Zpacks Free Zip Review 2P & 3P Tents
A strong contender for best ultralight freestanding tent
Biggest Pro: Highly wind stable | Biggest Con: smaller than average interior
In Zpacks Free Zip we have an obvious best-in-class contender for the freestanding ultralight tent niche; no other option offers the same degree of low weight, storm-worthiness, and freestanding-ness. Compared to other top models in the fully freestanding class, the Zpacks Free Zip is significantly lighter weight; has a taller ceiling; is built with durable 100%, waterproof and sag-proof Dyneema; above average headroom; and is much sturdier in wind. On the flip side, it’s also much more expensive; has a smaller-than-average interior area, and much smaller than average vestibules. Shop now.
All said and done, the Zpacks Free Zip is a very compelling ultralight performance option in a category previously dominated by lightweight-not-ultralight tents. We’re stoked to see UL Cottage Industry brands combining DCF and single-wall construction to innovate and optimize within the freestanding category. Because this tent is a bit smaller than average, we recommend sizing up one capacity notch: Free Zip 2P sleeps one, Free Zip 3P sleeps two.
Free Zip 2P vs Free Zip 3P
- Price: $899 | $999
- Weight: 31.6 oz | 36.2 oz
- Interior Area: 26.3 | 35.8 ft²
- Total Vestibule Area: ~8.0 ft² | ~8.0 ft²
- Area/Pound: 13.3 ft²/lb | 15.9 ft²/lb
- Height: 43in | 43in
- Fly Material: DCF .55 or .75
- Add-ons/Alts: Groundsheet, Gear Nest, Bonus interior Pocket
- Pros: Ultralight & freestanding. Much lighter than its peers. Very very sturdy in high wind. Very steep end walls reduce condensation contact. Best-in-class materials are durable and don’t sag when wet. Symmetrical. Peak vents and magnetic toggles. Made in USA.
- Cons: Tendency to scrunch up when not staked or loaded. Very expensive. Smaller than average interior area. Much smaller than average vestibules. Single wall condensation. Smudgy tent poles. Potential for snow loading issues. Occasional ceiling drip off of bathtub floor lifters at head/foot end. Rainbow doors get dirty, bathtub floor walls sag.
Editor’s Note 7/4/24: Just got back from a section of the CDT through Colorado’s Weminuche Wilderness testing the Free Zip. We got stuck on a plateau during a horrendous thunder/lightning/rain/hail/sleet/wind storm at 12k’, and the tent shrugged off all gusts and precipitation with absolute ease. The poles barely even flexed while other highly regarded ultralight shelters were flapping heavily.
Compare to more great options in our guide to the Best Backpacking Tents. Read reviews of our favorite non-freestanding tents, the Zpacks Offset Solo, Duo, and Trio.
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Construction & Features
The most notable design element on the Zpacks Free Zip is its double X pole configuration, one X on each end. Most freestanding domes utilize a single X, but we see how the double X is more wind resistant, and creates steeper head/end walls. Zpacks even claims its the most wind-worthy in their entire lineup! The poles are made with 6.3mm Easton carbon fiber, very strong and light, and fold down small. Only issue so far is that their powder coating smudges on finger contact.
This is the only true freestanding tent in the Zpacks line, a tuned and optimized version of its predecessor – the Free Duo – and a big upgrade over the Duplex Freestanding Flex Kit, which converts a Duplex classic into freestanding mode for pitching onto hard surfaces and sand.
Like all of the rest of the Zpacks tents, Free Zip is made with Dyneema fabric, .5 or .75 for the canopy, and burly 1.0 for the floor. The .75 is shown in this review and is slightly more opaque, durable, and waterproof. We love Dyneema tents, and find them to be best-in-class, lightweight, extremely sag resistant, and incredibly durable and long lasting compared to ripstop nylon or poly of similar weight per square yard. Dyneema has an exceptional tear-strength, and is waterproof without any coatings.
The biggest performance downside is its overall small floor plan. We have to assume they made it as big as possible while still keeping it under 2 lbs, but sticking hard to that weight cap. Its interior area of 26.3 sq ft is a bit lower than the industry standard 28 sq ft for an average sized 2p tent. It is 1″ narrower and 3″ shorter then Duplex Classic. It is 6″ narrower and 8″ shorter than the Offset Duo, the largest and most luxurious 2p Zpacks tent.
However, the steeper-than-average end walls and taller-than-average ceiling make it feel bigger than it is, and compensate for the loss of square footage. However again, this is a single walled tent, so you have to stay mindful of not brushing against condensation. This in turn makes it feel a bit smaller than a double wall of the same interior volume.
And then there’s the vestibules, with a total combined estimated area of ~8 sq ft (our best guess based on line drawing geometry), roughly half the size of lightweight double walled freestanding tents. This makes them large enough to be viable for storing shoes, but it may be difficult to store a pack and shoes under it without something sticking out or it pushing inward against the mesh wall, or sacrificing the ability to use it as an entry/exit point. These are some of the very smallest vestibules we’ve ever seen.
Moving on from size, we conclude with the features. The Free Zip has lots of great livability features, including peak vents, magnetic storm door roll ups, included repair kit, two interior pockets, backup zipper sliders, bath tub floor risers, and independent DCF stuff sacks for the poles and tent body.
All Angles On The Free Zip 2P
About the Zpacks Free Zip 3P And Choosing Sizes
Without mincing words, the Zpacks Free Zip 3P is exactly a 16″ wider, 4.6 oz heavier version of the Free Zip 2P. It has the same design, same use cases, same 6.3mm Easton carbon poles, same DCF fabric, same generalized performance, and an extra $100 added to the price tag.
