Final Verdict: The Free Duo Tent by Zpacks Exceeds Expectations
The Overview
The Free Duo is a two-person freestanding tent—one that can be further secured with four stakes to spread the bathtub floor most efficiently. Eight stakes can be used in very windy weather to offer the most secure pitch.
It is NOT a trekking pole shelter and is constructed with two sets of H-shaped poles that spread both the corners and the ceiling symmetrically. In order to tautly close the storm doors, two stakes (one on either side) are required.
The single-wall shelter is constructed with Dyneema Composite Fabric and is perfectly designed to provide tight roof and walls, which limit fabric snapping in high winds. An overhang of the roof helped to keep snow and rain out of the interior.
Testing the Tent
I tested Zpacks’ new Free Duo tent for six months, in Montana, Utah, Arizona, and Arkansas. The tent was asked to perform in snow, hail, rain, and occasional clear skies.
I used the tent alone and with a partner, and the freestanding tent exceeded expectations.
The learning curve was steep, but after a couple of pitches, I quickly grasped the most successful way to ward off inclement weather and cut down on interior condensation. Here is what I found through the rigorous testing of the shelter.
Specs
Total shelter weight: 30.1 oz
Exterior Dimensions:
Peak height: 42″ (107 cm)
Ridgeline width: 45″ (114 cm) with vestibules 75″ (190 cm)
Length: 92″ (234 cm)
Interior Dimensions:
Floor width: 42″ (107 cm)
Floor length: 7.5 feet (2.29 meters)
Zipper entry height: 36″ (91 cm)
Packed Dimensions:
Tent body: 7″ diameter by 13″ tall (18 cm x 33 cm) / 520 cubic inches (8.5L)
Poles: 2.5″ x 20″ (6 cm x 51 cm)
The Pitch
While the tent is freestanding, it took me a few tries to get it comfortably pitched with the bathtub floor staked out correctly. The simple process of attaching the H-shaped poles got the tent 90% set up and would have been usable with the poles alone, but it took a few circles and some restaking of the guylines to successfully finish the pitch.
It was especially important to set up the tent securely when I pitched it in a snowstorm at 9,000 feet. I needed the storm doors to be tightly closed and the roof to be correctly hanging over the floor to mitigate any snow blowing into the tent. It was a simpler process than a shelter constructed with trekking poles, and it performed very well in the winter storm, but it took trial and error to cinch down the guylines to equally spread each side.
Buy the Free Duo hereThe Construction
The Free Duo combines the benefits of lightweight Dyneema Composite Fabric with the freestanding versatility sought after for rugged terrain.
The poles are extremely lightweight compared to similar tents because of their Easton Carbon 6.3 material. According to Zpacks’ website, the Free Duo poles are stronger than the poles used in the Duplex Shelter.
The bathtub floor of the tent is 6 inches high, which provided added protection in the snowy weather. The height was substantial enough to block any snow from blowing in through the doors.
With entrances on both sides of the tent, it allows easy access for both partners (when used to its full two-person rating).
In the true nature of the single-wall shelter, the tent is very packable. The body offered no noticeable difference when stuffed inside my 35-liter pack. The only difference was the 20-inch long folded segments of poles, which I simply stowed on the outside of my pack.
Two-Person Use
When I used the tent alone, there was ample room even without staking out the bathtub bottom. I could stow my gear next to me and comfortably sleep in the middle of the tent.
But when I used the tent with my partner, it took a few different tries and angles of staking to allow us to fit our inflatable sleeping pads inside. Even with a taut construction, it was a little tight. The condensed floor space noted, the headroom on this tent for two people is unmatched.
Downfalls of the Free Duo
The footprint of the Free Duo is just big enough to fit two people in it. My partner and I could only fit our two inflatable sleeping pads inside after staking out the bathtub floor. We were both able to sleep comfortably in the tighter space, but it offered less floor space than the other two-person tents.
The second downfall of the tent is the semi-flat roof. In a Montana blizzard, by morning there were a good 6 inches of snow piled on top. It was a simple fix—flicking the roof—but it did obscure any signs of daylight alerting me it was time to trudge through the snow once again.
Benefits of the Free Duo
The Free Duo is a very light freestanding tent. Beyond that, the aspects that truly amazed me were …
The ease in finding a good spot to pitch the tent – The flip side of the small floor space is the ease in finding a spot for the tent. Compared to trekking pole tents, and others that require countless guylines and stakes, the Free Duo can be pitched simply on the footprint it takes up without stakes. We could not create enough space for the two of us with this style of pitch, but when I used it by myself, there was ample room, no tent stakes required. The footprint and finding a place to pitch this two-person tent is much smaller than comparable shelters.
The limited number of stakes required – Another big bonus is the tent worked well when by myself and when together with my partner—requiring only 4 stakes. Even in inclement weather, the limited stakes proved to be all that were needed for a comfortable night’s sleep for the two of us.
A large amount of headspace – The last thing is that this tent has unrivaled headspace. So if I am practicing my photography skills while sitting up, my partner can be sleeping next to me. In the blizzard, it was a huge plus to be able to fully dress before leaving my shelter.
Final Thoughts
The Free Duo is a great design, developed over years, with unique poles to both spread the floor and create ample headspace. It is a great tent for a couple, although I would probably find something with a larger floor space if I were to use it with a friend.
It is my new single-walled shelter I use when hiking at a more relaxed pace, and the space and security it offers make it just as valuable for a single person in inclement weather. I was continually impressed by both the simplicity and construction of the Free Duo.
Find the Zpacks Free Duo on our gear lists
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