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Drop X-Mid 2P Tent Designed by Dan Durston

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Drop X-Mid 2P Tent Designed by Dan Durston

Name: Drop X-Mid 2P Tent Designed by Dan Durston
Brand: Drop
SKU: drop-x-mid-2-person-tent-designed-by-dan-durston
Price: 300 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 4.906077 (181 reviews)

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Product Description

Ultralight and easy to set up, the X-Mid 2P is our second collaboration with thru-hiker Dan Durston. With plenty of room for two, enjoying the great outdoors with a partner has never been easier.

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4.9

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99% would recommend to a friend

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gnarledcoulee

537

Jul 21, 2019

X-Mid 2P: Spacious, Light and Rugged full review w/ photos

I’ve had the pleasure of traipsing around the far northern reaches of Nova Scotia with the new spacious and lightweight X-Mid 2P and Drop UL 40L backpack for 8 days. Over those 8 days and nights I experienced what I like to call the Atlantic Weather Gauntlet; extreme winds (some of the strongest in Canada), unexpected thunder storms with heavy downpours and heavy ocean-effect condensation. How did the X-Mid fare? Let’s see ... GENEROUS LIVING SPACE, UNIQUE DOUBLE-WALLED DESIGN. •With an impressive 33sq/ft of floor space, two doors, two large vestibules and a weight of about 40oz, this is a true two person tent with incredible space-to-weight ratio. I doubt you will find another non-DCF tent with that type of space-to-weight ratio - and it’s double-walled! **Note: I was not given a specs sheet, so the weights are my own calculations and may not be precise.

•The inner-tent/outer-tent design is unique and gives you a couple different setup options. The tent comes with the inner and outer conveniently pre-attached, however, you can completely detach the inner-tent and just use the outer-tent as a spacious ultralight tarp shelter, or use both for a double-wall tent with a bathtub floor and full bug protection. In insect-ladened areas, though, you‘ll notice bugs will accumulate between the gap of the inner and outer tent walls and can get trapped up there. A few mornings I had to wrap up a lot of mosquitoes, ants, and black flies that got trapped, only to greet all their dead carcasses that evening at my next tent site when I unfurled the tent.

•The dual trekking pole-supported design allows you adjustability on uneven surfaces. Where I Iive you will rarely find a perfectly even place to pitch, so being able to compensate for an uneven grade by adjusting one or both poles is really important.

•If you’re at a location where a perfect pitch isn’t achievable, sometimes the inner tent seems to sag a little bit. You can easily fix this and maximize your headroom by attaching the outer tent vestibule door tie to the inner tent door tie loop (shown in photos). Great feature, whether it was intended or not.

•I did experience some “bunching” of the inner tent mesh. I added a photo to show. It was minimal for me, and can be mostly corrected by gently and repeatedly rubbing your finger over the area to realign the threading of the mesh. I would take care in rolling the tent up for the stuff sack, as I suspect the mesh does this when stretched or pulled too much during storage.

WIND, CONDENSATION, RAIN

W i n d •Les Suetes, like the Chinooks in Alberta or Santa Anas in Southern California, are a strong foehn wind on western Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. I have a lot of experience backpacking and camping in these winds, with many tent failures ensuing and many hats gone a-flyin’. During night one of my trip to Lowlands Cove at the northern tip of the island I once again encountered this beast-like wind. Using only the shepherd hooks staked in compact soil, and four small rocks on the main four corners, the X-Mid valiantly and easily slain the 90km/hr Suetes beast. Not one stake came up. First tent I’ve been in that withstood the Suetes so easily. Hugely impressed by how this sheers the wind. No stakes unstaked, but I did notice that the high winds loosened the tensioners completely. If you’re expecting high winds, I’d suggest loosening the tensioners at the four corners, then adjust the stakes for tension instead of using the tension pulls. That will reduce “loosening” of the tent if you’re expecting high winds.

C o n d e n s a t i o n •It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a double walled tent. With 7400 kms of coastline in Nova Scotia, and free dispersed camping on most public lands, camping next to the Atlantic Ocean is a thing that happens here a lot. Camping in my single-walled Lunar Solo along the coast means dealing with lots of in-tent moisture build up. I took a trip to Framboise and pitched the X-Mid about 10 meters from the ocean to see how this double-wall design holds up against heavy condensation. Woke up completely comfortable with a dry sleeping bag. Moisture stayed on outer tent wall. Very impressed, yet again.

