ZEROGRAM Thru Hiker 1p ZEROBONE / EL CHALTEN ZEROBONE 1.5P Review Two double wall tents that hold modern comfort and subtle personality.
Written by Yasushi Hisatomi
A high-quality tent from Korea to travel to the world, keeping the trends firmly in place and showing off its unique personality.
Korea is another outdoor powerhouse with an outdoor industry just as thriving as Japan's. There are many high quality and unique Korean-style outdoor brands, including poles and camping equipment DAC (Helinox), KOVEA, combustion equipment, and BLACKYAK, high-end apparel, but among them, ZEROGRM is one of the brands that I have been secretly paying attention to for a long time.
When I first saw it at TOAD (Trail Open Air Demo) 3 about six years ago, I thought it was a small garage brand, but I remember being amazed at the high quality of the quality, which is so sophisticated that it is no match for the authentic UL brand, such as its smart UL tents and surprisingly light and puffy sleeping bags.
This time, I was given the opportunity to freely review their latest tents, the Thru Hiker 1p ZEROBONE and the EL CHALTEN ZEROBONE 1.5P , so I'll start by summarizing what I learned after actually using them.
table of contents
ZEROGRAM Thru Hiker 1p ZEROBONE
This is my favorite
- Easy and quick setup
- Convenient frontal ventral
- Monofilament inner tent that is less likely to condense
- Spacious headspace clearance for a single person tent
- The fly is tightly slender to the ground, making it highly weather-resistant
- Comfort and ease of use, with attention to detail
I'm curious about this
- The side vestibule is a little narrow
- The inner tent hanging on the fly tends to slack slightly when you put your luggage in the indoor pouch.
- The difficulty of setting up in areas where peg-down is difficult, which can be said for all non-independent tents
Main Specifications and ratings
| item | Specifications and ratings |
|---|---|
| Number of people to sleep | 1 person |
| weight |
|
| Fry material | 15D N/R silicone/PU coated |
| Inner (Floor) Material |
|
| pole | ZERO-BONE UL (Geographic Min) |
| Dimensions and area |
|
| Number of doors | 1 |
| Storage size | 14(L) x 14(W) x 39(H)cm |
| Floor area | Approx. 1.6 m2 |
| accessories |
|
| Living comfort | ★★★★☆ |
| Ease of setup and removal | ★★★★★ |
| Weather Resistant | ★★★★☆ |
| Durability | ★★★☆☆ |
| weight | ★★★★☆ |
| Portability | ★★★★☆ |
| Versatility | ★★★☆☆ |
Detailed review
1: Easy and quick setup
Above all, the best thing about Thru Hiker Normally, it would be fine if it was a single-wall tent or shelter with a single-layer wall, but if it was a full-scale double-wall tent with two layers of walls (and with footprints), like this tent, first lay out a footprint, build an inner tent, and cover the fly over it, which would make it a lot of effort to set up.
Therefore, this model allows the fly, inner tent, and even the footprint to be integrated in advance, and the pole is also designed to simply hook the outer hook, making it possible to set up in a flash with just one effort. The video below (before that) shows me trying to build it at a slow pace, as I had only built it a few times. Still, I was able to set it up easily in less than three minutes net. If you get used to it, I think it will take about 2 minutes to build it.
Moreover, since it is integrated, there is no misfortune in setting up in the rain, such that the inner tent gets wet before plunging the fly, so it is not only simple but also safe. Once you get used to this kind of smart construction, an inner/fly separate tent will feel a bit lazy.
2: Monofilament inner tent that is less likely to condense
It has been familiar to ZEROGRAM tents for some time, but the inner tent made of "monofilament" fabric that looks like a normal mesh at first glance or is like an extremely thin fabric is exquisitely nice.
Basically, it is a semi-transparent and well-ventilated mesh, but unlike regular mesh, the fabric has permanent water repellency, so it does not store any moisture.
