Luxe Sil-Hexpeak- First pitch (Successfully!)

[Podcast Bob]

When we first started this business I too couldn't understand why all the US tents were 'Seam seal yourself' and ours weren't. But as Heinz rightly comments its all about the materials used and more importantly how the fabric is put together.

I've now had the Hex Peak up for over a week and the recent Trail Peak (the bigger version of the Mini Peak made in PU coated) up for 2 days in this current pouring rain. (At least something good has come out of this miserable weather) Both without any seam sealing and both are completely dry.

A few customers have also done the same with their Hex Peaks, before considering seam sealing aspect and they too have found the shelters to be dry as a bone.

The negative side of seam sealing is that, when done quickly, it looks terrible. Just like spoon carving you have to take your time and it pays off long term.

I'm sure most people would understand with Michael at Luxe is working flat out with these products and slipping in his small production runs in between the larger runs at the factories who also make products for, shall we say, well known brands. So there is valued input from them too in the development and experience of materials used.

Certainly PU Coated material is easier to fix and repair than Siliconized and I find the latter needs a good wipe in the morning to reduce the weight of the dew or rain drops. No matter the manufacturer.

If people are able to visit us on April 26th, all these tents will be on display and we are looking at attending the Bushcraft Show in Derby, possibly the Bushmoot if we can for one day and then if practical, the Wilderness Gathering.

 

[widu13]

Widu, if you want to get rid of yours for a reasonable price...???

Regards
Heinz

LOL, not until I've had the chance to give it a try in "normal" weather. I WANT to like this tent!

 

[Moosemap]

Bob, as you have now seen the new Trailpeak for real, how would you compare it to the MiniPeak considering room to move and headroom?

I am more used to bigger tents with more or less standing height (Tentipi 5, 4 person campfire tent, Wild Country Etesian 4), but I am thinking about switching to tents with a bit less weight and pack space. I prefer a large inner tent, with room to store my gear, and a significant vestibule to shed wet clothing and boots.

Do you have some pics of it, that are not advertising but just to show the real size? In the official data sheet by Luxe, which you also show on your site in part, there is a pic of the inner that seems to me more a pic of the Mega Horn...

@Widu: I can understand, as it seems there are a lot of things to like with this tent... hope you succeed

Kind regards,
Heinz

 

[Podcast Bob]

No I don't have any Trailpeak images as yet, as it is still raining here, but it is still up currently being rain tested.

It is significantly taller and larger internally than the Mini Peak, with what I would class as lots of space in the inner tent for 2 people with gear either side of the pole.

The vestibules aren't very large though. Big enough for boots maybe and a small pack, but you certainly don't have lots of space there for extra items. Maybe if you pulled one side of the door open and supported it with a pole or stick you would have a dry area to cook under. But as both vestibules stand currently they are not what I would class as generous.

What I did notice today checking it again after last nights heavy rainfall is that the angle of the door means that you need to pull back the floor slightly so that rain doesn't fall directly in. Very similar (but not as bad) as the SL3/WickUp3. Actually it is much easier too as the inner cord just slides over the outer pegs.

Again, once the weather improves enough I'll be making videos of this one and the Hex Peak. Surely it will stop raining and dry out soon?

 

[Moosemap]

Thank you Bob, for the reply. Does the Trailpeak have a loop on top similar to the Hexpeak where one could hang the tent using a configuration like Florian in his video?

 

[Podcast Bob]

Sadly no it doesn't.

It is much bigger inside than the Mini Peak though. Probably as much if not more than the Hex/ShangriLa in some ways.

Again I'm sorry for the delay, but this bloody weather has stopped videos and photos for the time being.

 

[widu13]

Success!

Hi All,

I've now had chance to put the tent up without the wind and the rain. I'll give you an update and mini review of my findings. This is an honest review warts and all. I'm not a trader just a bloke who owns a Mini Peak, coveted a Sil Mini Peak and was an early adopter for the Sil Hex Peak. Weights and dimensions have been talked about all over the forum and the 'net already.

Firstly I had to rethread all but 2 of the line locks- they were threaded upside down, so that the cord didn't have anything to grip against. I suspect my tent was a practice tent for new guys in the factory as I had initially spotted that the inner tent had dry loose dirt/dust on it (like you get on a factory floor) and when I (attempted to) put it up for the first time the flysheet was the same. No dramas really just I think it's worth mentioning.

Today was just to put the tent up and not to sleep out in it. I'll compare it to the Mini Peak that I have as I go along. The spot I chose wasn't quite level, but there again neither are the South Downs! Oh, and I forgot my walking pole so had to fashion one.

