thoughts on the hmg mid-1?

[talagnu]

not released yet but here’s a preview: https://youtu.be/66WFjLQJXBU

[Philip Tschersich]

100% a Tarptent Aeon Li clone.

Get the Tarptent.

[Alex Wallace]

I like HMG’s approach to the bathtub floor and quasi mesh net tent. Nice way to save weight while still having some of the benefits to an inner. Although, with a small interior space, having a full mesh inner (e.g. double wall) is nice so you don’t touch the fly walls which will surely be coated in condensation.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

“100% a Tarptent Aeon Li clone.”

That might be a bit harsh. The HMG is your standard 1P mid shape that has been around forever with a bathtub floor sewn in. The Aeon takes this shape and adds a collection of struts (6) to increase volume and changes the base to a pentagon shape (vs rectangle) so they’re fairly different. The main things the Aeon adds to the classic mid design are not found in the HMG.

Without all the struts, you’d expect the HMG to be lighter but smaller since the walls are immediately sloping in on most sides. Somehow the HMG isn’t lighter though, which reduces the rationale for it. If someone wants the lightest possible but quite small shelter than the Zpacks Plex Solo fills that niche well, whereas if someone wants more space, then other shelters with struts or two poles provide more space than the HMG at the same or less weight.

[Philip Tschersich]

Yeah, you are correct- I missed the lack of corner struts.

90% Aeon Li clone.

Still get the TarpTent.

[Monte Masterson]

Not an Aeon Li clone. The HMG Mid 1 is the only TRUE half pyramid I can remember seeing. Correct me if I’m wrong. Plex Solo has a triangle on the back and a vestibule which extends out further. The Mid 1 has a much smaller footprint which is very important for some people (like me) and it looks like it pitches super drum tight. Well made I’m sure. I like it.

[Dan @ Durston Gear]

Yes the Plex Solo has a hexagon base rather than rectangle.

For the footprint, the specs aren’t out yet but I would expect the HMG Mid 1 would have a fairly large footprint (if all else is equal) because a single pole means more inward wall slope, which necessitates a larger footprint for similar useable space. As you add more poles/struts (e.g. Aeon, X-Mid, Dipole, DupleXL etc) the sidewalls can be steepened to trim the footprint, so a single pole tent will have a larger footprint unless it’s overall a smaller tent.

For example, a lot of 1P tents are around 95-100″ length whereas single pole pyramids like the MLD SoloMid and DuoMid use quite a tall pole (140cm) and still are 110″ long. The Plex Solo is also single pole and shorter (132 cm) so it would also need to have an even longer footprint to have similar useable length (e.g. 115″) and it sort of does, but it gets around this by trimming away the bottom of the fly so only the guylines extend that long and the body itself is 100″ long (e.g. if the fly extended lower to the ground it would be about 115″). The SMD Lunar Solo has the same shape as the Plex Solo but the fly does extend lower so it is longer at 105″. With the HMG the peak is lower (130 cm) than the Plex Solo and they appear to have opted for a more protective/lower cut fly, so for similar useable length it would be about 110″. I expect it is that long but it does look fairly small in that video so maybe that’s the route they took.

Anyways, it’s been oddly rare to see a pyramid tent with a singlewall/sewn in floor (as opposed to a more common doublewall configuration). This will have some pros (e.g. good wind performance) and cons (likely quite small) but overall is nice to have the option available on the market.

[SIMULACRA]

Wonder if HMG is still adding all sorts of unnecessary form fitting stiff plastic into their mids peak? Could be a reason for the additional weight.

[talagnu]

took a screenshot of the last second so the tag can be read clearly. no real specs, just extra information: https://ibb.co/NgqL24j

[Ron Bell / MLD]

Usually I don’t comment on other brands, but…

1: Looks like HMG is now using .5 DCF in a shelter. Interesting.

2: Shape and size look like a slightly smaller SoloMid XL – an Asymetrical  1P Mid- 4 distinct ground level corners vs 5 or 6. I have  few  old personal prototypes based off the SMXL with intergrated net and of course all of these type 1P integrated Mids trace directly back to the OG  SMG Lunar Solo.

3: I’m sure with a bit of new VC $ they will sell a ton.   Wish Them Well.

