The Tarptent Dipole 1 DW is an ultralight double-wall trekking-pole tent made with silicone-coated polyester that weighs 30.35 oz. It’s a spacious tent with two doorways and two vestibules that may accommodate extensive sleeping pads or tall hikers. The benefit of utilizing a double-wall tent over a single-wall one is that inner condensation switch is a non-issue because the mesh internal tent prevents you from coming involved with moisture. In addition, you may pitch the Dipole 1 DW in pouring rain and the internal tent will stay dry. Tarptent additionally makes a single wall model made utilizing Dyneema DCF known as the Dipole 1 Li, which is analogous in kind however has a number of variations.
Specs at a Glance
- Type: Double Wall
- Weight: 30.35 oz
- Vestibules: 2
- Seam-sealing: Required (pay Tarptent to do that for you)
- Minimum Number of Stakes to Pitch: 4; Recommended: 6
- Trekking Poles: 2 (not included)
- Required Trekking Pole Length: 45-48 in / 114.3-122 cm
- Interior Height: 43 in / 109 cm
- Floor Width (tapered): 36″ (91 cm) on the ends, 28″ (71 cm) in center
- Floor Length: 84 in / 213 cm (totally useable)
- Packed measurement: 11 in x 5 in / 28 cm x 12.7 cm (foldable strut choice)
- Rainfly: 20D nano ripstop 100% silicone-coated polyester (HH 3000mm)
- Floor: 30D double ripstop 100% silicone coated nylon 66 (HH 3000mm)
- For full specs go to the Dipole 1 DW at Tarptent.com
The Dipole 1 DW is a brand new tent, simply launched this yr (2023), that’s just like the Tarptent Notch however has extra inside room and higher air flow on the head and foot ends. The Dipole 1 has two doorways and two vestibules which may be very useful in a tent, each for lined gear storage and elevated airflow. There are additionally two vents that may be opened on the head and foot finish to offer further airflow when the vestibule doorways are closed, even when it’s raining.
Being a double wall tent, the internal mesh tent and the rainfly are separable, though you may preserve them related, making it simple to arrange the tent in a single go. While the tent has two peaks, guying them out and the facet vestibules under them is, the truth is, non-obligatory, because the tent might be pitched with simply 4 stakes within the 4 corners.
However, the setup does require utilizing 4 9 in (22.8 cm) Easton Nanos tent stakes (included) with good holding energy. This might be tough in rocky soil circumstances, nevertheless. For instance, I needed to transfer the tent above 3 times to get it pitched on a campsite on the prime of a mountain as a result of the soil was too rocky and I couldn’t drive the stakes in far sufficient. The design of the tent requires very agency anchorage and getting a deep chew with the tent stakes is crucial.
The head and foot ends of the Dipole 1 DW even have exterior struts, which improve the headroom and foot room on the ends of the tent. The downside with many pyramids and A-frame tents or tarps is that your face and the tops of your toes are simply inches under the sloping ceiling, one thing that the usage of these struts addresses. Tarptent was the primary tent producer to include these struts (additionally known as PitchLocks) to lift tent ceilings a few years in the past and so they make an enormous distinction in livability.
In addition, the material on the ends of the tents might be raised and looped over the tip struts to extend inner air flow. I’ve discovered that the extra air flow they supply is enough to maintain any inner condensation at bay even when the facet vestibule doorways are shut in heavy rain.
The Dipole has two vestibule doorways with peaks and water resistant zippers. The peaks come pre-guyed out with line loc tensioners, and I stake them out of behavior. This isn’t strictly obligatory although (because the tent might be pitched with simply 4 nook stakes) which might be useful if it’s important to pitch up in a densely forested tent web site the place lengthy guylines are inconvenient. The peaks are bolstered inside and have a grommet to seize the tip of your trekking poles. You also can insert the deal with finish into the peaks if you happen to like, too.
You can roll again each vestibule doorways on one or each side of the tent for max airflow and views. The L-shaped zippers on the internal tent are mirror pictures of each other so you may choose which is less complicated to get out and in of with out having to orient the tent or flip your sleeping pad round.
Both of the vestibule doorways on both sides of the tent have magnetic tiebacks that are a lot simpler to make use of than the dowels and loops nonetheless discovered on most tents. Tarptent makes use of one guyline to stake out the height with a small plastic hook to safe the underside of one of many vestibule doorways, however not each. Unfortunately, that plastic hook is actually arduous to make use of and see and I’d suggest changing it with the double hook equipment that Zpacks sells which is each extra purposeful and visually larger distinction.
The finish struts are two 18-inch carbon fiber rods that slot into prime and backside retainers throughout setup however are detachable when packing the tent. They can be found in a hard and fast size or a collapsible folding kind with a most section size of 11 inches which makes it a lot simpler to pack the tent horizontally in a slim ultralight backpack. Women’s backpacks are additionally narrower than males’s.
The packability of those struts was a problem I raised when reviewing the Tarptent Aeon Li a number of years in the past. The struts on that tent are barely longer than 14″, which made it unimaginable to pack the tent horizontally within the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Southwest packs I used to be utilizing at the moment. I now use a Zpacks Arc Haul 60 and the Dipole 1 DW with folding struts suits horizontally inside it with none points.
The livability of the Dipole 1 DW in between the 2 vestibules and the tip struts is great. The internal mesh tent has 4 nook pockets suspended over the tub ground partitions which are nice for storing all of your necessities. There are further mitten hooks within the peaks, that are good for suspending glasses up and out of the best way, though they may be used to droop a clothesline or gear loft (bought individually).
The width of the internal mesh tent is 36″ on the ends, tapering to twenty-eight″ within the center, which is greater than sufficient area for a large 25″ sleeping pad. The size is 84″ and totally usable, making the tent appropriate for fairly tall hikers.
A stable internal tent can also be accessible as an choice and is appropriate for cooler and windier circumstances. The internal tent might be arrange by itself for insect safety utilizing trekking poles and the tip struts, as can the rain fly when a extra tarp-like configuration is desired. The rain fly can be pulled again midway to show the internal tent for star-gazing (see Tarptent.com for footage of those further configurations.)
Recommendation
The Tarptent Dipole 1 DW is a spacious double-wall trekking pole tent that’s appropriate with extensive sleeping pads and appropriate for tall hikers. It has two doorways with vestibules and struts on the ends that elevate the ceiling offering extra headroom and foot room inside. Made with siliconized polyester which resists stretching when it will get moist, the Dipole 1 DW has a 3000 mm hydrostatic head which far exceeds the waterproof ranking of most tents made with extra typical materials like nylon and polyester. Its spacious inside and top make it simple to vary garments contained in the tent and pack your gear, even when it’s raining outdoors. If you’re in search of an inexpensive and spacious double-wall trekking pole tent, appropriate for 3+ season backpacking and tenting, the Dipole 1 DW ought to positively be in your shortlist. It is a very candy tent.
Dipole 1 DW Setup Video
Disclosure: Tarptent donated a tent for overview.
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