Durston - X-Mid 1

I have a copper spur 2 person that I’ve taken both my kids in on separate occasions. I didn’t want anything too fragile so stayed away from the platinum models. I’ve since picked up a xmid 1p and obviously use that for solo outings. We are now at the point where we need two 2p shelters and I’m looking to add a xmid 2p+ at some point. We have a 4 person big Agnes tent but it’s a bit heavy and 4 people in a 4 person tent is a little rough when they get older. The best part of the copper spur is pairing it with a two person pad and two person quilt. The entire floor becomes a bed and is very comfortable. The two person quilt keeps the jimmy legs in without having to carry two sleeping bags, so for the person carrying it saves a good bit of weight. If I had to start over I’d probably make the same decisions. A freestanding tent is a bit easier if you aren’t used to trekking pole tents. My first outing with my xmid was on hard packed ground in the desert where it was really difficult to get stakes in the ground. The tent blew over during a thunderstorm that evening. If I were going on the same trip again I’d probably just take the copper spur. So for me it was about having some flexibility and diversity of functions when building out my gear closet.

I’ve liked mine. Echoing what others have said: does take some practice to get a feel for how to set up. Pole height and angle really affects the bathtub floor. Condensation (though it is a single wall tent. Gonna have that with any single wall.). I always use my second trekking pole to pull out the head end and if I’m feeling motivated find a stick to pull out the foot end. Interior space is good for a one person tent. For me it’s my fair-weather tent. If I were going somewhere with a lot of rain and/or wind I’d use something different. I have a xmid 1P but for me it’s too small.

Do you use hiking poles anyways? I have the durston xmid 1 tent and absolutely love it. Comes up a lot for recommendations for thru hikes as well because it's built well, and weighs - ~1.5lbs. A one man Company In Canada makes it (or contracts the factory who makes it) so prices are very reasonable, 350$ cad (250usd) for the one person. Only "drawback" is that you need to use hiking poles to set it up... but I use them anyways so it's no extra weight. https://durstongear.com/products/x-mid-1-tent-ultralight-backpacking I've slept in mine for probably about 30-40 nights now and really can't complain. My regular backpacking buddy even just bought one of his own since he liked mine so much.

I have a Durston X-mid 1p but want to make a switch regarding shelter systems. I weighed it, and it's just shy of 2 lbs. However, I am trying to lower my base weight. Here is my lighter pack if you are interested. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Also trying to trade my quilt for a 20F short length 850fp if anyone is interested. [https://lighterpack.com/r/h9xltz](https://lighterpack.com/r/h9xltz) I need advice on what tarp, bivy, guyline, groundsheet, guylines/stakes, and anything else in between to get as I have trouble with choosing. Links are appreciated! And if you are selling please send me a DM! * Usage: Mainly for 1 person and rarely 2. Also I will likely use 2 trekking poles * Location: Sierras and Southern California (LA/OC) * Budget: $100-$225. I am planning on getting these items used or will purchase them directly. * Tarp Size: 7x9? I'm only 5'3" so is it overkill? I tend to go backpacking with groups so finding a site that offers enough space for my tent can be hard. * Tarp Shape: I don't know which shape but I'm leaning towards a catenary shape for A-pitch for general setups. I hear that a flat shape is more versatile but, it tends to be less taught when the guylines are cinched down. * Tarp Material: Silpoly. Can't afford DCF. * Bivy or Groundsheet: I don't know if I should go with a head net/groundsheet first, or a bivy, or both. * Groundsheet: What size? Tyvek may weigh too much so Polycryo might be the way to go. * Bathtub: Sounds nice but do I need it? * Guylines: What should I pick? Do I need liner lockers or should I learn how to tie knots?

I forget how wind is a big factor. I don't really pay much attention to site selection with the x-mid because of it's stormworthiness.

I’ve had the Durston X-mid 1p and a set of Durston z folding poles for a couple of years now. I primarily use it moto camping & strongly recommend, it’s quick to erect, and can be done in the rain without ingress into the inner. Has barely felt it in winds that have seen my friends pop up tents collapse. Only downside I’ve seen in it is its fairly large footprint for a 1P.

