X Mid - Dan Durston

[FNM]

FYI, Massdrop has re-opened orders this morning to sell their batch coming in September.

Hey Dan - can you provide any update on the 2p version? Is it slated for a 2019 US summer release? What is the likely width? .. mainly just wondering if it will fit 2 x wide sleeping pads or 2 x regular width. Be much appreciated if you could provide any info bc I’m tossing up whether to hold off for it, or whether to grab a 2p now. (This is on top of the x-mid 1p )

[jobell]

I'm in too. Paid and confirmed!

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk

[dandurston]

The 2P will be a 50" width so it will be able to fit two wide pads. It'll also be bit a longer than the 1P - mostly so that two sleepers can sleep side by side rather than staggered, but that will also make it quite good for tall hikers.

That tent will be announced/released before too long, but it will be a pre-sale so the tents won't actually arriving until sometime around the new year.

[FNM]

The 2P will be a 50" width so it will be able to fit two wide pads. It'll also be bit a longer than the 1P - mostly so that two sleepers can sleep side by side rather than staggered, but that will also make it quite good for tall hikers.

That tent will be announced/released before too long, but it will be a pre-sale so the tents won't actually arriving until sometime around the new year.

Great! Thank you can’t wait to see it! The types of mats I’ve been looking at getting lately are the extra wide type, which tend to come in at about 64cm (25.6 inches) width - like a the S2S Ether Light:

https://www.snowys.com.au/ether-light-x ... gK3OfD_BwE

Guess I’ll just have to decide whether that is the route I want to go with my mat and then choose a tent accordingly. I note that one extra wide and one regular width would fit, coming in at about 119cm (47.6 inches). Cheers

[FNM]

Starting to see plenty of positive reviews online.

[Orbita_Serenitatem]

Mine arrived yesterday - easy to set up if you've watched a few videos and read a few hints. The fly and inner came up nice and taut with ~125cm pole height which raises the tub nicely too. Here in Springmount we received 63mm rain up to 9m this morning with 30mm of it torrential early this morning + gusts up to odd 60ks - X-Mid didn't flinch and feels real smooth and solid with Groundhogs in place. Bone dry this morning with negligible condensation inside the fly. Floor isn't as slippy as silnylon and the usable vestibule space is significant - spacious - due to the wall angles. Two mitten hooks at the apex of the inner peaks will be added later + I might replace the guy lines with 3mm, but all up I'm very very impressed. Will hunt down the 2P for sure. Well done Dan.

[dandurston]

Glad to hear you're liking it. That's a nice looking pitch.

63mm of rain and 60km/hr gusts is some impressive weather. Not sure if those pics are from before and after but it sure is nice how poly doesn't sag like nylon in the rain and get limp.

[north-north-west]

Seriously annoying, this. The more I look at this tent and the more I hear about it, the more tempting it is. Except for the mesh inner. A bit of mesh for ventilation is good, but full mesh is not my thing.
Suppose that does save me some money.

[Tortoise]

Seriously annoying, this. The more I look at this tent and the more I hear about it, the more tempting it is. Except for the mesh inner. A bit of mesh for ventilation is good, but full mesh is not my thing.

I'm waiting for the solid inner too.

[north-north-west]

Seriously annoying, this. The more I look at this tent and the more I hear about it, the more tempting it is. Except for the mesh inner. A bit of mesh for ventilation is good, but full mesh is not my thing.

I'm waiting for the solid inner too.

Something like the Tarptent solid inner, with 1/4 to 1/3 mesh.
Enough demand and it will happen. Maybe we need to find some more like-minded walkers to nag Dan and Massdrop. Or Drop as they are now calling themselves.

[Orbita_Serenitatem]

... Except for the mesh inner. A bit of mesh for ventilation is good, but full mesh is not my thing.

Although I have only pitched the X Mid twice on flat grass, the edges of the fly really hug the ground - there was no breeze / noticeable airflow the other night when I had a gusty storm pass over. The full mesh doesn't have an 'enclosed' feel - what would be the advantage of a solid or 1/3 mesh inner - would it be warmer?

[Zapruda]

... Except for the mesh inner. A bit of mesh for ventilation is good, but full mesh is not my thing.

Although I have only pitched the X Mid twice on flat grass, the edges of the fly really hug the ground - there was no breeze / noticeable airflow the other night when I had a gusty storm pass over. The full mesh doesn't have an 'enclosed' feel - what would be the advantage of a solid or 1/3 mesh inner - would it be warmer?

Solid inners have the advantage of stopping spindrift in snow storms and dust/sand in drier environments. No matter how low the fly goes, snow and sand still manage to find a way in.

They are certainty warmer than mesh inners.

[FNM]

Mine arrived yesterday - easy to set up if you've watched a few videos and read a few hints. The fly and inner came up nice and taut with ~125cm pole height which raises the tub nicely too. Here in Springmount we received 63mm rain up to 9m this morning with 30mm of it torrential early this morning + gusts up to odd 60ks - X-Mid didn't flinch and feels real smooth and solid with Groundhogs in place. Bone dry this morning with negligible condensation inside the fly. Floor isn't as slippy as silnylon and the usable vestibule space is significant - spacious - due to the wall angles. Two mitten hooks at the apex of the inner peaks will be added later + I might replace the guy lines with 3mm, but all up I'm very very impressed. Will hunt down the 2P for sure. Well done Dan.

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Looks and sounds great. How did it feel lying in it? Touching the mesh at all?

