Massdrop Announces Dan Durston X Mid Tent: 2 People, 2 hiking poles, 28 oz, $199

[rmeurant]

If by DCF you mean cuben, I certainly do not regard that fabric as “fragile”, witness the HMG tarps, Locus Gear mids, etc.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

How do the dimensions of the X-Mid Pro compare to the new TT Aeon Li?
I’m still sorting it out – it’s early in development – but generally I would say the idea is to have similar length but a lot more headroom (e.g. be able to sit up pretty much anywhere in the tent).

Most of the popular tents in this niche are one pole designs, but I don’t think that makes sense because one pole mids don’t have good headroom unless you augment with a lot of struts or guylines (or both). Even then, a two pole design offers a lot more volume from about the same amount of fabric. See my longer post on this here – but in short, a single pole design with an offset pole location and a plethora of struts or guyines is about the worse case scenario for efficiently using materials (e.g. how much fabric, seams, struts and stakes are required for a given volume). A second pole saves a ton of weight over struts (or adding guylines with stakes), so you can have a tent that is larger and more fully featured while still being lighter. Unless you only hike with one trekking pole, opting for a dual pole tent just make sense.

[Gunnar H]

So you started prototyping the DCF! No inner but still moskitoprotected if I understand previous comments right. Please, I want a really light tent that works well in somewhat rougher weather than most of the competitors. Its aleady has a good shape, but can we get acceptable headroom and a non-compromised bathtub when pitched all the way to the ground?

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

A heads up that orders for the X-Mid 1P are re-opening on Friday for the last tents available for the upcoming season. Massdrop has 300 more to sell which will sell out in 2-7 days, and then there won’t be any more until fall at the soonest.

[JCH]

Any updates on the 2P version?  My Duplex is approaching 5 years old and I can’t expect it to last forever :)

On a somewhat related note, according to this survey of 2018 AT thru hikers, not only are 2P tents the most often used type of tent by thru hikers, but the Duplex is the top choice among 2P tents.

 

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

For the X-Mid 2P, we have been through numerous design generations and we have arrived at a final design that we think is ready for production. These prototypes are currently out with testers as a final effort to identify any issues or aspects we can further improve, but quite likely we will be offering this design beginning in about 6-9 weeks as a pre-sale, with tents delivered sometime around the end of the year.

[peter t]

“How do the dimensions of the X-Mid Pro compare to the new TT Aeon Li?
…I’m still sorting it out – it’s early in development – but generally I would say the idea is to have similar length but a lot more headroom (e.g. be able to sit up pretty much anywhere in the tent).”

sounds good… as the Li “sleeps tall people”.

 

[JCH]

..quite likely we will be offering this design beginning in about 6-9 weeks as a pre-sale, with tents delivered sometime around the end of the year.

Thanks Dan.  I’m in.

[Ken Larson]

Dan…..Could you share your final design for X-Mid 2P for all of us to see?

[Greg Mihalik]

^^^^

…. so some rip-off artist can get a headstart on Dan’s fall production run?

Ummmm, maybe not.

[Roger Caffin]

so some rip-off artist can get a headstart on Dan’s fall production run?
Extremely unlikely!
Just looking at a photo tells you pretty well nothing about the underlying design decisions and manufacturing technologies.

You should see some of the disastrous stoves made by backyard hackers in China even when they had an actual original in their hands!

Cheers

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Could you share your final design for X-Mid 2P for all of us to see?
I’m hesitant to do this partly because the design still might change, and partly because it’s already going to be a long wait from when this is announced to when they arrive. I’ve shared here about the 2P prior to its pre-sale because I value the feedback, but I am also conscious of how long of a wait it is already. If I did share the drawings and photos even earlier, it would just make the wait feel even longer.

But there’s not going to be any major surprises. Picture an X-Mid that’s stretched wide enough for two and you’ve basically got it. It’ll be a nicely sized 2P tent with a weight that should be very good for a tent of its size and materials.

[Roger Munsey]

The last 300 of these tents are up again on Massdrop.  They will probably go really fast…

[Jeff McWilliams]

Is delivery on track?  I was in the 3rd drop and I’m really excited to receive mine.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

“Is delivery on track?  I was in the 3rd drop and I’m really excited to receive mine.”
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that I get mostly second hand/vague info from Massdrop because I work with the design people and then they have separate teams that oversee production/logistics/delivery, but as far as I can tell it is.

Three weeks ago Massdrop commented that tents for those in the first drop (April 19 est. ship date) were on track. That bodes well for folks in the 2nd and 3rd drops because all the tents from the first 3 drops are supposed to be in the same shipment – that was the plan anyways. Of course there’s a chance that shipment wasn’t going to be ready for April 19 so they expedited the first few hundred, but mostly likely the first 1000 tents including yours will all arrive prior to April 19 and you’ll get it a week or two after the first batch ships out since QA/handling/shipping takes some time. Months ago they told me the 2nd and 3rd drops would likely ship 1-2 weeks after the first, so late April/early May if things are going well. Thus, there’s a substantial chance it’s early and no indication that it’s late.

The tents they are selling today are in a separate smaller batch coming after the first one, so if they are giving these a May 31 estimated ship date, it sure looks like yours is on track to ship by the estimated date of May 24.

