MLD DuoMid / SuperMid Insert

[Miles Barger]

at mldgear.com

[Jonathon Rogers]

One will be coming my way sometime soon!

[Jason Elsworth]

I could be getting two mids this year – a Duo for personal use and a larger one for family use. I would have preferred to see a smaller and lighter one person net for the Duo and a larger net for using in the larger mids. The design as it is seems to me too heavy for solo use and not large enough for use in the larger mids. Also when using the Duo for two people the net seems to take up any usable vestibule area. I will likely use a bug bivy or the SMD serenity net in the DUO and look for other options for the family sized mid.

[Ryan Teale]

I've got the six moon serenity nettent and I am still waiting on my duomid to arrive. I'll set it all up and take some picks when it gets here. I would like to get the MLD insert for two person use but the "80 length doesn't seem like enough. I'm '6"2 and I laid in the Serenity at "84 and I was almost touching both ends without a sleeping bag.

[Jason Elsworth]

Hi Ryan,

That would be great.

Cheers,

[Diplomatic Mike]

I've got one on order. :)

I think the size required depends on the ground conditions you hike in. I'm often forced to pitch on saturated ground, so welcome the extra room for solo use. A 16 hour night is a long time squeezed into a tiny dry space if the ground is water-logged and/or the midges are out in force!

[David Ure]

"A 16 hour night is a long time squeezed into a tiny dry space if the ground is water-logged and/or the midges are out in force!"

What? Mike – get out and hike. I only get 6 hours of sleep the best of times. ;)

[Ron Bell / MLD]

Hi,

We've got a Solo version for the DuoMid and a larger SuperMid 3 to 4 person version planned – maybe late summer or fall. We wanted to get the Duo size out first as that was the one most asked about.

Under a larger mid the DuoMid InnerNet is a nice amount of room for two with a giant vestibule effect all around- Plus the center pole can be offset outside the InnerNet under a 8.75 X 8.75 Mid.

The DuoMid InnerNet size was tweaked a bit. It's now 82 X 48 X 48. It's made to fit the DuoMid just right. And the Solo will also be made to fit the DuoMid just right.

Note that the taller DuoMid and InnerNet shape offers more real head / foot room than a shorter peak design. So, an 80 or 82 length may be the same or more room than a 84 or 86 length depending on peak heights.

That said, the DuoMid InnerNet is not huge for two (not recommended for two if either person is over 6'2") to save weight, but it does have very good seperation from the sides of the DuoMid that help with fast setup- so even if you do touch the net a little it's not a problem since you are still far away from the DuoMid wall and any condensation.

Thanks for all the input and feedback.

Ron

[David Ure]

Personally I believe MLD and Ron to be at the forefront of the UL and SUL movement and I for one, appreciate his continued innovative thinking.

I predict he will need a bigger shop and more staff in the near future.

I just have to stop browsing his site at work…..daily.

[Jason Elsworth]

That's good news Ron. Ditto to what David said.

I also seem to be spending a lot of the time on the MLD site :).

[Brian Barnes]

I have the duomid and love it so with an upcoming trip to Voyageurs National Park the inner net was a must have… can't wait!

[Ernie Elkins]

I've been thinking about ordering a DuoMid, and the new insert looks fantastic. Since I hike solo, though, I'm inclined to wait for the solo insert. In the meantime, I have an MLD bug bivy…has anyone used it in conjunction with a DuoMid? How well does it work?

[John Carter]

Ron,

Have the dimensions changed since I spoke with you over the phone a few days ago? When the DuoMid InnerNet was listed at 80 x 48 x 45, you mentioned a 6'2" adult on a NeoAir would touch the netting unless at a diagonal. If you have modified the size since then, would you now say that a a 6'2" adult on a 2.5" air mattress would fit with another adult (i.e. not diagonal) and not touch? I'm fine with a tight squeeze, but I don't want my forehead pressing too much into the fabric overnight. I'm trying to decide whether to wait for the SuperMid InnerNet, but I will usually be solo with the occasional trip with wife.

[Anton S]

Has anyone tried the duomid insert inside a DuoMid? Is it possible to offset the duomid to one side, so you just get a big vestibule there? Putting the insert in the middle means you get a big waste of space to the non door side.

