Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 vs Zpacks Duplex
Two shelters, measured against each other on the figures that decide whether they work on a bike.
The short answer
The Tiger Wall UL2 takes pitching on hard ground, floor space and price; the Duplex takes weight and headroom. On a bike the pole set usually decides it before the rest do.
Assembled from the differences below rather than written over them. Every figure is a published measurement or computed from one — nobody here has used either one.
Where they differ
7 of the 7 things we can measure come out differently.
Poles to carry
the Duplex has no pole set at all, the Tiger Wall UL2 doesA trekking-pole shelter has nothing to fit across your bars, which removes the constraint entirely — but you then need poles from somewhere, strapped to the frame or bought separately. It is a different problem, not a smaller one.
Minimum weight
488g lighter on the DuplexTrail weight where the maker publishes one — fly, inner and poles, without the stuff sacks or the footprint. Worth reading against the pole length rather than instead of it: a Bikepack edition is usually a few grams heavier for shorter poles.
Construction
Tiger Wall UL2 is double wall, Duplex is singleA double wall puts a gap between you and the condensation; a single wall saves the weight of the second layer and puts the condensation on the inside of your shelter. Which is right depends on where you sleep, not on which is better.
Pitching
Tiger Wall UL2 needs less from the groundFreestanding matters on a bike trip more than on a hike: gravel bars, wooden platforms and hardpack are where you end up when you are following a road, and none of them take a stake.
Floor area
0.26m² more floor in the Tiger Wall UL2Inner length by inner width as published. On a bike trip the floor also has to take whatever you brought inside off the bike, so a few centimetres is not nothing.
Peak height
23cm more headroom in the DuplexWhether you can sit up, which decides how a rained-out afternoon goes.
Price
$319 between themAs we hold it. Shelter prices move more than most gear, so check before you commit.
Side by side
Including the rows where they are level.
| Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 | Zpacks Duplex | |
|---|---|---|
| Poles to carry | 457mm folded | None — trekking-pole shelter |
| Minimum weight | 992g | 504g |
| Construction | double wall | single wall |
| Pitching | semi | Needs stakes |
| Floor area | 218 × 132cm — 2.89m² | 230 × 114cm — 2.62m² |
| Peak height | 99cm | 122cm |
| Price | $380 | $699 |