I’ve always found it quite finickity to pitch on bad/tight sites, more so than any dome/tunnel style tent. It doesn’t play well in my experience if you can’t lay it out as a perfect square (rhomboid?), or if an edge of your site slopes, the sides never taught up right and it flaps & sags a bit. Think this contributes to the feel that the footprint is quite large more than even its actual size. This is a very minor niggling complaint about what is otherwise an absolutely fantastic tent, nothing else I’d rather have. I actually pre-ordered my x-mid 1p solid off the back of Dans technical posts before it was even released.

Would definitely be some kind of hot tent for me. I’ve been eyeing up a Naturehike Massif 2 recently. Use a Durston X-mid 1 with the solid inner as my lightweight tent.

I will second this. When I’m using a trekking pole tent, the x-mid 1 is my go to. I use both a free standing Hubba hubba 2 (love that tent) and an x-mid 1 for backpacking. The choice depends on the terrain primarily and a little bit on weather.

the xmid-1 will fit you but not any other animal or human. The area under the xmid tarp is huge, even for the 1, but if you only care about the part that is inside the inner, it's about average size.

With our doublewall tents including the X-Dome the fly can be rolled back as much as you want. You can expose a corner or two (I show this in the pitching video) or the entire interior. So the X-Dome 2 can have any amount of ventilation from fully covered to 100% inner exposed. The regular X-Mid can do this too, but the singlewall Pro version has the fly and inner attached so the versatility is less.

The regular X-Mid has always been tips up, and the Pros have always been handles up. The main reasons for that is that a doublewall tent (regular series) doesn't have a natural pocket for the handle, so the lightest option is a grommet for the tip, whereas the Pro series are singlewall/hybrid tents so the inner wall connecting to the fly creates a natural pocket that we use to go handles up. You can go handles up without adapters in the regular X-Mid too, but it doesn't have that wall there to positively stop the handle from sliding around. It works normally but in high winds the greater security of a grommet or an adapter can be nice.

If you are familiar with the gen 1, model, it is quite different than that since the width has grown 5” wider, 4” taller and about 7” longer. The geometry increases the volume out of two trekking poles (eg more space than a more traditional interior shape) so the current version is one of the largest 1P interiors available.

The ‘solid’ inners for our X-Mid have a panel of mesh (on the upper part of the doors) that can’t close, but with the X-Dome this mesh panel is accompanied by a second layer of solid material that can be closed to have it ‘full’ solid (no areas of exposed mesh). I don’t have a great photo of it, but [this shot](https://durstongear.com/cdn/shop/files/16_-_Durston_X-Dome_2_Ultraight_Tent_-_Solid_Inner_446.jpg?v=1757631867) shows it when the solid layer is shut behind the mesh

The short answer is that it is a combination of sewn on and zippers, and is included in the weight. The long answer is that the ‘flap’ of solid fabric is a triangle that is sewn along the bottom edge (permanently attached & part of the weight). So the bottom edge is ‘sealed’ such that any snow building up on the solid panel isn’t going to slide down into the tent. Then the other two sides are both sewn for the lowest 4-5” to further prevent wind blown snow from sneaking in, and this creates a pocket that the rest of the flap can be tucked into when it is open. Then above that, the side of the triangle along the main zipper has a zipper to zip shut. The zipper is not vertical, but angling over the flap, so it does a nice job of raising up the flap to cover the mesh. Operating the zipper is what closes the flap. As it does that, the final side near the top is pulled closed and sits shut with a bit of overlap. It is an overlap closure for the upper part of the ‘top’ side, such that the mesh is covered but the edge here is not ‘sealed’. We could’ve put another zipper here (or Velcro etc) but it’s at the top, sits shut nicely now, and is shielded by the fly. If it’s so windy it’s forcing snow through there, it’s probably not the right conditions for this tent anyways, but if a user wanted it would be easy to add a bit of velcro

Durston is my vote! I got two tents from them, was thinking to resell one but thinking to keep it if my son starts hiking on his own, so he can keep it. I want to buy the nylon one (two wall tent) next. It would be better for the winter than the one wall tent (XMidPro) that I have I think. But, the quality of their products is great! If the shipping/fees isn't too bad, consider it.

If you don’t want to carry unnecessary weight one of the best things you can do is look at trekking poles tents. The duration x mid standard is what I would say is on the high end of budget tents.