But the size boost is actually really, seriously advantageous. At 26.2 sq ft interior area, the Free Zip 2P is smaller than average for its capacity class, with smaller than average vestibules that fit shoes not packs. If you and your partner want room to spread out comfortably, use 25″ wide pads, bring a dog, or sleep 3p in a pinch, then upgrading to the 35.8 sq ft Free Zip 3P is a no brainer.
That said, Free Zip 3P is still quite small as 3P tents go. It’s closer to an XL 2P tent than it is to a standard sized 3P, which tend to land closer to 40 sq ft on average. Free Zip 3 is probably the smallest 3P tent we’ve seen, and only a smidge larger than the largest 2P backpacking tent we know of, the REI Co-op Half Dome SL 2+, which comes in at 33.75 sq ft interior. But if you account for the fact that Half Dome has over twice as much vestibule, it’s fair to say that Free Zip 3P and Half Dome 2 are roughly the same size. And Half Dome SL 2+ is very much designed for use by two comfortably, and not three.
There are a couple notable downsides to the 3P, aside from the cost increase. They are as follows: (1) larger wind profile without thicker poles decreases wind stability, (2) larger flat-ish area of roof over center has increased potential for snow loading damage. But neither of these are major issues. The wind stability is still better than average, and heavy snow loading just doesn’t come up very often. What’s more, bonking the ceiling from the inside should easily knock most snow off.
Zpacks Free Zip 3 In the Field
Zpacks Free Zip 2P vs 3P
Who should choose a Free Zip Tent In General
- You require a freestanding ultralight tent for pitching onto rock, sand, wooden tent-pads, etc
- You prioritize wind-resistance-to-weight ratio, and expect strong wind
- You dislike non-freestanding tents, and have yet to find a good ultralight freestanding solution
- You already own a top-tier ultralight non-freestanding tent like the Zpacks Offset Duo, and want this for your quiver
- You prioritize max performance over value
Where Should You Take It?
- International trips, which are more likely to have man-made hard-surface tent pads
- Notoriously windy regions
- Desert slick rock, sand, and beaches where ultralight trekking pole shelters are difficult to pitch
- Challenging trips where the weight savings are important compared to a traditional light-not-ultralight freestanding tent
Who Should Choose Free Zip 2P?
- You are hiking solo
- You do not intend to use it with two larger/taller bodies, which would feel cramped
- You want the ability to use with 2P in a pinch
- You and your partner are both smaller than average sized people and don’t mind smaller tents
Who Should Choose Free Zip 3P?
- You intend to sleep two people
- You and your partner use wide width (25″) pads
- You are not a group a three people, which would feel cramped
- You and your partner want room to spread out comfortably
- You are two people and a dog
- You want the option to sleep three people in a pinch
Zpacks Free Zip 2P Against Mainstream Brand Competition
The below table illustrates how Free Zip stacks up against competition from two mainstream brands. As you can see, it is lighter weight, taller, and has better wind resistance, but also more expensive, slightly smaller, and with much smaller vestibules.
Mobile users rotate device for full width table view
| Tent | Setup | Price | Weight | Interior area | Vestibules | Height |
Performance in Strong Wind(1-5)
|
| Zpacks Free Zip | Freestanding | 899 | 31.6 | 26.3 | 8.0 | 43 | Good |
| Big Agnes Copper Spur 2 | Freestanding | 530 | 43.0 | 29 | 18.0 | 40 | Okay |
| Nemo DragonFly 2 | Freestanding | 500 | 42.0 | 29 | 20.0 | 39 | Okay |
| Big Agnes Tiger Wall 2 | Semi-Free | 450 | 35 | 28 | 16 | 39 | Poor |
| Nemo Hornet 2 | Semi-Free | 430 | 33 | 27.5 | 14.2 | 39 | Poor |
The Scrunching Problem
The above photo illustrates an exaggeratedly scrunched position
Most freestanding tents use a crossbar pole configuration, which forms an X over the center of the ceiling and pushes all four corners outwards. This naturally encourages the tent to spread out and pulls the floor reasonably taut without staking.
But the Zpacks Free Zip is different. The double X-pole configuration, one X per half, exerts width-pressure, pushing the floor outwards to the sides on both end walls. But the double-x bars exert no pressure to keep the floor taut lengthwise. This results in a natural tendency for the tent to scrunch up, becoming shorter and taller unless something prevents the corners from drifting.
Luckily, the scrunching problem is not a big issue, and very easily remedied. Once you have pitched the tent, it is still recommended to stake out all four corners. This immediately solves the problem, prevents scrunching, and ensures the pitch will be as spacious and taut as possible. However, you also must not stake it in a way that stretches it length-wise. This will place potentially damaging pressure on the vestibule zippers and also reduce ceiling height.
The biggest downside is that part of the reason to choose a freestanding tent is that you are expecting to encounter surfaces that do not allow staking. That’s still okay, because once you and all of your gear are inside the tent, it will significantly reduce the scrunching, albeit not entirely. It can always be remedied.
Again, we don’t view this as a major issue, or detractor from its overall functionality, but it is a slight hit to user friendliness.
Zpacks Free Zip Review Verdict
No matter how you prioritize different performance levers, Zpacks Free Zip is worth considering from an I-want-nothing-less-than-the-very-best perspective. It is 25-50% lighter than its respective capacity-class competitors in the UL freestanding niche, has the highest wind-resistance-to-weight ratio, is made with best in-class-materials, and offers above average headroom.
However, it’s also very expensive, has a smaller-than-average interior, and the smallest vestibules in its class. Our take is that Free Zip juice is worth the squeeze; this is a great tent to have in your quiver; and it will get lots of use and perform excellently as a 3+ season wind specialist. If you intend to use it solo, get the 2P version. If you intend to use share it with a partner, get the 3P version.
