X Mid - Dan Durston

[Rosscodj]

That video has made me even more excited for this.

[slparker]

That video has made me even more excited for this.

*&%$#! hell. Just when I thought I was happy with my Copper Spur and tarp....

[Rosscodj]

...And the drop has finished. Almost 300 orders, that's pretty impressive!

[Lamont]

..............nine .....................months............serenity now!

[GPSGuided]

..............nine .....................months............serenity now!

That's a really really long wait!

[Rosscodj]

At least this one won’t culminate in seemingly endless sleepless nights, but hopefully, the opposite.

[dandurston]

Thanks for the support everyone. I'll work hard to get these out on time.

[north-north-west]

...And the drop has finished. Almost 300 orders, that's pretty impressive!

There could well have been one more, if it wasn't for the trekking pole thing.

[dagsands]

Was very happy to see this drop is back on. I just signed up.

http://dro.ps/b/XO7p5OILfrO9/l

(*Watches clock waiting for May 2019 ...*)

[Ms_Mudd]

I don't need another tent, I don't need another tent, I don't need another tent. I shall keep repeating the mantra so I don't pull the trigger on this buy. bahahha
It really looks great though

[Lamont]

A 2 person is in the works. For an extra 100-150 grams probably(my guess). This release doesn't get the $10 gift voucher the first run did.
I suspect this will be like the EE Chinese made quilt etc and frequently released throughout the year. You just have to wait for the first release.
Go on N by NW and S -you know you want to
............eight....................months..............serenity now

[Zapruda]

Must resist. Too many tents. Need money for food. Or do I...

[north-north-west]

Go on N by NW and S -you know you want to

Nope. I don't do trekking pole tents. I'm more tempted by the Double Rainbow update.

[Lamont]

Ha ha, food schmood. No biscotti per tu.
No trekking poles required-get a couple of straight carbon fibre poles from Zedpacks, fold down nice and small to 28cms. Two of the Zed poles equals the weight of one light weight carbon trekking pole.

[dandurston]

A quick update on timelines:
Production is on track or slightly ahead to meet the April 19 estimated delivery for the first round of X-Mid’s sold in July. The estimated ship date for this second batch is May 20, but that’s quite conservative. The tents are all part of the same production run. The reason for the difference is that the handling/QA/shipping processes take a little time at Massdrop, so the first round of orders will ship out a little bit ahead of the second round of orders. The second round will likely follow a few days later or a week later, not a whole month.

A 2 person is in the works. For an extra 100-150 grams probably(my guess).
Yes it's in the works. I should have the 1st prototype for testing in about 2 weeks. That might go pretty smoothly because a lot of the details carry over from the 1P, but it's hard to say. I might be in a position to do a pre-sale towards the end of the year for the 2P.

The 2P is likely to weigh about 150 grams more (~950 grams). It'll be 48" wide floor, 5" longer than the 1P. I'm pretty excited about it - it'll be a great 2P tent. I expect it'll be simpler to pitch, lighter and more functional that comparable tents out there now (e.g. more functional vents, higher end zippers, better snowshedding, no sag fabric etc). Compared to the popular offerings from TT, it should offer a similarly spacious tent as the StratoSpire 2 but at a weight slightly lighter than the Saddle, and be easier to pitch and more functional than both. The 1P is nice and spacious for 1P though, so I wouldn't hold off for the 2P for a solo hiker unless you really really like space. 1P is awesome, lighter, cheaper and available sooner.

I suspect this will be like the EE Chinese made quilt etc and frequently released throughout the year. You just have to wait for the first release.
As mentioned above, there's a single production run. Once that is sold out, it'll be another long wait for more since most likely once it sells out, then Massdrop would wait a few months until lots more folks are interested, and then they'd do a pre-sale for the next batch. So if you just miss the first batch when it sells out, it could be a year for another one. I expect this first production run will sell out before the tents arrive in the spring, but it's hard to say. By pre-ordering now you'll get it a bit sooner than later orders since there is a but a bit of delay for handling/QA/shipping, so earlier orders ship out a bit sooner.

[Joomy]

Hi Dan, nice to see you on our forum.

I pulled the trigger on this and I'm pretty psyched for it. 9 months isn't so long... right...?