Successful Pitch

As I mentioned before there are two short sides (about 4' long) and the other sides are longer (about 5') but there are 3 pegging points on the "short" sides and only 2 on the "long" sides. This is because the inner attaches to the extra pegging point on the short side. I would have preferred equal sized sides and pegging points. The longer sides suffered badly in the wind last time gusting inwards quite a way; so much so that I didn't bother with the inner on that occasion.

Just to prove it wasn't quite level you can see if that if I had attached guy lines there would have been a fair bit of tensioning to do. This affected the inner/flysheet spacing, so that's not a fault of the tent it's mine.



Two way door zip and door fastening




Door hold open fastening which threads through a guying point



There isn't as much room as a Mini Peak but the difference is quite small. If you imagine a long rectangle and chop the the corners off on one side, that's the space you "lose". In reality any one and even two person lightweight tent users will find this palatial!



Air gaps between fly and inner. Bear in mind it wasn't pitched quite right.




Now, the Mini Peak takes my Downmat 9DLX, whereas the Hex Peak will not; but once you are lying on a standard width mat there is a significant amount of room remaining in the "bell" area. The dog would fit in there if it was really cold and blowy, otherwise it's a great admin area. 1 litre Nalgene and ESS for scale!

Despite what has been said elsewhere I find the slope of the inner fairly restrictive on a 7 or 9cm deep mat. Anyone over 5'10" will be getting up close and personal with the side walls/netting. Obviously with lesser depth mats the issue reduces. The space shown is with me comfortably laid out. I'm wide!



Without me in there:



From my unsuccessful pitch, the pegging points had been threaded upside down and I had simply tied them off t0 attempt the pitch, they work absolutely fine now re-threaded but it did cause a significant amount of wear on the cord. (Very easily replaced)



Time for a brew before the rest of the dog walk:



Conclusion

Versus the Mini Peak it is slightly less spacious in the vestibule, but this is recouped with inner tent space. It takes a minute or so longer than the MP to put up as it has more pegging points. You will still be out of the rain in 2 mins! With the guys it needs a lot of pegs! I haven't shown the pegs but they are ali 6" V pegs weighing 8g each. They are better designed than the MPs same length Y beams as they dig into the ground an extra inch due to the design. Extra pegs for the guys are NOT included.

What may have been better would have been to have the bottom 2-3" of the fly as a straight side wall like the sil MP and mirror that extra height on the inner to obtain more inner space; but TBH it's a minor point. Build quality is good, I would say better than my MP. If I were buying from scratch which would I buy? I usually solo but both would accommodate an extra person in the vestibule, so no difference there. I would probably say the Sil Hex Peak due to the space in the inner tent. Would I buy this if I were over 6'? Quite simply, no. With a 7cm or deeper mat the inner would annoy me being on my face. If I already had a MP and knew all of this already would I "upgrade"? No, I wouldn't; they really are so very similar. Having said that I'll be keeping this.

Any questions? I'll do my best to answer them.

 

[Moosemap]

Widu,

thank you for your detailed description of the Hexpeak. You say at one point that your Downmat 9 DLX would not fit into the inner. So the measurements given for the inner are at least 65x225 cm and the mat is 197x65 cm. Are the given measurements wrong? I use a Thermarest size L and 5 cm high and would not like to go back to more narrow mats. Thank god I am only 5'9, so I will fit lengthwise...

ATB
Heinz

 

[widu13]

I must stress that I haven't used Downmat 9 DLX in it yet, but it was a tight fit in the MP and the tightest points of the HP would be too tight (I think). If however you fit it centrally it may fit width wise but having tried a 5cm mat in the HP, I am convinced that any mat deeper than that will end up with the user constantly touching the inner with their head especially if a pillow is used.

This was my point when I posted initially. Luxe is a Chinese firm building to a typical Chinese body frame. Europeans tend to be larger. Some of the tents they sell will only take a person who is 5'6"! I am 5'9" with a 47" chest and big shoulders and simply cannot imagine anyone very much taller using this tent as they will be nearer the the slope of the inner and thus, as the angle narrows towards the bathtub floor less and less headroom is available meaning that the inner will be touching the user's face and feet. At the foot end this could mean brushing the flysheet and potentially leaving the sleeping user with a wet/damp sleeping bag at the foot end, especially if they are attempting to avoid the inner at the head end.

 

[ADz-1983]

You're saying there is less room in sleeping and admin area in the hex then in the mini?