R a i n •After a long hot 2nd day traversing the vast and sprawling headlands of Lowlands Cove, I noticed some dark clouds gathering as I approached my second tent site at French Brook at the far northern corner of the cove. The sprinkles started, then 5 seconds later the clouds opened up like a faucet. I pitched the X-Mid fast and easy then jumped in with my dog Atlas. Needless to say, all the seams are sealed well and no water got in at all. I like that the outer tent goes almost right to the ground, giving greater protection against the elements than some other tents. I could see this working as a 4-season tent.

My conclusion is that the Dan Durston-designed Drop X-Mid 2P covers all the bases needed for my style of backpacking. It’s sturdy and rugged enough to take on all the weather my corner of the world throws at me, along with the ability to pitch in not-so-ideal locations. The asymmetrical design gives the whole thing a very cool and different look and feel. I backpack solo with one or two dogs mostly, so the 33sq/ft floor space means I won’t be getting kicked in the face by a big tired dog stretching his legs.

I’m giving this tent a rating of 5 out of 5 stars. The only reason I was briefly considering 4 stars is because the netting bunching up in a few small areas, but it was so minimal for me and it doesn’t affect bug protection nor is it getting worse so it’s something easily overlooked for me personally. It also has an easy remedy by rubbing the affected areas.

If you need a spacious tent with an amazing space-to-weight ratio (non-DCF), ability to pitch on various types of terrain, all the benefits of a double-wall, and can withstand all the elements Mother Nature may throw at you, I highly recommend this tent!

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

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gnarledcoulee

537

Aug 9, 2019

Thank you! Glad you found it useful. Yeah, he’s my best buddy for sure. ✌🏼

AllSouthall

Mar 20, 2020

gnarledcouleeReally appreciated the thorough review. Thank you

RedSandSlot

Jul 22, 2019

Dan Durston X-mid 2P Tent and 40L Backpack Review I have really enjoyed the opportunity to test out both of these pieces of equipment over the last copule of weeks and I have to say I am impressed. Both pieces of equipment exceeded my expectations and in certain instances raise the bar that all other products will now have to meet. I recently spent four nights in the High Uintas Wilderness Area with my dogs and these two pieces of equipment. Here are my thoughts...

First of all, the tent has a great design concept. With two trekking poles and four to six stakes, the tent is very stable and thrived in a high altitude summer thunder storm with high winds with no structural issues whatsoever. Rain protection was also a standout feature for both the tent and backpack. The tent's rain fly stretches beyond the sleeping structure of the tent providing 2 extra rain proof vestibules which make the tent seem large and spacious. The backpack is also waterproof with the top of the main compartment closing the same way that dry bags close by folding on themselves 3 to 4 times before being clipped down. The backpack survived a 30 minute downpour with the contents inside remaining bone dry. The pack carried very well and was quite comfortable but the one thing that I would probably change is the size of the pockets on the waist strap to be able to accomodate my phone but overall a very insignificant issue that probably isn't even worth mentioning.

Another aspect about the tent that really stood out to me was the fact that it is so easy/quick to pitch and break down as long as good staking areas are present. I spent 4 nights at 3 different locations (none of which were entirely level) and the ease of pitching this tent was a real bonus. One night, at a higher elevation, I had to shift the tent around a bit to find good staking areas but it wasn't a real big deal. However, if you are camping on rock etc. then some ingenuity is required with rocks for weights and areas to tie guy lines. The inside feels very spacious for a backpacking tent that is so light. I was very comfortable with my two dogs and stuff for 4 nights. Also, the two door design is awesome and makes it very easy to access the entire tent from outside. The zippers on the doors and flaps were very easy to use, could be operated with one hand, and felt high quality. I had minor bug net bunching issues as was reported earlier by other reviewers but this did not effect my experience at all and can be remedied with a little time and patience.

Dan Durston X-mid 2P Tent---5/5 stars Dan Durston 40L Backpack---4.5/5

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mastermiler

Jul 26, 2019

RedSandSlotDo the tent pack sideways in the 40l backpack?

