Articles (2020)

Introduction

The Durston X-Mid Pro 2 tent (20.4 oz / 578 g, MSRP: $639) is an ultralight, single-wall, two-person, double-door, double-vestibule, side-entry, trekking pole-supported shelter made of Dyneema Composite Fabrics (DCF). It requires two trekking poles and a minimum of four stakes to pitch. The design combines the headroom and spaciousness of a classic double-pole single-wall shelter with the stormworthiness and simple set-up of a pyramid-style shelter.

The Durston X-Mid Pro 2 is a compelling product in the somewhat narrow category of ultralight, two-person DCF shelters. The silpoly Durston X-Mid 2 is already a popular tent and is Highly Recommended by Backpacking Light. That makes the lighter, updated DCF version particularly intriguing.

The Durston X-Mid series of tents has become a favorite among ultralight backpackers, and demand for these shelters is very high. A recent sale of the Durston X-Mid 1 sold out in three minutes. Company founder Dan Durston notes there that there will be a better supply of the X-Mid Pro 2, but it seems unlikely that they will remain in stock very long following their initial launch.

This First Looks review is based on our initial hands-on evaluation of a pre-production sample of the Durston X-Mid Pro 2 Tent.

Review Update Log:

• June 13, 2023: This review was updated with long-term performance results.
• March 25th, 2022: Backpacking Light founder Ryan Jordan and Backpacking Light canine-in-chief Sierra recently had a chance to spend some time with the Durston X-Mid Pro 2 in the field. The new photos are at the end of the review, in the Photo Essay section. Click to jump straight there.
• August 22nd, 2022: We shot a video exploring the features of the Durston X-Mid Pro 2. You can find it below.

X-Mid Pro 2 Review Video

Highlights

• shelter: 20.4 oz (578 g), plus 4 stakes and two trekking poles
• height: 46 inches (117 cm)
• floor width: 48 inches (122 cm)
• floor length: 90 inches (229 cm)
• floor area: 30 sq ft (2.78 sq m)
• vestibule area: 21.5 sq ft (2 sq m)
• packed size: 12 x 6 inches (30 x 15 cm)
• rectangular design allows the tent to be pitched with four stakes
• dual peak vents help manage condensation
• bonded construction instead of sewn construction
• offset pole design allows for easier entry and increased interior volume
• two doors with dual vestibules, waterproof zippers on vestibule doors
• 15 denier nylon floor doesn’t require a footprint in most conditions
• floor lays taut when pitched and tensioned properly, instead of simply hanging
• vestibules provide ample room for storing packs and other items not brought into the shelter
• door zippers are easy to operate one-handed
• magnets allow for the vestibule and/or the mesh tent door to be easily rolled up

Testing Context

This review was conducted using both pre-production prototypes and production models of the X-Mid Pro 2.

I used the Durston X-Mid Pro solely on summer and fall backpacking trips in the Northern Rockies. It was used for 27 nights. For 22 of these nights, I was the only occupant (the remaining nights were shared with a partner). This tent was tested in national forests and designated wilderness areas that did not require camping in designated sites; therefore I was able to choose locations at my discretion. Whenever possible, I chose sites that had ample room for the tent to ensure a proper pitch, soil that was easy to place stakes into, and natural features (boulders, trees, slopes) which provided additional shelter from the elements. I did not use a footprint while testing this tent and instead tried to practice good site selection and remove small rocks, pine cones, sticks, and other debris before pitching the tent.

I experienced several mild rain events while using this tent, two consecutive days of near-constant rain or drizzle while at a basecamp, three mild-to-moderate thunderstorms, and one severe thunderstorm with approximately 10-minutes of marble-sized hail and gusty winds of around 15-20 mph. I did not use this tent in snowy conditions or excessively windy conditions. Mosquitoes were present, and often in abundance, on roughly half of the nights while using this tent.

First Impressions

As with the popular X-Mid 1 and X-Mid 2, one of the most impressive attributes of the Durston X-Mid Pro 2 is its unique geometric design that incorporates offset trekking pole placements. (Compare this to most shelters that incorporate two trekking poles, which use a direct-opposite placement of the poles.) In addition, the details that caught my attention include its ease of use, livability, and potential performance in inclement weather.

