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blooz
22
Apr 30, 2019
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has there been any recent update on the status of the 2p variation? Anyone know when it is likely to be released and what the dimensions will be?
Apr 30, 2019
dandurston
5116
Dan Durston
Apr 30, 2019
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bloozWe haven't announced anything yet but it's coming along well. If you read through the comment history on here you'll see the width will be about 50" and the length will be longer than the 1P. Massdrop sets the release date because they have schedules to sort out and various quality procedures to conduct, but it's coming along nicely so it shouldn't be too much longer.
Apr 30, 2019
123zorn
15
Apr 30, 2019
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dandurstonSo I'm a bit confused about the width of the planned 2P (I am really looking forward to seeing this tent). The 1P is 28" wide in the description and for the 2P you just added 22" for a total of 50"? That is pretty narrow, sure it'll fit 2 25" pads with zero to spare, but man that makes for some tight living for 2... Any thoughts of a 3P or a 2P expanded?
Apr 30, 2019
dandurston
5116
Dan Durston
Apr 30, 2019
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123zornNo plans for an even larger tent at this point. 50" is generally considered pretty wide for a 2P backpacking tent. I was originally going to make it about 46". It's not often you'll see a 2P tent wider than this, other than heavy car camping tents. Popular 2P tents like MSR's Hubba Hubba, various TarpTent's 2P models etc are all 50" width. A lot of 2P tents are narrower at 40-45" wide. Most of Big Agnes popular models (e.g. Copper Spur UL2, Fly Creek UL2) are 52" tapering to 42" so the average width is about 47". Mountain Hardware's Ghost UL2 tapers down to 34" at the feet so the average width is just over 40. I know 50" doesn't sound that wide but it's pretty spacious in the context of being a backpacking/bikepacking tent. I've shared the tent with another guy and we're both over 6' and it wasn't awkwardly cramped.
Apr 30, 2019
123zorn
15
Apr 30, 2019
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dandurstonSigh, I get it. But put 2 active side,stomach sleepers together with 25" pads with quilts in a 50" space and its too narrow. Most 2P backpacking tents are honestly too narrow, particularly when raining or in high humidity and condensation becomes an issue. Now car camping, I use a 12 person, 6' tall tent with a large awning for 3-5 of us with double/queen sized pads. For car camping, bigger is better in every way as there is no purpose in buying small, it just limits changing area, dog sleeping space, and storage space when it rains...
Apr 30, 2019
dandurston
5116
Dan Durston
Apr 30, 2019
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123zornYeah I can sympathize - it's a tough balance because I don't want to make a tent that is ridiculously small, but lots of other companies are doing that so if they're making 40" wide tents and I made a 50" wide tent then it already can look heavy on the specs sheet. I'm still doing that because I can think 50" is a more reasonable size, but if I went even larger the additional weight and area requirements would start to turn off a lot of people. If you look at the first generation of the Sierra Designs High Route 1 tent, they made it a generous size but then it was 36oz instead of 26-30oz like most competitors so many people complained it was too heavy and it didn't sell that well. Now Sierra Designs has redesigned it to it is much smaller but 29oz. So the best approach from a manufacturer perspective is to make tents that are a reasonable size, and then if someone wants generous they should go up a size to a 3P tent instead of 2P. A 3P tent would probably work well for you and maybe that will happen down the road but I'm not working on that presently. Once you get to tents that big you probably need more structure than two trekking poles can provide or it'll have a big floor and still not that much headroom. A 3 or 4 pole design might be better. I haven't put much thought into that. But it could be a neat tent.
(Edited)
Apr 30, 2019
cturnbull
83
May 1, 2019
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dandurstonI think 50" is plenty wide for 2 people, it is a backpacking tent so space will be limited regardless. If you want wider and light I'd consider looking at the Big Agnes 3P tents and split the load with your partner. They are pricey, far more than the X-mid 2P, but you'll have plenty of room.
May 1, 2019
blooz
22
May 1, 2019
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cturnbullI think this is one of those ones where those of us who straddle between Light/UL have a dilemma/choice. For dedicated UL folk, there is no problem here at all. For those of us who are UL in some ways but don’t mind sacrificing some weight for extra comfort in other ways, this is where it gets a little tricky. My luxury is to have a heavier pad - extra wide, possibly nicer sleeping material etc. Granted, there aren’t many options for a light 2p tent that would fit two such pads - TT Strat 2 comes to mind. It’s a good dilemma to have I guess. You can bet the 2p X-Mid is going to be pretty awesome, so the decision then comes down to pros and cons, and perhaps making sacrifices in other areas (ie, sleeping pad).
May 1, 2019
dandurston
5116
Dan Durston
May 1, 2019
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bloozThe X-Mid 2P will feel quite similar to the Strat 2 in terms of space. They're both ~32 square feet.
