View Full Version : Hexamid Shelters for taller hikers
I've been looking at the Hexamid shelters and wondering what size would make the most sense for my height. I am 6'1" and use a long sized sleeping bag. I would like to prevent any contact with the walls of the tent to avoid having my bag get wet due to condensation issues. I also would like to have enough space to store my gear inside the shelter. I've been thinking that the Solo Plus makes the most sense but there is also the Long version advertised as suitable for people over 6'4". It has the same footprint as the Solo Plus but poles near the head and foot create more usable space.
Also any comments on the unconventional mesh floor would be appreciated. I would plan on buying a cuben ground sheet but I have my doubts about the mesh. I am sold on it being good for keeping rain out but what about small insects like ants? Any justification for being concerned?
Thanks.
HeartWalker
03-06-2013, 12:04
I have a Hexamid Duo and I have plenty of room. I am 6 foot 3.
lukabrazi
03-06-2013, 12:10
I have a Hexamid Duo and I have plenty of room. I am 6 foot 3.
Do you sleep corner to corner or straight?
FWIW, I just got a reply from Matt at zPacks and he says that either the Solo Plus or Long would work for me. I'm leaning toward the Solo Plus to avoid adding the weight of the two small poles that make the long taller at the head and foot.
Regarding the mesh floor: I have the Hexamid twin with the twin groundsheet clipped on top of the mesh. Incredibly roomy for only 19 ounces “all-in” weight. I was skeptical of the mesh floor at first; however, I have not had any insect intrusion of any kind. I do not use a ground sheet under the mesh and it has not picked up significant junk off of the floor of the AT—may be a leaf or two to brush off in the morning. However, I have not used it on one of the wet and muddy tent platforms. My guess is that in such circumstance it will get just as muddy as any other tent bottom. It is pretty easy to dip into a running stream to clean off and the water shakes off easily and it retains very little moisture when you pack it away.
Regarding the mesh floor: I have the Hexamid twin with the twin groundsheet clipped on top of the mesh. Incredibly roomy for only 19 ounces “all-in” weight. I was skeptical of the mesh floor at first; however, I have not had any insect intrusion of any kind. I do not use a ground sheet under the mesh and it has not picked up significant junk off of the floor of the AT—may be a leaf or two to brush off in the morning. However, I have not used it on one of the wet and muddy tent platforms. My guess is that in such circumstance it will get just as muddy as any other tent bottom. It is pretty easy to dip into a running stream to clean off and the water shakes off easily and it retains very little moisture when you pack it away.
I noticed that the "all in" weight for the twin is only 0.9 ounces heavier than the Solo Plus ... for the extra space that seems to be worthwhile. I plan to use this solo but given that the Solo is too small for my height and the Solo Plus is only slightly lighter, maybe the twin is the best way to go.
Violent Green
03-06-2013, 14:42
I've never heard any reports of durability issues with the mesh floors on the Hexamid. The only real negative seems to be when pitching in the snow the mesh can freeze in the snow/ice.
Ryan
lukabrazi
03-06-2013, 14:47
On this thread over at BPL there is a picture of a hexamid with a 6'6" sleeping bag and down lower there is a picture with a 6' bag if that helps give some perspective. It might come down to how much you roll around while you are sleeping.
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/reviews/display_reviews.html?forum_thread_id=30178
I noticed that the "all in" weight for the twin is only 0.9 ounces heavier than the Solo Plus ... for the extra space that seems to be worthwhile. I plan to use this solo but given that the Solo is too small for my height and the Solo Plus is only slightly lighter, maybe the twin is the best way to go.
I started out with the intention of buying the Solo Plus and then changed when I noticed the weight difference with the Twin.
58starter
03-06-2013, 19:45
Heart Walker, the last time I saw you you were sleeping under a tarp. Glad you now have a tent. Any plans to continue on another Thur Hike
ferdinand the bull
03-06-2013, 23:52
I just bought a Solo Plus, I spoke to Matt quite a bit before picking it up and trust his take on things. I'm 6'2 and a solo plus with a twin groundsheet should be more than spacious enough.
