Silex Ultralight (Dyneema®)
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OVERVIEW:
Silex - A 13,628 foot peak in the San Juan Range of mountains in Southwest Colorado.
This item is currently only offered in limited drops. Check our social media and newsletter for the next release!
The Silex UL is a large single person trekking pole tent that pitches easily with four primary stakes and has two doors and two vestibules. Sized to be large for one person with a lot of gear, you can squeeze two into the Silex sleeping on the offset instead of diagonal. With two people a nest cannot be used.
The Silex pitches very tight due to subtle catenary cuts hidden in the seams and this gives it very good performance in high winds. We recommend stout and sturdy stakes for the four corners, and if you expect rough weather pegging the additional four stake loops is a good idea.
One of our Zipperless Tents, the Silex solves some pain points associated with zippers in ultralight tents - zippers leak, zippers are heavy, and zippers wear out. Ditching the zipper improves performance in all these areas.
The Silex fills the niche of backpacking tarp, tarp tent, Dyneema® tarp, ultralight backpacking tent, trekking pole tent, and lightweight hunting tent.
We believe the Silex is a easy to pitch, easy to use, and very stormworthy shelter at ultralight weight.
Handmade in Grand Junction, CO.
To learn more about the Silex, check out Section Hiker's long term review:
Section Hiker Silex Zipperless Tent Review
FEATURES:
- Dyneema® Ct2e.08 fabric
- Pitches with two trekking poles (not included)
- Ultralight floorless tarp with excellent storm coverage
- Add optional nest to provide total bug and weather protection
- Zipperless Door Design
- Line Loc 3mm Cordage Stake Outs
- Seams are Factory Sealed
- D-rings on both peaks for additional guyout points, or to pitch with a ridgeline between trees.
SPECIFICATIONS:
- Average Weights:
- Canopy & cordage - 12 oz
- Nest - 16 oz
- Requires 4 stakes, has additional 4 stake loops plus 4 guyout points.
- Dimensions:
- Height - 50"
- 7' X 7' diamond shaped footprint
- 49 sq ft
- Dyneema® Ct2e.08 - 0.8 oz per yard, extremely lightweight, strong, and waterproof.
Nest Dimensions:
- 46" wide X 112" long
- 17.9 sqft floor area
- Tensions with linelocs at head and toe, ties to poles at sides.
- Can be pitched separate from canopy with extra cordage and stakes.
PITCHING:
Pitching the Canopy
The Silex has sides of 7 ft and a diamond shape due to catenary cuts in the central seams. This makes it very easy to pitch by eye.
The canopy requires a minimum 4 stakes and has an additional 4 stake loops for a total of 8 that can can be used in rough conditions. Guyout loops are provided for optional guylines.
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Make sure you have slack in the stakeline cordage.
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Stake one of the triple seam corners.
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Pull the other triple seam corner out taut. Use the first guyout point up from the corner as a setback point. Mark that location and insert a stake there. Place the cordage loop for the triple seam corner on that stake.
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Pull out the two doors and stake, making sure you don't pull the centerline off center (this is easy to do when staking the first door).
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Insert the poles (make sure to use the pole handle keepers)
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Check tension and adjust stakes as necessary.
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Drive the stakes home and tension the stakeline cordage as necessary.
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Stake out the guyouts and guyline if needed.
Tips:
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The Silex can be pitched with as few as four stakes. If you expect rough weather, use beefy, sturdy stakes for these four (such as our Twisted Stakes), and fill in the other stake loops as needed.
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In high winds you can dedicate the downwind door for entry and exit and stake out the upwind door.
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You can double stake the primary stake positions easily by using a short piece of cordage with loops on both ends. Run this cordage through the stakeline loop, then stake both loops. The stakeline will look like a “Y” if you do this correctly.
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A Tautline Hitch tied on the ends of the vestibule guylines isn’t necessary, but handy to add tension. The same goes for guylines on the sides. Read “Knots You Should Know” on our website to learn this and other useful knots.
Pitching the Nest
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The nest attaches with linelocs and cordage at the head and foot.
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The middle has toggle and loops at the top and keepers at the bottom that can be connected to the bottom of the poles.
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To pitch the nest and canopy as one, leave the head and foot and top of the middle connected, but with some slack in the lines. Pitch the canopy first, then tension the nest and tie out the middle.
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The nest can be pitched without the canopy. Stake the head and foot and middle bottom, then use cordage and extra stakes to pull the top middle up with your trekking poles.
COMES WITH:
- Shelter canopy
- Cordage (Doors, Primary Stakeouts)
- Stakes
- Stuff Sack
- Does not come with poles. This shelter is intended to pitch with two 130 to 140 cm trekking poles.
FAQ:
What are the differences in the Eolus and Silex?- The Eolus is better for sleeping two people. The Eolus has more built in ventilation and can handle condensation slightly better (though the Silex does outstanding when pitched with taller 140 cm poles). The Silex door opens taller due to its' geometry. The Silex pitches tighter to the ground.
- The steep door angle can place the pipe close to the fabric at the top of the door. The lower melting temp of dyneema we feel can create a problem here where silnylon won't have an issue.
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