Mids: Supermid vs. Khafra vs. Oware

One problem with a mesh perimeter/door combination is that the combination is stuffier in warm weather than a full suspended inner net.

If you are talking for solo use, you could get a solo pyramid inner net.
Most also have a bathtub floor. So a ground cloth wouldn't be needed.

Have you ever woke up in the morning realizing that you pitched you shelter over an ant bed?
In some places the crawling bugs can be worse than the flying insect. Scorpions in the South Western US come to mind.

Also if your solo, you might want to consider the Oware Alphamid. It is tall and long enough for a tall person, but lighter than the options you mentioned.

I'd keep it simple. Use separate inners/bivi/bathtub for flexibility. Sewn in mesh is extra weight when you don't need it.

We have had an Oware 9×9 for 4 years and like it a lot. I have made a double bathtub/bivi for it, and also added linelocs to all stake points and midpoint guys (also an option at purchase).

The MLD looks a little more wind resistant due to the extent of the catenary cuts, but possibly at the expense of useable internal space. It also has a vent. (we used our ventless Oware for 10 days this summer and only had significant condensation once. The bivi protected us from it well and it was not an issue)

Here is a 'hot' Golite SL5 (similar size Mid) with a solo inner…

http://www.thebimbler.co.uk/hot-tent-at-the-bistro

I can't comment about the Khafra, but I can about the Khufu – the claimed weight for my black cuben Khufu was accurate; and in use it has proved a wonderful asset.

I can also attest to the outstanding quality of after-sales service of Locus Gear; I strained the stitches by the zip of my cuben Khufu recently, through very strong winds and blustery conditions, and my own stupidity (zipping it when under too much strain, and neglecting to slacken off the guys first).

When I contacted Locus Gear to arrange for repairs, I was astonished to learn that there was no charge, apart from a small contribution to the return shipping. I shipped the tarp on the Friday from Korea to Japan; Monday I got an email to say that it had been received, and was being fixed. Later the same day I received photos of the fully repaired tarp.

The return shipping was as prompt, and the repair is a highly professional job that has made the tarp stronger than before the strains. My sincere thanks to Yuki!
(Yuki's photos).

Thanks for the input everyone.

Steve,

>One problem with a mesh perimeter/door combination is that the combination is stuffier in warm weather than a full suspended inner net.

I didn't realise this. That could be an issue since I live in Australia.

>If you are talking for solo use, you could get a solo pyramid inner net.
>Most also have a bathtub floor. So a ground cloth wouldn't be needed.

I guess my concern is that most innernet tents are only about 90 inches long and have significantly less usable area than that given the sloping walls. But consensus so far certainly seems to be towards separate inners.

>Have you ever woke up in the morning realizing that you pitched you shelter over an ant bed?
>In some places the crawling bugs can be worse than the flying insect. Scorpions in the South West come to mind.

We don't have scorpions (well we do) but we definitely have ants. This is my main concern with having a mesh skirt.

>Also if your solo, you might want to consider the Oware Alphamid. It is tall and long enough for a tall person, but lighter than the options you >mentioned.

I am after something that can function as a solo, 2- and 3- person shelter if necessary. I don't mind carrying a 1.5kg tent solo if necessary. Is the Alphamid as wind worthy as a full mid given the large flat front wall?

Honestly the criticism of mesh skirts are overblown. I usually cowboy in the desert and rarely get bitten by any crawlers. A ten second check for ants and other bugs is all it takes and is just part of the campsite selection process. The added weight is pretty minimal especially compared to an inner net or bivy. I don't have a mid but I do have a wild oasis and really love the low weight and bug proof-ness. For hot nights I can pitch it high and wide in a breezy site for more venting.

I thought this thread was another by Daryl and a new design for fishnet clothing.

I buy and sell a lot of gear on the swap…just so I can try things out.

In what you are looking at, I've had an oware 10×10, two supermids, a luna 4, and an ultamid 2 with perimeter netting.

1. Oware 10×10 – I thought that this was a fine shelter…pitched decently, though larger than what I needed. Yes, it doesn't come with a vent….and, unlike the supermid, and similar to the luna 4, there is a vertical seem mid panel, whereas the supermid has a horizontal seam near the top. How much this really affects things? I don't know..but supermid is easier to seam seal (I use the tarptent method).

The big thing that concerned me with the oware….was the stitching. It was nice and straight (good craftsmanship), but it was only single stitched……luna 4/supermid at least double (or maybe triple in some spots? I would have to look).

If I remember, it was 30oz or so, so over spec, though oware lists the same weight for the 9×9 (28oz) as the 10×10 (28ox) so not sure what is up there.

2. Luna 4 – Not enough catenary cut, workmanship a bit off. (I've talked about BPWD on the swap before). I wouldn't consider them…you'll save money but always think "something else is nicer".

3. Supermid – My personal favorite. You said the weight was off for being smaller than the others, but the opposite is true in my experience. So, one supermid was 8'11" (so only 1" less than oware 9×9…though I haven't had an oware 9×9 so didn't measure directly), the other was 8'9", though 2" taller than the other, so there is some variance in specs. (well, one was an older designed supermid….maybe they did change). The big thing: both underweight by quite a bit. MLD lists it at 29oz…but one was 25.2 oz (the older one, seamed sealed tarptent method), the other 26 oz. Not sure what is going on there, whether its just outdated info, or trying to push cuben supermid sales, or ?

Anyway…tight pitching shelter. There is a catenary cut, so there is a very small learning curve with pitching…but generally if you pitch the 4 corners really tight then put up the pole, the catenary curve will be stronger, so less space near the ground. If you have a bit of slack in the 4 corners then pitch it, there will be more space off the ground and also less of a curve. You'll get the hang of it in 2-3 pitches, but that is the only learning part…whether you want it low/tight to the ground or higher off. A square mid is the easiest type of shelter to pitch.

