Drop X-Mid 2P Tent Designed by Dan Durston Reviews | Drop

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Drop X-Mid 2P Tent Designed by Dan Durston

FULL DISCUSSION

melnosmell

Sep 8, 2020

Verified Buyer

Great Tent - Doesn't Work With All Poles

Updated: Thanks Dan for the response - I'll be looking into different pole options. Overall, tent materials & setup process are very well thought out, and it's truly ultra-light! -- Dan/buyers - I've got a concern, and I need some help! I just took my tent out on my first trip and realized that my poles are not tall enough to properly sustain the tent. I'm a 5'6" female and have poles that are 110 cm (43 in) tall and it was not clear to me when I placed my order that these poles would not be sufficient. Constructing the tent this weekend, there was no way for me to fully tighten the exterior - I was able to get the ridgeline tightened with the guylines but the side wall were drooping - and the interior net was very loose and all over the place and drooped on my face in the middle of the night. I am upset that this happened - this feels like another instance of male-centered design - is the only way for me to get this tent up safely is to use my much taller boyfriend's poles? I hope I'm just setting this up incorrectly, but after doing some online research, I don't think that's the case. I'm really disappointed.

(Edited)

Recommends this product? Yes

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dandurston

5118

Dan Durston

Sep 8, 2020

melnosmellHi Mel, Sorry to hear about this issue. Indeed your poles are too short to pitch the tent properly, but not because it's a male oriented design. Fixed length poles in general are problematic because they come in a wide range of lengths (from 105cm to 135cm) but since they are non-adjustable nearly all of those lengths won't be right. 110cm doesn't work but neither does 130cm. The X-Mid 2P pitches at a pole height of 47" / 119cm, as shown in the specs. It's designed like that because that height gives the proper shape to the tent. If we had it lower there would be less headroom and the walls wouldn't be steep enough to shed snow, whereas if we had it taller then the sides would be getting too steep so the peak guylines would become mandatory and wouldn't shed wind as well. So the height is set based on the fundamental geometry and not because it's targeting a certain demographic of pole users.

The peak height of the tent is about 47" / 119cm but the actual height varies a bit (e.g. 118 - 122cm) depending on on a few factors like uneven ground and the pitch (e.g. longer cords at the corners will pitch the fly higher), which is why fixed length poles aren't ideal even if they are about right (i.e. 120cm). Adjustable poles allow users to fine tune the pitch, and almost every adjustable pole will work because even the shortest ones can extend out to the necessary height. If someone does use fixed length poles then the only length that works well is 120cm, which is about an average size. That might correspond to an averaged sized person, but trekking pole length also varies a lot depending on personal preference. For example, my wife is also 5'6" and sets her poles at 120cm, while I'm taller at 6'0" but like mine at 115cm. For a solution, there are nice adjustable poles such as the Fizan's that Drop sells, but if you don't want to switch to adjustable poles then the other option is to use "pole jacks" which are extenders that fit onto the tips of your poles. If you buy two of these that are about 10cm long each, then your current poles will be long enough to work. That still won't be quite as nice as an adjustable poles, but will work reasonably well and only cost a few dollars: https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/trekking-pole-jacks/

(Edited)

Sep 8, 2020

melnosmell

Sep 9, 2020

dandurstonHi Dan, thanks for your detailed response - I updated my review! I do wish this was called out in the description above. Maybe I'm not very perceptive, but it did not occur to me from reading the specs that the tent required poles that reached 119 cm. Given how important this is for the success of the product, it could make sense to call out on the page. I will look into finding some new poles, bummed that this won't work with my current setup, but I am impressed with the amount of thought you put into this design - thank you!

(Edited)

Sep 9, 2020

MintyCumin

Sep 9, 2020

melnosmellI guess it's more like 176-182cm-people-centered design, like pretty much everyting on mass market :) Take some small consolation that people over 190cm have the same kind of problem even harder.

Sep 9, 2020

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Twirlin

Mar 10, 2021

dandurston @dandurston Can you recommend a good adjustable trekking pole to pitch the X-Mid 2? I just ordered a tent but the Fizan poles I would ha e bought are sold out. Thanks!

Mar 10, 2021

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dandurston

5118

Dan Durston

Mar 10, 2021

TwirlinLocus Gear CP3 poles are very nice, as are Gossamer Gear LT5s.

Mar 10, 2021

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Twirlin

Mar 10, 2021

dandurstonThanks Dan, I'll give those a look. Can't wait to get back outdoors!

Mar 10, 2021

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slavikator

Oct 11, 2022

dandurstonHi Dan! Do you see any way to pitch it with 125cm fixed tracking poles? How it will perform at 5cm higher? Maybe placing the poles on an angle? Or this will be absolutely unusable? I like the design of this tent a lot and would like to own it but, on the other hand, don't want to switch the TP to adjustable ones.

Oct 11, 2022

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T-Fox

Oct 12, 2022

slavikatorIt is do-able. There are two options here: 1) Pitch it with the peaks as normal (about 120cm) and then angle your poles to take up the extra length. 2) Pitch the fly ligher by setting the corner cords about 10cm longer. This will put the peaks at about 125cm. The upside is more ventilation. The downside is more drafts and exposure to rain splatter, and it pulls the floor a bit narrower. So it is possible. Adjustable poles are nice for fine tuning the pitch but if you do a bit of #1 combined with a bit of #2 it should work reasonably well. These tents are sold on Kaviso.com now instead of Drop.

Oct 12, 2022

slavikator

Oct 21, 2022

T-FoxThank you for your reply. It would be great to find someone who owns this tent and can make a test for this scenario and put it on youtube.

Oct 21, 2022

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wlongstaffe

Apr 13, 2023

dandurston @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.

Apr 13, 2023

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