We recommend you read our Durston X-Mid 2 Review to familiarize yourself with some of the design features of X-Mid tents. That review will aid in your understanding of the X-Mid Pro 2 design.

The most obvious unique design features of the X-Mid Pro 2 include:

• an intuitive (rectangular) pitch that requires a minimum of only four stakes;
• a spacious interior (a function of the offset poles and overall geometry);
• integrated fly that extends further to ostensibly provide better coverage in storms than similar tents. The area covered by the fly of the X-Mid Pro 2 is 55.5 sq ft (5.1 sq m), compared to the Zpacks Duplex whose area covered by the fly is 48.6 sq ft (4.5 sq m).

The Durston X-Mid Pro 2 Tent is designed to be pitched using two trekking poles. For hikers who don’t use trekking poles, or for bikepackers and packrafters, Durston Gear has a lightweight, folding pole kit that is compatible with the X-Mid Pro 2 (and other shelters).

“The X-mid Pro 2 can offer more space and function for the weight because it uses genuinely more efficient geometry (e.g. fewer seams, less fabric for the volume, etc.) so we can put more weight into things that matter,” said Dan Durston.

What’s the difference between the Durston X-Mid 2 and the Durston X-Mid Pro 2?

Compared to the X-Mid 2, the X-Mid Pro 2’s footprint is smaller:

• X-Mid Pro 2: 80 x 100 inches (203 x 254 cm)
• X-Mid: 90 x 102 inches (229 x 259 cm)

This allows the X-Mid Pro 2 to more easily fit into tighter campsites. The headroom is almost identical between the two shelters. The floor width of the X-Mid Pro 2 is only 2 inches (5 cm) smaller than in the X-Mid 2. The most obvious difference between the two shelters is that the X-Mid 2 is a double-wall shelter and the X-Mid Pro 2 is a single-wall shelter.

Is the Durston X-Mid 2 Pro easy to pitch?

Using only four stakes and two trekking poles, I was able to have this tent pitched in just a few minutes without having to readjust anything. It almost seemed too good to be true. There was no fiddling with pole height, moving stakes around, or tensioning (and re-tensioning) guylines. These iterative steps are often required when pitching trekking pole tents. The zippers – both the waterproof fly zippers and the zippers for the body of the tent – operated smoothly.

In soils where staking is more difficult than in my yard and in campsites with varying topography, pitching will obviously be a bit more challenging and perhaps require longer guylines or other adjustments to the pitch. However, given how straightforward the mechanics of erecting this tent are, it’s an easier pitch than most trekking pole shelters.

The DCF used for the body of the tent has been used extensively in many other tents by other manufacturers and will last a while for users who care for their gear with intention. One of the most common failure points of DCF shelters is sewn seams; the seams on Durston X-mid Pro 2 are entirely bonded with no sewing. (You can learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of bonded vs. sewn seams in the Dyneema Composite Fabrics episode of the Backpacking Light Podcast and the Dyneema Composite Fabrics Webinar.

Why does the Durston X-Mid Pro 2 have a nylon floor?

A 15-denier nylon fabric was chosen for the floor with the idea that a footprint wouldn’t be necessary for most situations if reasonable precautions are taken with campsite selection. However, hikers using it in conditions where punctures would be more likely (such as rocky terrain or desert environments, with their plethora of spiky things) might want to bring a ground cloth in those specific conditions. The 15-denier floor is similar to the fabrics used in other lightweight tents, including many of those made by MSR and Big Agnes. Many hikers forego using footprints with those tents without experiencing any issues in normal use cases. When asked why the X-Mid Pro 2 uses a 15-denier floor instead of DCF, Dan cited the advantage in packability as one reason.

