The Zpacks Offset Solo Tent is a castle of a one-man tent at just 19.3 oz. This tent has recently been discontinued and replaced with the newer Pivot Solo Tent. While the Pivot Solo does share some design features with the Offset Solo, they’re still distinct tents. The Pivot Solo also shares some similarities with the Zpacks Duplex Lite. I won’t be comparing those tents here because I don’t have personal experience with them. If you want to make your own comparison, head over to Zpacks’ website and check them out, or check out our recent review of the Zpacks Duplex Light tent.
I elected to go with the thicker 0.75 oz Dyneema material for this tent in the Burnt Orange color. The standard material for the canopy is 0.55 oz Dyneema. Since this was a tent I planned to use in the backcountry, I felt the stronger (but heavier) 0.75 oz Dyneema would give me more durability over the long term.
This 0.75 oz Dyneema boasts almost double the tensile strength, puncture strength, and water resistance of the 0.55 oz Dyneema. That added reliability only adds 1.8 oz to the total weight of the tent. Whether you go with the 0.75 oz or the 0.55 oz, the bathtub floor material is a 1.0 oz Dyneema Composite.
Make sure to check out our other gear reviews and the Backwoods Pursuit YouTube Channel to help you decide what gear will help you stay out in the field longer!
A big part of my decision to go with the heavier material was that Chris Young (my hunting partner and fellow Backwoods Pursuit contributor) was going to be evaluating the Zpacks Offset Duo tent in the 0.55 oz material. It made for a good comparison to have the different materials in the same situations. See his review of the Offset Duo here.
I tested this Zpacks Offset Solo tent over the course of two years and put it through rain, sleet, snow, wind, and dust. Is it the perfect tent for a solo backpack hunter? Keep reading and you’ll find out my opinion.
Zpacks Offset Solo Tent Specs
As noted above, the Zpacks Offset Solo boasts some impressive specs for the ounce counter who still wants some livable space in their ultralight tent.
| Zpacks Offset Solo Tent Specs | |
|---|---|
| Weight (excluding poles/stakes) | 19.4 oz |
| Weight (with Zpacks Carbon poles/stakes) | 1 lb 13.5 oz |
| Peak Height | 48″ |
| Interior Area | 31.4 sq ft |
| Interior Length | 7.5ft (94″) |
| Interior Width (tapered) | 50″ – 44″ |
| Zipper Height | 40″ |
| Vestibule depth | 18″ |
| Packed Size | 7″x13″ |
| Exterior width | 86″ |
| Exterior length | 100″ |
| Stakes Needed | 7-8 |
- Weight (excluding poles/stakes): 19.3 oz
- Weight (w/2 Zpacks Carbon 48” poles/stakes/repair kit/foot pole): 1 lb 12.7 oz
- Peak Height: 48″
- Interior Area: 23.5 sq ft
- Interior Length: 7.5 ft (94″)
- Interior Width (tapered): 36″–32″
- Zipper Height: 40″
- Vestibule Depth: 18″ on each side (6.25 sq ft)
- Packed Size: 7″ x 13″
- Exterior Width: 72″
- Exterior Length: 100″
- Stakes Needed: 7–8 (not included)
Zpacks Offset Solo Tent Features
The Zpacks Offset Solo comes standard with taped seams and Dyneema Composite Fabric. This fabric is one of the lightest and strongest fabrics on the market, and it has become the go-to choice for anyone looking to cut ounces without sacrificing strength. The fully enclosed interior is comprised of ultralight insect netting that keeps out even the smallest crawling critter.
The Zpacks Offset Solo can be set up using two standard trekking poles, sticks cut to 48” in length, or with two ultralight carbon tent poles sold by Zpacks. The tent peak is “offset” toward the head of the sleeper, which gives you ample headroom. To combat the steeper angle at the foot end of the tent, Zpacks includes a 32” carbon pole that inserts into two integrated cups at the foot of the tent. This pulls the foot area up and away from your feet, giving you added room.
The Zpacks Offset Solo tent has two entryways, and each vestibule side of the tent is identical, so you can enter and exit from either side. The entry into the main enclosed area is wide, and the zipper forms a large L shape. After using some upside-down U-shaped entry zippered doors, I can appreciate the simplicity of the L-shaped design. If you need to get in and out, you can open it wide. If you just need to grab something small in the vestibule, you can open it only partway so you don’t let in bugs.
The smaller 39” x 100” corner-to-corner exterior footprint (not including vestibules) allowed me to pitch this tent in some tight spots under trees and on top of ridges. The vestibule storm door rolls up tightly and is secured out of the way by a magnetic toggle, as do the mesh entryways.
The tent requires seven stakes, but I found pitching it with the optional eighth stake makes for a tighter pitch and helps it feel more secure in the wind. The Zpacks Offset Solo tent pitches with roughly four inches of clearance around the bottom of the tent. This creates ample airflow and keeps condensation extremely minimal, if not nonexistent.
Even if condensation does form on the upper portion of the tent, the exterior tarp overhangs the bathtub floor by three inches. This creates an overhang that allows condensation to roll down the tent walls and out the ends of the tent instead of ending up inside the bathtub floor. There is also a peak vent on either side of the tent near the poles.
