First, let me make this clear. Zpacks did NOT sponsor this post. This was bought with my own money. They have no idea I even exist, lol.
What I am Reviewing
Today, I am reviewing the new Zpacks Offset Duo DCF Ultralight Tent in Burnt Orange. While I have never been a fan of Zpacks products (nothing personal; I just thought they were overpriced and just not for me), I decided to give their tents a try after trying another brand as a way to reduce my pack weight further. Honestly, if they had not come out with the offset duo, I’d probably still be turning my trekking pole up at them.
Now that my husband will be backpacking with me on my upcoming Appalachian Trail thru-hike attempt, I knew we needed to shed some weight, especially in his pack, due to his health issues. We love our Big Agnes Copper Supr HV UL3, but it’s kind of bulky with the tent poles and weighs over 3 pounds.
Shortly before we left to do a shakedown hike on the Greenbrier River Trail, I got an email from Zpacks that they had just released a new tent called the Offset Duo. It looked interesting so I investigated it further, looked at all the specs, consulted with my husband, and explained to him the pros/cons of DCF tents.
Needless to say, we bought the Offset Duo (the Offset Trio was released sometime during our trip, go figure).
“But, Nutty HIker! That’s a two-person tent, and I thought that means it’s really only good for one person plus gear, especially if the both of you are on the taller and meatier side?”
Hear me out because I will talk about that more below.
Specs at a Glance
Weight: 22.0 oz / 623 g (for the burnt orange)
Exterior Dimensions:
Peak height: 48″ (122 cm)
Ridgeline width: 53″ (135 cm)
Width including vestibules: 86″ (213 cm)
Vestibule Depth from floor: 18″ (46 cm) each side. 6.25 sqft per side.
Length: 100″ (254 cm)
Interior Dimensions:
Peak height: 48″ (122 cm)
Floor width: 50″ (127 cm) tapers to 44″ (112 cm) from mid-torso to foot.
Floor length: 94″ (239 cm)
Floor Area: 31.4 square feet (2.9 square meters)
Zipper entry height: 40″ (102 cm)
Packed Dimensions: 6″ diameter by 12″ tall (15 cm x 30 cm), 340 cubic inches (5.6L).
Vestibules: 2
Door Entry Type: Zippered
Ground Sheet Included: No
Warranty: 2 year limited warranty against product failure caused by manufacturing, material, and design defects.
Price: $799.00
MADE IN THE USA: Yes!!!!
Testing Conditions
For the purpose of this review, we are going to use the worst conditions we have had it in thus far. The weather was upper 50s during the day and upper 40s at night. It had rained steadily all day and into the evening with no break (most of the time, it was heavy downpours). We also set it up near a river. We did have gusty winds, but nothing crazy. We and our backpacks were drenched for the most part.
What I Liked
Lightweight: At 22oz (less if you choose a different color), this is the lightest 2-person tent I have found that is actually comfortable enough for two taller / meatier individuals.
Easy Setup: Before heading out, I had my husband, who has never had any experience setting up a trekking pole tent, set it up in our backyard. While I was there for guidance, he figured it out on his own and had it set up within 5 minutes (after a little hiccup of what I meant when I said to set the trekking poles to 48, again, he is a new backpacker). On our actual trip, it took him about 2 minutes to set up; then again, it was pouring, and rain can be a great motivator, lol! On our second trip (not raining), it took about 3 minutes for him to set up because we were on rocky ground.
Sturdy: While we didn’t have crazy winds during the trips, the tent felt rock solid once properly pitched. I will update this post once we get to test it out in higher winds.
Dries Quickly: Between rain and condensation on the inside, our tent was wet, to say the least, the next morning. While I wiped off some of the condensation with a bandana, it was still very damp inside. We made our way to the trailhead (it was still misting and cloudy outside) to meet my parents. Once back at their house (3 hours away), the sun showed its face. We set up the Offset Duo, and within 30 minutes of putting it in the sun, it was bone dry.
Plenty of Room for Two People: When we tested this out (we have since started losing weight and working out), I was 5′ 9″ and weighed 226 pounds; my husband was 6′ 2″ and 245 pounds. We both used a regular/wide pad and had plenty of room at our feet for gear. We did opt to keep our backpacks in the vestibules as they were wet. We had plenty of room. I honestly thought we might feel cramped, but we didn’t. We had plenty of room to sit up next to each other, change our clothes, and, of course, sleep.
Zippered Vestibule Doors: I love the ease of zipping and unzipping vestibule doors on the Offset Duo. While this is the first Zpacks tent I have owned, I know some of their tents do not have this feature. I prefer the zippered vestibule doors over the hook/latch system they use on their other tents. This is based on observation and other reviews I have seen.
What to Improve
Head Wall: It would be nice if they would add a pullout (I honestly am not sure what the technical term is here) for the head wall like they do the foot area. They added it to the Offset Trio, and I would love to see it added to the Offset Duo as well.
Better Pockets: The pockets are, honestly, pretty useless, especially if two people are sleeping in the tent. They are so low to the ground that you end up sleeping on them. It would be nice to see these added somewhere higher up or at the head area instead.
Vestibule Area: The vestibule areas seem smaller than on other tents. They are just big enough to cover smaller backpacks. I would like to see them a tad larger.
What About Condensation?
I felt this needed its own section.
The biggest issue with single-wall tents is condensation, and we had the Offset Duo in the worst possible conditions for that. It was raining so hard at times we couldn’t open the doors for airflow as the rain would come inside. It was a crazy day/night, for sure. Add the fact that we set it up next to a river, and I knew it would be bad.
But it wasn’t…
At least it wasn’t as bad as I imagined.
Yes, we had condensation on the inside, but for the most part, it would run down and out the head and foot area. The only time we would get “sprinkled” on inside is when large raindrops from outside would fall on the tent. Even then, the inside sprinkle was minimal at best and did not start happening until well into the night/early morning.
Issues Worth Mentioning
Wet Foot Box – If we weren’t careful through the night and slid down any at all, our foot box would touch the wall and become wet from condensation. To help with this, if you use a bag liner, just put your bag liner over your foot box.
Slippery Floor – As someone who has owned another brand of DCF tent, I already knew this would be an issue. For those new to the DCF tent world, the floor is slick, and you will slide around on it while on your pad through the night. I have heard of people putting silicone strips on their pads to help keep this from happening; I just haven’t done it. But it is worth mentioning because if you are even on the slightest incline, you’ll find yourself pushed to the foot area by morning!
Overall Impression of the Offset Duo
I am going to give the Offset Duo 4 stars. We loved that the design truly allows this to be a 2-person tent that is very lightweight, with plenty of room for gear in the foot area. It is super easy to set up that even a non-backpacker can figure it out and have it set up in 5 minutes. While we wish the vestibule areas were a tad bigger, they covered our backpacks (for the most part). Like most single-walled tents, you are going to get condensation, but the design of this tent allows it to run down and out instead of drip on you. I was pretty impressed since I had it in the worst possible conditions for condensation. I’d definitely purchase the Zpacks Offset Duo tent again.
Video Review
COMING SOON! We started a review video while we were out on the trail one night, then fell asleep! LMAO! I will set it up so I can finish it and then post it to my YouTube and embed it here. I’ll also take some more pictures to add to this review =)
Where to Buy
You can buy the Zpacks Offset Duo directly from the Zpacks website. They have also released a Solo and Trio version as well.
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