Cuben Solomid Features

Ron changed the reinforcing patches on high stress points for all of his cuben shelters and bivies to add durability. I no longer have a cuben SoloMid but the cuben DuoMid I bought earlier this year has the newer spec and is consistent with the weight listed on the product page.

Thank you, Stuart, for the information, that is interesting, that is why the shelter is said to be solid.

So if anyone has the latest cuben Solomid version, thank you to give the total weight with sack and linelocs…

Myrtille

Hi there. Stuart told me you were looking for this information, and since I have both of these shelters in cuben (with the new reinforced areas already mentioned, I'll pass on what I know.

The following weights INCLUDE guylines and supplied stuff sack:

Cuben Duomid 17.2 oz
Cuben Solomid 12.9 oz

The difference is 4.3 oz

This does NOT include stakes, because we don't all carry the same kinds. Nor does it include any pole extenders.

For a weight penalty of only 4.3 oz, the Duomid does feel substantially larger. There's considerably more headroom and width. I love them both!! If you place a higher value on having a smaller footprint (like me), the Solomid is sweet. I suspect most people will opt for the larger Duomid though, and for good reason. And as is mentioned in other posts on BPL, the Duomid (IF used for a single camper) allows you to have your sleeping gear in the back away from the door, which provides more rain protection when the door is opened. The Duomid is so large in fact, that at 5'9", I can lay completely flat and in a perpendicular angle (feet pointed at the door) as seen in the photo and can zip the door shut. I've waited out short periods of rain like this and had the upper half of my body on my sleeping pad and pillow.

The Solomid, on the other hand, has the sleeping area right square in the center rather than behind the pole in only half of the shelter. You can see that it appears substantially more narrow in the pic below. BOTH of these shelter totally rock!!!!! I'll probably mostly use the Solomid in the Sierras, but nobody will be able to pry the Duomid out of my hands any time soon! Hope some of this helps. :)

Hi Randy!

Thank you, that is exactly what I wanted! and for the (nice)photos too

I will probably choose the Solomid for its lighter weight because I will add a cuben floor and an inner net(perimeter and door only), both homemade. I want to keep under 17.5 oz.
At the moment I have a Sublite silnylon that I love and a Wild Oasis, lighter but not as convenient as the Sublite.
The Solomid is larger than the Sublite so it will be ok.

When it is raining I suppose the rain falls into the tent when you open the door because of the angle?

Myrtille

My cuben DuoMid is a mere 11.2oz including light guylines. It's an early version with mostly cuben reinforcement and fewer features (no guy outs on the short sides, nixed zipper flap).

I'm a pretty big advocate for the Duo over the Solo, but it depends on your circumstances. The Solo has a nice small footprint and is a good choice for 3-season backpacking trips in relatively dry locales. As soon as you wind up in sloppy conditions then the extra space of the Duo is very appreciated because it enables you to keep all your gear protected and sorted. It also gives you the vestibule space to cook, which is darn handy when you wake up to incessant rain. It's also easier to stay away from condensation covered walls.

Per MLD specs, it's an extra 2oz for the DuoMid (cuben vs cuben). Unless you highly value a smaller footprint or have shaved every gram, this is 2oz very well spent. The Duo still pitches in smaller places then most 2 person tents.

Randy, what are you using for your Solomid floor? It almost looks like a good bathtub design.

Thanks
Art

Hi Dan, thank you for your ideas
so I am actually looking at the Hexamid solo plus

Myrtille

The Hexamid is a neat shelter. Like most things, the right choice depends on your intended use. The beauty of a 'mid is the simplicity. Four stakes in a rectangle plus a pole in the middle and you're pretty much all set up. The Hexamid requires a lot more stakes and angles to get right, so if you're camping where it's a hassle to stake (bedrock, snow) or you're in a hurry (ie. sleet outside) then you really prefer the simplicity of a mid. Conversely, if you mostly camp in nice weather then a Hexamid or tarp offers a more open environment to catch the sunrise and lighter weight.

Art, Randy told me he uses the Zpacks twin cuben fibre bathtub in his SoloMid. Here's what he said in a PM:

"I tied zpacks thinnest shock cord to the center tie on each side of the groundsheet, attached it to the pole and can slide it up and down to raise or lower the height of the "tub". If you zoom in on the photo, you can see what I mean. This was nice when cold wind was blowing under the edges. The air was still able to circulate, but didn't hit me directly because the edges of the tub blocked it. I really, really liked that!!!"

Art, the bathtub floors that zpacks makes are great! They're high enough to actually do some good. A couple months ago in the Duomid, I was getting LOTS of splashes over a foot and a half into the shelter during a hard rain! I recently heard someone report this with their Hexamid as well. In the Sierras I'm often on a gravel-type surface, and it was bouncing off the rocks and spraying into the shelter, even though the edge was not more than ONE inch from the ground. I even resorted to lining up a wall of rocks along the edge, but if you left even a tiny opening, the spray was coming through. It was like Chinese water torture trying to sleep with spray hitting my face. The tall bathtub floor should remedy that.