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billconner
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09/03/2018 08:56AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
StratoSpire

I have been looking at Dyneema (nee Cuben) tents for backpacking, but it seems they have only been available form the niche market manufacturers. I wonder if this introduction foreshadows more of the larger mass market manufacturers introducing Dyneema tents.

This looks like it could be acceptable for two at 1 pound 12 ounces, spacious for solo. Though the niche companies do have even lighter.
 
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OCDave
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09/03/2018 09:43AM  
billconner: " StratoSpire

I have been looking at Dyneema (nee Cuben) tents for backpacking, but it seems they have only been available form the niche market manufacturers. I wonder if this introduction foreshadows more of the larger mass market manufacturers introducing Dyneema tents.

This looks like it could be acceptable for two at 1 pound 12 ounces, spacious for solo. Though the niche companies do have even lighter."


Doubtful CF tents are ever a mass market item. The cost of Cuben Fiber doesn't allow for the profit margins mass market retailers expect. The benefit of CF over less expensive materials for the casual user is modest. CF becomes most valuable to someone carriying their gear miles per day and days on end; not an average user.

I have a Stratospire 2 I have used on about 6 week-long trips. NIce tent but, already light enough that I wouldn't spend more to make it lighter.

I've had CF hammock tarps that I have sold because the bigger, better, more compact sylnilon tarps were available at 1/2 the cost and 1/2 the bulk.

Cuben Fiber gear will always be niche.
 
09/03/2018 10:39AM  
My opinion mirrors OCDave, Dyneema/Cubic/Cuban fiber gear in general will stay in niche specialty markets. Still it is just starting to get more popular within the user group.
TarpTent, Hyperlite, GossamerGear, ZPacks, BigSkyInternational, YamaMountainGear, and other cottage industry makers. More use is being made by custom homemade tarp and shelter makers.
I have a few solo/2P shelters at 2 pounds of silnylon and aluminum frames but less than that gets into much more expensive materials and smaller weight benefits.
Am curious about cuban materials in use, primarily the noise, then the durability, finally the apparent translucence/light transmission.

butthead

 
OCDave
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09/03/2018 12:31PM  
butthead: "...
Am curious about cuban materials in use, primarily the noise, then the durability, finally the apparent translucence/light transmission....


"


My second hammock tarp was a HammockGear Standard with doors. It was light but very bulky. Downsizing my backpack for lightweight hiking forced me to be attentive to volume as much as weight and the CF tarp takes a lot of space. I eventually replaced it with a Warbonnet Outdoors Superfly: Much larger deployed, much smaller packed, less than 1/2 the cost. The difference in weight is equivalent to a couple of Cliff bars and a handful of trail mix.

Because my tarp was taped (advantage= no leaking at stich holes), rather than sewn, it was suceptible to the the adhesive softening in the sun and pulling apart. This was a problem I learned about early and avoided by deploying the tarp only later in the evening. Not that it would be useful in the sun anyway. It was useless as shade. We frequently use the rainfly only of our Tarptent for midday breaks as a shady place for the kids and when solo I do the same with my hammock and Silnylon tarps.

I did not have any durability issues with my CF tarp but, I have heard some who use the ZPacks CF pack liners have noticed the development of tiny, pin-sized holes after extended use. I also use CF packliners and CFood bags but have noticed no pin-sized holes. However, I confess, I am not a long trail through hiker.

The most desirable feature of the CF for me was the ability to shake of rain prior to packing. With my tarps, it really doesn't matter too much, I rolled them in snake skins and stuff them. I do, however, find packing wet silnylon tents unpleasant.

Rain- I enjoy a soft rain shower in the woods. It really is one of my favorite experiences. Beneath a silnylon tarp in porch mode, I could watch the rain fall all day. There is no peace beneath a CF tarp in the rain. Even the lightest sprinkle sounds like a snare drum to my aging ears.

Those are my experiences.

Good Luck
 
09/03/2018 02:57PM  
You'll be interested in this blog entry I came across a while back about Big Agnes' plans for 2019.


And thanks, Dave, for the comparative review of your experiences with the material in different applications.
 
HappyHuskies
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09/03/2018 03:09PM  
Interesting thread. I'll be following to see what experiences others have had.

The Big Agnes tent is very light, but I have to wonder how the .34 oz Dyneema will hold up in the fly. May be just fine, but seems to be lighter fabric than what others are currently using. I know that Zpacks used to sell their Pocket Tarp in .34 oz Dyneema, but now list it as being in .51 oz fabric.

Any idea what kind of $$$ Big Agnes is going to be asking? I'm sure it will be spendy. These things always are!

I'm not currently in the market for another shelter, but I am enough of a equipment geek to be interested in new offerings.
 
billconner
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09/03/2018 06:56PM  
Thanks boonie. I think of tarp tent as being larger than the niche makers but maybe not. And now Big Agnes. Bodes well for more options.
 
09/03/2018 07:42PM  
OCDave, thank you for the response! As I use a tarp as much for sunscreen, and setup TIGHT it explained much.

Example of cuben fiber tent marketing failure is the Easton Si2 Cuben. Very interesting but not a success.

butthead
 
billconner
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09/08/2018 08:04AM  
Another person's not so flattering views on Dyneema tents.

Article
 
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