May 1, 2019
blooz
22
May 1, 2019
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dandurstonInteresting. So assuming the X-mid 2p is 50” x 95.2” = 32sq ft. TT Strat 2, from what I can gather according to their specs online will either be slightly less area when set up “taught”: 52.8” x 87.2” = 31sq ft, or somewhat significantly more area when setup “relaxed”: 62.8” x 87.2” = 36.8sq ft. Ultimately, the length will be significantly shorter in the TT but either width version (“relaxed” or “taught”) will be wider and fit 2 extra-wide pads - the relaxed setup fitting them comfortably. Again it comes down to assessing preferences for the individual. As far as I can tell the X-mid has everything going for it - weight, cost, ease of setup - except that one thing, which I would assume would not be a deal-breaker but for a very small number of people.
May 1, 2019
dandurston
5116
Dan Durston
May 1, 2019
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bloozYeah basically except TarpTent's specs aren't correct for the "relaxed"pitch. Whoever does TT's specs on their website takes a pretty relaxed approach to it, so they are often wrong and/or contradictory. For example, for the longest time they had the "interior height" of the SS2 listed at 50" which didn't seem right because the instructions say to set the poles to 50", so 50" is the fly height and the inner must lower since there is a few inch gap. Confirming this, their setup PDF says the inner height is 48". I pointed this out and they agreed it was wrong but they kept the 50" and changed " max interior height" to "max interior height (under fly)", which is still widely misunderstood as being a spec for the inner height when it's not. And while they sorta patched this up here, their diagrams continue to show the wrong 50" spec for the inner (see below) even when they agree and say elsewhere that it's lower. This is minor, but I give it as an example because TT's website has numerous instances like this. As far as I can tell, their specs should just be taken a rough idea of what the product really measures.
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I mention this because it explains why people are misled into thinking the SS2 can extend to >60" wide when it can't. The SS2 max's at about 56" in the widest possible scenario and you don't actually want to do this because you have to loosen it a lot at the head area so you get a low and saggy inner roof. I think what happened here is that someone behind a keyboard said "hey the floor is 52" wide and the walls are 5", so seemingly if you loosen it right off it could be 62" wide!" without realizing that there isn't nearly that much adjustability at the peaks so there's no way you can loosen it that much even if you wanted to. I've owned an SS2 and even with it loosened as much as possible the floor is typically 53-54". It might be possible to get to 56" but you certainly can't get to 62". I've explained this in more detail at the link below the last time this came up. If you look at TT's own photo showing 3 pads in the SS2 you can see the pads are overlapping and/or riding up on the walls so the tent isn't actually close to 60". Or looking at it another way, there are clearly still side walls in their picture which are 3+ inches high, so if the fabric is 62" wide then the floor isn't more than 56" wide in this photo and is probably closer to 52" or so. https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-dan-durston-x-mid-1p-tent/talk/2295403 With both the SS2 and the X-Mid you can adjust the tension on the inner at the peaks. This is mostly to ensure ideal tension on the inner. This comes into play if the ground is higher or lower since that raises/lowers the floor, so by adjusting it at the top you can ensure a taut inner that is neither sloppy nor strained. This adjustability does also allow you to over loosen the inner tent for a wider floor but I don't recommend this because it gives a sloppy inner with saggy mesh in the head area since it looses in it all directions - not just the width. In the X-Mid 2P you can adjust the inner from about 48 - 52", whereas in the SS2 you can adjust it from about 50 - 54" because the SS2 inner is ~2" wider. I say the actual difference is 2" width but that is a tentative spec as I need more time with the final 2P prototypes before settling on a definite spec for it. So the SS2 about 2" wider but it's not going to extend 12" wider to 62" while the X-Mid 2P is at 50". Loosen off both tents and you'll get about 52 vs 54".
(Edited)
May 1, 2019
cturnbull
83
May 2, 2019
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bloozDude, I completely understand where your coming from!!! I too struggle with that! So this past weekend I put together my lightest setup I've ever used thus far, partly because it's warmer outside, but usually my pack weighs around 35 pounds! Well before water this time around I was at 19 lbs with everything except water and I gotta tell ya...it was nice. We hiked 15+ miles the first day and it was much more enjoyable.. but the tent wasn't as spacious and I really missed it! But overall my hiking experience was much more enjoyable carrying less weight! I too use a 25" pad(Nemo Tensor insulated pad/20oz) and I even carry a backpacking chair that weighs 1.6 pounds. So I totally understand your dilemma! Honestly though with the Big Agnes platinum series tents you could get a 3p tent that's crazy light and you'll have plenty of luxurious trail space with enough room for 2 25" pads and your packs! Don't worry about the money, you can't take it with you anyways and paying rent on time is totally overrated.🤣🤣🤣
May 2, 2019
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