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dandurston

5116

Dan Durston

Jul 26, 2019

mastermilerYes the tent fits nicely in the 40L when positioned sideways. The long packed shape of many tents (with struts and poles) is an inconvenience, which is why I intentionally made the stuff sack for the X-Mid short (12"). I've personally packed it sideways in the 40L pack, as have several other testers. You can see the packed size here: https://massdrop-s3.imgix.net/img_comment/Wq4nMzBrSbaRZNpyNecP_FDC1A75AA280420C9755C947C22C9901.jpeg?auto=format&fm=jpg&fit=max&w=796&h=425&dpr=2&q=35

Cardamomtea

588

Jul 25, 2019

A palace! This tent is a palace! ...That was my first reaction when I set it up in my yard.

For the past month I have been testing out the Dan Durston designed Drop X-Mid 2P. I'd like to share my experience with this tent, so you can figure out if this is the right tent for you. This tent checks all the boxes for me: * It is spacious. I could actually camp with another person that I was not on intimate terms with. I can stretch my arms, change clothes, hang out and read a book etc, without feeling claustrophobic. * It is durable. I broke a 10 year habit and stopped using a footprint. **unless camping on sharp granite** * It is lightweight. At just under 39oz / 1.1kg for fly + inner, it weighs a little more than my Hornet, but carrying those extra ounces is so worth it. * It is affordable. You CAN get a lighter, similarly spacious tent, but you are going to pay for it. Dyneema ain't cheap. The value presented here is outstanding! * It isn't fussy. No seam sealing required. Also, I have no patience for fiddly set ups. I know others don't have this issue, but I like to get to camp, set up my tent quickly and take it easy. I was worried since it isn't freestanding this wouldn't be possible, not an issue! Setting up the X-Mid is a breeze. Now for a little more detail (...grab a cup of tea because I write a lot...) I'd like to share a little bit about my background, to provide context for this review. I primarily camp solo or with two dogs. My backpacking experience is limited to the Cascade Mountains in Washington, the badlands in North Dakota, the Black Hills in South Dakota, and northern Minnesota (hot & humid summers, cold & dry winters). I typically bring trekking poles with me. My first tent was a 2007 MSR Hubba Hubba (~4lb 11oz / 2.14kg, 2P, freestanding), my second was a 2016? Nemo Hornet 2P (2lb 5oz / 1.05kg, 2P, semi-freestanding). I loved the spaciousness and durability of the MSR tent, but I switched to the Nemo to shed over two pounds from my kit. There is no way I could have switched over if I wasn't a solo camping; the Hornet 2P is just not a two person tent. I longed for the headroom of my Hubba Hubba, but I wasn't willing to pay the weight penalty. I found spacious, lightweight tents, but either the lack of durability or the cost turned me off. Surely there was some middle ground... Enter the Drop X-Mid 2P!

This tent has a lot in common with the Drop X-Mid 1P, being that this is the two person version. It has the same durable 20D polyester fabric, which means it won't absorb moisture and sag like nylon does (no getting up at night to tighten the fly). With nylon, if you don't have a chance to let your tent dry out after a night of rain, you will be carrying that water weight. I think nylon tents "show" better when dry, and that's great for marketing, but I want a tent that puts function over form. I love how durable the X-Mid fabric is. My Nemo Hornet is 10D and I accidentally zipped the fly one day and now I have a hole in it. The X-Mid's fabric is thin, yet strong. I didn't use a groundsheet while testing the tent because I wanted to see how it would fare. No punctures! No wear! I would use a groundsheet when camping on sharp rocks of course, but it was fine in the pine cone forests of the Black Elk Wilderness. Lastly it's the same color as the 1P, which is a nice inconspicuous pale sage.

As for the inner, it's the same mesh as the 1P, which when you look at the 1P reviews, you will see mention of blemishes in the noseeum mesh. I did encounter that on mine, which concerned me (we have a lot of bugs here in Minnesota).

However, upon closer inspection, the "snag" is just cosmetic, and can be fixed by running a fingernail over it. The structure and shape of the tent are the same: the fly is a staked out rectangle held up by your two trekking poles, and the inner a parallelogram which creates dual vestibules. They did move the peak vent to the side of the tent, allowing for a longer door zipper.

