Dyneema Double Wall Dome Style Tents

Saw this tent come up in my Facebook feed and was intrigued.  The specs and materials used for the tent looked legit but have an issue with the weight.  I have an X Dome 1+ from the very first release of this tent that has been great and weighs less than the Alton tent..  Would like a 1p+ DCF double wall freestanding tent that is closer in weight to my 1p hornet elite which is a coffin compared to the XDome 1+… going to wait for the Pro version (hopefully next year??)

I saw one like it on AliExpress for around $650.

I didn’t notice the dimensions until I looked further. The X Dome “Pro?” would have more room. Also, did more research on the company. I’m just going to wait for the X Dome DCF.

DCF is usually smaller. I’d see what Durston comes up with first. I think January?

$679.00 | Backcountry Xanadu 1.5 Cuben Dyneema Ultra-Light Winter Backpacking Tent DAC Featherlite
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mP4myDF

Joey, the Arc Dome maybe a contender too?

What use cases are you guys anticipating for these domes? Is it a second shelter for shoulder seasons? If not what features do the domes have over trekking pole shelters that are important enough to accept the weight gain?

I am very active in the mountains of the American west from May to October and never thought the dome designs would increase my safety, comfort or convenience.

“With the rumored X Dome Dyneema version potentially coming in 2026,”
Nothing to announce right now, but we are going to start to have some news on that in early 2026.

“All the material choices is what I would have chosen…Dyneema 0.75..20D nylon for the floor…aluminum poles for more strength / durability.”
On a trekking pole tent I think the lifespan difference between Dyneema 0.55 and 0.75 is fairly small, and then on a freestanding tent it is closer yet because a freestanding tent distributes the stress much more evenly. Instead of a few high stress point (corners, peaks) you have numerous attachments all over the tent to spread the load. So a freestanding tent is substantially easier on Dyneema fabrics and lasts longer. I would expect very difficult to wear out 0.55, and in this application 0.75 would behave similarly.

They are using carbon poles, not aluminum. Carbon is stronger for the weight, so aluminum isn’t stronger/more durable if we’re comparing at a similar weight. Certainly there are much heavier aluminum options that can be stronger, but then there are also heavier carbon options too. Ultimately carbon is stronger for the weight so I think it’s the better option but I know some people are more comfortable with aluminum and it is more affordable, so we do also have an aluminum option now as well.

GW Hayduke, I have about 30 nights of backpacking under my belt. I’m still fairly new. It’s more of  that I’m comfortable with dome style tents more so than trekking pole style. Could I push myself outside my comfort zone and try a trekking pole tent? Yes, but I haven’t yet. It’s probably more having double walls than it being semi-free standing. Which is why the Crosspeak 2 doesn’t appeal to me much. If I were to go single wall, I think I’d just try a trekking pole tent.

Dan, thanks for chiming in. I’m super excited for the DCF X Dome version.

Lunar Duo

A nice simple trekking pole tent at a good price.

The Trekkertent Saor DCF gets great reviews. I considered that one but I wanted a bit more space inside the inner tent. I think they accepted custom orders for a larger inner tent earlier, but now the web page says that they do not accept custom orders anymore.

So I went for the Tarptent ArcDome 1 with carbon poles weighing 1,5 kg. Not DCF, but it’s a really good tent. Only real downside for me is that the fly does not go completely down – so have to pack snow around to seal it. Other then that it’s perfect for me.

Henrik, would you use the Arcdome in summer? I’ve looked at it and thought it would mostly be a shoulder season / winter tent. I could be wrong though.

I am going to use the Arcdome 1 for summer months as well (Norway) in areas where I need the “stormworthyness”, like above the treeline. It’s a really solid tent with a very useful interior shape. I also like the white color as it’s more pleasant to be inside – like the Big Agnes Tiger Wall I had earlier. I have the full solid for winter, and will purchase the partial solid/mesh for warmer weather. The ventilation is good – the door can be opened from the top end of the zipper as well as the higher “skirt” + two top vents with struts.

That said, I have several tents for different purposes so it will fit into a particular use for me;

Tarptent Arcdome 1 for winter,  year around mountain trips, and areas where a free standing tent is necessary

Slingfin Crossbow 2 (selling it now – replaced by the ArcDome 1)

Tarptent Double Rainbow DW below the treeline and 3 season use.

Tarptent Notch Li for long hikes where weight is very important.

Tarptent Stratospire 2 for trips with one of the kids.

A Helsport 4p tunnel tent for trips with 2 of the kids.

As you can see, I seem to choose Tarptents, though I’ve owned from several other brands as well.

This is exactly what I feel will happen to me if I switch to a trekking pole tent, but in the middle of the night while I’m sleeping.

https://youtu.be/gNKPhUygKZU?t=705

Practice.

@Joey G when you do things backwards that’s the expected result.

Now try pitching that tent in a storm. Without damage or simply losing it.

Cheers

You are absolutely fine in a storm in that shelter below tree line.  Obviously peg holding strength is going to be paramount. So in pitching a tent that uses trekking poles, you need to get very friendly with rocks.

Says cannot be ship to my location (Colorado)

The original post or AliExpress.

Here’s the one from AliExpress except direct. $741 after shipping to Colorado. No idea on the quality.

Tent

Warning: the cost will probably double by the time you pay the Trump Tax at your local post office. The vendor has no control over that.

Cheers

Spending 700 usd + insane tariffs on a tent of unknown quality from Aliexpress that weighs 300grams more than a regular Durston Xdome 1…

I don’t like the solid inner. It looks hot. I see it as a way to cut costs.  I believe the price includes any tariffs. A year ago, that tent would probably have been half the price and worth considering. With an English sounding name, they’re probably rebranded with whatever custom features requested. The Alton looks like basically the same tent with a few better features, and that was my point.  The Chinese are getting into our markets and they’re getting better at it.

Getting back to the original question. No. Not unless you’ve used and few different tents. If you’re not going to start during the winter. I’d get that TarpTent Monte posted about. The ProTrek. Then in shoulder season plan on a Durston, or a TarpTent, perhaps ZPacks.