Review of the Kiwi Ultralight Moa I Tent in DCF by NZ Hunter Magazine
- kiwiultralight
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
Originally Published in NZ Hunter Magazine, Issue 109
Author: Greig Caigou
As we know, lightening up the ‘Big Three’ is a great place to get started in the journey toward lighter hunting gear, and when investigating options for your shelter, you’ll find some brilliant kit to choose from. Â
The technology that has brought the most change is the development of Dyneema Composite Fabrics (DCF), which is widely used by the ultralight (UL) outdoor adventure industry, mainly in the construction of tents and packs. Essentially, this fabric is a composite of Dyneema fibers sandwiched between two layers of film, giving unprecedented strength-to-weight.           Â
This brings us to the growing community of international, boutique, and serious manufacturers producing ultralight gear, which now includes Kiwi Ultralight in Aotearoa, producing and distributing quilts/packs/shelters - now with the new release of a tent in Dyneema Composite Fabric.Â
Enter the Moa, which I offered to field test as I’ve long been an advocate for lighter-weight options for hunters and have been writing pieces in this regard for close to 10 years now, using a Dyneema pack and a homemade tarp in this revolutionary material.
First fact: this tent is both light and strong because of the DCF material.
Secondly, swapping out your old tent for a trekking pole tent is a quick way to cut some weight to what you carry overall. A trekking pole tent is a shelter that replaces the traditional pole structure of a tent with the trekking poles that most of us use anyway. This means your walking poles become more multi-functional (why carry trekking poles and also the weight of tent poles?)
These kind of tents are not free-standing, meaning they must be staked out to maintain their shape and structural integrity. A couple of practice runs at home will have you ready for fast pitches, on the tops, in the fading light, during a storm (read on!)
This Moa sets up so quickly! That’s one of its key features in my books . . . fully set up in under five minutes at the end of a long day on the hill. It needs a minimal footprint and it comes down even quicker for that fast, ‘no-faff’ getaway in the morning when heading out on a hunt.
Some other advantages of DCF trekking pole tents, other than the weight saving, is the packability because there are no rigid poles to pack (less bulk helps when using smaller packs). Using your walking poles means there is more potential for customising your pitch; for example your poles can be angled to widen doorways or lean more into the wind if needed!
A well-tried hack amongst hunters with traditional tents and wanting to save weight has been to split the weight between 2-3 buddies. One carries the inner, another the outer fly and if there’s a third hunter they carry the poles and pegs. Obviously, this can’t work for solo hunters so the Moa weighing a total of just 725grams is fantastic . . . and with a decent amount of internal space serving up a bonus. Â
Let me unpack that a little more.
The Moa is a true double-wall shelter with an internal mesh enclosure, providing a fully enclosed internal sleeping ‘tub’ (i.e., raised sides of solid material to keep water out). The mesh of the enclosure is very fine, so will keep out sandies and mosquitoes. As well, there are dual-entry vestibules on either side of the shelter so there is ample room for storing gear. You have plenty of room to cook in either vestibule and altogether this also means you can pack up your dry gear, sleeping bag etc., and the internal mesh tent while under the protection of the outer . . . that’s also a plus!
The pitch involves just six pegs, one each at the four corners, then raising up your trek pole under each side and staking out . . . done! Your pole is ‘point to the ground’, which adds a more certain footing. The Moa does have an extra tie-out at each end to provide a more robust setup for in the wind, and this somewhat enlarges your internal spaciousness, although the most spacious area is in the middle where you’d obviously sit up/change/cook etc.
After one look at the setup on Kiwi Ultralight’s YouTube video, you will have it sorted easily.
On my first pitch on the tops there was a howling wind with rain, and every now and then some sleet blasted through sideways! It was very cold and I had to lay my rifle down on top of the tent when I unrolled it so that the tent wouldn’t sail away while I staked out the corners. The whole process took me around 5 minutes and I was inside quick-smart to get into dry gear and into my sleeping bag.
The key thing, however, is that the tent proved storm-worthy. The wind hammered all night so a good sleep didn’t really happen, and at one point in the night, the rig popped a peg. The tie-outs that fix the trek poles to the ground are integral to the entire structure, so the main task is keeping these pegs in the ground in those extreme conditions. One tactic I’ve used in the past is to lengthen that cordage so as to increase the angle of pull and that helps keep the stakes in if the wind starts grabbing the tent . . . and in those conditions, a decent rock on top of the peg doesn’t go amiss either! (The tent comes standard with eight titanium stakes and I used them all, and got them in deep at a good angle.) DCF doesn’t stretch and so won’t spill wind easily, meaning all the force ultimately goes to the anchor pegs. As extra precaution for severe alpine storms, you might carry a couple of longer pegs as well.
