edited for formatting of specifications info
alright, I know the comparison to the stratospire 2 has been brought up and discussed ad-nauseum, but from what I can tell, the discussion has been about the standard version, not the stratospire-Li version which uses dynemma (cuben DCF) instead of sil-poly and is fully taped and waterproof. So I'm looking for other oppinions. I know the price difference is huge, but what about the other factors. Right now I'm leaning to the strato-Li not factoring in price, mostly because of the advantages of dyneema, but that makes it a less even comparison as the x-mid doesn't have a dyneema option (yet, fingers crossed)
in my comparisson, the x-mid beats out the stratospire2 by a mile, and could be a fair contender to the Li, but the Li wins out for me except on price. any one else have opinions?
stratospire Li
price 690
weight 27.7 oz
material DCF, 0.51 oz fly, 1oz floor
waterproof
stratospire2
price 360
weight 44oz
material 30d sil-nylon
needs seam seal to waterproof and material wets and sags
x-mid 2
price 280
weight 38.8 oz
material 20d sil-poly
waterproof, no sag
both tents have similar floor and total areas but the stratospire Li has more evenly sized vestibules so there is less space wasted in tiny slivers in weird areas. from the videos provided, the strato has an initially rectangular pitch, and you then pull and stake out the vestibules. yeah there are more stakes but the pitch seems only minorly more complex.
only other major notes I can think of would be that the stratospire has rigid stiffeners in two diagonal corners which may slightly effect packable size.
in summary, from what I can find, the major differences between the two would be weight and price.
minor differences include a few additional small steps to pitch the stratospire, but better use of space, less vertical walls on the sratospire, which general means better wind resistance, but slightly less resistance to snow loading, needing two additional stakes, and different details such as the stiffeners and vent layout.
it's a tough choice if you ask me as the weight and efficient use of space in the stratospire Li is a significant factor.
Personaly, I would love to see x-mid option for at least a dyneema fly, maybe also the inner floor depending on what makes sense . i think that the dyneema fly would put it as a serious contender for title of best tent. I know it would drastically increase price, and that there have been strong hints of dyneema being in the works, but expressing further interest couldn't hurt.
right now the x-mid is a good, simple design, that has an amazing cost to weight ratio, and makes smart use of lightweight fabrics in making the tent super beefy for increased usability. I don't mind sacrificing a couple ounces for heavier grades of ultralight/ultra-tough fabrics because I hate having to baby my gear. however, a dyneema fly option would push it over the edge, and if you ask me, would likely propel this tent even further in the lightweight camping gear space than it already impressively is.