Zpacks Pivot Trio Is The New Best UL 3P Shelter
Though an even better use case is for two campers to spread out in luxury
Boasting a massive interior-volume-to-weight ratio, copious headroom, Dyneema construction, all the best features, functional symmetry, and unique a 32″ foot end pole that supports a vertical mesh double wall beak, Zpacks Pivot Trio is likely the best performing ultralight 3P tent on the market. Aside from its eye-popping price tag and finnicky pitch, Pivot Trio is an upgrade over its Triplex brethren.
- Price: $949
- Weight: 21.3 oz
- Interior Length x Width x Height: 84″ x 65″ x 52″
- Interior Area, Vestibule Area: 38.4 ft², 16 ft²
- Fly & Floor Material: Dyneema .55 & .75 or .75 and 1.0
- Peers: Pivot Duo, Triplex Classic, Triplex Pro
- Compared to Pivot Duo: 31.5% larger interior, 0% taller, 14.5% heavier.
- Pros: Ultralight. Exceptional headroom and interior volume. Mesh double wall foot end. Best-in-class materials. Well-ventilated. Modern feature set.
- Cons: Interior area and length are unimpressively average. Ridgeline too high for some trekking poles. Very expensive. Finnicky setup. Head end storm door can’t be rolled up. Lackluster interior pockets.
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Expanded Pros
Ultralight
It’s incredible to see a 3P tent weighing only 21.3 ounces. Pivot Trio hits the ultralight bullseye. Most conventional two person tents weigh twice as much, and it’s hardly any heavier than most 2P ultralight tents.
Exceptional headroom and interior volume
Thanks to its taller-than-average 52″ ridgeline and 32″ foot end pole, Pivot Trio delivers best-in-class headroom and an exceptionally high interior volume-to-weight ratio. This tent has more headroom than nearly all other models in its class.
Mesh double wall foot end
The double wall foot end, lofted by a 32″ carbon pole (1 oz), is a truly great feature! Not only does this allow you sleep comfortably with your head at the foot end without ever contacting sloping end walls, it also prevents soggification of quilt footboxes by reducing contact with condensation-covered single wall Dyneema surfaces. The 1 oz carbon pole can be subbed out for a trekking pole.
Best-in-class materials
Due to its incredible strength-to-weight ratio, low overall weight, and the fact that it does not absorb water or sag when wet, Dyneema is the best possible tent fabric on the market.
Well-ventilated
Like all Zpacks tents, the Pivot Trio is well-ventilated. This starts with the 4″ gap between canopy and ground, and is bolstered by a large airflow gap at the beak of the foot end, as well as duel peak vents at the ridgeline, and large mesh doors with overhanging roof.
Modern feature set
Enjoy magnetic toggles, L-shaped doors, zippered storm doors, bathtub floor lifters, peak vents, and a Dyneema storage bag that isn’t too small (for ease of packing).
Expanded Cons
Interior area and length are unimpressively average
Area: While Pivot Trio’s interior volume is exceptionally high thanks to the tall ridgeline and foot end pole, the two dimensional interior area of 38.4 sq ft is nothing special. It’s the traditional size of just about every other three person tent, meaning that it would feel quite cramped if shared between three full size adults and all of their gear. Many contemporary 3P tents (albeit those weighing 2-3x as much) have square footage in the low 40s, with 3+ luxury models in the mid to upper 40s.
Length: Just as with total area, Pivot Trio’s 84″ interior length is dead average, which is ultimately unimpressive for a tent claiming to be optimized for spaciousness. If you use a long/wide pad, that gives only 6″ to spare between head and foot end, making it very cramped to place even an empty backpack at your feet. The good news is that users can directly abut the mesh double wall foot end without fear of brushing against wet condensation-covered Dyneema canopy. The bad news is that the head end does not offer the same protection. If both ends were double wall mesh, the 84″ length would be absolutely okay. But as is, this tent (as well as the Pivot Duo) should be 90″ in length.
Ridgeline too high for some trekking poles
The 52″ extra tall ridgeline requires trekking poles that reach 132 cm. If you have 130 cm poles like most people, you can usually fudge the last couple of centimeters by going past the stop indicator – ridgeline support poles don’t pressure the joints nearly as much as hiking. However, shorter hikers may carry poles that max out at 120 cm, and any hiker can wind up camping in soft soil, which causes the tips to sink in effectively reducing pole height by another 5cm. If you are worried about adequate ridgeline height, any pole can easily be boosted with a 1.2 oz trekking pole jack.
Very expensive
No doubt about it, $950 for a tent is very expensive. If you are value shopping, consider Triplex Classic for just $800 – still a great tent and one that we have used extensively.
Finnicky setup
The tri-pole pitch of Zpacks Pivot Trio makes setup a bit more complicated. While it still only uses eight stakes, you will likely need to make more micro-adjustments to get tension on the beak just right. Compared to a simpler tent, this probably adds an extra minute or two of setup time on average (take carbon pole out of sling, put sling into primary bag, de-collapse the carbon pole, fit it into the beak, adjust, etc).