Before setting up for the first time, I watched Dan's video on how to set up the X-Mid 1P. As this is my first trekking pole supported shelter, I was really concerned about my ability to set up a tent that relied on being staked out properly. My worry turned out to be unfounded: even in places where I could not use my stakes (solid rock with an inch of soil), I was able to find rocks and logs to secure the tent to. The only downside to it being non-freestanding that I can think of, is if you do a lot of setting up in the dark on solid granite, you will need a decent headlamp if there's no moonlight, in order to gather heavy rocks or branches to "stake out" the tent.

The other thing to know is if you camp on a slope, which I almost always do, you might need to adjust one pole to be taller than the other, instead of just blindly setting them for a set height every time. The nice thing about it being a trekking pole shelter, if you come from my background of fixed tent pole tents, is that you can exchange a few inches of peak height for tent width, if you want, merely by adjusting the poles or the inner-to- rain fly attachment clip. So, if you're camping with a buddy, you can lower the poles, which lowers the fly & inner, which widens the floor. If you're solo, you can pitch it higher. It would be nice if Drop would offer for sale, as a convenient add-on, adjustable poles for people who do not use trekking poles, like bike-packers. Just like the 1P, you can set up the fly separate from the inner during the rain, keeping your inner tent dry. The inner clips in the same as the 1P. Some 1P reviews mentioned too much tension on the line connecting the inner to the fly, but fortunately I didn't run into this on the 2P. Perhaps this depends on the height you set your trekking poles? Also, I would recommend attaching the inner four corners to the corner grosgrain and not the plastic (like it came shipped), because it's a small PITA to unclip the mitten hooks.

If I could recommend a change, it would be to change that piece of hardware into something easier... maybe something open on both ends? The other change I would recommend is the location of the pocket. I believe on the 1P it was a ridgeline pocket, and it was moved to the side for easier access. However, I find that it is too high up to be useful to me (I use the pocket when I'm laying in my quilt, so I like pockets that attach to the side of the bathtub floor). My arms are shorter than the average backpacker, so maybe this is just an issue for me.

There's ample space between the inner and the fly, so no worries about condensation migrating from the fly to the mesh, as happens sometimes in my nylon tent. Speaking of condensation, I've only had that in Minnesota (it's hot and humid.. something about 11,000+ lakes, not to mention the countless unnamed bogs, marshes, etc...), and I LOVE being able to change in my tent without knocking the netting into the fly and transferring moisture to myself. The other thing I appreciate is the set back from the outer fly. This design allowed me to enter and exit the inner tent without rain falling inside the inner. I also have room in the vestibule to remove my wet jacket before unzipping the inner to get inside. This brings me to.... Storm hardiness. Most tents work well enough in pleasant weather, but it's the storms that we need to prepare for. We had a severe thunderstorm warning while I was at home, so I thought that would be a great opportunity to test out the X-Mid 2P!

Unfortunately, we didn't get any hail, but we did have high winds and driving rain. I was able to set up the tent quickly under pressure, and then noted its performance in the storm. Honestly, if I had a video it wouldn't look that impressive because the material is taut enough that it wasn't dramatically flapping in the wind. I attribute this to the polyester material, which since it doesn't sag when wet, doesn't create excess fabric to catch the wind. Also, because the tent fly goes so low to the ground, you don't get the kind of splashback inside the vestibule that you see in most tents. I really appreciate this, because sometimes I like to store my backpack in the vestibule, and firewood if I'm planning on making a fire. In short, the X-Mid performed like a champ in the storm, and now I feel very confident in trusting my safety with it. Related to the vestibule, if you want to increase your sheltered area, you can also guy out one of the doors to create a sun shade. I haven't tested this in rain, but I would imagine for non-windy rain it would work well too. I used two guy out points for this:

As for the specs, they are listed on the Drop description, but here's my personal experience: Drop lists the dimensions as 47" x 92" -- I REALLY hope they will change the description to 50" because there are people who are going to read that and think you can't put two 25" x 77" pads in there. Yes, yes you can! Here's proof:

