Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Drop Refurbished
Like-new products you can trustDrop Rewards
Get $5 for every 500 points you earn! Learn more
Drop Keyboard Club
Become a member and expand your keycap collectionCollaborate With Us
For Brands & DesignersFollow Drop
- 4-6oz lighter (4oz for the tent, 6oz if you consider the SS2 needs more stakes and seam sealing)
- Much simpler pitch
- No sag fabric
- Fabric doesn't absorb water weight
- No struts requiring a long packed shape
- Higher end materials (e.g. water resistant zips)
- Lower price
In terms of weather resistance, this is a complex, debatable subject. For example, the PitchLoc corners of the SS allow snow to slide off the edge so they don't weight the sides of the tent which is a positive, but this also lowers the slope of the roof panels, making snow less likely to slide off. In high winds, the X-Mid has a more even distribution of the load onto the 4 stakes, whereas the SS loads the PitchLoc stakes much moreso than the other ones. You say the SS has less vertical walls and therefore better wind resistance, but the wall slopes are almost identical on the doorwalls. For the other walls, the roof panels of the SS are lower angle (contributing to snow loading) but I don't think this translates into a wind advantage because the SS design still puts such a large portion of the total wind load on the PitchLoc stakes, which is why these are much more likely to rip out (I've used the SS for hundreds of nights including a lot of high winds and it was always the PitchLoc corners that pulled). Also, the peak guylines of the X-Mid substantially help to distribute the wind load because they reduce the load on all four primary stakes, whereas the peak guylines on the SS are located off the smallest wall (which is already the least wind vulnerable), so they do little to lessen the brunt of the load at the PitchLoc stakes. So all of this could be argued - and perhaps in practice both of these tents are stormworthy enough so this is just semantics - but I suggest the X-Mid is at least as good in the snow and high winds - I think better in high winds - and for sure ahead in rainy conditions due to the larger (and close-able) vents, and non-sag, non-water absorbing fabric. Here is an infographic that compares these two tents if anyone wants a better look at how the sizes compared. It overlays the fly and floor areas. One last comment on the tents though is that I don't think you'll find the SS has a vestibule area advantage. The X-Mid vestibules do indeed narrow to a sliver at one end, but the SS vestibules narrow to a sliver at both ends, and the widest point is right where you get in and out, making it less suited for storing a pack which is likely the largest object you'll wish to put in a vestibule. With the X-Mid you can toss your pack at the wider end, save the middle for getting in/out, and still have plenty of vestibule area to cook and store more gear. The X-Mid also has the advantage of keeping more of a vestibule area sheltered when the door is opened, while also having a larger door. Both tents have generous vestibules though, so it's largely semantics. To wrap all of this up, both tents are strong performers with good space. The reasons to choose the X-Mid are that it is meaningfully lighter, simpler pitch and has many advantages that make it nice to use in the field like non-sag fabric, closeable vents, and convenient packed shape. Now for the SS Li. This tent has two major differences from the SS2 which are the use of DCF and a smaller size. Most of what I've said above still applies (e.g. pitching complexity, wind resistance, vestibule area) but now the SS Li is lighter and also doesn't sag, but quite a bit smaller. The SS Li is appreciably lighter (11oz) which is probably achieved about 2/3rds from the DCF and 1/3 from being smaller (e.g. 45" wide floor instead of 50"). Hypothetically, we could also shrink the X-Mid 2P and build it of DCF to create a tent that is even lighter than the SS Li (roughly 25 vs 28oz because it doesn't tie up several ounces in struts, plus fewer seams and stakes) while having many other advantages (e.g wind resistance, simpler pitch, no struts) but at present we don't have that competitor on the market. So the SS Li is in quite a different niche, and perhaps a niche that you prefer if weight is a major consideration, but there is a cost to it. The SS Li would save 11oz which is substantial but the downsides are:- Costs $439 more ($689 vs $250)
- Smaller (5-6" narrower and shorter)
- Less durable floor (1.0oz DCF won't last as long as 20D poly floor)
- More complex pitch
- Long packed shape
It is a nice tent. If money and space aren't major considerations for you, then it would be a good choice to save weight, as we don't have a competitor to that presently. I think the core geometry of the X-Mid is superior, but those advantages may not be enough to outweigh the weight savings of the SS Li for folks that place a big emphasis on weight.