I opted to just use a tyvek groundheet, dyi'ed into a bathtub floor but I'm wondering if I should take the plunge and go with a cuben sheet right away. Any Hex users try the Tyvek?
ferdinand the bull
03-06-2013, 23:56
oh yeah, I also went with .75 cuben rather than the .5, everyone I've heard who's had a .5 says it's more than strong enough, the .75 is about 1 ounce heavier but stronger so it depends on your style. Just FYI
The pad you use will make a big difference. That is, a foam pad would give you more room than a thick inflatable pad.
lukabrazi
03-07-2013, 08:08
I also went with the .74 cuben. I have saw no bad reports with the .51 cuben. I felt confident that I could take care of it and .51 would be fine but it seems like everytime I'm on a group trip someone steps on my guylines so I wanted it to be a little stronger.
lukabrazi
03-07-2013, 12:23
OP - All of these shelters are 9 feet long so I can see that the benefit of getting one of the bigger shelters is added height at the ends like you mentioned. Plus the weight difference is minimal so I can understand going with more space. The long versions says it's for people 6'4 or taller so I had always thought that the others ones were good up until that height. When you talked to Matt and he said that either the solo plus or long would work for you did he have a reason? Did he tell you that you that the regular solo wouldn't work for your height?
OP - All of these shelters are 9 feet long so I can see that the benefit of getting one of the bigger shelters is added height at the ends like you mentioned. Plus the weight difference is minimal so I can understand going with more space. The long versions says it's for people 6'4 or taller so I had always thought that the others ones were good up until that height. When you talked to Matt and he said that either the solo plus or long would work for you did he have a reason? Did he tell you that you that the regular solo wouldn't work for your height?
No he didn't explicitly say that regular solo wouldn't work, only that Solo Plus or Long would work well for me. I took that to mean that the solo could be livable but tight. I still need to decide on what to do ... I have a new Copper Spur UL1 from REI that I could return if I go with the Hexamid so the incremental cost isn't that bad but I have the CS right now and Hexamids are shipping in 5-6 weeks. Ideally I'd like to get out on the trail before then.
(I know I could just use the new CS return it used to REI but never felt comfortable doing that just because I changed my mind)
ferdinand the bull
03-07-2013, 15:24
No he didn't explicitly say that regular solo wouldn't work, only that Solo Plus or Long would work well for me. I took that to mean that the solo could be livable but tight. I still need to decide on what to do ... I have a new Copper Spur UL1 from REI that I could return if I go with the Hexamid so the incremental cost isn't that bad but I have the CS right now and Hexamids are shipping in 5-6 weeks. Ideally I'd like to get out on the trail before then.
(I know I could just use the new CS return it used to REI but never felt comfortable doing that just because I changed my mind)
Matt's 6'2" and uses a solo, so it's doable but he said it was tight, I opted for the soloplus with a twin sized piece of Tyvek the thing about the long is it's more than just the extra ounce of material. it's also the extra poles so add that into your considerations. if you're heading on the trail soon let them know, they are a personal company and may be able to help get your gear to you in time.
HeartWalker
03-24-2013, 09:14
Yes I am resuming my walk on April 08. I am starting in Erwin where I broke my ankle in 2010. Good to hear from you.
Heart Walker, the last time I saw you you were sleeping under a tarp. Glad you now have a tent. Any plans to continue on another Thur Hike
grateful 2
03-24-2013, 14:46
I noticed that the "all in" weight for the twin is only 0.9 ounces heavier than the Solo Plus ... for the extra space that seems to be worthwhile. I plan to use this solo but given that the Solo is too small for my height and the Solo Plus is only slightly lighter, maybe the twin is the best way to go.
I came to the same conclusions. I love my twin. It has lots of room.
I am 6'4" and have the Solo Plus. I've slept on the 3"+ thick Stephenson's Warmlite DAM and still had room. There is not a ton of space above my head, but it's enough.
So after weeks of dithering, I am almost ready to order a Hexamid Twin. I want more room than the Solo provides so it is either the Solo Plus or Twin for me. And with just a 0.9 ounce weight penalty for the Twin, I don't see why I wouldn't go with it over the Solo Plus.
Anyway, I'm looking for some input on color choice. The material is offered in white, blue, or olive drab. Generally, I would like to blend into my surroundings so I'm leaning toward olive drab which I also suspect provides a moderate amount of additional privacy (I realize all of the hexamids are somewhat see through). On the other hand, white might be very nice in terms of looking at stars at night. I can't think of why blue would be an advantage. Anyway, any thoughts on color would be helpful.
