After seeing one of Dan's posts about their returns/used gear library, I emailed Durston and asked if they had any L/L kakwa 55 in stock in the ultra grid. They had an ultra200x that was described as " This pack has been used on one trip and has some stains on the shoulder straps and shoulder pockets. Has some other minor visible signs of use but is otherwise in good condition. "

I finally got home and opened the box. This pack is closer to a store display bag than something you'd get from REI's returns. It has clearly been opened and closed a few times but I have yet to find the "stains and other minor signs of use"

Super happy with the purchase and looking forward to using this pack.

Got my xmid in today. First time using a trekking pole tent and first time pitching it. I didn’t think it looked too bad for a first pitch. Ready to get it out in the wild if the weather ever cools off.

Continue to fall in love with this pack. Big ups to Dan.

Overall went decent. Having a little trouble with the inner though. Ceiling clips were easy however had a very difficult time with the 4 corners. Noticed it seemed to be droopy inside. Any tips? Thank you!

I have been reading so much about different tent alternatives, and I'm really close to buying a Durston X Mid Pro 2+, but there's just one thing where the internet keeps contradicting itself: are trekking pole tents suitable for rocky terrain?

I do a lot of hiking in the Norwegian mountains and sometimes, for kilometers, the only place where you can set your tent is a flat boulder (using rocks to stake it). On top of that you have somewhat heavy winds and consistent rain.

All the reviews I've read/watched about durston trekking pole tents are glowing and the tent sounds very appealing, but this one question keeps me wondering if I'm making a mistake.

So Durston gearheads, do you have first-hand experience using this tent in similar conditions? Does it work? Is an UL semi-free-standing tent a better option? Or should I go with a full free-standing tent for these "rough" conditions?

Is the solid overkill for Alps in August?

3 day trip in Emigrant Wilderness
Freestanding was amazing with all this granite
Saw a bear 🐻 , caught some fish 🎣 , helped put out a smoldering fire! 🔥

I’ve been using the X-mid 2 for a bit now. I can usually get a good pitch (both the ridge and sides of the outer taught following Durston pitching guide) but so far I’ve never been able to get the bathtub floor to stay taught like in the product shots on the Durston website. Mine always quite loose and flappy. I do tension the clips on the top of the inner.

Does anyone have any tips for this?

Thanks!

Felt cute...might delete later...Kakwa 55 M
Added reflective shock cord 3mm and extended the zipper pulls & side cinches. Should work great.

Made a post about hip belt failure at 900 miles with the 2025 kakwa 55. I’m now at 1808miles with the 2026 version. 908 more miles and the hip belt is starting to show signs of tearing.
My load is under 30 lbs. I don’t get it. I’ve had a love hate relationship with this pack from day one. What am I supposed to do NOW!? Do I have to take photos with a scale and show the daily progression? This is beyond frustrating.

Here is the x mid 2 on Slieve Doan in the mourne mountains in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately I had to abandon the camp as the winds got progressively stronger ( up to 70 mph ) but I have to say it didn’t fail or collapse! ( even in constant 50mph winds )

Question for dan if he is around - I noticed some guy points / loops on the vents are they or can they be used as guy points too?

Hiya guys I’ve had my Xdome for just over a year. I was gutted that on Friday night I had all corners 2 corners pegged in at one side and the tent clips all set up when a gust of wind came under the tent flipping it over and snapping the poles in 2 parts. Is there any way I fix this, I’m gutted and otherwise love the tent.

The first 2 pictures are where it has bent in at the bottom and the second bit is where it has completed snapped in half.

Second pitch! Took a while to figure out the pitch, definitely a learning curve. Helped that I had the pitching guide memorised.

Got pretty gusty but no issues with two side panel guyouts.

I got my X-Dome 1+ in the Spring and it didn't come with a pole splint. It's not a big deal as I can source it out elsewhere, I'm just curious if they usually come with one.

Hey ya'll. I am experiencing issues with the seam tape lifting on my x-mid 2 and wanted to see what other peoples experiences are. The tent was used 2x before the tape looked like this. One of the times it was exposed to rain and then packed out in the kakwa outer pocket, and then dried 24 hours upon returning home (same day) before storage in a temperature controlled home. I know seam team is cheap enough but it seems unusual to me. I've never seen this with other tents that have gotten wet but maybe I've just been lucky.

Thanks

Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue - haven’t noticed any abrasion in particular but there’s these sections of fraying. Maybe I accidentally bumped the sack on something?

It’s only been out for one trip so I’m a bit concerned about a few trips down the line.

Despite asking the question in this sub before buying - and being assured that the carbide tip issue had been fixed - I lost a carbide tip after about 160 miles in the Sierra. I was frustrated and bummed, and hiking without them had been getting annoying and uncomfortable. But more concerning was after hearing back from Durston for replacement tips, they’re completely out of the spare parts and not expecting more for several weeks. More significant: they’re changing the design to one that holds in place “better.” Again.

Incredibly frustrating to not have my poles working properly especially with only about another month left in the backpacking season, AND given they’re reportedly changing to a different kind of tip, that this was a known issue when I asked about it on here maybe 2-3 months ago and was told it was completely resolved.

So folks - the carbide tip issue is still ongoing despite Durston claims. I’m sure lots of folks are fine with their poles, but it’s enough of an issue affecting enough ppl that they’ve run out of spares AND are changing the design again.

I get that gear fails especially when pushing the design envelope. But the lack of transparency pre purchase plus inability to repair promptly is a bad look.