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Drop + Dan Durston X-Mid 1P Tent

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Drop + Dan Durston X-Mid 1P Tent

Name: Drop + Dan Durston X-Mid 1P Tent
Brand: Drop
SKU: drop-dan-durston-x-mid-1p-tent
Price: 220 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 4.778598 (271 reviews)

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Product Description

Designed to be the best double-wall solo shelter supported by trekking poles, the X-Mid is the brainchild of Dan Durston, an experienced thru-hiker and established member of the ultralight community. It aims to solve the common issues seen in trekking-pole-supported tents: Most are single-trekking-pole pyramids, which lack headroom, or overly complex multi-pole designs, which are tedious to pitch Read More

Customer Reviews

4.8

(271 reviews)

(224)

(38)

(5)

(4)

(0)

98% would recommend to a friend

Found 36 results

bpchristensen

172

Mar 2, 2023

Hard not to give 5 stars simply for the innovative design and the passion and involvement of the designer. I do a lot of reviews on Amazon (last time I checked I was ranked #630 of all reviewers), and I usually use a 5 star rating for something that is absolutely perfect and cannot be improved upon. Honestly I’m not sure that is entirely the case with this tent, but I’m still going with a 5-star rating because I am genuinely very impressed with the overall functionality and quality of the tent. It it is definitely trickier for me to pitch than Dan makes it look on the video. Because the fly is not square (due to the vestibules), getting perfect 90° angles at the corners takes a bit of fiddling. And without perfect 90° corners, the pitch won’t be quite right. This is especially true when pitching it on uneven terrain. I think the real secret is really pulling the corners taught before staking. In wet or soft ground, this will probably mean you'll need to upgrade from the tiny shepherds crook stakes to some "v-channel" type stakes. One thing I notice is that the bathtub of the inner tends to pull up when the pitch is good and taught, even with the support straps loosened all the way. I haven’t slept in it yet, but I can see potential for some interference with the mesh while sleeping, which honestly doesn’t bother me. This problem largely disappears once your sleeping system is put in place and holding everything down. (the inner just "hangs" from the peak, and is stayed out on all 4 corners to the outer corners of the fly). Some color coding of one of the corners might be a good improvement, even though it is fairly obvious, but it might save some folks having to re-do connections. The total outer area of the tent is quite large for a 1P tent and the vestibules are very generous. Literally big enough to put all your gear on one side and then cook dinner on the other side while it’s pouring rain outside. (You have to put your butt inside the inner and then cook between your legs, but it’s totally do-able. There are a lot of other thoughtful touches and quality construction throughout. The corners are all beefy and well-stitched, the doors in the outer and inner all have tie-backs, there is a mesh pocket in the roof peak of the inner (big enough for airing out socks), and the line-locs on all the tie-downs is a really nice touch. I really like the self-sealing waterproof zippers on the outer - this eliminates the typical snagging (and leaking) you get from the typical "flap" that covers non waterproof zippers. Overall I’m very impressed, and while it is a smaller sleeping area in the shoulder/head area than other traditional 1P tents I've used it is literally almost 1/2 the weight. And it will be much better in rough weather or creepy-crawlie prone areas than my normal ultra-light shelter - a single wall tarp + Tyvek ground sheet. Speaking of ground sheets, I'm obsessive about caring for my gear, and so I usually always use a groundsheet to protect my precious tents from mud, squashed bugs, animal turd stains, and punctures from sticks and rocks (almost impossible to avoid in the places I camp). I have a roll of Tyvek, so in about 10 minutes I was able to roll out, measure, and cut a perfect footprint using Dan's dimensions:

I rolled out a 96.5" length (87 + 9.5) then trimmed it to 28" wide. Then I measured back 9.5" from each opposite corner, drew a diagonal line from the other edge, and cut the ends to create the parallelogram shape. This fits perfectly under just the inner portion of the tent. I haven't weighed the finished piece yet (its in the washer on cycle #2 as I type this) but I expect it won't be more than about 3 or 4 oz - a worthwhile weight penalty to keep the tent in good shape, in my opinion. And it fits in the stuff sack along with the tent and stakes. The greatest endorsement I can give is that I definitely plan to get the 2p version when it becomes available!