Sent from my Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 4

 

[Jurassic]

That's a fair review I'd say. Regarding the length, I'm six foot exactly and I slept in my Hex on a Synmat 7 M. I had no problems with lack of length, feet or head touching the inner and I was well clear of the outer (I checked this carefully as I've had major issues in the past with a Vango Banshee 200 with exactly this problem). My sleeping bag was an Alpkit Pipedream 800 which is quite a large volume when lofted and my feet had good clearance.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[widu13]

You're saying there is less room in sleeping and admin area in the hex then in the mini?

Sent from my Galaxy Note II using Tapatalk 4

No ADz, there's more room in the sleeping area and SLIGHTLY less in the admin area.

That's a fair review I'd say. Regarding the length, I'm six foot exactly and I slept in my Hex on a Synmat 7 M. I had no problems with lack of length, feet or head touching the inner and I was well clear of the outer (I checked this carefully as I've had major issues in the past with a Vango Banshee 200 with exactly this problem). My sleeping bag was an Alpkit Pipedream 800 which is quite a large volume when lofted and my feet had good clearance.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

That's good to know, I tried my Downmat 5 lite and found that I was quite close to the inner. The bathtub itself is about 7.5cm so I was concerned that a larger depth mat would impinge on the inner. I'm unlikely to try my 9DLX until next winter now.

 

[ADz-1983]

No ADz, there's more room in the sleeping area and SLIGHTLY less in the admin area.

Ah I see, in that case its a deal breaker for me. Only reason I was thinking of getting the Hex was because I assumed it had a bigger vestibule area for same/close pack size/weight. Think I'll stick with my Sil-MP

 

[rune1974]

I have ordered a Hexpeak, and when it arrives, i have access to a wind machine(same type as used by firefighters to ventilate a building)
So if it would interest people, I can test how it handles strong wind.

 

[widu13]

Ah I see, in that case its a deal breaker for me. Only reason I was thinking of getting the Hex was because I assumed it had a bigger vestibule area for same/close pack size/weight. Think I'll stick with my Sil-MP

I think so mate. As I said; if I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have bothered upgrading.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[widu13]

I have ordered a Hexpeak, and when it arrives, i have access to a wind machine(same type as used by firefighters to ventilate a building)
So if it would interest people, I can test how it handles strong wind.

Mine went up in 40-45 mph winds. There's one review online which went even stronger!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[Jurassic]

That's good to know, I tried my Downmat 5 lite and found that I was quite close to the inner. The bathtub itself is about 7.5cm so I was concerned that a larger depth mat would impinge on the inner. I'm unlikely to try my 9DLX until next winter now.

I just looked up the dimensions of the Downmat 9 DLX and it's quite a bit bigger in ground area than my Synmat 7 M. The Synmat was a pretty good fit and there wasn't a huge amount of extra width available without encroaching into the tapered section at the rear of the inner. I think I'd struggle to fit my old Alpkit Fat Airic in there (not that I'd use that with this tent anyway). I think the Thermarest NeoAir Xlite that I've just bought as a summer mat should fit okay too.
That Downmat 9 must be the height of luxury, I thought my Synmat was comfy but that must be like sleeping in a four poster!

 

[widu13]

I just looked up the dimensions of the Downmat 9 DLX and it's quite a bit bigger in ground area than my Synmat 7 M... That Downmat 9 must be the height of luxury, I thought my Synmat was comfy but that must be like sleeping in a four poster!

It's lovely and very warm, but also heavy at 1300g. My Exped 5 Lite is 1/2 the weight and is still good for sub zero camping.

 

[Moosemap]

A lot of new pics of the Hexpeak, compared to the ShangriLa 3:

https://www.outdoorseiten.net/forum...mmt-inklusive-Innenzelt?p=1278186#post1278186

 

[widu13]

A lot of new pics of the Hexpeak, compared to the ShangriLa 3:

https://www.outdoorseiten.net/forum...mmt-inklusive-Innenzelt?p=1278186#post1278186

Nice find. You can really see the shallow angle of the roof to wall of the HP inner compared to the MP. I didn't really notice that as such, although I did notice that my head was closer to the inner. The poster of the photos (wilbert) mentions that at 1.85cm (6'1" ish) he is touching the inner at both ends on what appears to be a 10mm mat. I see that he also mentions that he would also like the bathtub floor to be 2" higher to alleviate this. However it appears to be the angle affecting the inner though, so I don't think that would help. It's just the way it is, and as a short ar$e I can live with it.