 

 

[Matthew / BPL]

The simplicity of a rectangular mid with a sewn in floor/bathtub is appealing to me. I’d rather have it in silpoly/silnylon so I could stuff  it compactly with abandon. Being 5’6” tall makes small shelters a more reasonable choice for me.

[jscott]

I wonder how those single flat. steep panel walls do in wind?

[John K]

Mine should arrive on Wednesday and I plan to get it out on trail next weekend and get some photos/video. I captured the google archive link to their website before they hid it – more specs and video: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:OhxJYixOySMJ:https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/pages/mid1&client=safari&hl=en&gl=us&strip=0&vwsrc=0

[John K]

[Matthew / BPL]

#3 zipper seems light?

I didn’t see a guyout point or clip on the door to take stress off the zipper. I think MLD, for example, uses a heavier zipper and a buckle to carry the tension. That makes more sense to me.

[nunatak]

My Khufu is made with a #3 zip. It doesn’t inspire confidence, but oddly still going strong after many seasons.

Re this shelter: In the summers in the western mountains the ground surface is often dry or only slightly damp and ticks etc not really a concern; while camps are often exposed and quick moving storms with hail and wind can last into the evening.  Based on my experience out here I’d rather skip the floor completely, and move that weight into a tougher canopy. Then MYOG some perimeter netting and as usual be careful about site selection.

 

 

[William Chilton]

@matthew k

I’d rather have it in silpoly/silnylon so I could stuff it compactly with abandon.

Liteway do one in silpoly, the Illusion. There’s also a 2 person version.

[Monte Masterson]

Here’s a more thorough video of The HMG Mid 1. I like the adjustable bathtub floor straps. Also floor is bonded directly to fly at 2 front corners. Mid 1 is almost a true half pyramid but not quite. Looks like it’s offset more than a Solomid XL. Just wish the tent was made with .74 spruce green, then it would be real a winner.

[John K]

I need to post a better shot of those corners – I’m pretty sure the tub is not directly connected to the fly and floats in the mesh surround. Should be at camp later today and will look when I set it up. Despite the wide floor, the tent wall across from the door still seems pretty close.

[John K]

Yep, it’s suspended by the mesh all the way around: 

[Monte Masterson]

Okay, good John. In the video it looked like the front corners of the floor is attached directly to fly, like the Unbound 2. Glad I was wrong on that one. I really like the Mid 1. Nice video, thanks.

[Sam Farrington]

“I wonder how those single flat. steep panel walls do in wind?”

If the fabric has some elasticity, those walls can be strung taut enough to limit flapping.  But the laminate dubbed as ‘fabric’ has no elasticity.

Granted, the walls are not so steep, which provides less resistance to the wind, so there is some aerodynamic effect.  But that is true of all the A-frame shaped shelters that dominate the industry, and the big drawback is that space is very limited, and weight is wasted on walls that do not provide much usable space as the walls slant toward the ground..

At one time, Moss tents offered several options that were actually much better than the A-frames, with more usable space and comfort.  It is a puzzle why the industry has reverted to mostly pyramids and A-frames.  Is it a legal matter that blocks creativity?  Probably not, or else it would show up in the courts.  More likely it is the quest to use trekking poles for support; thus reducing carry weight.  The penalty being that the poles obstruct access in what is already confining.

So the answer must come from some other source.  Perhaps political, economic and social  sciences, and BPL is a pleasant escape from all of that.  Still, it would be great to see something more original from the industry, lest we all be bored to death in our confinement.

[Scott Emmens]

It looks just like my Lunar Solo, except in DCF. And a bargain at only $36.80/oz (or $1.37/gm) of saved weight, but more bulk.

 

[talagnu]

packed size looks huge with that dcf floor. I guess I’ve gotten used to the size of the xmid pro 1 with the nylon floor.

[Scott N]

I gear tested a proto version for HMG. It’s not exactly the same as the production model, but very very similar. Some pics here: https://community.hyperlitemountaingear.com/discussion/488/gear-testing-the-new-mid1#latest

I have used an altaplex , hex solos and solo pluses, mid tarps, hexamid tarps, etc over the years. Here is where I see this shelter for most people: It is more stormworthy (fly edge and wind) and more versatile than an Altaplex, and sits in size between the Altaplex and a Plex Solo. Its arguably less fiddly than a Aeon Li. I think some folks will find it very compelling.

[Author]

Posts