(Edited)

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Whiteburn

Mar 2, 2023

Having spent some times using the X-Mid I can only re-iterate others’ comments, a well designed shelter, very good build quality, roomy & easy to set up…..Excellent job Dan! Would like to have given 5 Stars but in common with others’ I’ve found a few niggles (would give it 4.9 stars): Firstly, the supplied cordage slips in the LL3’s in gusty winds & is cut too short to accommodate a bumpy pitch………easily rectified with longer 3mm braided polyprop. Secondly, the carbide pole tips (BD Trail) exhibited a worrying ‘nipple’ in the fly fabric, I ended up stitching a small piece of Hyperlon type material over the eyelet which seems to have cured the ‘problem. Third, the door zippers are under significant stress, I added a 12mm side lock across the zip which makes me a lot happier, guards again zipper failure & will definitely increase zip life. Lastly, it would have been a good idea to reinforce the door tieback loops so that a lateral guy line could be added with confidence. I would have liked the option of a semi-solid inner to cut down on draughts in the cooler months & would definitely buy one should they become available in a future drop. It was good that the X-Mid was supplied with some stakes to enable a pitch on delivery but IMO they are generally unsuitable for trail use; I would have liked an ‘add-on’ option for half a dozen 8” gold Eastons as these are difficult to source outside of the USA.

(Edited)

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Chastro

Mar 2, 2023

The x-mid arrived just in time for my 14-days on the Larapinta trail in Central Australia. We camped on red dirt, sandy dry riverbeds, rocky ridges. We had wind, rain, and temperatures ranging from 1C to 29C. What a great way to get to know a new tent!

Thoughts and tips:

It really is an incredible tent for the price, or for any price!
The materials and workmanship are top quality.
After a tiny bit of experience your pitches will be lightening-quick, taught, and sturdy.
The polyester feels much stronger than the sil-nylon used on my Big Agnes UL1 or my mate's MSR Hubba.
The zips are fantastic - also much stronger than I am used to. After a little use they became smooth and easy to operate with one hand.
As others have noted the weight is a bit higher than spec. My measurements were inner=549g, fly=289g, guylines=19g, for a total trail weight of 857g excluding stakes.
The x-mid comes with nice titanium shepherd-hook stakes. I took 2 of those on my trip, as well as 4 MSR mini-groundhogs. I like mixing types. I think 6 stakes was about right. If there's no wind you only really need 4, but the other 2 are nice for the corners of the doors. In windy conditions you may want to use them in the optional anchor points and/or deploy peak guylines.
If you put a peg in the optional anchor points along the long sides of the tent, you wont be able to roll the fly doors up enough to fasten them. I used some spare cord to lengthen the door-fasteners.
My trekking poles (Massdrop x Fizan Compact poles) fit the peak gommets perfectly. Others have aired concerns about the carbide spikes pushing into the fly material, but I didn't notice anything like that.
I discovered it is really easy to control the pitch height. This is done through the length of the guy-outs from the 4 corners of the fly. If you make these short before you start, the whole tent will sit lower to the ground, and reduce drafts entering under the fly.
While the x-mid is strong enough to use without a footprint under normal circumstances, I used a polycryo sheet (27g) because of the amount of abrasive material (rock and sand) we'd be seeing on the Larapinta.
For a taught pitch, make your poles a little longer and set them on slight outward angles (so the handles are closer to each other than the tips). This helps to tension the ridge line. Also if you deploy the peak guylines, they should be drawn out parallel to the ridge line. This too helps to tension the ridge line.
When pitching in the wind, you want to have the wind parallel to the ridge line. This is pretty important.
It is easier to set up and pull down if you leave the inner attached to the fly (it has clips). But when it's raining, I love that I can unclip it and pack it away dry, before pulling down the fly.
No water got inside the tent on the rainy days, and when there was condensation on the fly (1 day out of 14) it didn't bother me inside the mesh.
Overall the footprint (including the vestibule area) is quite big. When space is really tight, freestanding tents like the Big Agnes UL1 and MSR Hubba 1p have an advantage.
The living area is small (normal for a 1p tent). The head room is very good.
The 2 vestibules are huge. I usually kept a couple of handy things in the front vestibule (stove, water, shoes) and then stowed my pack in the back vestibule.