Of course, strong winds will blast into any obstacle standing in the way so choosing your site and orientation is an essential part of good mountaincraft.
Now DCF is noisy when it's blowing strongly like that. I’m kind of used to that now after so many years under a DCF tarp, but for newbs this is a bit disconcerting at first . . . akin to the feeling I felt the first time I took to a NeoAir sleeping mat, thinking I’d pop the thing when I sat on it! In time, familiarity with your gear brings confidence and a sense of calm that it will do the job.
The phenomenal advantage of DCF is that it's incredibly waterproof and has mind-blowing tensile strength. Being super strong means you can crank up on the guys lines and achieve a pitch that optimizes the shape, integrity and shedding of water or snow. The fabric does not take on any weight with water, unlike nylon blends, meaning no sag at all and improving the life of the fibre. Being so thin and yet so strong takes a bit for some hunters to get used to . . how can anything so light and flimsy be so incredibly strong? (Just try and tear it . . . DCF is amazingly tough!) I prefer a DCF shelter because it'll be a lot lighter and pack smaller, which suits those of us trying to stay within smaller capacity packs to gain the cumulative advantages of lighter and more nimble configurations with gear.
Some other features of note include the elastic cords that keep the bathtub inner mesh tent in shape and well-tensioned when connected to the tent pegs. It's easiest to just reach under the tent from the outside and stretch these out to hook onto the tie-out pegs.
Doors can be opened independently . . . you can leave one or more flaps open for views, rolled up or tied back to toggles, or all zippered up if it’s raining. I seldom see people leaving tent flaps open at night as it seems they like to feel snugly enclosed. By the way, DCF is often quite opaque but given the darker interior mesh there is ample privacy when viewed from the outside (for those concerned about such things.)
The Moa comes with dual vents, which have a nifty system to prop these open and you can pitch the tent low or higher off the ground to aid airflow as well.
The toggles on the Moa are robust for holding back flaps . . . other UL designers might use magnets, but having something fastened seems stronger to me. Zippers at the side vestibules provide one-handed operation.
This could be a 4-season tent when partnered with a winterweight sleeping bag and clothing insulation. For 2-3 season alpine adventures, I would personally leave the inner at home. This decreases the total weight of the tent/lines/pegs to a featherweight of 381 grams! This means a very packable size! The inner adds 344 grams which still makes the whole package a really light tent, with smaller bulk than most other tents you’d see hunters using on the hill.Â
Incidentally, if you only carry the fly there is enough room for two hunters and gear inside the Moa. Primarily though, this is a one-person tent (but two smaller persons could snuggle in the inner with the right mats and sleeping arrangement).
While the trekking poles are located midway in the pitch, there is room to get in and out easily. This also means the highest and main seating, changing and cooking area is beside the doorway, which is ideal.
So, in summary, the Moa is truly ultralight, is put up and taken down ‘quick as’ and is spacious and storm-worthy. Sweet as!
On my second adventure for field testing, I was in South Westland chasing tahr, Red stags and chamois in the one catchment and had the misfortune of a gang of seven rogue kea also taking interest in this brilliant tent. (Seems they wanted to do some product testing as well.) More hunting parties are having to contend with these birds in these places now as they check out any new appearances in their domain. Their sharp beaks and inquisitive nibbles punctured the DCF where they pecked so I resorted to taking down my shelter and stuffing it under a rock if leaving camp on a hunt. The fast setup of this tent really came into its own - in an unexpected way! DCF is very easily repaired with Dyneema tape . . . which covers holes and sticks forever. In fact, much of ultralight manufacturing with DCF just involves taped seams anyway, which enhances its water tightness.
One thing I thought was neat was how Cody and Debra of Kiwi Ultralight asked for field testers from a range of outdoor backgrounds and levels of experience with tramping or UL gear. They wanted to see if the set-up worked well for anybody. The Moa needed to be a stellar performer suited for a simple overnight or weekend trip, to hiking the longest trails in the world, or taking on serious mountain challenges that needed lightweight gear to keep the weight off your back. These types of walking pole tents are the dominant shelter appearing in Aotearoa now with trekkers - hands down – so it was great we NZ hunters got included in this testing phase.
And they took it upon themselves to make a couple of the recommended changes I suggested. This speaks volumes in terms of trying to get the best product for users.
I wish them well with the Moa.
Kiwi Ultralight thanks Caigou, NZ Hunter Magazine, and all of our beta testers for helping us produce the best possible tent for your adventures.
See full details and get your own Moa HERE!