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

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Also some good photos of the pockets here:
https://drop.com/buy/drop-x-mid-2-person-tent-designed-by-dan-durston/talk/2587674

I think it’s a pretty sweet pocket setup. There is a pocket on either end of the ridgeline that gives similar functionality as the 1Ps ridgeline pocket (e.g. hold lights, glasses, fragile items), while avoiding the issues of deploying that style of across the longer 2P ridgeline (e.g. sag in the middle from item weight), plus a more traditional pocket by each door where it is easy to find and handy on the way out of the door (I try to think of this) so you can grab and stash items on your way in/out and reach them when laying down, whereas the ridgeline pocket may be out of reach. Plus that pocket is directly below the peak (e.g directly supported from above) so it can hold a fair bit of weight without sagging/deforming (e.g. big phones, battery banks etc).

[J R]

Thanks both. I had seen Carlos’s photos but wasn’t noticing the pockets, now it’s clear to me.

I like how even the lower pockets are higher than the top of the bathtub. My current 2P has pockets there which is only a few inches off the floor and sometimes I end up laying pretty hard right up against the pocked and am afraid I’ll crush my eyeglasses. Dan, your lower pockets look like they aren’t too low but still reachable, and the upper gives you even more storage with some flexibility/choices.

[Chris R]

Tent looks great. Basement pitch only so far, Velcro peg out on the carpet. Seemed to pitch fine with pole handles upwards. My only real comment is that the stuff sack is way too small. Nearly impossible when dry, would be a nightmare when wet. Not a deal breaker, seems to be a very common phenomenon.

[Ken Larson]

Chris….Totally agree.

I found it difficult dry and I know my grand daughters who I purchased the tent for will. ( I can hear their “fits of stress” when they are putting the tent in the bag when the tent is wet from a rain OR when it is cold in the morning after getting up early to get an early start hiking. )  Presently the bag measures 12 x 6.5 in (30 x 16 cm)/6.5L and a couple “clicks” upward (7′ x 13.5″)/8.5L  in the total bag measurements would help.

 

[Brad Rogers]

I agree the stuff sack for the 1P is too small -I’ve been re-purposing a Duomid stuff sack.

[Ken Larson]

JCH posting shows bags that are 8L in size and his comments to me were, “Yes. I have 2 identical STS dry bags. In the picture the Duplex, stakes and footprint are in one, the X Mid fly, body and stakes are in the other. Same packed size for both. Tent(s) goes in and comes out easily without being sloppy.”

[JCH]

Please note – the new BPL editor decided to flip the photo I uploaded 180 deg.

In the photo above, the Duplex is on the RIGHT.  X Mid 2P on the LEFT.

Not that it matters one bit…they are each the same size packed, which was the whole point of my original post.  Choose any stuff sack you prefer, but if you think the original is too small, anything 8L or larger should make you happy.

[Chris R]

I have a whole draw of stuff sacks I can choose from, way too many in fact. Just thought it was funny they went to all the trouble of including pegs (which are pretty good BTW) but then skimp on the bag size.

I have some 1 oz DCF floating around and some nice half-inch side release buckles so will likely make a sack to fit.

[Todd T]

Ken said:

Presently the bag measures 12 x 6.5 in (30 x 16 cm)/6.5L and a couple “clicks” upward (7′ x 13.5″)/8.5L  in the total bag measurements would help.

JCH said:

…anything 8L or larger should make you happy.

So I went to Hyperlite to check for an 8L sack, and see this:

X-Large

• Dimensions: 12″ x 17″
• Weight (DCF8): 0.49 oz | 14g
• Weight (DCF11): 0.71 oz | 20g
• Volume: 8.1L

So how does 12×17 = 8.1L jibe with Ken’s numbers above (7×13.5 = 8.5L)?

 

[JCH]

HMG does not say so explicitly, but viewing the accompanying video it appears those sacks have a simple flat construction.  The STS UltraSil Nano has a round bottom.  In this case, I question whether a simple comparison of the “laid flat” specs will yield a usable result.

[Todd T]

Thanks, JCH, that makes sense.  Just wanted to be sure there were no typos or Mars orbiter-esque units errors.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Thanks for the feedback on the stuffsack. Thus far it seems unanimous that people would prefer a larger stuff sack. I suspect the reason why it works for me is that I am a bit of an perfectionist when it comes to packing up the tent, plus I have a lot of practice with this particular tent. I can see how with a more normal packing job it could be problematic to get it in the stuff sack.

[JCH]

I have found that keeping the fly and body separate, and putting them into the stuff sack separately makes packing much easier.  It is easier to get a good tight fold/roll on the pieces, and thus easier to fit them into the stuff sack.  And while I still have little experience doing so, I also prefer the simplicity of pitching the fly without the inner attached.

I have been using the STS roll-top dry bags for many years and they reliably keep a wet tent from soaking other things.

[Ken Larson]

Packing this tent when you’re a not a newbie, and the sun is shining, and  time is not an issue this is not a real issue, BUT when the tent is wet OR it is cold in the morning and you want to get a quick start I believe it will become an issue for many experienced and non individuals…… especially for my grand daughters who will be using the tent. I found it difficult when I packed it as a unit (mesh & fly) when dry and wished for a little larger bag than the 6.5 L. and after communication with JCH I also determined it would be easier with a larger 7.5 – 8.5L bag to help the ladies out that is a comparable material if all possible with a draw string (Silnylon Ripstop at (Katabaticgear.com)   because of the cost and 99% of the time the girls will not need to seal the tent in the bag with dry sack as they use pack liner dry bags.

