New HMG Dirigo 2

[Andy Berner]

HMG Dirigo 2

[Bill in Roswell]

[topic merged with previous thread – MK]

Just to get the conversation started on the HMG Dirigo 2 released today. 28 ounces in DCF.
https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/collections/ultralight-backpacking-shelters-tents/products/dirigo-2-ultralight-backpacking-tent

My only remarks have to do with lack of detail photos showing interior, vestibule, etc. Plenty of artsy photos, though. No dimensions diagram. Can’t tell what interior volume looks like at this point.

Cheers,
Bill in Roswell GA

 

[Geoff Caplan]

At a first look, this is an underwhelming design.

When the doors are open, the rain falls straight onto the bathtub, so it would be a coffin in bad weather.

At 1.75 lbs | 28 oz | 794g it’s quite light for a dual entrance 2 person, but you’re paying a big price it you can’t leave a door open in any kind of precipitation. It has no real vestibules for gear. And how are you going to cook in the rain?

[Philip Tschersich]

I can’t believe there is no sort of peak vent. That thing would be like sleeping in a plastic bag if you were zipped up in a storm.

[Brad P]

At least it’s heavy (for DCF) and expensive.

[Bill in Roswell]

Video showing better views of interior and use https://vimeo.com/322829617

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Also if you get a lot of condensation it will run down the end walls and right onto the floor since there is no gap. It doesn’t look like a tent for sloppy conditions.

Good aspects are the use of triangles and designing the mid-panel guyouts into the shape. The downside of these guyouts are that having the mid panel guyouts designed into the shape means you have to use them or the tent hangs in your face. So it needs 8 mandatory stakes.

[JCH]

No thank you…in so, so many ways.

[Seth R]

The bottom of the sides has event panels which supposedly help with the condensation. Never thought I’d see a similar design to the duplex that made it look like a bargain, but here we are.

[Hanz B]

Seems more like a SMD trekker x without offset poles (I love offset poles). But yea not digging it. So expensive. Even if it’s a wind shedder is it really gonna be more stable then a duplex+flex a 0.5 oz more? I doubt it.

[Jim B]

That’s a no from me.  I’m disappointed. I was excited for this thing and now that it’s out I’m underwhelmed.  As mentioned above, You can’t keep the doors open in light rain, hardly any vestibule space and the tub being directly connected to the walls is just a flat out fail for a single wall. Even with their awesome breathable material on the side panels, condensation will pool and wet your gear. This is not a good one for thru hiking, especially the AT with all the rain and high humidity on the east coast.  It’s a cool looking tent, but there are so many flaws in the design.

[Ian]

Swing and a miss for all the reasons already mentioned.  *Maybe* it would shed wind better than the Duplex but it seems like an inferior shelter in every other way.  Perhaps I’m missing something.

[Graham F]

” *Maybe* it would shed wind better than the Duplex ”

Surely the HMG would be far better wouldn’t it at least head or tail on into the wind? And I know you can’t predict changes but often the tent is first set up based on this alignment.

The HMG event panel guy rope ‘seems’ more integrated into the design and the “flow” of the tent end with the ‘step’ and would have a greater stabilising effect wouldn’t it?

I always felt the end (centre panel) Duplex guy rope seems almost an after thought when not used with the optional stick and even then I am not sure.

Never used my Duplex in winds above 20 -25 knots but I would love to know it’s capabilities.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

The mid-panel guyout is much better integrated into the shape compared with the Duplex so it doesn’t pull in somewhere else when you stake it out. The downside is that you have to stake it out or the extra material hangs in your face. So it requires 2 mandatory guylines and 8 mandatory stakes. But yet it should work better and not distort the shape.

[[ Drew ]]

While I understand that UL tents are going to be somewhat similar given the constraints of the industry, market, and hobby, this is an absolute knock-off of the Lightheartgear Duo tent that has been around for years, almost down to the exact dimensions.  LHG even had a cuben version a few years back.

HMG also knocked off the Locus Gear pyramid tents as well, almost exactly, a few years ago, so what can you expect?  I guess if your #1 criteria for a shelter is “built in Maine” or “the weight of silnylon, but triple the price”, then this is the one for you.

