Locus Gear Djedi Tent Review: 1 Year of Ultralight Backpacking, Camping, & Climbing Trips

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The search that brought me to this tent began with my purchase of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Ultamid 4, a tent I’ve been thoroughly happy with, and for which I also did a review. It was my first Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) tent, and it won me over. I was thrilled with the four-season workability (read/watch the review for more on how to make that tent work in four season). I loved getting my entire family’s shelter packed in for just a few pounds. I was impressed with the weather resistance. I found it stood up well to the abuse of a family with young kids. I found it stood up well to the abuse I would give it on my own trips.

I was sold on DCF.

But a pyramid tent is not free standing. That can be a real limitation on the kinds of alpine climbs I do. Strong winds, with no trees to block them when I’m above tree line, are a real threat. And a four person pyramid tent takes up a lot of floor space. That can also be a limitation when tucked into the side of a mountain or finding a perch on the spine of a ridge.

So, I began looking for a dome tent made of DCF. Dome tents are more stable under heavy winds and big snow loads.

And no one made any. At least, I couldn’t find any at US retailers. (That has very recently changed with Samaya tents becoming available). That took my on a hunt through articles about the issues with dyneema and dome designs. What it came down to was two problems. First, is the lack of stretch in dyneema; that makes it hard to manufacture a tent that has to form a completely closed dome; everything has to fit together just perfectly around the poles, and poles have slight variations in length. The second problem was more existential to dyneema as a fabric when creating a barrier that closes the occupant off from the world, completely sealed. Dyneema is naturally very weather proof and therefore not very breathable. Lack of breathability in a tent means condensation build up on the inside of the then in cold temperatures.

Reading about these problems lead me to reading about a company that believed that had solved them. Locus Gear had worked to develop a combination of DCF and eVent to solve the breathability problem. And they individually manufactured each tent to make sure that it was custom cut to fit around its poles.

This, of course, is not without its downsides. The first being the price. Hand made on each order comes at the high price point you would expect for that. And if a pole breaks, you need to get a new pole and have it cut to the precise size of your previous pole (there are services that do this).

So, those are the downsides.

The upsides are huge. A single wall tent that doesn’t have massive condensation problems in the cold and which is incredibly light due to it being just that single wall as well as keeping all the weight advantages that come with DCF.

Now, like a say in the review, I wouldn’t categorize this tent as “bomb proof.” But it is ideal for fast and light missions in everything except the most extreme conditions. And it is also great for extended backpacking trips when terrain and ground-surface changes may make a free standing tent an attractive option or if you are expecting harsh weather with the potential to compromise any non-free-standing shelter options.

You can read more about the performance and technical specifications (which I discuss in the video) of this incredible tent by visiting the Locus Gear website.