“We think a 15 denier woven floor is a better choice because it is a similar weight but far less bulk and debatably more abrasion resistant and waterproof in the long term,” said Dan. Using the 15 denier nylon fabric is also less costly than DCF. “Cost is another advantage, although the cost savings are largely offset by our more expensive hot bonding construction process,” said Dan. “We would have used 1.0 osy DCF if we genuinely thought it was better.” Using 15 denier nylon over 1.0 osy DCF results in a less expensive shelter that packs smaller.

Other similar shelters, such as the Tarptent Stratospire Li, use an offset pole design. One of the advantages of the X-Mid Pro 2 is that it has such a simple pitch in addition to the benefits of having an offset pole design.

When asked how this was achieved without resulting in other trade-offs in performance, Dan said “The X-Mid uses a rectangular base to simplify the pitch (compared to a hexagonal tent) and combines that with two trekking poles (to improve headroom compared to a single pole pyramid). The classic challenge faced by other tents attempting this is locating the poles. Prior tents have positioned them around the perimeter which results in flat walls that catch the wind and mandatory guylines, or they have positioned them along the centerline where they interfere in the sleeping area and/or doorways. The X-Mid uses a new floorplan, where the poles are placed on a diagonal and then the sleeping area passes between them on the opposite diagonal. From the overhead view, these crossing diagonals form the “X” in the X-Mid name. From a functional perspective, they provide a good [larger] living space while avoiding all the common pitfalls (e.g., poles in the doorways, poles in the living area, mandatory guylines, flat walls).”

The Durston X-Mid Pro 2 Compared To…

	weight	MSRP	wall design (single-wall vs. double-wall)	floor dimensions	maximum peak height	floor material	canopy material
Durston X-Mid Pro 2	20.4 ounces / 578 g	$639	single	48 x 90 inches (122 x 229 cm)	46 inches (117 cm)	15 denier nylon	0.5 osy Dyneema Composite Fabric
Zpacks Duplex	19.0 ounces / 539 g	$699	single	45 x 90 inches (122 x 229 cm)	48 inches (122 cm)	1 osy Dyneema Composite Fabric	0.55 osy Dyneema Composite Fabric
Tarptent Stratospire Li	27.5 ounces / 780 g	$699	double	45 x 86 inches (114 x 218 cm)	45 inches (115 cm)	1 osy Dyneema Composite Fabric	0.51 osy Dyneema Composite Fabric
Gossamer Gear The Two	23.5 ounces / 666 g	$375	single	42/48 x 84 inches (107/122 x 213)	43 inches (109 cm)	10 denier nylon ripstop	10 denier nylon ripstop

On paper, the Durston X-Mid Pro 2 bests many tents in its category (two-person, two-door, side-entry, dual-vestibule trekking-pole shelters) on a number of metrics. It is either lighter, roomier, less expensive, and in certain cases, all of those things. But how a shelter looks in a table is only part of the equation – one which we are increasingly less inclined to emphasize as shelter builders shave ounces at the expense of other important factors. Craftsmanship, quality control, user-friendliness (ease of pitching), livability, stormworthiness, and aesthetics all come into play. These are the performance metrics consider in this review.

Long-Term Performance

In this section, we evaluate:

• Pitching
• Livability
• Stormworthiness
• Fabric
• Durability
• Weight
• Finish quality/aesthetics
• Price

Pitching

Owing to its rectangular shape, as discussed in detail in our review of the Durston X-Mid 2P, this tent is one of the easiest to pitch that I’ve used. For many years, I was a bit leery of tarp-style shelters and trekking pole tents because of the attention to detail required to pitch them and the variability that could occur in different terrains. I tended to prefer more traditional tents, like the MSR Hubba, that I could easily erect with the same result every time and not have to worry about spending 20 minutes moving stakes around and re-tensioning guidelines when I could be fishing, hiking up a nearby peak, or soaking in a hot spring.

The sometimes frustrating, but overall adequate, Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo, was my introduction to trekking pole tents but it was the REI Co-op Flash Air 2 and its ease of set-up which solidified my decision to switch to trekking poles shelters for the majority of my backpacking trips. The Durston X-Mid Pro is even easier to set up than the REI Co-op Flash Air 2 and can be pitched with only four stakes. I typically used six stakes to allow myself to more easily rolly up the doors for ventilation and would use eight stakes in windier conditions or when storms appeared imminent. I did not utilize any additional guylines when using this tent.