“The last 300 of these tents are up again on Massdrop.  They will probably go really fast…”
Indeed. 255 sold, 45 to go after 8 hours. Should be sold out for the summer by this time tomorrow.

[Ken Thompson]

Drop has ended. Congratulations Dan!

[Aaron W]

Congratulations Dan!  I bought one in December.  You sold me with the time and effort you put into all your responses.  I’m probably buying the 2p as well once it becomes available.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Thanks guys. That was a humbling flurry of interest. Hopefully anyone that wanted one was able to order in time, as now it’s going to be a long wait for anymore. Massdrop has a few more coming but not until the fall.

[CARLOS C.]

Dan you may not realize it now but I believe this will become a significant moment in tent design. When something is done with the effort you have put in and the knowledge for practicalty the outcome is usually big. Lucky bunch of people that got in one the 1P version. I suspect that the reviews from them in the comming months will drive quite the interest in future sales. Including the 2P version.

@Dan any idea on potential quantities for the 2P version? Im assuming the future success of the 1P will drive more interest for both versions.

[Gary Dunckel]

Wow, those 300 tents were snatched up at the speed of light! I’m glad that I pulled the trigger yesterday, rather than mulling it over for a day or two. I have a hunch that these tents will eventually become collectors’ items, as there’s likely no guarantee that there will be another production run in the future.

One question, Dan – are the fly seams factory-sealed, or will I need to do that once it comes to my door?

[BC Bob]

Bought one yesterday afternoon. Thanks Dan.  I saw your note on Massdrop about shipping arriving via Canada Post.  That’s awesome!  It’ll be well used on the island this summer…..

[Ken Thompson]

Gary, they come taped. Ready to go.

[Gary Dunckel]

Thanks, Ken.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

@bcbob  Nice to hear you’ll be using it on the island. I was on the island from 2014-2017 so it’s dear to my heart. It’s nice knowing this tent will make it out to some of the great places on the island. Perhaps Strathcona, Carmanah etc.

“Are the fly seams factory-sealed, or will I need to do that once it comes to my door?”
As mentioned, the tent comes seam taped and ready to go. With that said, I want to be as upfront and transparent with customers as I can be, so I will acknowledge that seam taping isn’t always the ideal method for keeping water out of seams, and if you want maximal protection you could add some seam sealing.

Seam sealing is typically done on the outside of the shelter, while seam taping is typically done on the inside. Of these, it’s preferable to stop the water on the outside so it never gets into your seams/thread in the first place, rather than soaking into the seams but then being stopped by tape from getting all the way through.

So in theory I like seam sealing better. However seal sealing has many practical downsides. It is labour intensive and thus not practical to do in high volume production, and it tends to have poor aesthetics when applied to the outside. Most customers expect a fully waterproof shelter and don’t want the hassle of seam sealing, so it pretty much has to be seam taped.

For the most part seam taping works well. Ours adheres really well so I have no concerns about it peeling off, nor about water getting through the regular seams. The only spot where it gives me a bit of pause is at the peaks. Here are there are many layers of fabric converging since the panels join and then there is the reinforcing cone inside that. So unavoidably there are many layers of material and then seam taping on the inside of that. In all my testing experience this has worked successfully to keep any water from coming through, but in truly sloppy conditions I would feel more confident stopping the water at the outset rather than on the inside. With a bit of seam sealing applied to the outside of the peak the water doesn’t have the opportunity to try to soak into the layers and perhaps eventually find a way through. So I do recommend that for people planning on use in very sloppy conditions who want the maximal protection, even though I’ve never been able to find this happening in the field. It’s probably overkill but a nice thing to do with little downside.

To be clear, this is something that is the case with any internally seam taped tent. There are simpler areas of construction where taping works quite well, and then more complex areas where it’s not going to work as nicely.

For the upcoming 2P we have a new approach that I’m excited about. The factory we use has developed a new seam technology that recently became available. It basically uses hydrophobic thread to prevent water from soaking into the thread/seam. MSR is really excited about this tech (their tents are built at the same factory) so they are abandoning seam taping entirely for their 2019 tents and replacing it with this new tech from the factory which they call “our unique XtremeShield System” (see below). However, this new hydrophobic thread still doesn’t prevent water from getting through under pressure, which is why in the fine print MSR recommends that you do seam seal if you’re planning on use in sloppy conditions. Here’s what they say:

We built several prototypes using this technology and while I think it’s neat, I don’t think it’s a substitute for seam taping/sealing. It leaks easily under pressure so I think MSR is being awfully bold in taking this approach. I don’t think it replaces seam taping but rather it compliments seam taping really well. In nearly all cases this will stop water from soaking into the seams, and in rare cases where it does, the seam tape is still there to stop it from getting all the way through. So by combining both of these approaches, we get maximal performance. It adds benefits of seal sealing (stops water on the outside) without the downsides of seam sealing (labour intensive, poor aesthetics) for no downside other than a few more dollars in cost.

[Boyan B]

What is the appropriate sealant to use – seam grip of silnet/silicone? I seem to recall that the tent is silpoly so likely the latter. I like the relative ease of the method Tarptent uses to seal their silnylon tents – dilute silicone with paint thinner then apply with a brush. Very fast and cosmetically clean. Seems to work well too, especially if only reinforcing tape sealed seams. This definitely.makes the threads hydrophobic but has the additional benefit of also applying a thin layer of silicone around the puncture points.

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