MLD DuoMid Pics (yellow)

I tested out the space in mine the way John is describing. You'll get max space for one laying this way using the slanted pole or the hang loop.

If the hang loop is infeasible, don't forget you can also create an inverted V if you happen to have two long, sturdy sticks lying around camp (or one very long stick that can be cut in to two long sticks).

Nice to hear about the tie loop though. I don't recall reading about that in the description on the site. Can't wait to get mine.

This shelter really is a nice size. I got the hang of the pitch, it was operator error on my part :)
Just to give you an idea of it's size…dug down about a foot. Easily fit my long winter bag on downmat 7 in the back behind the hiking pole support.

Re: "This shelter really is a nice size. I got the hang of the pitch, it was operator error on my part :)"

What was the "operator" error?

JRS

I "believe" that I had pitched the bottom 4 corners too tight – meaning that after I put one corner into the ground, I pulled too hard when placing the next corner, etc. This caused the peak to pitch very low, and also caused the 4 ridgelines to pitch with a catenary like shape which meant less height towards the sides (see pics from post on page 1 of this thread).
However, there was also the lack of experience and practice that surely added to it's original issues! :)
Now, I pitch the 4 corners with just little tension, add the center pole and then tension the lines…pitches MUCH nicer.

Steve,
Great looking pictures.

Steve… Looking at your photos I don't know if it makes the wait for another three weeks easier or not. Lookin good.

Thanks for the pitching info. Looks great!

JRS

Steven,

That is crazy in that you have a stove inside the tent to keep you warm!

What is it, how heavy is it, and how do you use it without having it melt a hole into the ground?

-Tony

The Stove looks like a Tigoat stove. The specs can be found at
http://www.titaniumgoat.com/cstove.html

Now if you could only install a little chimney boot on the Duomid… sweet little setup!

John, be patient. I ordered mine the day it went on sale and received it 5 weeks later. Very little sleep that month ;) And just to get you excited, it is a beautiful work of art, and sooooo easy to pitch! Nice and big for one person.

We did get a little snow last night, and I could hear it slide off the walls as it built up. The walls are steep enough that you won't get any build up, except at the bottom of course. Condensation is typical for a single wall shelter in the winter – don't expect any miracles.
I do wish there was a dual zippered entry so i could vent the top while having the bottom portion closed. My Golite Utopia 2+ was built like that and is the only shelter I have used where condensation wasn't an issue in the winter.

Tony, the link Ken gave is correct. My little stove is the Ti-Goat Cylinder Stove with 3.5' Titanium Pipe. Total weight is 18.25oz. Even with the stove, my base weight is under 16lbs…how could I leave it at home? :) Actually, this was my first trip with it – I bought it about a month ago but had to wait for a shelter (I sold all mine to buy the cuben duomid) and the right weather. It's for when I base camp, or maybe on some overnighters where weight isn't an issue. The little guy roars when you get it going. The body and pipe turn bright red hot!

Chad, I have the stove boot (Kevlar – I think) from Ti-goat but I can't bring myself to sewing it into this cuben beauty. I'm going to try to modify it so it can attach to the zippered opening. We were talking about it last night at camp. Maybe even just clipping (think big paperclips) it to each side of the opening. I'll post pictures if I get around to doing it.

Thanks for the pics Chris and Steve. I've fallen in love with this pyramid and will be ordering a Cuben version in a couple weeks. I was initially considering an Oware AlphaMid but this just looks so much nicer. Quoddy, have you received yours yet?

JT… It hasn't arrived yet and I haven't checked lately to see when. Timewise, it has been 6 seeks now, but I have another item being worked on by Ron and he may be combining the orders.

Can anyone speculate how these might do in the summer time? I'm guessing one would definitely have to pitch it higher off the ground. I'm strongly considering one in yellow Sil Nylon for winter use and a cuben for 3-season use.

I plan to have it partially, if not fully open, so won't necessarily need to have it raised unless there's a prolonged rain.

JT,
I've only had mine out a few times (and in winter) but I would think you would need additional ventilation other then the small vent at the peak to eliminate condensation in summer. Pitching a few inches off the ground as Ron states on the MLD website would probably work. Leaving the door open, even partially (see above) would be my technique of choice for summer.

A 2nd option for summer venting of the DuoMid is to stake the four corners tight to the ground for stability and vent the mid point of each panel by Ving upward off the ground to provide ground level air flow. This also allows for a lower peak height which may provided added wind stability and strength.

Set up my Spectralite DuoMid today and it certainly is a camo shelter in the winter! I'm working on which pegs/anchors to use. I initially used the SMC T anchors for the corners, but will probable switch to snow pegs in the future. The DuoMid is quite an easy shelter to intially set up, but requires a bit of fiddle factor from there to be perfect.

John,
About setting up –

I really struggled to get a perfect pitch until I realized that I was setting my pole to high.

When you ordered your Mid the MLD site first stated that 57" was the height, and then buried below that, 54". Start with 54" and that will make the difference. It's counterintuitive to lower the pole to get a tighter pitch, but that's what it takes. It lets the corner seams spread out and that places the side panels under tension. Sil, and to some degree Spinn, are accommodating. Spectra is not.

After I discovered this I e-mailed Ron and he made the changes to his web page. But those just getting a Spectra Mid are laboring under the 57" height versus the 54" spec.

With 54" pole I get a tight to-the-ground pitch that is very weather tight. I am (now) very pleased with this shelter.

Thatks Greg. I don't actually know what the pole height was. I followed Ron's instruction to stake out the front tight then set the rear 90 degrees from the front pegs. From there, I then went in thru the zipper opening without unsnapping the bottom, placed the pole (GG Lightrek 4) and then extended it until the pitch was taut, but with the base still on the ground. My main problem was the snow anchors I tried first instead of snow pegs. Their lines allowed too much variation. I believe that the DuoMid will be a snap to put up well the first time when using ground pegs in non-snow conditions.

Very nice Quoddy. I need to order mine soon so I can have one in time for spring.

hehehehe….stealth duomid :)