arata AX-130 lightweight tent

"Lightweight yet wind-resistant" -
We embraced the challenge of balancing these conflicting demands on a new level:

"Wind resistance for four-season use in the mountains."
"As lightweight as possible while providing enough space for two people to rest comfortably."

*This update includes the following improvements and changes:

• One side of the pole sleeve has been changed to a closed structure, making tent pitching easier.
• Compared to the initial model, the force required to pitch the tent has been significantly reduced, even when the nylon fabric shrinks in severe winter conditions.
• The guy lines have been moved to the flysheet for quicker and more convenient use.
• The flysheet and inner tent can now be secured with velcro, allowing for simultaneous pitching of both.
• The coating of the 10D fabric of the inner tent has been improved to enhance overall strength.
• The shape of the pole support metal fittings has been changed to reduce component weight and minimize the risk of poles coming loose during pitching.

We embraced the challenge of balancing these conflicting demands on a new level, a different challenge than with existing tents. 

Early in development, we calculated the weight of the materials and quickly realized that we would need to use tent poles that prioritized lightness over strength. I had a hunch that using lighter tent poles while still maintaining the strength required for a mountain tent would be a difficult question to answer.

Leveraging their experience as engineers, after much deliberation, the answer was to adopt a unique sleeve hub structure and a truss structure with guy lines. The sleeve hub is an innovative structure that combines the strength advantages of both sleeve and hanging type tents, which traditional tents had to choose between. In addition, by combining it with a truss structure that uses guy lines, the tent's strength can be increased depending on weather conditions.

We value both livability and strength, and made our dwelling attractive with our unique ideas. The depth of most Japanese brand two-person mountain tents is between 120cm and 127cm, but this tent has a depth of up to 133cm. With a width of 210cm and a height of 102cm, it provides a spacious area.

In addition to the living space, it also has a unique rear space that can be used to store gear, providing ample space for a two-person mountain tent.

 
Despite its excellent performance and livability, it is lightweight, weighing only 1,080g *1.
We already have one of the largest floor areas among two-person mountain tents.

The product includes the tent body, flysheet,
stakes, poles, and ground sheet.
Everything you need is included in one package.
We also offer optional parts to make the AX series even more robust and comfortable.

The AX-130 is Japan's new generation of mountaineering tents that allows two people to enjoy mountaineering and camping.


In addition to using DAC Featherlite NFL 8.7, this update also includes the following improvements and changes:

-Improved convenience by changing the installation position of the door pocket
-Reduced the risk of accidental damage to the sleeve by changing the installation method of the tent poles -Improved
local abrasion resistance of the inner tent floor -Option to use stakes
-Added resin rings to the lower attachment points of the inner tent guy lines to improve tension adjustment -Improved the storage form when the ventilation pole at the top of the flysheet is not in use

Technical Explanation
Introducing the technologies and attention to detail adopted in the AX-130 

Uses high-performance tent poles "DAC Featherlite NFL 8.7"

To achieve this weight without sacrificing any extreme functionality, for the AX-130 poles, it was necessary to use DAC Featherlite NFL 8.7, which prioritizes lightness over strength.

However, DAC does not recommend using these poles in high mountains in strong winds. Therefore, a breakthrough was needed to enable these poles to continue to be used as alpine tents.

The horizontal axis of the graph above shows the weight per 40cm of pole, and the vertical axis shows the section modulus, illustrating the relationship between the weight and strength of DAC tent poles. (The further to the upper left, the lighter and stronger; the further to the lower right, the heavier and weaker.)


The DAC NFL 8.7 (blue square) used in the AX-130 is about 22% lighter than the DAC Featherlite NSL 8.5 (red square) commonly used in mountain tents of this size, but about 17% weaker.

In the AX series, the strength of the poles is enhanced by incorporating the following three innovative mechanisms into the tent structure:



1. Full-sleeve inner tent x unique sleeve hub

The AX series uses sleeves to connect the inner tent to the poles. Compared to the hook-type (hanging type) common in tents in recent years, the sleeve type has a structure that distributes the load to the poles and prevents the poles from deforming.

On the other hand, existing sleeve-type tents do not have two connected sleeves, and the structure of two poles cannot effectively support each other. In contrast, the two poles of the hook-type are connected in the center by a swivel, so the two poles support each other.

 Arata created its own unique sleeve hub, combining the advantages of both sleeve and hook types. As shown in the figure above, the two sleeves are connected by a hub, allowing the two poles to support each other even though they are sleeve type.



This structure may seem difficult to set up for first-time users, but because there is no need to insert hooks one by one, it is actually faster to set up than the hook type. In addition, the flysheet, inner tent, and groundsheet are all pre-assembled and can be pitched at once, a structure that has a great advantage when pitching in the rain.

2. Sleeve hub guy line points

The AX series has guy line attachment points on the sleeve hubs. By tying the poles together and crossing them and pegging them (as shown in the figure above), the two poles can be firmly connected, just as if they were connected by a hook-type swivel. 