I mentioned earlier that you can adjust the width of the inner by adjusting the trekking poles or the length of attachment of the inner to the fly, so you probably could raise the inner enough to shrink the bathtub to 47" but in most pitches there's going to be plenty of room. I had a few extra inches even after putting in the two 25" pads. It's TRULY a two person tent. Weights from my un-calibrated kitchen scale: * Package right out of the shipping box: 42oz / 1190g * Tent + Inner: 38.9oz - 1103g * 8 titanium stakes: 2.3oz / 65g The packed size is a little larger than the Costco down blanket, which I think most people are familiar with. Forgive me for not using the standard Nalgene bottle ;-)

Also, a bit random, but for people who are sensitive to odors, like myself, I can happily report no obnoxious odor! I wish this were true of all new gear! I'm not good at being succinct, but I'll do my best here... I LOVE this tent! I love not having to compromise on anything: weight, spaciousness, price, features, durability, storm-hardiness, set up ease, tent color. I love how durable the fabric has been; I would feel comfortable loaning this tent out to a friend, something I would NOT do with my 10D Nemo Hornet. I love how much space, ***genuinely usable space*** you get for the weight, and I love the weight you get for the price. It's an incredible value. I look forward to many more adventures in this tent :-) If you have any questions, just ask! I'll do my best to answer them.

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

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Mar 12, 2020

Thanks Michael! I hope you like it.

(Edited)

cturnbull

Mar 13, 2020

dandurstonHeck yeah! These are shipping way sooner than expected! I'll actually get to use it when section hike North Carolina next month! Thanks Dan! You're the man! Haha

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jbinney

Apr 2, 2020

Verified Buyer

Great tent design, great quality. Perfect for transitioning into ultralight backpacking

My wife loves the outdoors but is just starting to get into backpacking. In order to maximize comfort for her on our trips, we bought a 3 person freestanding tent weighing in at over 6 pounds. As you can guess, in order to get her into the back country, I got to carry that weight (and pack the bulk). It was a compromise I was willing to make, but it made packing difficult and limited our range. When I started the hunt for a lighter multi-person tent, I quickly found lots of extremely expensive options (e.g. made out of DCF), and was really bummed out. Then I found this tent, and I was incredibly impressed with the efforts in optimization during design. At ~half the cost of some of the DCF tents, and ~a third of the weight of our freestanding tent, I was so excited to get in on the Drop and test out this shelter. **Updated after the 2020 Colorado hiking season. This thing is amazing! I have zero complaints about anything with this shelter. Get it, you won't regret it!

We received the tent a couple of weeks ago, and I can say without a doubt it's a huge upgrade from our freestanding tent in a lot of ways -

Packability: The freestanding tent took up almost my entire HMG 3400 pack, since it had to go vertically. This shelter packs down so small that I can put it horizontally, meaning I can carry more stuff in my pack (ultimately meaning my wife can lighten her load and we can enjoy our hikes more).

Weight: At a third of the weight of our freestanding tent, it's no comparison. Obviously it's smaller than a 3 person tent, but we still have enough space for both of us, and it's way lighter. I get to carry less weight and my wife gets to camp in comfort. It's a win for everyone.

Quality: Our freestanding tent came from a small but reputable and widely known company. The quality of that tent is superb, and the quality of the DD X-Mid is just as great. My wife is a seamstress so I've learned to appreciate quality stitching when I see it. This is an incredibly well-built tent.

Designer Support: Ironically enough, despite how amazing the physical product is, this is where I think this tent shines the brightest. I have never seen such amazing outreach from the designer of a product. It's clear that Dan is incredibly passionate about his products, as I see him constantly responding to questions on Drop and Reddit. To me, that means all the difference in selecting a product.

As Dan has said quite often, yes, you can find lighter tents, or larger tents, or tents with more features. But you won't find another tent that so elegantly optimizes weight, space, and features at this price point. It's even light enough that I am planning to take it out on solo trips. For me, this tent is more than just a shelter, since it means that my wife and I can go on bigger and better adventures together!