As for an inner net….I currently have a bear paw pyranet 4…I'm 5'10" and there is lots of foot/head space. You are taller, but with a innernet, you can always squish up your feet end against the pyramid net since you don't need headroom there, and I think you'll be fine near the head.

4. Ultamid 2: I am of the opinion that I don't like perimeter nets which this one had. In a slight wind it becomes kind of a pain to get all the netting "inside". And they are still kind of heavy for what they are (I think the netting on the ultamid 2 added like 7-8 oz, without a netting door…

JC, if you're 6'4" and like plenty of room I'd recommend a mid longer in one direction than the classic ~100" sided jobs like the Supermid, Megalight, or Oware 9×9. When pitched tight to the ground someone your height won't have much room before either head or foot of your bag is rubbing against the wall. The Oware is taller, and thus has steeper walls, so it ought to be a bit better in this respect.

Awesome insights, guys. Being very new to this mid thing I am playing catch up here.

I saw a few pics of a Pentalite and was duly impressed. I actually spent last night deriving the geometric properties of 4- and 5- sided mids and making a spreadsheet that calculates floor area, head, foot and side wall slope and "usable" lengths and widths for Mids and Pentamids. I assumed straight walls which leads to slightly overstated figures but I found it useful for a general idea. I can share it with anyone if they are interested and can't be bothered doing the trig themselves.

My calcs indicate that a Pentamid somewhat smaller than a Nemo Pentalite with an offset centre pole (similar to the Pentalite, but positioned further forward, maybe even outside the door) would yield sufficient usable tent space for two or three while still having a reasonably sized vestibule. I really like the Pentalite's zip in door and floor, but I fear the cost of having one sewn up. I could do it myself but I'm not the best sewer and would likely screw it up in a costly manner.

>As for an inner net….I currently have a bear paw pyranet 4…I'm 5'10" and there is lots of foot/head space. You are taller, but with a innernet, you can always squish up your feet end against the pyramid net since you don't need headroom there, and I think you'll be fine near the head.

The Bear Paw website does indicate that the Pyranet 4 should fit someone "up to" 6'5. Not sure what that entails but I might contact them.

There is a perennial trade-off between maximizing size/volume/height and minimizing weight/windage/ground cover. Personally, I want a mid that fits me well as a solo user, but that does not have excess weight or height, or require too large a campsite. The Khufu is a great fit for me, but I'm 5ft 8.5"; and while my inner net works well when I use it (I try to avoid it), I am aware of the ends (at head and feet). Works fine unless I need to have the mid pitched low to the ground because of strong winds; then it is a little tight. The ripstop inner I had made up though has so far felt a bit claustrophobic, though its a 2/3 asymmetrical configuration (as is the inner net). I need to use it (the nylon inner) more often before I can be definite about that though.

The asymmetrical fore-and-aft 2/3 inner or net makes a good combination, at least for a rectangular mid with entry from the long side. You then have a 1/3 strip for a vestibule. Great for cooking gear, boots, wet and dirty gear.

Unnecessary height or surface tarp area or ground cover extension means more hassle, more weight, more pegs, more guys, longer pole, more worry about losing the tarp in a storm, etc.

Just weighed some mids. This should help give an idea of how size effects weight.
All four from same beam of fabric. (There are slight variations in coating weights between beams). Also note the 10×10 is wider for it's height than the others.

Weights are tarp only, just a plastic grocery bag to contain it.

8x8x5.4' mid 24.3 ounces
9x9x6' 27.5 ounces
10x10x6' 29 ounces
11x11x7.5' 38.5 ounces

That's very helpful David. Certainly for me it seems like a larger mid is worth the extra few ounces. I've emailed Ron Bell to see if he thinks his Supermid innernet is suitable for someone my height. One thing I haven't seen much is T shaped doors on inner tents. I know Bear Paw offer it as an option but it surprises me that so many inner tents just have the one smallish L shaped door.

From the pictures on the MLD DuoMid XL page, it looks like that tarp's corresponding inner net comes with an inverted T-zip

My personal opinion is that T zips on inner tents are unnecessary.

With mids, you are generally either want to use it without needing to pitch the inner; or else the bugs or weather are bad, so that you want a minimal opening to the inner.

I think the opposite. IMO and IME, minimal openings on inners limit access into the inner, and also, limit access to the vestibule, so restricting the direction in which you can lie if you want to cook in the vestibule, etc.

I once made a solo inner for my Golite Hex3 (SL3) with just one side opening. After 2 short trips I was driven to make it into a T zip. Much more versatile for just an ounce or less.

I would like to see MLD offer the option of a T zip on their inners, and so it seems (from Facebook comments) would others.

I have a cuben floored supermid innernet on order…and I just spoke with MLD about their duomid XL innernet pics that shows the t zipper.

Ron said that he can add a t zipper for no charge, and estimated that it would add 1 oz.

So…I need to decide soon whether I want Ron to add the normal or t zipper….I am a bit torn.

Pros
1. T zipper makes it easier for the 3rd and 4th person to get in/out of the mid if person 1/2 is currently sleeping. Though…that side of the tarp would also have to be undone, so it would only help in certain cases when I have both doors of the tarp open…

Cons
1. Weighs an additional ounce
2. I believe it never fully closes up, correct? Anyone have like a bear paw pyranet with t zipper that can let me know about how bad a gap can be?

Anyway….but to let everyone know, I believe Ron is agreeable with adding t zips now…