Bushwalk Australia

Hi, I am looking at purchasing the ZPack Duplex. Also was thinking of the Big Agnes Copper Spur. We currently have the MSR Hubba Hubba (3 years old) which will are giving to our kids. We thought we would upgrade to a lighter tent for the Larapinta as we are doing E to E. Basically just after advice/recommendations on anyone who has either of these tents and thoughts. The advantage of the Big Agnes is we can get here in Australia, but then the ZPack is quite lighter. Thanks Sue

I am also hoping to walk the Larapinta this winter and will use my ZPacks Solplex - the one person version of the Duplex. The only issue based on my reading is the full mesh inner can let in wind blown dust and sand. This applies to all tents with a mesh inner, not just the Solplex/Duplex. The Solplex has worked well for me in less arid areas.

Winter in Central Australia is generally characterised by very little/no wind, amongst other things. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, and if you camp on the ridgetops you may get a little - but it's certainly not going to be a big factor. Around November is usually the windiest time, with hot winds and lots of dust.

Eremophila wrote:Winter in Central Australia is generally characterised by very little/no wind, amongst other things. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, and if you camp on the ridgetops you may get a little - but it's certainly not going to be a big factor.

I've always found there's a constant cold wind in the Centre over winter. Not strong, but enough to create a degree of wind-chill, even on the warmest days.
Maybe I'm just oversensitive.

Mark F wrote:I am also hoping to walk the Larapinta this winter and will use my ZPacks Solplex - the one person version of the Duplex. The only issue based on my reading is the full mesh inner can let in wind blown dust and sand. This applies to all tents with a mesh inner, not just the Solplex/Duplex. The Solplex has worked well for me in less arid areas.

That was my experience with an inner mesh tent on this trail 2 years ago. Dust storms and wind-chill were a common occurrence on most nights, for a few hours at least. A solid inner will definitely make your nights feel warmer.

I did the Larapinta E2E last June/July and used an MSR Trekker Tarp. The inner is entirely mesh and i never had an issues with dust or sand even though it was windy most of the time. It also requires min 6 stakes to hold it up but never had an issue finding purchase on the soil. The main issue is with a mesh inner - its *&%$#! cold at night! Plus side with this tent is the easy access which made it a pleasure to live out of for two weeks. Weighs in at just over 2kg but gain, that not an issue for me - the additional space and confort is well worth an extra 500gms over a lightweight freestanding tent. My advice... if you already have something that works for you and your comfortable in using it, then take it and don't work about buying something specifically for this hike. Enjoy