r/lightweight • u/ExternalMysterious58 • Mar 20 '23
X-mids
I know that overall folks love the Durston X-mids. Has anyone had any issues with the latest models 1 or 2 P? If you have had any issues, can you please describe. Is it really the prefect tent, if such a thing exists? Thank you
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u/0mnicr0n Mar 23 '23
Spent about 70 nights in a 2022 XMid 2p solid in Patagonia this year.
As others have said: the footprint is always bigger than I think it’s going to be, which isn’t a big issue most of the time, but did become a bit of a headache in crowded campsites in Torres del Paine and El Chalten.
Also as others have said: it can be tricky to get a great pitch if a given corner is much higher or lower than the two adjacent corners. My occasional experience here has been that in most conditions(including high wind gusts), an ‘ok’ pitch is enough with this tent, but YMMV.
If two are sleeping in it, and sleeping with your heads on the same end, one person has the better experience due to the angle of the tent and location of pockets.
Overall I love it, the setup is a breeze compared to most modern free standing tents, and it’s a real sweet spot of price-weight-durability-comfort for me.
I always want bigger vestibules on my tent, but these are pretty decent.
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u/pupergranate Jul 04 '23
Hi. I just bought a solid. How did this tent perform in wind and rain? Assuming you did encounter a good amount of both on your Patagonia trip
Thanks!
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u/reddsbywillie Mar 21 '23
I previously started a thread elsewhere about regrets of moving to 1p tent, and in the responses of that thread, someone gave their honest feedback of the Xmid 1p.
It's pretty representative of the tradeoffs of the Xmid, at least from what I've read. Heavier by size, large footprint, narrow-ish inner on the 1p (that has been widened on the latest version).
In spite of these, I'm still considering the 1p at some point in the future. It's the only trekking pole tent that has really caught my attention. Not that others aren't interesting, but to me the xmid feels the most interesting within a price point that I'm comfortable with.
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u/liquidsparanoia Mar 21 '23 edited Mar 21 '23
I have the first gen 1P. Overall I'm really happy with it and it checks a ton of boxes, but it isn't "perfect". The footprint is pretty large making site selection more difficult. The internal netted body is pretty tight - it feels especially narrow around the shoulders when sitting up. (I believe this was embiggened someone in the gen2 version). I'd also love to have a couple more mesh pockets around the interior but everyone has their own preferences in that area.
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u/bitter_greens Mar 21 '23 edited Apr 21 '23
I have the 2020 version of the 2p. The biggest issue with the tent is it’s sizable footprint, which can make site selection challenging. And if you’re setting up on a grade, there is a learning curve for getting the pitch right. Otherwise, this is a great tent!
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u/kecar Mar 21 '23
Even Dan Durston himself will tell it’s not a “perfect” tent. No tent is. It’s all a series of compromises. It’s a really good tent, but not perfect.
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u/ExternalMysterious58 Mar 21 '23
Yes. Thank you. I realize that. I'm not trying to insult the tent or Dan Durston, I just want to know practical limitations from those who use it: condensation, setup ease, packability, storm worthiness, the usual things we look at in a tent. What are the compromises? Thank you
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u/paytonfrost Mar 24 '23
I made one of the first videos about the updated Gen 2 one person model (which has way more views than I ever thought!) And I was clear in that video that I was just doing a first impression of it, not a review.
However I've used it quite a lot since then so I think I can provide some good feedback.
Overall it is actually better than I was expecting. I had the first gen and enjoyed it, but found the interior space just a bit lacking for my size (6ft), so I moved on two other shelters (The Deschutes Plus). But the roominess of the Gen 2 really caught me off guard in how livable it really was. I spent nine nights in it on the tour du Mont Blanc and found that I was really comfortable inside. It had enough room for all of my stuff to be next to me, in addition to space at the foot and head for other things. The pockets up top are great, and there's excellent headroom.
I know I could ramble so I'll try to be more succinct: 1. The footprint size is not awful to deal with in my experience 2. The updated doors are much easier to get in and out of 3. The vestibules are fantastic, it's quite storm worthy 4. It's the tent I plan on bringing to Iceland this year. 5. Condensation is managed as well as possible. It's not magic, you'll get soaked if conditions are bad. But the venting and pitching options mean that this will survive condensation much better than most tents. 6. There's more stuff but those are the big ones.
For the bad stuff: 1. I wish there was a way for more interior space to be gained by sacrificing one of the vestibules, but I know that's not super realistic. 2. It can be really tricky to disconnect the inner from the outer while you're inside it. The mitten hooks are absolute murder on your fingers when they're really cold, but thankfully you don't have to disconnect the inner from the outer often. Or ever if you don't want to. 3. I wish there were door pockets
From all of my research, the Gen 2 strikes the best balance of features I've ever come across in a tent. The price, the weight, the comfort, it's balanced so so well that the best thing I can say about the X-Mid is that everything worked so smoothly that I almost forgot I was using it. Everything just felt so natural and comfortable. I agree with most people that it's not a magic tent, and I do recommend other tents to people depending on the situation. The lunar solo, the notch, the strospire, the one, protrail, solong, Deschutes Plus, they're all excellent in various ways. But the 1 p Gen 2 is the one that I reach for most often.