[Dalmeny Mark]

I received my Xmid yesterday and slept in it for a few hours last night. I gave it a typical backyard test, first set after dark up by headlamp, with a strong breeze and passing misty rain. The feel laying in the inner was good, (on an Exped downmat with an EE quilt), filling the inner from side to side but not feeling enclosed or restricted. Will need to setup in daylight to get best feeling for pitch but it was good enough and did not flap. Dan had pointed out that with strong winds to orient tent so end faces into direction of wind (duh). I'm 187 cm tall and did not touch top of mesh when I sat up. Very happy with purchase, next test will by on the Kiandra plains next weekend

[rosglo]

Currently in the market for a solid inner tent.
I really like this tent so plus 1 for a solid (or partial solid) inner version.
Cheers,
Ross,

[johnrs]

And add me to the list for a solid inner too, say 1/3 or 1/4 mesh
John

[DuskyBay]

Yes, would definitely like an X-Mid with a solid or partial solid inner for walking in Tasmania.

[north-north-west]

Poor Dan,

There he is thinking he has this tent thing sorted, and we have to throw a spanner in his works.

[dandurston]

The partial solid inner comments are good. I'd really like to do one. Whether it happens mostly comes down to having sufficient interest and convincing Massdrop of that, so these comments are helpful.

[Ms_Mudd]

Anyone care to share some pics of their Xmid in the wild? I am trying to patiently wait for mine to ship in September.

[wildwanderer]

Noticed all mention of the two person version is gone from Dans website

Im a one trekking pole walker. For the one person version I wonder if one trekking pole and another (assume lighter) tent pole would work?

[Rosscodj]

Mass drop may have asked him to do that until they post it on their site.

I’m hoping to take mine out sometime in the next week or two, now that exams are over, finally!

[Ms_Mudd]

congrats on getting through your exams Rosscodj ! Look forward to some pics after your adventures

[Rosscodj]

Im a one trekking pole walker. For the one person version I wonder if one trekking pole and another (assume lighter) tent pole would work?

I don't see why it wouldn't work. As long as the tent pole is adjustable, you should be able to match tension with the trekking pole to get a tight pitch.

congrats on getting through your exams Rosscodj ! Look forward to some pics after your adventures

Thanks! That was an intense few weeks. Can't wait to get the rest of the year over with so I can have some freedom! Will definitely post a pic or two.

[dandurston]

The 2P is coming along well. About 2 weeks the fellow in charge of this project wrote:

"It wont be too long any more, we just finished development and just ordered our photo samples."

I'm not sure what their precise timing is, but it seems likely to launch in the next month. If folks want to be notified they can follow the ultralight community at Drop.com or sign up for my mailing list at DurstonGear.com to which I will send an email when it launches.

[dandurston]

Noticed all mention of the two person version is gone from Dans website

Im a one trekking pole walker. For the one person version I wonder if one trekking pole and another (assume lighter) tent pole would work?

Yeah you could do this. A few companies sell individual folding poles that work, such a RutaLocura.com. We also hope to offer some. People are working on that but I'm not sure what the timeline is.

[Ms_Mudd]

Dan, you are impressively across so many platforms on product support. It is great, not to mention reassuring, for a consumer like me to feel that you are really behind what you are selling here and are listening to input to guide your future directions. Nice one.

Rosscodj, uni is intense! I have enrolled to do my masters...twice...and wussed out as the thought of more study is just outright daunting despite it being years since I graduated. Good on you for pushing through, am sure next semester will fly by. I will keep checking up on this thread excitedly to see your tent pics. I am a loser, perhaps I should return to more study so I don't need to stalk tent threads?

[Tortoise]

The partial solid inner comments are good. I'd really like to do one. Whether it happens mostly comes down to having sufficient interest and convincing Massdrop of that, so these comments are helpful.

Hey Dan,
I'm hanging out for the solo X mid with the partial solid inner!! The ultimate tent.

I just wonder, as a 'high' camper in Tasmania, if the tent would benefit from a bit of tweaking to increase ventilation. Hopefully the 2 good-sized vents would be good enough to cope with the large amounts of condensation we can have to deal with. The larger amount of mesh at the top of the inner (compared to your first thoughts), would definitely help. Others may have some thoughts on this.
Cheers.

[dandurston]

I'm hanging out for the solo X mid with the partial solid inner!! The ultimate tent.

I just wonder, as a 'high' camper in Tasmania, if the tent would benefit from a bit of tweaking to increase ventilation. Hopefully the 2 good-sized vents would be good enough to cope with the large amounts of condensation we can have to deal with. The larger amount of mesh at the top of the inner (compared to your first thoughts), would definitely help.

Yeah a X-Mid 1P with a partial solid inner would be awesome. It's been a bit of a challenge to convince Massdrop how popular solid/semi-solid inners are outside North America so they haven't gotten started on this yet, but I think there's a good chance we do this. Right now we're working hard on finishing up the 2P but hopefully they are agreeable to working on that in the not too distant future. I can't promise anything though. The next batch of the 1P is arriving towards the end of 2019 and those are only mesh inner, but perhaps we can have solid inners ready sometime next year.

As for ventilation, the X-Mid has those two large vents up top so that warm/humid air can rise out, and then at the bottom there is normally about a 2" gap that lets a bit of fresh air come in, without allowing problematic rain splatter or drafts. It is an option to pitch the tent a bit higher (using longer cord at the 4 corners) for even more venting at the bottom, but that starts to make the tent quite drafty if it's windy so I normally don't use it like that. If we do a solid/partial solid inner are going to have more mesh than what that early prototype had, so there will be more venting there as well. Overall, venting is a balance between having enough airflow but not so much that it's cold and drafty. I think the 1P strikes a nice balance with more coverage at the bottom but larger vents up top (that can be closed) and that should continue if we make a partial solid version.

[north-north-west]

Back on the topic of mesh vs solid inners though, we are making the 2P version with both mesh and solid inner options.

That's from December last year. If that is still the plan, I'm signing up for the first batch of 2Ps released.