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

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sethknutson

Feb 27, 2021

Verified Buyer

I've used my X-Mid2 over the last six months as my luxury home while rock climbing at car camping and semi-primitive sites. It has performed so well I bought the X-Mid1 to become my primary backpacking tent for some PCT sections including the JMT nobo, replacing my beloved SMD Lunar Solo "it rains inside the tent" condensation trap. The X-Mid2 is *almost* everything I want it to be: roomy with vertical walls, enough space for me (6' tall, rock climber build) to sit up and change in the tent, sufficient side storage pockets, two huge vestibule storage areas, zero condensation or rain issues, an immovable object in high winds, easy to setup (first pole stays in place while putting in the second pole, doesn't fall over like the Zpacks Duplex) and easy to pack, simple design without any gimmicks to break/lose/screw up. The tie-back toggles are efficient and fast, as are the waterproof zippers - I absolutely hate trying to quickly zip up a rain fly while its raining just to get the zipper stuck in the flap while water is funneling off the fly onto my sleeping bag, boots, etc. My most recent trip I spent just over a week at Joshua Tree this February, the X-Mid2 had enough covered floor space to store all my climbing gear in one vestibule, backpack and shoes in the other one, my clothes and personal gear inside the netting, and enough room for a 25" wide/long NeoAir Xlite pad on top of a closed cell foam pad, all with room to spare.

The deciding factor for me was the area:weight ratio and double wall design. I've used the SMD Lunar Solo and Zpacks Duplex, both single wall designs, with the Lunar Solo being similar (740g vs 780g for the X-Mid1) and the Duplex at just over 600g - but - the X-Mid is a far superior double wall design. I've spent enough time waking up at night to wipe the ceiling but still ending up with a moist sleeping bag on the AT to appreciate double walls. The Duplex and Lunar Solo each have ~1.5x interior mesh space, but the X-Mid's vestibule space makes up for this. I was willing to spend $800-$1k on a Hyperlite or Tarp Tent if the performance was there, so price was a secondary factor, but it doesn't hurt that the X-Mid is also very price competitive. The *almost perfect* issues include:

Sand/dust blowing into the tent (see image below). Partly this is a result of using 130cm (51 inch) fixed length trekking poles which increase the gap between the ground and the tarp. The bathtub floor only extends a few inches above the ground, often there is an air gap between the top of the bathtub floor and the bottom of the tarp, allowing wind to carry sand/dust into the tent. In some cases I dig little holes to lower the effective height of my trekking poles to compensate for this, but it would be nice if the bathtub floor was a little higher (tradeoff, this would potentially increase condensation issues by reducing airflow through the tent).
Corner tie-out lines snapped in high wind. After about 4 months of use, none in particularly high winds, I took the X-Mid2 to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma for a weekend of trad climbing. I arrived at night during high winds, while setting up my tent with the short (non-zipper) side facing the wind, with one pole in and four corners staked, the lines of the two upwind corners snapped; the second snapped after being shock loaded as a result of the first snapping. Curious if this was an outlier, I switched the tent around, replaced the two snapped lines with 2mm Lawson Ironwire Dyneema SK75 core line, and tried setting the tent up. Again, one of the original corner tie-out lines snapped after staking and tensioning the four corners and installing the first trekking pole (while installing the second pole), followed by the second shock loading and snapping. Perhaps the lines may have held if I had the guy-out line installed and the tent fully setup, but I suspect the stock lines may not be sufficient to hold in strong winds. These lines may have been selected as its preferable to snap the lines before ripping the tent, but I've since replaced all four corner lines with Ironwire.
Vestibules contribute to a somewhat large overall footprint. This may be a necessity to achieve the vertical walls and attractive floor area to weight ratio, and the overall area is fine, even luxurious, for a 2p tent if used in primarily car camping applications or broadly west of the Mississippi. On the other hand, it would be very interesting if one of the vestibules could be eliminated while maintaining the vertical walls and floor/weight ratio, especially in a 1 person design. Such a design would have a significant advantage in thicker forest areas like the AT and upper NE US / New England (vs High Sierras, desert).

Overall, the X-Mid is the tent I would design if I could design a tent. I came to this conclusion after performing an unreasonably long and unnecessarily detailed tent analysis including spreadsheets and SPSS statistical analysis down to fibers and Korean line-locs, and buying/using a SMD Luna Solo, ZPacks Duplex, MSR Hubba Hubba NX2, Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2, and seriously considering (almost buying) a Tarp Tent Notch Li or the Hyperlite Ultramid with half insert.