The sleeve hub guy lines can be passed through the holes at the top of the flysheet. The AX-130 has a large projection area on the long side, so it is susceptible to wind from the long side. The Sleeve Hub Guy Point *2 is an original mechanism by Arata that increases the wind resistance of the tent by fixing the long side, which experiences the most displacement, from the top of the tent.
(It is more convenient to use the optional emergency guy line kit.)



3. Internal guy lines

 

Internal guy ropes are installed on the inside of the short sides of the AX series inner tent. This acts similarly to the reinforcing braces commonly found in prefabricated buildings, helping to prevent the tent from deforming due to wind blowing from the long sides.

 
In addition, the AX series also offers an optional emergency guy line kit to increase the strength of the tent at the expense of internal space. We recommend carrying it especially for long hikes when the weather is unpredictable or when pitching the tent in places where the weather is prone to change.



The AX series, with expanded luggage space and improved wind resistance,


is equipped not only with a front space on the entrance side but also with a rear space. This space forms a luggage compartment while also improving wind resistance at the rear.

X-type dome tents for 1-2 people are susceptible to wind from the longer side because that side has a larger projected area. Tents with a single entrance often have a rear that fits snugly against the inner tent to reduce weight, but this makes it difficult for the tent to deflect the wind, meaning it is more susceptible to wind from certain directions.

The AX series is constructed with an emphasis on robustness and practicality, without excessively pursuing lightweight design.



Distance from ground to rainfly


Raising the height of the bottom of the rainfly is a common way to reduce weight, but the AX series is designed not only for stormy weather with strong winds and rain, but also for when it snows, so it is set as low as possible.

If there are strong winds accompanied by rain, raising the rainfly reduces the risk of wind blowing rain into the tent. The AX series is also designed for use in snowy seasons and still requires a rain cover. The AX series can be filled with snow in the gap between the ground and the rainfly, thereby preventing snow from entering the rainfly.



Tent color that is not easily seen through


In popular mountain tent camps, it is often easy to reach out and touch the next tent. Modern tents are made of thin fabric, and if the color is light, people inside can be vaguely seen even during the day.

The inner tent and flysheet of the AX series are both dark gray, so the inside cannot be seen from the outside during the day, and the clarity of people's outlines is improved when the lights are on at night.

The disadvantage of using dark gray is that the temperature inside the tent will increase during the day, but in hot seasons, it is difficult to stay in the tent during the day regardless of the color. For this reason, the AX series has a color setting that prioritizes privacy protection.

Technical Specifications

arata AX-130
Version : 2.0
Seasons : 4-season
Sleeping Capacity : 2-person
Packed Size : 24 × 17 × 12cm(L x W x H)
Minimum Trail Weight : 1080g
Packed Weight : 1265g ( Including Optinal Stake 12pcs,  Excluding GroundSheet 113g)
Floor Dimensions : 133cm x 210cm(L x W )
Peak Height : 102cm
Number of Doors : 1 door（There is one other door for luggage.）
Pole Material : Aluminum DAC Featherlite NFL 8.7
Inner Fabric : 10D breathable nylon
Floor Fabric : 15D ripstop nylon silicone coated (PU1500)
Rainfly Fabric : 15D ripstop nylon with silicone coating (PU1200 )
Contents : Tent body, Flysheet, Groundsheet, Tent poles, and Special storage bag 

Optional Accessories

1) Ground Sheet for Back Room
Fabric：15D ripstop nylon silicone coated (PU1500)
Weight：43g(Ground Sheet : 39g /Bag : 4g）

2) 緊急拉線套件 Emergency Guyline Kit

內對角線拉線 Inner Diagonal Guylines × 4pcs
套筒輪轂拉線 Sleeve Hub Guylines × 2pcs
DAC J 型樁 DAC J-Stake × 2pcs

This is an optional item to increase the strength of the AX series.
By installing the emergency guy line kit as shown in the figure above, you can significantly increase the strength of the tent, but at the expense of internal space.
We recommend carrying it especially for long hikes when the weather is unpredictable or when pitching the tent in places where the weather is prone to change.

Please note that the number of included DAC J stakes may vary depending on the version.
There is no difference in guy line length between different versions.

3) DAC J-STAKE Set (12 pieces)

Approximately 11g/piece
DAC J-STAKE is a ground stake that Arata trusts and believes is suitable for the Japanese mountain environment.
The structure involves cutting the sides of extruded TH72M aluminum alloy, which is a simple and cost-effective method.
The top is designed to ensure that force is applied in a straight line and that no force that would cause the guy line to break is applied to the part where the guy line is attached.
The slightly notched V-shape in the middle provides an excellent balance of penetration and support, allowing it to penetrate and grip the ground firmly without breaking, from soft ground to hard ground with large rocks.
DAC's anodizing and heat treatment maximize the potential of the material, making it stronger, stiffer, more scratch-resistant, and less prone to breakage than typical aluminum stakes from other companies.