[Diplomatic Mike]

"Has anyone tried the duomid insert inside a DuoMid? Is it possible to offset the duomid to one side, so you just get a big vestibule there? Putting the insert in the middle means you get a big waste of space to the non door side."

I have the Duomid insert, but i don't see it as a waste of space. I sleep in the 'non door side', and just pull the inner over if i want to create a sheltered cooking area by the door. I appreciate the extra dry floor space for storing and organising gear when camping on sodden ground.

On the MLD website, it says you can use 2 poles and 2 12" pole jacks in a 'V' set-up to create one large space.

[Anton S]

Aaaah oops!

I meant to ask about using a duomid insert inside a supermid.

Thanks for your answer tho!

[Anton S]

So has anyone used a Duomid insert in a Supermid?

[Ron Bell / MLD]

Hi All

Ron form MLD here.

-Spotted this thread and wanted to say thanks to all the Duomid users out there and your input over the last year.

Since this thread is an old one, but still fresh in cyberspace terms, I wanted to update a few points.

The Solo and Duo InnerNets are 86" long – Pretty Long-Tall users in a Reg sleeping bag may touch the ends a bit if they move around and Long Sleeping bag users will touch some. But they are only touching the netting and we kept the size in a range so that if you touch the netting you are still a long way – about 6-10" – from the DuoMid walls so any possible condensation on the outside shelter walls will not get on you.

Over the year we also added a few inches on the width and length of the DuoMids for a bit more room.

We also added a mid zipper height inside lock so one door can be rolled over and left open in all but blowing or hard rain. This works well for lots of ventilation with the Solo InnerNet or with a bivy in Solo Use.

We also added side panel tieouts on all the DuoMids for really brutal winds. One customer in Japan was in the mountains when the deadly typhoon hit the area in Summer 2009 and the Cuben DuoMid held up perfectly to over 70mph winds. They were fine, but the rescue crew searching for folks backpacking still made them all get on the evac chopper! So , yeah, it's pretty tough.

Any one with an early DuoMid without the side panel tieouts can send it back and we'll put them on for free.

All the updates mentioned above have been on the DuoMids most all summer 2009.

Check out the cool Alaska + DuoMid pic from Andy Skurka now on our homepage. mldgear.com

[Miguel Arboleda]

Hi Ron,

I'm on the verge of ordering a Duomid, but am stuck on whether to buy the silnylon or cuben version. I live in Japan, too, and know exactly what your Japanese customer had to face with that typhoon (the best season to climb in Japan coincides with the typhoon season, so there is always the chance!). May I ask what version of the Duomid your customer used? If it is the cuben version, then my decision is made.

Thanks!

[Jason Elsworth]

+1 to the question above (except I live in New Zealand). The Duomid will be perfect for my use I think.

[Rod Lawlor]

And while we're sending all these questions to you Ron, is there any plan to offer the yellow colour again?

Rod

[jim jessop]

Another question / expression of interest for Ron.

A lightweight/breathable but more solid fabric insert in place of the noseeum for the duomid would be a really welcome additional option here in the UK and I suspect elsewhere for more wintery conditions.

Is that something you would consider, either in production or as a 'special'?

Peace

[Ron Bell / MLD]

The Yellow, Olive Brown and Gray silnylon are now available for order.

The Cuben was the one in Japan, but the silnylon is about the same strength. I've had good reports of the SIlnylon good in winds over 50mph.

I would go for the Silnylon maybe if I knew I would need to shovel lots of snow off the sides. The shovel would slide off the Silnylon a bit easier and so less chance of damaging the fabric if you were working furiously with the shovel at night.

We may have a solid fabric insert next year.

[Christopher Kayler]

I would be all over a solid fabric inner.

[Ryan Teale]

Here is a shot from below Donahue Pass on my JMT thru hike.

Thanks for a great shelter Ron. I'll need that two person inner if I'm gonna get my girlfriend out in this thing again. Had to kill a scorpion under my sleeping pad the first night out.

With some MSR groundhog stakes to whack into the ground I never had a problem with setup, even at Guitar Lake. Set it up over some rocks a few times when I was too lazy to find a bigger spot at the end of the day.

[Author]

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