If I could design the perfect 1p backpacking tent, I would start with the X-Mid1, change the mesh footprint from a rectangle to a half-hexagon (like the Lunar Solo), with the new area stretching 30-50% into one vestibule, then eliminate the remaining 50-70% vestibule area and second zipper entry. Keep the other vestibule and double wall design, #5 zippers all around, probably keep the Sil/PEU poly but consider Dyneema if it can be packable into something like a Hyperlite 2400 outside pocket without taking up much more room than a poly X-Mid1, and not get holes too quickly. I'd use the side pockets design of the X-Mid2. I'd use Dyneema core 2mm or 2.5mm lines, extend the bathtub floor ~130% higher up the sides, and keep everything else the same. Finally, one reason I bought both the X-Mid2 and X-Mid1 was the near obsessive level of detail Dan Durston clearly goes into when designing and discussing his tents. On forums, etc. I appreciate his citing primary sources for data and going into sufficient detail to define real world properties of materials and designs used in his tents. I feel as though his assessments can be relied upon as factual and accurate, and that the decisions he made while designing these tents will yield a long lasting, reliable tent which will keep me comfortable and alive in the wilderness.

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

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dandurston

5116

Dan Durston

Feb 28, 2021

sethknutsonThanks for the awesome review. Clearly you've put some great thought into this. A few assorted comments: 1) The early X-Mid 2P had 1.5mm guylines which ended up being a bit too light (e.g. they can break in high winds as you observed), so we have switched the X-Mid to much tougher 2.5mm cord now. 2) While those guylines are now plenty strong, I am working on custom premium guyline kit with Lawson Equipment that will be a partial dyneema cord. That'll reduce stretch, so the tent deflects less in high winds and heavy snow loads, and since the sheath is partial dyneema it'll be more abrasion resistant. That should be available on DurstonGear.com in 2 months. 3) I hope to do a solid inner version that would be really good in sandy areas and in the winter (spindrift). Still trying to convince Drop on that though, so I'm not sure when it'll happen. 4) Thanks for the thoughts on your dream 1p tent. Some good topics to mull over. Certainly there is an argument to be made for 1 door, and 1 vestibule in a 1P tent. Removing one vestibule can be tricky since just outright removing it would give a vertical wall (wind catching, require guyline). Could move to a 5 sided base shape as you suggest that would add some slope and avoid the guyline, but would require another stake and reinforced stake area. I don't think there's too much weight to be saved, but a larger inner and/or smaller footprint would attractive to some for sure.

slschoming

Jul 29, 2020

Verified Buyer

Light, durable, roomy, and dry

I spent three nights in the Tetons last week and have nothing but good things to say about the X-MID 2P. There were thunderstorms with heavy rain and high wind on two of the three nights and I stayed warm and dry. This tent pitches quickly and easily, which was especially nice when we got to camp and realized rain was coming soon. I also really like the spacing/distance between the outer and the inner. I never got wet from the rain or had issues with condensation like I have in other tents because there is no contact between the outer and inner. On the first night when it started to rain I put my pack into my tent to keep it dry, but forgot to remove the ice axe that was hanging from the side of the pack and it drug across the floor. I was sure I would find a tear but couldn't even tell that it had happened. This is the footprint of the outer. I had stuff in the vestibules that stayed as dry as I did inside the inner.

I packed my tent while it was still wet because it rained all night and into the morning. I got to camp early that night and set up so it had some time to dry out.

Night 3 was dry and I had more shelter from the wind. All three campsites were pretty uneven and the tent was flexible enough to accommodate. I hiked a total of 45 miles so I really appreciated how light this tent was.

Thanks, Dan & Drop, for a quality, affordable, lightweight tent!