Head end storm door can’t be rolled up
The storm doors at the traditional head end of Pivot Trio don’t roll up. While they’re smaller and less important to roll up than the longer foot end doors, this does decrease max ventilation and view-from-inside potential on warm dry nights. That being said, it’s already a very well-ventilated tent to begin with, so not a huge issue.
Lackluster interior pockets
While these pockets are incredibly lightweight, the diagonal opening is not very secure and leads to the contents falling out. The good news is that, as many folks will be using this as a 2P tent, there is plenty of room to store stuff on the floor.
A 25″ wide sleeping pad for scale
Choose/Avoid
Who Should Choose Zpacks Pivot Trio
- Two ultralight backpackers who want to spread out and use 25″ width pads (for this purpose it’s a better choice than Pivot Duo)
- A couple who brings their dog or a family with one small kid (choose the standard floor option)
- A duo who occasionally invites a third friend
- Three shorter-than-average backpackers
- You already have an ultralight 1P and 2P tent and are building a quiver
Who Should Avoid Zpacks Pivot Trio
- Three full size adults wanting to share a tent (split into multiple tents or find a larger tent)
- Beginner backpackers, who may want a less finnicky pitch
- Those who frequently camp on wood tent pads, rock, or loose sand (or anywhere that non-freestanding is a non-starter)
- Budget backpackers who want to save money
Zpacks Pivot Trio vs Triplex and Others
To be honest, Zpacks has achieved significant dominance in the three person ultralight trekking pole tent market, and there isn’t a lot of non-Zpacks competition for Pivot Trio at this time. But we know some folks will be making this purchase intending to sleep two with room to spread out, which informs some of the comparisons.
Pivot Trio vs Pivot Duo
Pivot Trio is essentially a 15″ wider version of Pivot Duo, with the same overall design concept, same height, and same 32″ foot end pole. Statistically, its interior area is 31.5% larger for a 14.5% heavier weight – good deal! Obviously choose the trio if you intend to sleep three. But we also prefer it sleeping two, simply because there’s so much more room to spread out, and for only a couple ounces of extra weight. The Duo is better if you want to alternate between 1P and 2P use. But as a shelter for duos, we’ll take the Trio over the Duo, capacity recommendations and naming conventions be damned. See more in our Zpacks Pivot Duo Review.
Pivot Trio vs Triplex Pro
These are the two best 3P ultralight tents on the market right now, and likely what you’ll be choosing between. Neither tent is strictly better, but we have a preference towards Pivot Trio because of its overall larger interior volume and greater headroom. This makes it the better option for 3P use, as there is more room to shift your elbows. The advantage of Triplex Pro is that, while both tents are functionally symmetrical in terms of sleeping orientation, Triplex Pro is actually symmetrical. All four inner mesh and exterior storm doors open and close independently, whereas Pivot Trio has half as many door segments and doesn’t vent quite as well in hot weather.
Pivot Trio vs Triplex Classic
All things considered, Pivot Trio is a better tent than Triplex Classic in regard to interior volume, headroom, and modernized features (zipper storm door, L-shape door, peak vents, magnetic toggles, etc). But Triplex Classic holds a special place in our hearts and costs $150 less and is fully symmetrical. Choose Triplex Classic only if you want to save money, but know that it’s not quite as good of a tent.
Pivot Trio vs Durston X-Mid Pro 2+
If you’re considering Pivot Trio as spacious shelter for two, you might also be weighing it against the excellent and ever popular Durston X-Mid Pro 2+. As usual, neither option is strictly better, but these two are quite different. For starters, Zpacks Pivot Trio has a significantly wider interior area, 65″ vs 52″ and more headroom due to the tri-pole configuration plus overall slightly higher ceiling “52 vs 49″ with a perpendicular ridgeline directly overhead of where you sit up. Lengthwise measurements favor the X-Mid Pro 2+ (90″ vs 84”). However, the mesh foot end wall of Pivot Trios somewhat compensates for this, allowing users to make direct contact, such that it feels longer than it is. Pivot Trio is better ventilated because the fly doesn’t go as low and it has a large beak vent. X-Mid Pro 2+ is more storm worthy and its fly goes all the way to the ground. Both tents have a similarly large footprint size. X-Mid 2+ has a superior vestibule configuration (though Pivot Trio does have good vestibules), costs a bit less and is a couple of ounces lighter (with DCF floor configuration).
Zpacks Pivot Trio Review Conclusion
Pivot Trio is the current best-in-class ultralight three person tent due to its exceptional headroom, mesh foot end technology, incredibly low weight, Dyneema construction, and overall lack of competition – there just aren’t very many UL 3P options out there. While the pros easily outweigh the cons, it is more finnicky than average to pitch, and isn’t large enough to comfortably sleep three full size adults. But thought of as a massive 2P tent, we intend to spend many nights in the Pivot Trio and recommend highly; even over the Pivot Duo.