[Ken Larson]

Gary. Dunkel…..You posting was one of those that went missing.  (We were testing some new code over the past 12-15 hours and it didn’t work out so great, so had to restore the site to a backup that we made around midnight last night US Mountain Time. We lost about 2 dozen forum posts in the process, so wanted to give everyone a heads up about that.)

I have some questions concerning the Sea-to-Summit Ultra Sil drawstring bag you found presented no problems for you.

The Sea-to-Summit Ultra Sil drawstring bag is 6.5 L: 397 cubic inches. The Dan Durston X Mid Tent: 2 bag is 6.5L: 398.2 cubic inches…….Both bags are identical! You say the stuff sack work perfectly? Are you sure the size of the bag is 6.5 L: 397 cubic inches as it might be 9 L: 7×13 inches/ 9 L: 549 cubic inches?…..measuring will the bag will tel you for sure.

Did you ROLL both the connected Mesh & Fly together OR stuffed/rolled each separately? I just re stuffed the girls Durston X Mid Tent: 2 with both the connected Mesh & Fly together without the footprint & stakes and it is a solid pkg and it was TIGHT.  (NOTE: I placed REMINDERS on the bags for the girls.)

 

Very interested on your return…Ken

[Roger Caffin]

Forgive me, but …
I have never understood why people continue to struggle with trying to stuff tents into narrow tubes in bad weather, when there is a much better alternative.

Make the tent sack open sideways, poke the tent into it sideways, then start tightening the draw cord as you poke. This works easily when the tent is nice and dry at home, and it also works well when the tent is crusted with frost or ‘soaking’ wet. And it weighs no more!

You could add webbing (grosgrain) and buckles, to be fancy, but why bother?

Cheers

[James Marco]

Roger, yes. Side opening works pretty well. Exped ships with these…or did.

If your tent/shelter is small enough, you can sometimes use an alternative. I use my pot, into which I stuff my tarp. Carrying nothing is always better than carrying something.

[Gary Dunckel]

Ken, I’m sorry that my previous post went missing. No real matter, though. My tent is sitting on my coffee table so that I can admire it when the CNN corona virus coverage gets stupid and boring. The tent, with the fly and inner connected, and my 6 MSR Groundhog stakes all rolled up and shoved (comfortably) into the S-to-S 6.5 L stuff sack measures 11.5″ x 6.5″. And there’s a wee bit of ‘squishability’ in all dimensions.

If the tent would be wet, it could be a fairly tight chore to get it all in that stuff sack. But all of my backpacking over the past 15 years has been in dry areas of CO, MT and WY where that is almost never an issue.

[Ken Larson]

Gary….Thanks for the information. Personally I will do some practice to see if I can match your results as I’m more interested in the granddaughters than myself. The girls may surprise me and be able to stuff it but for the safe side I believe a larger bag will be needed especially in wet/cold morning situations, and if they want to go back to the original 6.5″ x 12″/6.5L bag they will have it.

[Gary Dunckel]

Ken, the girls could also take along one of those strong “flex” 13 gal. trash bags to stuff a wet tent into. They also make a decent pack liner, although the ones with the Febreze scent could attract critters.

[d k]

+1 to Roger’s stuff sack with the wide opening.  I copied that for my tent and it’s a game-changer!

[Ken Larson]

Gary thank for your suggestion and will present it to the ladies.

In Dan’s video he packs the X Mid 2  up WITHOUT the mesh portion and that way it is a snap with no issue packing either wet or dry. When BOTH the Mesh and Fly are joined and you are going to pack it up it becomes a bit more difficult/tedious until you develop a system as was done below,  but  then I believe a bigger bag would be nice.

The wife and I found  that by using the  MESH/INNER TENT as a template when you take the pole out and the tent is flat on the ground  is a good way to start your folding.  With the  Fly on top and covering the MESH/INNER TENT, you fold the long sides of the FLY in short increments  left & right inward on top of the MESH/INNER TENT. Then when you think you have a good working width using the stuff bag measurement with the bag,  then roll & squeezing out the air as you go.  After many tries the wife and I settled on this method  that provides easier time getting the package n the bag, and a bit more room in the bag for the stakes & foot print, and is a lot easier for us than the “shake and fold” method of Dan’s WITHOUT the MESH/INNER TENT. Using the MESH/INNER TENT as a template, rolling & squeezing out the air as you go, and the length the bag as a size guide in the rolling provides room for stakes and foot print parcels. ….sometimes more, and sometimes less.

If “worst comes to worst” if the ladies have difficulties with cylinder bags (Dan’s 6.6” x12” & Larger 7” x 13.5”) then I believe the wife will be “whipping up” a bag design that has been designed and used by Roger.

I’m  curious how others who have used the X Mid 2 have approached packing BOTH the Mesh and Fly  when joined or they seem to have no trouble.

[Chris R]

I do roll my canvas tent but everything gets stuffed and I doubt very much if I would be able to persuade my wife to help me fold the tent precisely to fit the stuff sack while standing in pouring rain or in the cold of an early morning with frost still on the tent. I may end up just stuffing it into the mesh pocket of my/her pack when wet and then repacking later on if the opportunity arises. A tapered bag would also be good I think, though the side opening bags likely the best option with a couple of straps running around the whole bundle to compress it down.

[quinton bryant]

What size ground cloth are you all using?

[Ken Larson]

Quinton….

Testing two sizes with the granddaughters two tents:

·         One to cover part of the MESH / INNER TENT –  90” x 40”

·         One to cover FLY & MESH / INNER TENT = 96” x 72”

[Author]

Posts