Recommends this product? Yes

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mageraadam

Apr 18, 2020

Verified Buyer

You Found It

This is it, you finally found it. Like many, I have spent years looking for the perfect two person tent: Room enough for two 25" wide sleeping pads, long enough to accommodate my height at 6'3", near the ~1lb/person mark, vestibules big enough to store gear for two people, and excellent build quality. Search no more. It only takes setting this up for the first time to realize just how much thought has gone into this tent. And if you ever have a question of "why did Dan design it this way" he has endless replies to questions detailing why this might be the best designed tent ever made. I would not be surprised if in the coming years this 2P tent shape is simply what people expected from manufacturers as everything else is now essentially obsolete. At $280, this tent offers massive value. I have looked at multiple 2P tents near or more than $500 and this thing blows all of those out of the water. Never have I seen a tent manage the trade-offs between cost, build quality, weight, and design so flawlessly. The only thing, which I have posted a question about, is the possibility of making a hybrid/single-wall version of this tent. I personally don't mind dealing with condensation and this tent breathes really well. Meaning a single-walled version of this tent could save ~6 oz and truly be a 1lb/person tent. Regardless, I couldn't imagine a scenario where someone looking for a 2P tent would be dissatisfied with this product.

(Edited)

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CombatCivvy

Apr 17, 2020

Verified Buyer

Wow!

Arrived in great packaging! Tent breaks down really nicely into a fairly tight little stuff sack way smaller than I’d thought. Easy to pitch using poles and really sturdy once up. Huge amount of space for two. I have since arriving trimmed down a set of foldable carbon fibre tent poles so I can use on trips where in not taking poles. But I picked these up for a few £‘s on Amazon. Can’t wait for Corona virus to piss off now so I can take her for a spin in the trail!

Recommends this product? Yes

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cassbenton

Apr 17, 2020

CombatCivvyCould you link the poles you bought? Thanks.

CombatCivvy

Apr 26, 2020

cassbentonThey were just some cheap carbon rent poles from Amazon that I cut down. They work great but too heavy so I’m looking into alternatives.

Matt_Stith

Mar 28, 2020

Verified Buyer

Practically Perfect

First night out, first pitch ever, and it kept me perfectly dry through a night of driving rain and 35 mph gusts. To be fair, though, I did spend like 5 whole minutes pitching it... UPDATE: Trail Report My son and I took the tent on a 4-night thru-hike of the Quehanna Trail in north-central PA, and it performed flawlessly. Even when there wasn't really enough flat ground for a perfectly flat pitch (i.e. on the days ending in "y") the spacing between the inner and outer tent held up and kept us and our stuff dry. Also, the tent material itself is apparently magical. We pitched one night on wet leaves, and in the morning there was not a single one sticking to the bottom of the inner's floor. We did find that staking the small portion of each side panel down helped maintain good vestibule coverage on uneven ground. Overall, couldn't be happier. Thanks, Dan!

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

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dbsparks

Sep 11, 2020

Verified Buyer

Well worth the wait.

Very pleased with the quality and construction of this shelter. I hike wild back-country, where rarely do I encounter another human being. I needed practicality, durability, performance, comfort and light-weight features in a dual-wall tent. This is, of course, a TALL order. I've had my share of shelters that have come close, but invariably sacrifice one quality for another. The X-mid 2P has checked all the boxes for me. Super-light-weight, spacious, easy to pitch, (once you know how to get that "perfect pitch") very stable in high winds, great ventilation features, storage pockets, D-rings to run a clothes line or hang a lantern, high quality zippers and materials, easy to pack up, rain or shine. I prefer the X-Mid's "sil-poly" for it's water shedding ability and resistance to "sagging." I also like the color...it blends well with most surroundings and it isn't offensive in the morning light. The design is very insightful...well planned. If you are new to backpacking, this shelter will basically ruin most others for you. If you're a seasoned pro, this shelter will be a welcome relief having all the features you've been looking for. The price is fair as well. I would like to have had two additional stakes included with the package so I could guy out the tent without adding my own stakes.

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

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wlongstaffe

Thanks for confirming!

dandurston

It won't damage the tent. You might have to angle it a bit if it's slightly too long. It should work pretty well on the shortest setting.

wlongstaffe

@dandurston Hi Dan. I think you already answered in the post above but wanted to double check the pole sizes I'll be able use with my recently received X-Mid 2P. My preferred poles are BD Alpine FLZs (as they are short enough when folded to fit in luggage) but they are 120-140cm size and I wanted to confirm whether you think that will work (they will obviously need to be on their shortest setting). This post suggests that a 120cm fixed pole would work despite the recommended 119cm height. I don't want to damage the tent on my first attempt.