Durston X-mid second choice

I assume you’re referring to the 1P silpoly X Mid. Sierra Designs High Route 1. Weighs about the same. Can be bought at the mainstream gear sites for 20% off with one of their recurring sales.

https://www.moosejaw.com/product/sierra-designs-high-route-1p-tent_10368623?ad_id=BingPLA&utm_source=BingPLA&utm_medium=PLA&utm_campaign=Sierra-Designs&cm_mmc=PLA-_-MSN-_-MJ-Shopping-NonPromo-Brand-Product|MJ-Shopping-NonPromo-Brand-Product-_-google|384832854|1308419088066284||pla-4585375809266456|c||5374202&msclkid=89693baa95a11c8030825a4703eb8990

Couldn’t get the X-Mid 2 so went with the TT Double Rainbow DW instead.

Andy, The TT Double Rainbow is a very good choice.

For a 1P tent i have a TT Moment DW (& optional X-ing pole) mainly for winter.

For 3 season use I have a 1P  TT Notch Li with the “solid” interior so it is good for 3 season use and a freak early snowstorm. It also keeps out wind-blown dust that is sometimes encountered her in the desert southwest.

My 2/3 P tent is a TT SCARP 2 the is very solid with two x-ing poles round beneath the fly, as I’ve done with my Moment DW.

Thanks Eric. Once I couldn’t get the X-Mid 2 (still sadly!) it seemed the natural choice to go with the Double Rainbow due to the 2 long wide pad specifications I was looking for. Seemed the right choice to go with the new DW version too.

Funny that the two brands I really like for tents are both double letters, TT and DD!

I’m still debating whether to go with an X-Mid Pro as a single person tent or just use the TT DR DW.

Silpoly 1- and 2-person lightweight tents from LightHeartGear.com and SixMoonDesigns.com

I’m mostly happy with my SMD Skyscape Trekker, but haven’t used it much yet. First trip was just before Covid and massive local wildfires.

— Rex

Wildfires. In late January. Not long after two atmospheric rivers. The world is changing fast.

FWIW, we will have the X-Mid 1 and 2 back available in July in the solid inner version (good for cooler areas and shoulder seasons) so those will be on sale in a few months (likely around April). Of course we also have the DCF superlight X-Mid Pro 2 on presale tomorrow.

For the regular mesh, versions, we will have much better supply starting in the fall. We are working hard to increase production and started ordering a lot more over a year ago, but with lead times near 2 years it’ll be late 2022 before that increased production starts showing up.

If you need something sooner, TarpTent and Yama make really nice stuff, such as a TarpTent Notch or Stratospire, or Yama Swiftline.

@Dan — Are you planning on making an X-Mid1 Pro?

Dan, for those of us who already have an Xmid-2 with the mesh inner, it would be great if you could make available the fabric inner separately, so we wouldn’t have to buy a whole new tent.

Keep up the good work!

…Not long after two atmospheric rivers.

AKA rain, for ya’ll who don’t live in Washington state :)

@RossBleakney – Yes. We are planning that but it does take a while to refine the design, line up materials, and complete production. We are aiming for early 2023 for that. We have a notification list on DurstonGear.com if you want a notice when it does launch.

@PaulS – We hope to offer the solid inners separately once we’re more caught up on regular tent production, but for most people a complete tent makes more sense. Buy one seperately for $100-$150 means you own two inners, but you could just sell your used tent for 90-100% of retail (quite easy these days) and then buy the new solid one to only be out $50 or so while also getting a new tent.

I got the Free Duo, call me a hedonist but I love it already, so roomy, fast and simple setup, and very small footprint so I can pitch in tight and rocky sites. Great for the beaches here too. With my Double Rainbow I seem to always get snookered when the final corner stake hits rock and I have to relocate the whole thing. So I’m really looking forward to full freestanding. I’m 10 lbs base so the weight of the poleset is acceptable. The lack of ventilation is a serious shortcoming of the Zpacks tents, I simply don’t understand this. I’m going to try and fit kickstands at the upper overlap areas of the doors.

I do look forward to the Durston X-Mid Pro 1.5 and will definitely purchase, since it should be half the weight. Then the Free Duo will be relegated to beach use only.

I too am lusting for a X-Mid 2. In the meantime I have found a used YMG Swiftline 2 for sale, as well as a “like new” Big Sky International Mirage 2. I like that the Swiftline is made of Silpoly. The Mirage is SuperSil Silnylon. Any one have any beta on either of these 2 tents?

We have a Swiftline. No experience with the X-Mid to compare, but the Swiftline performs as advertised: great in wind, can take an inch or two of snow, spacious for two, can roll back most of the single-wall fly for ventilation and views. It shares many of the design advantages of the X-Mid (single wall) but you have to be OK with the asymmetric footprint and overall aesthetic.

Potential negatives – It takes up a fair bit of space when pitched. The X-Mid is probably a little tidier in this regard being a rectangle. I swapped the stock line for thicker MLD line, as I found the stock line to slip under tension when wet. Lastly, I’m not a fan of the clips and shockcord used to tie the fly back when opening it all up. I understand why Gen used this system as it gives you some flexibility on where to tie things back, but the shockcord is susceptible to breaking and there’s too much of it, so the panels don’t roll up as tight as I want. Small design nitpick on an otherwise excellent tent design.