Sandy of PA
04-04-2013, 12:17
Olive blends into the woods best. I stealth as a solo woman, it looks like a big rock with moss, I used black cords.
And with just a 0.9 ounce weight penalty for the Twin, I don't see why I wouldn't go with it over the Solo Plus.
Keep in mind the overall footprint the tent takes. It is a pretty wide tent, no matter what version you get. The bigger the footprint, the fewer options for appropriate site. Just another thing to think about.
That is true, the footprint is on the larger side. I'm hoping that the length is going to be substantially better than the Copper Spur UL1 along with, of course, being quite a bit lighter.
I think that I will go with the Olive to blend in better. I doubt I will stealth camp much but maybe I'll get the black cords as well in case I end up doing so.
Ordered the Twin in Olive yesterday! Joe provided great feedback over a series of emails to help me select the right shelter for my needs. Can't wait until it arrives! Initial testing will be in Shenandoah National Park in early May but I'm really looking forward to my Grand Canyon trip later in May. I'll be camping on the North Rim for a couple of nights before shuttling to the South Rim to start my rim-to-rim hike. Spending one night each at Indian Gardens, Bright Angel, and Cottonwood so it should be an easy hike with lots of time for side trips.
I am a bit nervous about being able to stake down a non-freestanding shelter in the Grand Canyon but I've read about people using rocks as anchors if the ground is too hard.
The weight savings should make my JMT thru hike much more pleasant this summer. My base weight is now down to 15.5 pounds for the JMT and a little over 12 pounds for Grand Canyon!
mxracer33x
05-09-2013, 12:54
Did you receive yours yet? Im 6'7" and was going to order a Twin and sleep corner to corner if necessary. Joe talked me out of it. If he gets time He will try to put together an Idea he has for a Hexamid Long that doesn't need the extra poles. If not Ill have a standard Long. Either way Im sure Ill be very happy. Id be interested to hear your thoughts on how yours worked out.
Did you receive yours yet? Im 6'7" and was going to order a Twin and sleep corner to corner if necessary. Joe talked me out of it. If he gets time He will try to put together an Idea he has for a Hexamid Long that doesn't need the extra poles. If not Ill have a standard Long. Either way Im sure Ill be very happy. Id be interested to hear your thoughts on how yours worked out.
I've had the Twin set up a few times now and spent one night in it a couple of weeks ago. Here's a picture of it set up at camp. At 6'1" there is plenty of space for me and even with an imperfect pitch, I did not feel like my long sleeping bag was at risk of brushing up against the sides as long as I am careful. The extra headroom at the back of the tent is very nice and worth having the twin vs. the solo plus IMO. But at 6'7", I think it may be difficult to make the Twin work. There was no condensation at all when I was out for the night.
21529
I just wanted to post a follow up to close the loop on this thread. I slept in the Hexamid Twin for 16 nights on the John Muir Trail which included a couple of nights of pretty heavy wind and a few afternoons of light to moderate rainfall. The shelter performed admirably in all conditions! I did get condensation on two occasions when my site selection was probably not well thought out (fairly close to lakes on days when there was light rain). But otherwise, there were no issues. Here is the shelter set up in a VERY exposed and windy spot at Thousand Island Lake. I would recommend this shelter without hesitation. And now that I've used it for a total of 25 nights, the effective cost is getting down to around $20/night and I'm sure I'll be able to use it for quite some time to come as it is showing no wear except for the guylines that have some abrasion from tying out to rocks.
24125
It looks like you really got a hang of pitching it well. My solo can be finicky, and I get lazy sometimes.
I have the white/gray model duo. Love the room inside for the pack at night. Sleeps two easily. Prop up mid ties with local sticks for more headroom. I use a sol single emergency blanket inside tent for rain conditions and outside under mesh to avoid sap or pine needles sticking in fabric. Condensation can be a problem but you deal with that with any tent. A micro fleece towel works great. Check seams before extended hikes, the thread holes enlarged on mine after 50 nites, allowed a few drips into tent. A better pitch might have helped. Top ridge can sag at times.