Zpacks Plex Solo Lite Review First Impressions
What follows is a first impressions review of the Zpacks Plex Solo Lite – the lightest fully enclosed 1P tent we’ve seen. To be transparent, this preposterously ultralight shelter is brand new, and we haven’t gotten hands-on with it yet. For now, you’re just getting our takes based on the concept, features, and stats alone. That said, our understanding of the design is grounded in significant experience with similar ultralight tents, including a majority of the Zpacks Tent line. We’ll update this post after testing. Let’s dive in.
Key Zpacks Plex Solo Lite Stats
- Price: $599
- Weight: 11.8 oz
- Material: DCF .55 canopy / DCF .75 floor
- Interior: 20.6 ft² | Vestibule: 8 ft² (est) | Interior Area/Pound: 15.2 ft²
- Int Length: 90″ Int Width: 38″/28″ Height: 52″
- Pros: Super ultralight and packable. Lightest ever version of this design. Adequately spacious for 1P. Well-ventilated. Proven chassis design.
- Cons: Sloping side walls. Expensive. Decreased floor durability.
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Who should choose Zpacks Plex Solo Lite
Who should choose Zpacks Plex Solo Lite
From our perspective, this is the perfect tent for periodic high mileage fastpacking missions when weight and packability are priority #1. The types of trips you may embark on a few times per summer. Pairs well with a 30-35L pack with a running vest harness, or trying to hit a ~7 lb base weight. The sub 12 oz weight for Zpacks Plex Solo Light is a new high – or should we say low – in ultralight optimization.
This is a gram-counter’s dream.
Who should NOT choose it
Because of the 25% decreased floor durability, DCF .75 vs DCF 1.0 typically used in Zpacks floors, we do not recommend this tent as your daily driver, and we do not recommend it for thru-hikers. If you intend to live out of your tent for months on end, choose one with a beefier floor.
If you are value oriented shopper we also recommend choosing the original Zpacks Plex Solo over the lite edition. Again, this mainly comes down to the floor, and thicker version used on the original design will last longer, giving you better bang for your buck.
Zpacks Plex Solo Vs Plex Solo Lite
You might be wondering about the differences between the Zpacks Plex Solo Lite and Plex Solo. We have the answers:
- Same size tent chassis, vestibule, pitch, DCF .5 canopy fabric
- Plex Solo Lite has a DCF .75 floor to save weight and bulk at the expense of some durability compared to Original which uses DCF 1.0
- Plex Solo Lite uses 1.3mm guyline cordage, which saves some weight at the expense of user-friendliness and some durability compared to original which uses 2.0mm cordage
- No pocket built into bathtub floor
- Same price
- Lite edition is 1.4 oz lighter weight. This doesn’t sound like a lot, but is actually 10.6% lighter.
Our Favorite Zpacks Tents – The Offset Series
What follows are our favorite Zpacks tents. Learn more in our comprehensive guide for how to choose a Zpacks Tent.
- Zpacks Offset Duo – This is our pick for best all-around tent in the Zpacks lineup. The offset ceiling and end struts give it more interior volume and head room than any other model. It is wide enough to fit two tapering wide width pads, and long enough tall backpackers. All that space and it’s still sub 20 oz. Read more in our Zpacks Offset Duo Review.
- Zpacks Offset Solo – This is our favorite model for 1P use. The dual trekking pole/apex pitch eliminates the sloping sidewall issue faced by all pyramid (1-pole pitch) tents. Read more in our Zpacks Offset Solo Review.
- Zpacks Offset Trio – This is the largest tent in the Zpacks lineup, and their best 3p tent, and arguably the best 3p tent in the UL genre. Read more in our Zpacks Offset Trio Review.
Conclusion: Zpacks Plex Solo Lite Review First Impressions
Innovation and optimization are both important angles for manufacturers to considering when improving their ultralight gear lineup. And the Zpacks Plex Solo Lite is a very much an optimization, yielding an impressively ultralight sub-12 oz tent. At just over 10% lighter than the original it may be just the ticket to improving your fastpacking kit and shaving grams. That said, we feel the original is still more than sufficiently ultralight, and likely a better buy for most backpackers due to its longer lasting floor.
We will update this review once we have more hands on experience testing the tent.
