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

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Yes the X-Mid is silicone on the outside and PU on the inside, so you can seam seal it the same as any silicone tent such as the method TarpTent describes. The key is getting it diluted thin enough so it really soaks in rather than sitting on the surface, which can peel later.

[Gary Dunckel]

Do you have to dilute the Sil-Net with actual paint thinner, or can you use denatured alcohol instead? I’d rather not have to buy quart of paint thinner when I have plenty of stove alcohol on hand.

[Boyan B]

Says mineral spirits or white gas.

You can try denatured alcohol but I suspect that it is too polar/hydrophilic to effectively dissolve uncured silicone. You can also use regular silicone caulk and not overpay for silnet

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

I’ve always used mineral spirits. The lower odor version is nice if you’re doing a lot of sealing, but it doesn’t really matter if you’re just doing a bit. It is a shame buying a full quart of it when you just need a splash.

I recommend diluting it more than TarpTent does in their video (equal portions). TarpTent and SMD recommend 1:1, while Gossamer Gear says 3:1. I recommend to dilute it between 3:1 to 5:1 to get it thinner as that soaks into the seams much better and dries faster, so tacky seams aren’t a problem. I’ve tried 1:1 but found it didn’t soak into the threads nearly as well and is more prone to peeling off.

Use a foam brush.

[Gary Dunckel]

Ah..white gas. I have lots of that. Thanks for the tips guys. Dan, I am SO looking forward to setting up your X-Mid. This should be a game-changer as far as double wall 1P tents go. Like I said, it will be a collectors’ item in the possible event of no more production runs.

[James Marco]

White gas works OK. I use it for colder temps, mostly because mineral spirits doesn’t evaporate as well. It is still more volatile at 40F than mineral spirits at 80F, though.

[Gary Dunckel]

Dan, do you have an updated delivery date for these 300 recent X-Mids? There seems to be a rumor that they won’t ship until sometime in June, vs the previous late May date. Could you check with your Massdrop people?

[Ken Thompson]

My order confirmation states May 31 as the ship date. So with FedEx I expect to actually get it mid June. So slow…

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Gary: We were originally expecting these last 300 tents to be ready to ship in June, which is why in a variety of places when people asking about more tents I said we were expecting more in June. I suspect that’s where the rumour is from. But production ended up ahead of schedule so those tents are now on track to ship out in late May. Massdrop put May 31 for the estimated ship date for the latest drop, and they only did that 2 days ago, so I expect that is still accurate.

Please note that is only in reference to the 285 tents in the recent drop. Tents sold prior to that are also going to be shipping prior to that. The first drop back in July 2018 had an estimated ship date of April 19 and Massdrop recently said those tents are on track to meet that date.

More broadly, the first production batch is 1000 tents to cover the orders in the first 3 drops. I expect these tents will start shipping in mid-April so the folks in the first drop have them shipped by April 19, then they’ll continue shipping the rest of that batch to folks in the next drops, so they get one shipped soon after in late April or early May (their estimated ship date was May 24). Then these last 285 tents are a separate shipment that will ship out a few weeks after that near the end of May.

[Gary Dunckel]

Thanks for indulging me, Dan. My patience will be a virtue, right?

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Shipping for folks in the first 1000 starts next week, beginning with folks in the first drop. All of these tents should ship ahead of schedule in April.

Love it or hate it, at least the long wait will be over.

[Graham F]

COWABUNGA!

[MICHAEL M]

@dandydan

Man.. so salty i didn’t jump on this on the most recent drop.  Gave a bigger window and thought i had time.  Any chance one would be available by August?  Going to Glacier with some friends and usually have my wife to split our heavy half dome 2.  The more research i do the more i am impressed by the design.  I want one ahhhh!

 

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Massdrop is working hard on getting more. I’m not sure of their timelines but they’re definitely working on it so I think there’s a chance there’s more by August.

[Bill in Roswell]

I was watching too, Dan. Those tents went within hours. I didn’t have time to deal with ordering while at work, and by the time I got home they were gone! Good for Massdrop and that people have confidence in Dan’s design!

Cheers
Bill in Roswell

[MICHAEL M]

@dandydan

Awesome man.  I signed up for the drop.  Crossing my fingers!

[Brad Rogers]

I imagine there will be one or two on gearswap this summer if Massdrop does not get more in stock.

[David Franzen]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Shipping of the xMids has started</p>

[John Vance]

Just received my ship notification…..I should point out that I was in the second drop.

[Kai J]

I also received my shipping notification. I am so happy to get it in the next time.

[Jeff M.]

Just received a shipping notification on mine.  Excited for it to arrive.

[steven green]

Just received mine. Shipped quick, well packed. Material looks and feels good, I won’t have a chance to set it up for a couple of days.

[Gerard Mulford]

Mailman delivered today.  First impressions:

• High quality workmanship, I definitely notice that attention was paid to details – thank you Dan, and your factory partners.
• As shipped – 33 ounces (fly, inner, tent stuff sack, 8x stakes, tie out lines, stake stuff sack).
• Initial pitch (on a slight head-toe incline) I felt headroom was a bit less than I’d hoped..  I’m 6′ 3″, and either my toes were pushing mesh almost into the fly, or mesh was touching above my face (this without pillow)..  Obviously just starting the learning curve on this tent – next time I’ll try stretching the rectangle to make longer (vs. wider), see if that was off…

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Glad to hear these tent are arriving! A few quick comments:
– Nice to hear first impressions of the quality are favourable
– 33oz sounds about right considering that should include about 2.5oz of stakes, 0.6oz of stuff sacks, ~1oz of extra cord.
– That hank of extra cord isn’t needed for anything. The factory thought we might want it so they included it in the final sample. I didn’t want to potentially confuse them at the last minute by asking them to leave it out so it’s just extra cord for whatever.
– For the pitch/headroom, it sounds like you’re talking about the length moreso than when sitting up. You may get some extra length if you tighten the inner at the peaks because this pulls the walls more taut which adds space if they are sagging a bit (hard to say without seeing it in person).
– 6’3″ is close to the max for length. Some of my earlier comments on length were:
“The tent accommodates folks up to about 6’2″ without pushing on the inner mesh walls….someone who is 6’4″ tends to push lightly with their sleeping bag if they stretch out.”
You should be able to find ways to adjust the pitch so that any mesh contact at the feet is minor. That might be a combo of pulling the rectangle a bit tighter and pulling the inner tighter at the peaks.

[Christopher C]

I get mine Monday. I’m so hyped!

Following this project lead me to BPL and a number of other creators and cottage vendors that have expanded my knowledge and gear range. I am not a hardcore ultralighter. However I am extremely picky about the gear that makes its way into my pack. I have not been this excited about new gear in a long time. Thank you for putting this together.

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