 

[Franco Darioli]

I don’t see the knock off bit

the similarity is in that they both use trekking poles slanted and inserted into a cross strut, however Aarn already had that on the market before the Solong came about.

[Gregory Stein]

I don’t really get it.

1. you say that you can’t leave the door open in a light rain – so as with any *mid, correct?
2. this tent is not a competitor to Duplex. Say you’re going to a wind-blowing country, so normally you’ll pick a *mid for that purpose. But the drawback is that there is no vestibule where you can drop some wet gear, this tent solves the issue.
3. I’m not sure why they didn’t make it with a vent. I asked myself the same question. Same for the condensation collecting on walls and dripping right onto the floor? No way I might be missing something here.
4. The design looks great overall IMHO wind-worthiness, usefulness.
5. Yes, you can’t cook in it.
6. And yes it’s pricey. But look at any mid with mesh and floor and you’ll get how cheap this tent is! :D

Greg

[Monte Masterson]

Even though many of the criticisms about the Dirigo may be warranted, the quality of workmanship and durability are no doubt supreme.

[James Marco]

Yes, this is a great tent. Well thought out. Well designed. But, with few practical features. Looks like it was designed by a designer, not a backpacker. Try again…

[Ken Thompson]

Alan has a first look,

http://www.adventurealan.com/hyperlite-mountain-gear-dirigo-2-tent-review/

Not a tunnel so Roger will hate it. It being HMG I’m sure it will get a positive review  here.  BPL loves that HMG

[Hanz B]

I’d really like to see a comparison to the duplex with flex poles when assessing high wind resistance in regards to Alan’s review given that a duplex with flex poles is weight equivalent +\- 1 oz.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

It’s worth nothing that Alan is formerly sponsored by HMG, which perhaps explains why his review is glowing with praise that doesn’t appear warranted. For example, on the topic of condensation, he says there was lots:
“I was in it two nights ago….it was condensing like crazy….droplets run straight down the material”.

But dismisses that as true for any singlewall while ignoring that it might be more substantial in the Dirigo because it has no peak vent, no mesh on the ends and a lower bottom fly edge than most tents. So venting is less than most singlewalls (The WPB DCF panels don’t add much).

Then he says it “shines when it comes to condensation management” and “it’s almost the same as a double wall tent” for the sole reason that it has mesh side walls, when most 2P single wall tents have this. There’s no mention that condensation droplets can run directly onto the floor, which is a large oversight in condensation management that nearly all other tents avoid. And there are other smaller issues like the inward sloping walls make it harder not to contact the walls.

So we hear one minor positive attribute and none of the negative ones and then the tent gets a glowing conclusion of “For a single walled shelter it does a great job with condensation management (likely closer to a double walled tent in condensation performance)“. That’s ridiculous. A single wall tent with a bathtub floor sewn right to the fly walls is nowhere close to a double wall tent just because there is mesh on some walls. This tent appears to be near the bottom of the class for both venting and managing condensation, but Alan goes on to give it a quick promotion to his list of 2019 Best Backpacking tents for having a feature (mesh walls) that is industry standard. There we read “it handles condensation much better than most single walled tents”.

This effusive and uncritical approach extends across the entire review but I’ll leave it there. The point is that this appears to be a soft ball review from a sponsored/affiliated reviewer presented as an independent review. This is all too common these days and folks should be wary.

[MM]

Personally I think they missed the mark here

[Ken Thompson]

“The point is that this appears to be a soft ball review from a sponsored/affiliated reviewer presented as an independent review, which are all too common these days and folks should be wary of.”

Yes. And after BPL’s ridiculous HMG bottle review I have similar concerns here

[Philip Tschersich]

Looking at Alan’s review pics I was noticing how small the vestibules seemed and was amazed that the specs he listed at the bottom stated the vestibules nearly equaled the shelter’s floor area (28.2 ft² and 32.5 ft², respectively). Looking at the HMG site it says the combined vestibule area is actually 12.5 ft², which seems more believable. But that’s certainly not enough room to store your pack, boots, and wet gear.

[Author]

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