Dan Durston has provided detailed instructions on pitching the tent and troubleshooting issues that arise. As mentioned previously, pitching it is more easy and intuitive and with less of a learning curve than other trekking pole shelters I’ve used – but when I have encountered issues due to undulating terrain or cramped spots to pitch it, I’ve been able to rectify them quickly without having to start from scratch or tediously readjust every stake and tension point.

The space required to pitch this tent does limit site selection somewhat (although the footprint is smaller than the X-Mid 2), as there needs to be adequate space to insert the stakes and ensure a taut pitch. However, I did find it to be significantly more difficult to find a spot for this two-person tent than for others I’ve used. When space was cramped, it was intuitive to simply orient the rectangular interior and spot where I would be sleeping to the flattest part of the ground and solve the issue that way.

Livability

This tent is one of the most comfortable and accommodating two-person shelters I’ve used with a partner.

The amount of room at the head and/or foot and the pockets (for the 2023 version, which was tested during part of this review) allow for easy storage and organization with minimal elbow-bumping. The dual doors make it easy to enter/exit without creating an unreasonable disruption for your partner. The headroom is more than sufficient unless you’re exceptionally tall.

Since this tent was only tested in the Northern Rockies, a fairly arid environment aside from during precipitation events and/or more moist microclimates that can often be mitigated by choosing another spot to camp, my experience with condensation is not comparable to what it would be like to use this tent in the Appalachian Mountains or other high-humidity areas. Condensation will always be an issue with single-wall shelters unless you want to use a solar-powered dehumidifier and venting fan system. The condensation I experienced in this tent was minor overall and less than in a previous single-wall tent I tested, the REI Co-Op Flash Air 2. The morning after an all-night, early October rain in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness while camped next to a subalpine lake there was considerable condensation, even though all vents had been left open (I took the risk and left them open since I was in a decently sheltered location and the rain wasn’t accompanied by significant winds). Thanks to the tent’s design, it was easy to avoid (as the sole occupant) brushing up against the damp walls while I got dressed.

Perhaps one of the niftiest features of this tent are the magnetic closures which allow the doors to be rolled up. I kept the doors open on clear nights and the condensation was negligible to non-existent, even if camped in less-than-ideal locations (i.e. near bodies of water, cold sinks, etc.). When seeking refuge from biting insects in this tent, having the doors open allowed me to have reasonably panoramic views from inside and not feel so walled-off from the places I’d hiked so far to spend time in.

Stormworthiness

The most significant test of this tent’s storm worthiness was during an early July thunderstorm in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness of Montana. I was racing a storm to a small campsite I knew about from previous trips to a high mountain lake – a charming respite tucked into a grove of spruce trees on the edge of a meadow, and positioned just before a grueling climb up to a pass that I would tackle the next morning. A storm was forecast for that afternoon and I could tell during the last two miles of my hike that it was on its way; the clouds thickened, the wind picked up, and the feeling of moisture in the air increased.

I’d barely made it to camp when a steady drizzle started. I did a cursory removal of debris from the spot where I planned to pitch the tent and barely got the minimum four stakes into the ground before a gust of wind blew in heavier rain, thunder rumbled, and it was way darker than it should’ve been at early evening in the summer. Not wishing to get soaked trying to put in additional stakes, and embracing the idea of testing the tent with only four stakes, I endured a roughly 45-minute storm that included 10 minutes of marble-sized hail pounding the tent and gusty winds. I’ve been in dozens of mountain storms over the years, and this one was definitely in the top ten. Fortunately, the X-Mid Pro handled it with aplomb. No stakes popped out, the tension needed was maintained, and no rain was blown in the tent as a result of the full-coverage canopy design of the vestibules and head and foot.

I experienced other minor storms in this tent and did not find its performance to be anything other than excellent. Closing the vents is easy to do and they remained secure throughout all weather events and didn’t leak any water or flap around annoyingly.