Pitching the Swiftline isn’t as complicated as it looks, but you do have to memorize the sequence of stake points, guy line lengths, etc. This doesn’t take more time than pitching a double-wall tent though. Once pitched it’s drum tight on every panel.

Thanks Chris, that’s some great insight into the Swiftline. This is my first foray into single wall/hybrid tents so I’m being extra careful before pulling the trigger on anything. The X-Mid 2 would be my first choice if I could actually get one. The whole process that it takes to even get in the mix for one is overwhelming. I’ve seen the madness in the most recent releases and it is daunting to say the least. But…it’s a hell of a tent. Maybe one day.

@Kevin B – You may want to keep an eye on Gear Swap.  X-Mids show up there periodically, but they also sell quickly…you just need to be vigilant :)

Consider posting a WTB…sellers are sometimes enticed to sell knowing there are buyers immediately available.

JCH, yeah I check Gear Swap all the time, but they go faster than I can check. Also on the “need an X-Mid” FB group. The X2 goes faster there than Gear Swap. I’ve got a line on a YMG Swiftline 2 that might pan out. I’ve got 4 excellent backpacking tents, but they  are all  Silnylon. I really want to try a silpoly tent.

Regarding future availability of the X-Mid, our next batch will be ready in early July which will be a decent sized batch of the X-Mid 1 and 2 but in the solid inner version. Probably that sale will be a repeat of January where it sells out quickly. The best bet there is to be on the notification list and create an account ahead of time on our partners website so your address and payment info are already stored and you can check out quickly. Like that, people who are there when the sale opens have a high chance of getting one (50-70%?). Likely that sale will occur in about May.

While that batch will sell out quickly, we have way better production coming online this fall. Production will be about 5x higher than it used to be, so we think we’ll actually be able to keep them in stock. Starting in about August we’ll start taking fall orders and from then on it should be simple to get one.

For ppl deeaming of separate solid inners, you perhaps have no understanding of manufacturing, how it goes together and what it costs. Dan or Henry may not feel free to state it, but contracting to make 2000 complete tents can be negotiated. Making 200 inners cannot, because it is a short production run. Consider the labor and shipping costs of just an inner, with a minimal margin it would still costs more to deal with than a complete tent. Where is the win-win in that scenario? Tents offered w solid or mesh inners were typically planned that way from the getgo, so that can be negotiated into the offered price. So the costs are spread around. Each full tent also subsidizes the inner only. Huge tent sellers can deal with it due to volume, but they don’t make niche products. Small tent makers don’t have such deep pockets to have items collecting years of dust on the shelf. Who is going to subsidize that? Wonder why Yama isn’t offering tents, despite a brilliant designer? The economics are not easy, especially at this time in history.

I’m wondering what a good alternative to the X-Mid for a decent amount of snow loading. My friend has one and it has handled feet of snow very well. I was hoping to get one, but it looks like the odds are not great. I’m not super happy with my Ultamid and want to get away from traditional mids.

For snow loading you want sufficiently steep walls to shed the snow, plus sufficient structure to support whatever snow remains. The X-Mid is unusually good here because every panel is at that steep 55-60 degrees where snow will reliably shed unless it’s super sticky, plus the two poles support the canopy more than a single pole, plus the no-sag polyester fabric doesn’t sag/wrinkle to catch snow like nylon does, plus the central sleeping position means that you’re back from the walls even if the snow does push them in.

A traditional mid isn’t nearly as good for snow performance because the walls are often around 45 degrees so snow sheds less reliably and accumulates more on the side walls, plus often you’re sleeping against those walls. Then most other tent designs tend to have flatter roof panels that don’t shed snow. It’s pretty rare you get a tent where all the panels are steep enough to shed snow.

Our July batch of solid inner X-Mid’s is going to be super good for snow performance with the solid inner plus a few other things beefed up (e.g buckles on the door zippers, low stretch guylines, extra reinforcements) and I don’t think it’ll be that hard to get one because this batch is a good size and yet the solid inner market is smaller. Yeah it’ll sell out quick but most people who are ready when it opens in ~June will be able to get one.

But to answer your question, I’d look at other two pole mids with some centrally located poles. Most notably, the Black Diamond Beta Light would be quite good.

New guy here.  I snuck in.  sorry.  Regarding the 1P.  I have one thats been proving quite reliable under various conditions.  I have thoughts about the intended future line up.  Didn’t know where to post.  The other 2P thread is eight pages and all over the place. Anywho….  I’m of the opinion that a 1P DCF fly with the current poly/mesh inner is a nice compromise.  It may help manufacturing time(s) and cost(s).  A single wall 1P would be fine but staying as a lightweight DW is what this series is all about.  Yes?  It’s what put him on the map.  There already are numerous single entry, single wall, one pole tents of various flavors on the market.  Don’t need another one.  My bin box has the X-Mid 1P, Aeon Li, coupla tarps and a few different bivy’s.  I did a spread sheet of all the possible combinations and associated weights that equals about eleven .  sheesh.  In the end, I’d take the X-mid anytime.  Four stakes.  Minute and a half set up.  Bomber.  and what, an extra pound compared to my lightest combo?  Big whoop.  13.8 oz actually. yeah, yeah.  Who let this guy in.  I said it first.  Peace, ~RL

Glad you’re liking the X-Mid Regis!  We hope to do a double wall with a DCF fly and regular inner once we get the singlewalls launched (the X-Mid Pro 2 and Pro 1).

sigh… I’ll wait.  ^j^