The tent was epic. I don't see myself reaching for another anytime soon. Congratulations again, Dan, on a fantastic design. If you need someone to test a DCF version in the outback, let me know ;)

(Edited)

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dandurston

5116

Dan Durston

Apr 27, 2024

Sorry to hear about this stitching issue. That looks like a quality problem with your tent. I haven't seen other people report this, so I think this is a rare/isolated instance where it wasn't properly sewn (e.g. they likely missed backstitching the end so it unraveled under tension). If you get in touch with Drop's customer service I expect they'll be quick to replace it, so you shouldn't have to repair it yourself. I've made a note of this and will keep an eye for any similar issues. Regarding duties, yes the Canadian government has an extra tariff on tents which is unfortunate. As I recall it is 18%, so you often get charged that plus $10 handling plus normal sales tax. It applies to most tents coming into Canada (e.g. I've been charged it before on an MSR tent) and it is upsetting.

(Edited)

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kbhew

Mar 2, 2023

Dan's participation in the discussion threads, as well as his video, had my expectations fairly high but let's face it: $200 for a high quality ultralight tent with features only available on tents much more expensive? My cynical mind assumed something would be off. Nope. Completely as advertised. Set it up in the yard shortly after receipt - maybe 5 minutes? Short trip last weekend and took a little longer for setup only because I spent extra time to clear the area - being extra careful for rocks, etc. with no footprint. Also struggled to get good 90 degree angles as I fought shrubs and other obstructions in my campsite (not the tent's fault of course). The thing that really jumped out at me: the zippers. Especially on the inner. Zippers on lightweight material like the mesh can often be a pain but these are fantastic. It's that kind of attention to detail that I really appreciate and, frankly, don't understand how it can be done so inexpensively. Well done, and thanks.

(Edited)

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1tiger1

Mar 2, 2023

Great Innovative Design Concept. Opportunity for minor improvements

I took the tent for a few nights on the Lone Star Hiking Trail. Previously I had not had a chance to use the tent, but had set it up in the back yard. Pros: · Extremely easy to set up. It typically took me just a few minutes. · Great value for the price. Great design concept and build quality. Zippers, mesh, rain fly material, and stitching are all great quality. · Perfect neutral color. Not the color of a highlighter, but not too hard to spot if one is trying to get back to camp. · Flexibility to easily keep the fly attached or attached separately with the rain fly deployed depending on conditions Possible areas of improvement: · My stuff sack seems a little small. When the tent is stuffed so tightly in the sack, it less easily molds into empty pack space when packing up and also makes it more prone to rolling around on the ground. For example, it could easily roll down a bank into a nearby stream while you are packing up (don’t ask me how I know this 😊). Also, having the stuff sack material under this increased stress increases the likelihood of it being punctured. During my one trip so far, I already have two small holes in the stuff sack that the tent zipper created due to being so compressed against the stuff sack fabric. I think this would have been much less likely to happen if the stuff sack was even slightly bigger.

· I personally would prefer the door opening on both the rain fly and inner to be a little higher…especially on the inner. I have already ordered the 2p version where the rain fly vents were moved to the side to allow the zipper to extend higher, so this possibly might be tweak already being addressed in a future 1p version. · A second point on the inner and/or rain fly door to secure it open would reduce saggy fabric that obstructs getting in and out. Having one closer to the top of the door would help open the space more to get in and out. · It seems that more webbing length on the inner buckles that connect it to the rain fly would allow the option of the rain fly being raised significantly higher off the ground (while keeping the inner’s height fixed) by further extending the trekking pole length. This might be preferred in warmer and humid heavy rain situations where simply opening the rain fly door might not allow sufficient rain protection. In that situation, one would also need to replace the tie-out cords with longer ones (or also include longer cords for the tie outs with the tent), but that part is easy enough to on the user end. Overall I think the tent is a solid value for three season non-freestanding tent.

