Let's talk about Hexamid mesh floor

[T.S.Kobzol]

I have been reading the specs on the ZPacks Hexamid shelter and I am intrigued about the mesh floor in a tent.


For starters, the mesh floor saves tons of weight but it may also be more practical and solve several conundrums like slippery tent floor on uneven ground etc...

Critters don't get in - good

By carrying separate (no-slip) lightweight groundsheet or even thin foam and placing it inside of the tent (instead of outside and underneath) you could may achieve better sleep comfort.

The portable floor can now be separately utilized outside of the tent as well for sitting, laying etc... it can be cleaned or substituted for thicker floor in case of colder weather. It can be folded in half to achieve even greater thickness.

[QiWiz]

I have one and agree with all your points. I use the combo poncho groundsheet as my raingear when on a short trip with little chance of rain or in warmer weather. Very happy with this shelter.

[leaftye]

I've had this shelter for going on three years now. I love it.

It has enough room inside that I can bring the biggest pack (Dana Designs Astralplane) inside and put it next to me while spreading things around the tent. It's also tall enough that I can answer nature from inside the tent...although my head and shoulders might get a little wet if there's condensation inside the tent. The amount of usable space is very impressive.

I usually keep my window film ground sheet under the tent instead of inside when it's not going to rain. This keeps the bottom of the tent clean and allows me to move around inside the tent without moving the ground sheet. Since window film is so light, sometimes I'll carry two when I expect rain. One still goes under the tent and the other goes inside. I have the solo+ floor, but haven't used it.

Speaking of critters, I've watched frogs, ticks and ants crawl around on my tent.

Just make sure you're really smart about how you use your stakes. This tent relies 100% on stakes. The side stakes take the most tension, especially when it's windy. You'd do well to always rock your stakes when it's at all windy. The tent will hold up fine if your stakes stay put.

[MuddyWaters]

the mesh is actually pretty darn heavy, about 2/3 the wt of the shelter.. It is very durable though, and protects a UL groundsheet quite a bit from the ground. I dont know if I would say the mesh floor saves wt though since still need a groundsheet type floor too in wet conditions.

The 1.1 cuben groundsheet it tough enough to sleep on in shelters, if it gets a hole all it takes is a cuben tape patch to permanently fix it too.

[wtmntcaretaker]

do you think there is any disadvantage to the shape of the Hexamid, compared to a rectangular tarp?

[T.S.Kobzol]

Yes. You still might need a groundsheet but if you consider your mattress and perhaps a footprint then carrying foam maybe even a wider foam may be more practical.


the mesh is actually pretty darn heavy, about 2/3 the wt of the shelter.. It is very durable though, and protects a UL groundsheet quite a bit from the ground. I dont know if I would say the mesh floor saves wt though since still need a groundsheet type floor too in wet conditions.

The 1.1 cuben groundsheet it tough enough to sleep on in shelters, if it gets a hole all it takes is a cuben tape patch to permanently fix it too.



Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2

[old geezer]

Did 5 nights in a shake down test last week
One night had a fierce storm with rain and a little hail but not much wind
No problem
I have the cuben bathtub floor
Seams taped by Z packs with no leaks
I'm a happy camper

[ChinMusic]

The concept of a mesh floor works. Having "holes" in the floor of your tent just ain't that big of a deal.

It is why I can't understand why folks bring footprints for their tents. So dang what if the floor gets a little hole, when tents DESIGNED with "holes" work. The "keeps my tent" thing never made much sense either.