What is an Essentialist?
Essentialists travel simply and only take essential equipment with them on their endeavors. An essentialist ensures that those few items he/she chooses to take are as versatile, robust, and effective as they can possibly be.
Materials
✅ [7.5 yds] 0.51 oz Dyneema Composite Fabric (RSBTR)
✅ [0.5 yd] 2.92 oz Dyneema Composite Fabric Hybrid (RSBTR)
✅ [432 in]1” Single Side DCF Seam Tape (RSBTR)
✅ [3 yds] 1” Double Sided DCF Seam Tape (RSBTR)
✅ [8] Lineloc V Line Adjusters (can’t recommend these because they wear out too quickly)
✅ [5 ft] #3 YKK Uretek Coil Zipper (RSBTR)
✅ [2] #3 Double YKK Coil Sliders (RSBTR)
✅ [20 ft] 1.3 mm Z-Line (Zpacks)
✅ [1 yd] Transfer Tape (Amazon)
✅ [1 yd] 1/2" Webbing (RSBTR)
What is the Essentialist Tent?
The Essentialist Tent is a 1 person asymmetrical pyramid tent with an extremely stout, versitle, and ergonomic design that's optimized to strike the greatest balance between fabric usage, interior space, and stability.
You may already be familiar with the benefits of the simple 4 sided pyramid tent. Their sleek, rigid structure allows them to hold up very well in high winds, handle moderate snowloads, and provide 360 degree protection from the elements. Single pole, 1 person, variations of the pyramid tent with pentagon or hexagon shaped footprints are popular alternatives to the 4 sided pyramid with similar benefits BUT they require more stakes, their footprints don't fit a person as well as a simple rectangle does, they generally don't sit flush with the ground as well, and they generally don't have deep catenary curves to provide extra rigidity.
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Honestly, for most hikers, I really don’t think tent design matters that much. It's completely personal preference. BUT, for the person that’s looking for the simplest option to take (almost) anywhere and do (almost) anything, the pyramid tent might just be the best option.
The traditional pyramid or rectangular pyramid does have one big drawback though, especially if it's used as a one person tent. The peak of the tent is right above the center of the footprint. This means that your trekking pole goes right through the center of your living space. It also means when you open your tent door in the rain, a significant portion of your tent will get rained on.
An asymmetrical pyramid solves both of these issues. It’s simply a pyramid tent that’s built with the peak of the pyramid off-center. With the Essentialist Tent, 74% of the footprint is behind the peak and 26% of the footprint is in front of the peak. An asymmetrical design causes the front wall of the tent to be at a very high angle which makes the tent's living space much more usable and comfortable. Compared to a "regular" pyramid tent, an asymmetrircal desin boosts ergonomics, minimizes weight, and maximizes functionality.
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Size
Most ultralight tent manufacturers design their 1 person tents to be as small as possible, which makes sense. It cuts down on weight and material use. In most conditions, a tight fitting tent is tolerable. You'll brush up against the wet tent wall every once in a while but it's really not a big deal. The problem is, when you're in situations when you need to pitch the tent close to the ground, you're usually rubbing up against the walls of the tent A LOT, especially if you're average or above average in height, or if you use a thick sleeping pad. This will get your insulation wet, it'll probably make you feel claustrophobic, and it’ll make for some long nights, especially when its storming outside.
At roughly 113 inches long, 63 inches wide, and 53 inches tall, the Essentialist Tent is just slightly larger than most ultralight one person tents on the market right now. For comparison, the Zpacks Altaplex, a similar tent that's marketed towards tall hikers is 13 inches shorter (at your head and feet) than the Essentialist Tent.
The Essentialist Tent is by no means a palace but it's added size makes it MUCH more practical for use in harsh conditions.
Construction
It's important to understand that if you're gonna use the video tutorial to help make your own tent, none of my directions need to be or should be followed 100%. Use materials and construction techniques that fit your needs best. I designed the Essentialist Tent to be super rugged, storm worthy, and lightweight but obviously the materials and the construction techniques you use to build your tent will ultimately determine its strength and weight.
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Fabric
If you’re looking to use the best possible tent fabric, Dyneema Composite Fabric is an obvious choice. It’s by far the lightest option, it doesn’t stretch, and it doesn’t absorb water. Besides it being very expensive, the only drawback that DCF has is it is less resistant to abrasion compared to nylon and polyester fabrics.
In the video above I built an Essentialist Tent using 0.51 oz DCF. I think for most hikers, the .51 is a good weight to use but you just need to be VERY careful if you plan on using this fabric in extreme conditions. I’ve been able to test my 0.51 oz DCF Essentialist Tent in wind ranging from 0-50 MPH. I think that 30 MPH wind is really the highest I can comfortably pitch my tent it. In high winds, all of the areas on the fabric that have been sightly abraded will start to tear. My tent now has a few patches on it from testing in high wind. Obviously, campsite selection is very important when you’re using tents with extremely light fabrics. In the future, I plan on building a bombproof Essentialist Tent out of 1 oz DCF.
Using the Essentialist Tent
- Just like with any other shelter, never pitch the tent with the front panel (the doors) facing into the wind. Strong winds will put too much strain on the zipper, your tents interior will get wet if its raining or snowing, and the high angled front panel will catch the wind like a sail. Also, the guy line at the peak is there to tension the back of the tent, not the front.
- If you’re having trouble getting the tent to pitch nicely, your guy lines might be too short. When you’re pitching the tent for the first few times, play around with the angles of the guy lines.
- Keep in mind that the closer you pitch the tent to the ground, the more condensation will form on your tent walls.
- If you need to pitch the tent in a place with a lot of drifting snow, make sure you find a spot (or carve out a spot) that is completely flat. Uneven ground will prevent the tent from sitting 100% flush with the ground.