Fabric

The 0.55 oz DCF used for this tent strives, as all ultralight shelters do, to balance weight with strength. This is fairly standard throughout the ultralight industry as a material for ultralight shelters. The X-Mid Pro differs from some other tents in this category by using a 15D nylon floor. Although not as light as DCF, choosing this fabric for the floor eliminates the need to use a footprint in most conditions as it is more durable than DCF in that context.

Durability

At the end of the testing period, I noticed no areas of wear on the tent or issues with seams, netting, zippers, discoloration or distortion of fabric, or anything else that would indicate issues with durability. While issues related to the longevity of DCF are becoming more known and documented, it does not appear to me that any of those issues would be made worse by any inherent features of the X-Mid Pro. I noticed no wear on the zippers, magnet closures, or bug netting.

The 15D nylon floor has been proven to be a reliable choice for shelters and will likely not be a weak link in the construction of this shelter. I did not use a footprint with this tent, but I did practice due diligence in site selection and removing small rocks and other debris from the ground before pitching. After 27 nights, I did not notice any punctures, tears, or other abrasion of the floor from normal use. For persons backpacking in the Northern Rockies or other areas with similarly forgiving or easily mitigated conditions on the forest floor for pitching tents, it seems like a footprint is largely unnecessary. For backpackers in desert environments or other landscapes with more poky, prickly, and hostile flora that seems to end up on the flattest parts of the ground and in the perfect spot to pitch a tent, a footprint would be a wise investment to extend the life of this shelter.

For backpackers using this tent for multi-day, or multi-month, trips where it is almost always packed up each morning and then re-pitched each night, durability should be a non-issue for most users in most circumstances. The tent should last for several years of frequent recreational use. Care will want to be taken to roll the tent, rather than stuff it as stuffing increases the chance of areas of wear occurring.

If you’re looking for a tent to use as a high-altitude basecamp tent and leave it pitched all day under the blazing sun while exploring various lakes in search of trout or bagging peaks, and you average 100+ days out each summer then you will probably want to look for another tent as several years of that type of use will create issues.

Weight

This tent is incredibly lightweight for the performance and space it delivers. Even with eight, full-length aluminum stakes the total weight of this shelter (assuming you’re pitching with trekking poles and are thus already carrying that weight) is significantly less than a liter of water.

Finish quality/aesthetics

This tent suffered from no obvious visual defects – everything seemed meticulously bonded, sewn, designed, and assembled. The tensioning devices worked smoothly, as did the zippers and the magnetic closures for rolling up the tent doors. The muted color of this tent blended in well with the landscape of the Northern Rockies and allowed for a low-key profile at campsites. At the risk of sounding superficial, this tent does just simply look good. As someone who has no love for the craven consumerism that can sometimes afflict backpackers, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit just how much I liked looking at this tent when returning to it after fishing or day hiking to a peak from camp.

Price

This tent is expensive. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. The Durston X-Mid Pro 2P costs $679 USD; for another $10 USD eight aluminum stakes are included. DCF is a niche fabric that will never be as cheap as a yard of cotton fabric, or of nylon for that matter. Given its performance and weight, a compelling argument can be made that even at this price the tent is a value.

Summary

Like its sibling, the Durston X-Mid 2P, this tent is highly recommended for backpackers looking for an ultralight two-person shelter for three-season recreational backpacking. The combination of weight, performance, and durability is generally equal to or greater than other similar shelters on the market. Given where ultralight tent design and fabrics are at the present time, it is hard to imagine a new shelter coming along and out-competing this tent. If you want one of the highest-quality and best-performing ultralight shelters on the market, the Durston X-Mid Pro should be at the top of your list.

Appendix: More Photos

Where to Buy

• Durston Gear Website

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Related Content

• more by Mark Wetherington
• read Ben Kilbourne’s review of the Durston X-Mid 2
• check out Rex Sanders’ interview with Dan Durston
• watch our Choosing an Ultralight Shelter for Backpacking Member Q&A
• our community discussed the X-Mid Pro 2 with designer Dan Durston on this forum thread