As in the spray bottle experiment video below, the moisture that has adhered will fall off by falling off the force of gravity. The barely remaining water droplets will usually fall off if you shake it a little. *The tent we tested was an EL CHALTEN ZEROBONE 1.5P.
If it does not absorb water, it won't get wet and heavy even if it rains, and even if condensation occurs, it is unlikely to remain as water droplets, making it difficult to get stuck on the inside wall. It was originally a double wall, but condensation did not occur on the inner layer just by sleeping on a sunny day (of course, there was a slight condensation on the back of the fly, as shown in the photo below).
3: Spacious headspace clearance for a single person tent
Thru Hiker has taken into consideration the recent trends such as "balance between lightness and comfort" rather than "it's just too light!", and shows that it has a light attitude that does not compromise on living comfort. One of these is that the headspace is sufficiently cleared for a single-person tent.
This is because the structure in which two short poles intersect with long vertical poles creates a larger space than the head space (photo below). The ridge pole (horizontal pole) that passes through the top of the vertical pole makes it more tense than the previous model, expanding the space at the top, making it even more comfortable.
The slightly curved ridge pole balances tension and wind resistance.
Another evolution from the previous model was the fact that there were two lantern loops on the ceiling. In the photo below, we have two loops that allow you to hang various things through thin drawings.
By the way, even me, it's 176cm tall.
4: Convenient frontal ventral
The unique feature is that a second vestibule is located just in the head inside the tent, which would normally be dead space (photo below). You can store shoes, ingredients, cooking sets, and not-so-large backpacks (up to around 40L) etc.
5: The fly is tightly slender to the ground, making it highly weather-resistant
With the increased headspace, the side walls are slightly steeper (easy to the effect of wind), but on the other hand, the overall size is stable and does not easily resist wind resistance, and the fly can be reinforced thoroughly with a guinea line, and the fly can be closed to the ground to avoid any concerns about weather resistance.
6: Comfort and ease of use, with attention to detail
With parts that have been improved from the previous model, the simple lightness has been added to the idea of making it even more comfortable and easy to use. For example, the ventilation is larger than the previous model, and is positioned more on the sides (opposite the entrance), making the air flow smoother (photo below).
For ventilation and lighting, the fly at the entrance can be fastened to a clip to open wide.
There is a pouch next to the entrance and exit, large enough to store small items.
The seam taping in areas where seams are concentrated near corners is more thoroughly treated than in the previous model, so there is no need to seam sealing yourself later.
The new included pegs are Y-shaped, lightweight, rigid and easy to insert. There are notches on each side to prevent the tensioning rope from coming out.
The new type of pole "ZEROBONE" adopted from this model is new in that it is more environmentally friendly than the previous model, eliminating the surface coating process.
Although the pole diameter has become slightly thicker, the length per channel has been shortened, which makes packing more compact (the number of knots increases) and has also increased strength.
7: I wish the front room was a little more spacious and easier to handle.
It is certain that many ingenuity provides greater comfort than standard, but that is why I was inevitably concerned about the narrowness of the vestibule on the side (or poor usability?). The size isn't enough to make it difficult to put shoes on, so it's not something you can't stand (photo below), but it's by no means large.
Also, when I try to open the fly to eliminate the crampedness of the vestibule, I am personally dissatisfied that the pegs need to be removed and the entrance is almost fully opened. If possible, it would be more comfortable if you could adjust the amount of fly open to the extent that it was "opened one side" in a symmetrical tent.
I tried various things to think about this as of now, but I couldn't find a point where I could get that close in a short time (for example, I put an eggplant ring at the tip of the zipper and hook it onto the hook as shown in the photo below).
ZEROGRAM EL CHALTEN ZEROBONE 1.5P
This is my favorite
- Spacious living space with head clearance and vestibule
- Two wide open entrances with vents and excellent ventilation
- Easy and quick setup including footprint
- Monofilament inner tent that is less likely to condense
- It's also highly weather-resistant
I'm curious about this
- Looking at it as a single person tent, it is by no means light and compact.
