders are field-replaceable. Repair tape and spare sliders are included. Washing Instructions.
- All Zpacks gear has a two-year limited warranty against defects in materials or workmanship. Please see our return / warranty policy.
- Designed and assembled in the USA from domestic and imported components.
Specifications
- Weight: 374g
The following items are also shipped with this tent:
- Medium-Plus DCF Stuff Sack - .32 oz (9 g)
- 54" DCF repair tape strip - .14 oz (4 g)
- Two spare zipper sliders - .16 oz (4.5 g)
- Total additional items: .62 oz (17.5 g)
6-10x Stakes are required but are not included. We have a variety of Ultralight Stakes to choose from.
Exterior Dimensions:
- Peak height: 56"-58" (147 cm)
- Width at center: 52" (132 cm)
- Width including vestibules: 73" (185 cm)
- Vestibule space: 24" (61 cm)
- Length: 100" (254 cm)
Interior Dimensions:
- Peak height: 56"-58" (147 cm)
- Floor width: 40" (102 cm)
- Floor length: 90" (2.3 meters)
- Floor Area: 25 square feet (2.3 square meters)
- Zipper entry height: 36" (91 cm)
Packed Size:
- Rolled Tight: about 4.5" diameter by 11" tall (11.5 cm x 28 cm), 175 cubic inches (2.9L).
- Stuff Sack Size: 6" diameter by 12" tall (15 cm x 30.5 cm) Size Medium.
Tents will be about an inch (2.5 cm) larger in diameter and length when rolled casually. The included stuff sack is intentionally large so that you don't have to fight with your tent in the morning. Roll it casually and let it squish flat in your backpack.
Tents made with the heavier floor and canopy options will roll up a little larger.
Care Instructions
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Gear made with Dyneema® Composite Fabric (former known as Cuben Fiber) should be hand-washed in a bucket or bathtub with laundry detergent and warm water.
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Tents and Tarps should be set up and air dried while backpacks and other accessories should be line dried.
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Do Not put any Dyneema® Composite Fabric gear in a dryer as excessive heat may cause the material to shrink!
F
Although I have mixed feelings about some aspects of the ZPacks Altaplex LT tent, it did the job I needed it to do: lighten my pack due to a knee injury history so that I could complete the Larapinta Trail. While freestanding tents are recommended for the Larry I was able to "Big Rock-Little Rock" my way through all the campsites with the Altaplex. I only used a stash of the hardest Vargo nails for the resupply campsites where ... not so many rocks. The Altaplex kept me sheltered, dry and bug-free except for the usual condensation issues with single wall tents. On the downside
this tent was fiddly to set up and get level and taut. I got much better at it as the trip progressed but would still hate to have to set it up in adverse conditions. Campers with simple, small freestanders were much quicker at setting up theirs. Something to consider if you like doing the big days. Inside the tent I had enough room for myself and my gear (I'm 5'4"/160cm) but would stash anything I didn't need in my pack overnight to keep things tidy and free from condensation. I stored my pack standing up against the supporting trekking pole without any problems. The instructions say to keep the vestibule doors open to deal with condensation. But even with the vestibule doors fully open I still got condensation on cold nights. Finding a bit of tree cover to act as a micro-climate was way more effective and next time I'll try opening the mesh as well if bugs permit. The vestibule doors are awkward to open and close as they have to be hooked on and off at the outer front staking point. So if you're inside you need to lean way out to reach them, then wrangle the hooks. I didn't bother unless it was raining. If it rains the only ventilation is through the mesh just above the bathtub floor, there are no vents up the top. The instructions also say to pitch the tent relative to wind direction so that the overlapping vestibule doors wrap closed in wind. This wasn't always possible given the size and shapes of some of the campsites. The Altaplex has a large and unique footprint for a 1P tent so I had to be careful with site selection to get the right shape and orientation. The footprint was even larger for me due to the "Big Rock-Little Rock" extensions. The picture I've included shows a pitch on top of Larapinta Brinkley Bluff. It looks like I've got lots of room but if you follow the guylines I'm staked right at the edge of the rock-walled site. The LT version of the Altaplex has a light dyneema floor so I double-tyvekked underneath. I would have had to do that with any tent as many Larapinta campsites have sharp rocks and spinifex. Good site selection is important to prevent punctures well as picking over your spot before setting up. The bathtub floor worked well once my pitching technique improved and I got the angles right. The nasty surprise with this purchase was that the single ZPacks trekking pole that I bought at the same time from UltralightGear to pitch the tent was not long enough. You also need either the special ZPacks tent pole jack, their full tent staff, make one yourself or buy a generic one and hope it fits. I ordered the ZPacks tent pole jack from the US which thankfully arrived on time. Overall, I managed all the issues. The tent did the job and my knee survived. Despite the shortcomings I would take the Altaplex on this trip again as: I can't argue with the weight advantage, it hangs up and dries superfast, it packs up quickly and the stuff sack is plenty big for hurried wet exits. Next time I would take the Vargo nails all the way, despite the extra weight, to reduce my footprint. Plus I'd add a thin foam mat for extra sleep mat protection. A big shout out to Alex from UltralightGear who I briefly met on trail before he powered through, cowboy camping all the way. Impressive! Happy trails, and thanks to UltralightGear for stocking the ZPacks and Durston lines. Fitz
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