F or tall hikers, waking up to a wet sleeping bag as your footbox has been pressed up against the bottom of your tent can be an all too familiar feeling, especially if you’ve not got a tent that is long enough for you. When we set off for the PCT we considered pulling the trigger on a Zpacks Duplex. We decided against it in the end as online reviews said stated that it wasn’t ideal for taller hikers unless you opted for the three-man Triplex or were sleeping diagonally. Therefore, when we heard that Zpacks had produced the DupleXL, an ultralight tent specifically for tall hikers, we were super stoked to see how it measured up.

The Zpacks DupleXL is an ultralight tent designed for tall hikers.

*Not including stakes: Ultralight titanium stakes from Zpacks (0.2 ounces, $2.25 each).

Joal is 6 foot 4 and Jenny is 5 foot 2.

We’ve had this tent since December but have held off writing this article as we didn’t feel that we were giving it a fair shake in the middle of winter, something this three-season tent isn’t designed for.  The tent has seen a variety of different conditions, from blustery nights to, more recently, fairer conditions. Joal is six foot four inches (195cm) and Jenny is five foot two  (158cm).

As our hiking style has evolved we’ve been able to get a lot lighter in the gear we’ve brought with us. We started with a three-person Banshee Vango tent, which weighed 6.2 pounds (99 oz), and moved on to the Tarptent Double Rainbow right before the start of our PCT thru-hike (42 oz).  Our decision to upgrade again to a trekking pole tent was based on the following factors:

The riser rods and long footprint improve the tent’s living space.

Long footprint: If you’re buying this tent, you’re probably a tall hiker or someone who wants to store their pack at the end of the tent. With an eight-foot floor length, the DupleXL can accommodate hikers up to seven-foot tall. At 6”4’, Joal can attest to the roominess of the shelter. That said, once you hit 6”8’, it would start to get very snug if you were sharing this tent with another hiker.

Riser rods to improve headroom and footwell: One of the key differences between the Duplex and the DupleXL is the riser rods that allow for elevated headroom and footwell in the XL tent. These risers do a good job of keeping the tent off your face.

Bio-Based Dyneema® Composite Fabric: Known for its incredible strength to weight ratio, DCF has been the market-leading fabric for ultralight packers for over a decade. The material is also fully waterproof and does not absorb water like traditional materials, reducing pack weight when wet. Just giving the tent a shake normally gets rid of the majority of the water. As an added bonus, Zpacks has switched to a Bio-Based polyethylene fiber that is sourced from renewable, bio-based feedstock.

Storm doors: The four storm doors can be rolled back for maximum ventilation/star gazing or clipped down for rain protection. The storm doors also create a vestibule that can be used for storing shoes or your pack.

Weight: While I think it is a little sly to not include the tent pegs in the weight when a minimum of eight stakes are required, there is no getting around the fact that this is one of the lightest two-person tents on the market for tall hikers.  Combined with our other gear, this has brought our base weight down to 9.3lb each (see our lighterpack list here). More on how we have achieved this can be found in this article about how to save money and weight hiking as a couple.

Easy set up/pack down: To set up the tent you stake out the corners, prop up the hiking poles, stake out the side doors and riser rods and you’re good to go. With the two of us we can easily get the tent set up in less than two minutes and one of us can break down the tent from pitched to pack in even less time. The tent fits snugly into its bag without it being too onerous.

Strength: This tent is incredibly tough and water-resistant with no need for seam sealing. We found at first we were super delicate with this tent as it is so light, but it is one of the strongest tents we’ve used.

Roominess: This tent feels like one of the roomiest tents we’ve used. There is enough headroom for both people to sit up in the tent at the same time, something that can’t be said for a lot of other designs.

Breathability: This tent really comes into its own in fair weather. The ability to roll the storm doors up for stargazing and ventilation allows for a cowboy-camping-esque experience, but with protection from bugs.

The storm doors stopped quite high, resulting in less protection for gear in the vestibules and a cooler high sleep

A morning view from the inside of the tent.

This is a single-walled tent, so it is pretty much inevitable that you will get some condensation. Due to the airflow in the tent, this is very manageable, even with two people breathing all night. Most of the condensation will run down the walls and out the sides of the tent. One tip though is to make sure the tent is taut between the two hiking poles. Any sag can result in the tent dripping onto the middle of your sleeping bag, which happened to us the first time we used it.

The DupleXL has a specific target audience in mind (tall, ultralight hikers), and it caters well to that population. It is one of the lightest two-person tents on the market, even with its generously long floor length. It’s durable enough to last a full thru-hike, easy to set up, and built for tall hikers. We’ve enjoyed the additional freedom this tent has given us, its two-minute pitch time, and the fact that it’s reduced our pack weight. If you are looking for an ultralight three-season tent with increased headroom, the DupleXL should be one of your top considerations.

Shop the Zpacks DupleXL Tent

These options are similar to the DupleXL. All have a floor length greater than seven foot.

Tarptent Double Rainbow Li (freestanding)

The Zpacks DupleXL tent was donated for the purposes of review. 

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Hello! We’re Joal and Jenny, a British couple who love spending time outdoors any which way we can. We first learnt that we liked hiking in Nepal where we made up our own route through the Annapurna mountain range. From here we’ve done a fair few in the United Kingdom steadily becoming more self sufficient. In 2018 all this culminated in us hiking Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. Now we’re hooked, always keeping an eye out for our next adventure. When we are not on trail we spend our time in London, UK enjoying board games and craft beer.

Still not worth $749 just for a tent. I’ve seen people by all their gear for $750 and still have a reasonable overall base weight. Just to much money!

Thanks for including the X-Mid Pro 2 in the comparable tents section.

Thanks for the review. If $ was no object the DupleXL sounds great. Joal, how tight a fit was the Double Rainbow? I’m 6’7” and considering that and sleeping diagonally as a 1p. Or waiting for the X-Mid 2 to come back in stock…

Hey Dave. I’ve only slept in the double rainbow by myself on a few trips and it feels like a palace. I’d say it should work out well for you. The new double rainbow also allows you to take the top pole out so it is much more packable than the 2018 version we’ve got.

My wife and I switched to a triplex and we have been glad we did.

I carry it in the main outside pocket of my HMG backpack and that works well, especially if I am setting up in the rain.