The bathtub has 6” high walls to protect the interior from water splashing inside. The interior footprint is tapered from 36” at the head and torso down to 32” at the feet. The interior length is 94” (7’10”), which leaves plenty of room for even the tallest person. The Zpacks Offset Solo feels more like a two-person tent than a one-person tent—and this tent is MADE IN THE USA.
Pitch and Setup: Zpacks Offset Solo Tent
The Offset Solo, with its rectangular footprint, is easy to set up. The hardest part is figuring out which end is the head end. There have been a couple times I started pitching it with the head end the wrong way and had to turn it around. I decided to go with the two Zpacks 48” carbon poles and the Zpacks 6” Sonic Stakes.
I went with the extra poles because I always take my trekking poles with me when I hunt from a spike camp. With the addition of the carbon poles, I could leave my tent pitched and not have to leave my trekking poles in camp.
With the four corners of the tent staked loosely (with the stakes at a 45-degree angle from the corner), you can insert the carbon poles on each side. Make sure the storm doors are unzipped when you insert the poles. After that, stake down the vestibules, followed by the head, and finally the foot pole. The vestibule staking location has two separate guyline tensioners. The lower one tightens the bottom portion of the vestibule, keeping it pulled away from the mesh inner. The upper tensioner tightens the ridgeline of the tent.
What I Liked: Zpacks Offset Solo Tent Review
The Zpacks Offset Solo tent is by far the roomiest solo tent I have ever used. The massive interior gives you plenty of room to sit up and get dressed, and the Offset Solo will not leave you feeling like you’re in a coffin. I used a 20” wide sleeping pad most of the time, and I still had enough room to bring in all the gear that wouldn’t fit in the vestibules. You can really make yourself at home in this tent.
This was my first Dyneema tent, but it will not be my last. One of the best things I found about this material is that it will not stretch when it gets wet. The strength and weight of the Dyneema material are impressive. I even made a bonehead mistake and forgot to roll up the tent with the stakes and poles removed, leaving me to slide them alongside the tent and stuff sack once the tent was already inside. This would have likely punctured a lesser material, but the Dyneema came through undamaged.
The Zpacks Offset Solo tent, having a sewn-in bathtub floor and mesh walls, made setup and take down easy, not having to attach a mesh inner to an exterior fabric. I call this kind of a tent a “wall and a half.” It’s not a true double-wall tent, but it’s not a single-wall either. There was rarely condensation in this tent unless it was a humid night in a humid location near a body of water. Even with a little condensation under those conditions, the tent dried quickly because of the amount of airflow it gets from all sides.
Setup of this tent was easy and does not take a lot of time or a good handle on geometry to be able to set up correctly. The L-shaped doors made it easy to get in and out, and the magnetic toggles made rolling and unrolling the doors a breeze.
The extra tent poles worked well and were able to pack down small. This kept my trekking poles in the game for the hunt. The massive amount of headroom that the Offset creates keeps the head wall away from your face.
- Super roomy interior + big headroom
- Fits pad + extra gear inside easily
- Strong Dyneema that won’t stretch when wet
- Sewn-in floor makes setup simple
- Great airflow = very low condensation
- Fast, easy pitch
- L-shaped doors + magnetic toggles work great
- Carbon poles pack small and save trekking poles
What I didn’t Like: Zpacks Offset Solo Tent Review
With the insane amount of airflow from under the Zpacks Offset Solo tent come some downsides. I often found myself in very windy conditions (20–30 mph winds), which gave me some challenges. There is no real way to pitch this tent lower to the ground. In early spring, when bear hunting, the temperatures are often very cold, and not being able to keep that cold wind from entering the tent can get annoying. With that wind, it also brought dust and rain.
The vestibules were a point of contention with Chris when he reviewed the two-person tent. While I also did not care for the smaller vestibules, I was not sharing the vestibules with another person (since this was a single-person tent). I was so used to smaller interior tents that I tried putting too much gear in the vestibule at first. Once I realized how much room there was inside the tent, I started bringing more gear inside. Even with that, the vestibules are barely big enough to keep your rifle out of the weather.
The biggest downside to a Dyneema tent is the price. Although not crazy, the $649.99 price tag for this tent could turn some people away. That’s the nature of the beast when you start trying to cut ounces—you are going to pay for it. But you get what you pay for with this tent.
- Tons of airflow can be a downside in cold, windy conditions
- Hard to pitch the tent lower to block wind
- Wind can blow dust and rain into the tent
- Vestibules feel small, even for a solo tent
- Barely enough vestibule space to keep a rifle protected
- Dyneema performance is great, but the $649.99 price tag is tough for some
Final Thoughts: Zpacks Offset Solo Review
This tent is worth every penny. Even with the issues I had with the airflow under the tent, I would just be more selective about when I take it hunting. If I’m expecting serious weather, I’ll take a different tent. If you’re looking for something strong, light, easy to pitch, and compact in footprint while still giving you ample room inside, the Zpacks Offset Solo is your tent.
Even with the Zpacks Offset Solo being discontinued, you can still find it out in the wild if you take the time to look. This is a well-built tent worth every penny for what you get out of the Zpacks Offset Solo.
Is it the best all-around tent for backcountry hunting? I would say no. Is it a tent that fits a need for me and my hunting style? Absolutely. Just know the limitations of the tent and enjoy the features it brings to the table.
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