Main Specifications and ratings
| item | Specifications and ratings |
|---|---|
| Number of people to sleep | 1-2 people (one person is relaxed, two people are quite cramped) |
| weight |
|
| Fry material | 15D N/R silicone/PU coated |
| Inner (Floor) Material |
|
| pole | ZERO-BONE UL (Geographic Min) |
| Dimensions and area |
|
| Number of doors | 2 |
| Storage size | 42 x 16 x 16cm |
| Floor area | Approx. 2.2 m2 |
| accessories |
|
| Living comfort | ★★★★★ |
| Ease of setup and removal | ★★★★★ |
| Weather Resistant | ★★★★☆ |
| Durability | ★★★★☆ |
| weight | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Portability | ★★★☆☆ |
| Versatility | ★★★☆☆ |
Detailed review
1: Spacious living space including head clearance and vestibule
The biggest favorite feature of this tent is its spaciousness. First of all, it is 1.5 people and has a wide bottom area, and the pole structure also means that the ridge pole crosses the ceiling to greatly expands the width of the upper space (105 cm wide of the upper space), making the interior more spacious than it looks. The vestibule is also spacious enough on both sides, so to be honest, it's quite spacious enough for one person to enjoy.
However, as you can see from two mattresses side by side, it is still a bit cramped for use for two people (photo below). It's not impossible if you hold it in.
2: Two wide open entrances with vents
Furthermore, there are two C-shaped entrances and exits on both sides, which give you a sense of freedom. It even makes me think it's a waste to use it alone.
The vestibules are also spacious and are located on both sides.
The ceiling has two ventilation locations (can be operated from the room) that allow air coming in through the entrance to escape, so there is no problem with ventilation and ventilation (photo below).
The room has a large selection of pockets (photo below) for storing small items, lantern hooks, etc., located next to the entrance and in the ceiling, and there were no complaints about the storage and organization.
3: Easy and quick setup including footprint
Just like the Thru hiker, this model can be set up with a fly, inner and footprint integrated. This is a self-supporting tent that does not require peg-downs, so it was even easier, faster and more neatly set up as shown in the video below.
4: Monofilament inner tent that is less likely to condense
This also uses a monofilament inner tent. Highly breathable and absorbed the discomfort caused by condensation, allowing you to have a more comfortable night.
5: High weather resistance (resistant to rain and wind)
Although it has not actually been able to withstand bad weather, it has proven, independent dome-shaped, side wall gradients not too steep, and the reinforcement points of the Guyline, so the fly is tightly closed to the ground, so it is resistant to wind and rain, making it highly weather-resistant. I don't think it's a problem to use during snowy seasons, except that snow tends to accumulate on the ceiling.
7: The weight is by no means light
Just as there is no perfect tool in everything, this tent has a nice sense of comfort, comfort, safety and lacks flaws. In this case, the weight and storage size correspond to this. The minimum weight of 1,583g can unfortunately be considered to be a heavy one these days (a realistic value for two people). If you think of it as a solo hike rather than a base camp, it would be great if the minimum weight could be kept below 1,200g.
Summary: A good tent with different advantages and personality, both have a good overall balance.
The Thru Hiker 1p ZEROBONE is light but has no choice but to give in comfort, and the EL CHALTEN ZEROBONE 1.5P is perfect for thru hiking and fast packing, and the EL CHALTEN ZEROBONE 1.5P is perfect for safe and relaxed climbing without worrying about weather. Although each targeted scene and user differed, both of them had high overall quality, with detailed details, and I was once again amazed at how well-made they were. The brand's greedy attitude of actively adopting new technologies and not overcoming trends is also refreshing.
Although there were requests for details, it is not a fatal drawback, and there is no doubt that this tent will be a satisfying one if used for the appropriate purpose. We hope that new memories will be created with tents with new personalities that have never been seen before.