[Tortoise]

I don't need another tent, I don't need another tent, I don't need another tent. I shall keep repeating the mantra so I don't pull the trigger on this buy.

Since when did that work?! Only stopped by the trekking pole thing. I might have worked out the alternative by next time.

[Neo]

I'd like a three pole dome under 2kg...

[Joomy]

I'd like a three pole dome under 2kg...

Like this?

[Neo]

Almost exactly, bigsky or exped.

[Gold Coast]

Go on N by NW and S -you know you want to

Nope. I don't do trekking pole tents. I'm more tempted by the Double Rainbow update.

Hi NNW,
I'm not experienced with trekking poles tents at all, as I'm a cycle tourist, but I,m trying to understand this tent.
Can you explain why you don't like them.

[crollsurf]

Go on N by NW and S -you know you want to

Nope. I don't do trekking pole tents. I'm more tempted by the Double Rainbow update.

Hi NNW,
I'm not experienced with trekking poles tents at all, as I'm a cycle tourist, but I,m trying to understand this tent.
Can you explain why you don't like them.

Awesome tent but if you don't use trekking poles there are 2 problems:
1. You don't have 2 poles. (you could buy UL poles)
2. You cannot fashion poles from sticks because the sticks will damage the tent.

Rainbow doesn't require trekking poles and I'm guessing as a cylcist, you won't be carrying poles. Tarptent Rainbow is a bit of UL luxury, Tarptent Double Rainbow would be a palace.

[north-north-west]

I only ever take one trekking pole with me. That will not change - two is just too cumbersome to handle with the sort of walking I do, and I''m becoming more and more aware of the damage they do. And what happens when you lose or break a pole - which happens far too often to me.
Nope, it's an awesome looking thing - as are many other trekking pole tents - but it's not for me.

[Nuts]

These guys will match outer and inner tubes to sleeve together (all you need is a hacksaw blade.. sandpaper.. supaglue ): http://www.carbonfiber.com.au/category5_1.htm. 2 carbon poles would be lighter than many single trekking poles.

Without mention of the design, looking at the lead time and numbers sold, together with there now being (what could only be called) a fashion crowd for this stuff, I'd reckon there will be a bunch of these on ebay as soon as they arrive. Or once the DCF version is out.

[Gold Coast]

I only ever take one trekking pole with me. That will not change - two is just too cumbersome to handle with the sort of walking I do, and I''m becoming more and more aware of the damage they do. And what happens when you lose or break a pole - which happens far too often to me.
Nope, it's an awesome looking thing - as are many other trekking pole tents - but it's not for me.

That helps to explain it. I was thinking that trekking pole tents might not stay up in very high winds, and Dan does keep stating it is designed for just normal bushwalking.

[Lamont]

"2 carbon poles would be lighter than many single trekking poles"
Yep, or close to it depending on the walk stick.
My two Zpacks poles (122cm) compact to 29 cms (this is perfect-they fit inside my rolled shelter and means it sits horizontally in my rucksack) weigh almost exactly the same (135 grams) as one Locus Gear CP3 (which only weigh 140 grams each). So I manage some redundancy by carrying all three but the total weight is the same as two CP3s.
I, like NBNW only use one (occasionally) and pretty much carry it unless-theres snakey times!

[dandurston]

Awesome tent but if you don't use trekking poles there are 2 problems:
1. You don't have 2 poles. (you could buy UL poles)
2. You cannot fashion poles from sticks because the sticks will damage the tent.

You can actually use sticks as long as you choose them reasonably. The peaks of the tent are reinforced with 210D nylon which is pretty tough stuff, so as long as you don't pick a very sharp stick it does work to pitch the X-Mid with sticks. I've done it on one trip when I forgot my poles in the car and didn't realize until I was 2 km down the trail.

But for folks that don't use poles ever, the best approach would be to get some custom carbon poles for it. Many companies make these, such as Ruta Locura, and they are very light and pack up nice and short.
http://www.rutalocura.com/tent_pole_450.html

[Bluegum Mic]

And FYI it's back up on massdrop as of today. I joined the drop this morning. Cheers Dan

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

[dandurston]

Thanks for the support Bluegum Mic. I hope you really like it.

[Lamont]

Any new delivery (date) information Dan for those of us in the first drop?
Any pics of the double?