Recommends this product? Yes

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moezaw

Mar 2, 2023

I received my tent last week and tried set it up at my backyard with ease. So far so good. The quality and sleeping arrangement are great as Dan's described. The true test will be coming soon as I am taking it to three days trail maintenance in WV in June. Easy to set up and take it down in a few mins. This could be my go to tent (I have been using BA Copper Spur UL2). I am still bringing tyvek for ground sheet even though Dan said don't needed.

(Edited)

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Outdooralberta

Mar 2, 2023

Great product

Simply speaking its an excellent design made of good quality materials at a reasonable price. I have used this for 8 nights in the Alberta Rockies and am very satisfied. It performed better than any other tent I have had in the rain with no splash from the edges or any other types of leaks. The vents function well as I had them open in lighter rain with no water getting in. As many others have done I did replace the four corner stakes with wider ones otherwise the corners tent to pull out with the force applied. The included stakes are nice but I only used them for doors or additional tie outs if I needed them at all. The four corner stakes were often enough. Setup was easy even on ground that is not so level although usually some adjustments were needed to get things just right. One night I did a very poor job at pitching after dark (it was sagging and the mesh touching the fly) but everything was fine in the morning even though it had rained. Most nights I pitched it with the pole tips facing up but I did try with handles up and also with sticks I cut to length which also worked fine although I did have to make the poles longer to compensate for the tips being buried in the soil. I originally thought I would cut a piece of polycryo for a ground sheet as I do for most of my tents but I didn't for this one. The reason I use a ground sheet with other tents is to keep the bottom of the tent floor clean and dry. It seems this fabric doesn't absorb water like my other tents so this was not a problem. I was usually on some vegetation so the bottom still looks pretty clean. I also took notice that the fabric does not sag when wet from rain or condensation as my other tents do. Since you don't need to separate the inner from the fly on take down (and don't really want too for an easy setup next time) I did find it a bit more difficult to dry the tent after rain and/or condensation in one piece with multiple layers as compared to other tents that you typically take down in two pieces anyway but this is a very minor point. Originally I thought it strange to have 2 doors on a 1 person tent. But now I realize that it provides access to the other vestibule (which are impressively sized) and makes setup easier by not having to orient a door side. I felt comfortable getting in and out of the tent and with the interior dimensions which I found to be pretty generous (5' 9"). I read that some didn't like the pocket where it was at the ceiling line but I thought it was fine. I have found some other tents have pockets that are too low and essentially at the same level as you are once you are on a pad. Being in Canada I was subject to an 18% tent duty on receipt of the parcel which sucks but its something you may need to factor in on your purchasing decision. A $10 Canada Post customs and duty handling fee and GST also applied. Anyway I think this tent has been discussed to the tiniest of detail by both Dan and the community. I hope this work continues as I wouldn't mind something in the 2.5 or 3 person range of size to replace other tents I have.

Recommends this product? Yes

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ukgelo

Mar 2, 2023

Picked it up and went straight to the overnight hike. No problem setting it on the snow (not with the supplied stakes obviously), used trekking poles in 'normal' direction (not upside down) - no problem, but will consider pole adaptors (something like what tarptent sells). Lots of room inside, like the top mesh 'shelf' for light items. Quality build, no issues with the mesh or any other elements. Thanks Dan for the great design and Massdrop for timely delivery. Can't wait to use it on my PNT thru-hike this summer.

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PapaGreen

Mar 2, 2023

Just got my tent yesterday. So excited about it I set it up in my hotel room! The stuff sack is much smaller than I expected! Awesome! The quality is just superb in every way. Zippers are smooth, stitching and seam sealing are done very well. Mine had extra tie outs in the stake sack. (which I'm assuming are for pitching the mesh w/o fly) I'm 6' tall and my feet head are just right up to the mesh on each end. The fly is very roomy. Can't wait to use it for winter camping w/o the mesh. I'll try to update the review after using it.

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Recent Activity

PThebe

Thank you for the response! I'll go for adjustable 120. Thank you again

dandurston

130cm is too long. it would lift up the fly quite a bit and also lift the floor up too much. Adjustable poles are best, but if they are fixed length then it needs to be 115-120cm.

PThebe

Ordered the x mid 1p. I have nice 130cm poles and see the peak height and that 120cm are ideal. I cannot find whether 130cm would even be possible? Sorry for the ignorance here. I'm new to trek pole tents and math.