I picked this little beauty out at the OR show. She was sleek and lean and built for speed. I just kept coming back…staring….lusting. I had to have her. It took awhile. Smooth talk and patience were required. First I was going to have to show I had what it took, that I could expose her to the kind of stares and adulation she felt she deserved. The patience paid off. Now she’s mine. The Ops Dude brought my little beauty home, curtsey of MSR/Walrus the other day. The lovely Zoid 1.0 is mine.

The Zoid 1.0 appears to be an improvement….a vast improvement….on the Peak 1 Cobra tent. I used one of those for a month or so when they first came out. I liked the tent but had condensation and “swayback” problems with it. The addition of the smaller pole at the foot and the pullouts for the fly should solve the “swayback” problems. We’ll just have to see if it has the same condensation problems. The Zoid 1.0 is also 1 pound lighter. I know, it’s smaller, but I always hike solo and, even when my wife or one of our friends comes along they carry their own tent. The extra room of the Cobra was nice but certainly not worth the 1 pound extra weight. The Zoid is of much better construction, from the taped fly to the quality zippers, as one would expect of a Walrus tent.

The Zoid 1.0 seems to me to be the perfect size for a solo tent. I had plenty of room. I couldn’t set up but that has never been a requirement of mine. Kate (5’ 3 1/2”) could fully set up in this tent.

I liked the net gear pockets on each side of the head end. The large door is particularly welcome. It’s design, along the side of the tent instead of at the head, allows easy, wiggle-free entry. The way the rainfly is designed, I don’t think you’ll have the problem that side-entry TNF tents do: rain drops on the fly falling in the tent on your bag when you open the fly to get out. The mudroom formed by the fly is small but useable. It is an extremely easy tent to put up. I also usually throw the factory pegs away but the half round aluminum stakes provided for the Zoid 1.0 are keepers. They are much lighter than any other stakes I own. Although the side-release buckles add weight, they sure do make it easy to put the fly up. It’s a snap…literally. There are four unnecessary Velcro strips on the fly, two at each end, that wrap around the poles. As the fly fits very tight, I couldn’t figure out what these were supposed to accomplish, other than slow down the fly installation. I was impressed that the fly was taped. I’m not sure how necessary the guy lines for the fly are. The fly buckle straps are adjustable so you can get the fly plenty tight with out them. I’m pretty sure I won’t be out in this tent in weather that would dictate that much guying. The tent was over-sized for my wife, Kate, but, at just over 5’, most things are…sorry Honey, couldn’t help it. The tent is more than adequate for me. After that last car wreck I find I am now 5’10” or so. I’ve lost 4” in the last 25 years in accidents of various kinds. It’s a good thing I’m finally growing up.

I’d list weights and other things about the tent but, unfortunately, I had to ship it right back to Walrus. The door zipper only had one, not the listed two, sliders on it. I’ll have more to say when I get the replacement back from Walrus.

Jerry Goller

geartester@qwest.net