thoughts on the hmg mid-1?

I think this appears to be a solid addition to their line-up. I am surprised they did not have this years earlier!

Interesting the amount of ventilation they have gone with. It has been said in the past that at that solo size, a mid doesn’t benefit much from a vent…what about three vents?!?

(3? I see 2?) I guess because the Dirigo 2 was criticised for not having a peak vent, they’ve doubled up

There’s 2 vents but they are covered in mesh (so bugs don’t fly in). Mesh blocks almost all the airflow (my old Locus Gear mid was like this) so it would be lighter and provide more airflow to put a single vent on the door wall where it doesn’t require mesh.

Dan, I’ve had trouble making vents without light netting or mesh, because the openings do not hold the canopy taut, especially in storms.  So even for vents on a door, I want light mesh or netting to maintain the shape of the canopy, if for no other reason.  Conversely, with the mesh and a good vent cover, with plenty of overlap, I’ve not had to install zips to close the vents in storms.  In terms of achieving enough ventilation, the main culprit is water vapor from breathing, etc.; but double venting to achieve cross ventilation seems to work well if the vents are opposed, in my case just below the peaks on both the front and rear of the tent.  The front door zip can run right up under the front vent cover and into the mesh; but find that a rear door is not needed on a solo tent, so save weight without one.  But the vent is still there in the rear.

Another idea here is maybe those small vents aren’t big enough to make much difference with or without netting.

Main door open will provide significant ventilation if it’s not so windy as to blow stuff inside.  Like in that post Ryan made showing when the door was left open, the humidity went way down.  If it’s windy there may be enough ventilation just blowing in and out under the sides of the tent.

Sam: If you have  tension line across the vent, then yes the open span will be a problem. The usual solution is to put a strap across the vent. That’s what we do and also MLD and I expect quite a few others. The strap holds that tension so the vent is distorted and most of it can be open for less resistance to airflow.

Dan:  Thank you – did not think of that (so long as the vent is outside the bug door).  My old modified Goondie from Oz has a large vent located on one side of the vestibule just below the front peak, but does use medium weight bug netting under the vent cover.  The door opens on the other side of the vestibule on the edge of the main canopy:

Since the vent is on the left side of the vestibule, the netting under the vent cover is needed to keep the keep the vestibule taut.  The Goondies have since been redesigned by the manufacturer.  With the old one, the floor was very heavy, and had to be replaced with light silnylon.  The poles were also replaced with ones made of Gold Tip carbon arrow shafts to further reduce weight:  https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/81307

Scott N.: Nice write-up, good pictures. Are the vent covers structured, quiet in wind? I too am 68″ and looking for a new fast and light bug-season shelter. Intrigued. Also, may I ask what you’re using for a pillow? With your FF Tanager and that king size pillow, your setup is looking mighty plush. Thanks Scott.

I don’t know if the vents are exactly the same as the production model, but I didn’t experience any noise that I could distinguish as being the vents or the shelter per se. With some recognition of writing that it’s a quiet shelter in the wind, I do sometimes giggle about that as a selling point for a shelter just because in wind above 30mph… It’s just loud outside, whether the noise is coming from your shelter or not 🤣

That’s just a big sky dreamsleeper. I love that pillow. Some folks hate it. The tanager and a women’s xlite is one hell of a low weight shoulder season / fair winter setup for sure.

I’m with Jerry in terms of vents of any configuration not really helping reduce condensation that much. They’re perhaps a bit like pit zips in rain jackets, but still less effective.

Sure, I’d rather have vents than not! And I like the idea of two to provide crossflow. As to how that plays out in the real world…I’ve always used the tent door to provide adequate air to help reduce condensation. And a double wall to make condensation nearly irrelevant for my purposes. I sleep cold and temps tend to fall into the 40s and 30s where I hike. I like to leave the door closed, or unzip it from the top down however much seems appropriate for conditions. that provides a cross breeze for a single vent.

– big sky dreamsleeper 👍

Purchased one today. I hope to get it out on a two week section in a few weeks.  Disappointed that they left out the skylights and fireplace. Damn money hungry companies.

I agree with Eric Blanche, I can’t believe HMG didn’t come out with a solo mid like this 10 years ago. The simple pyramid is still the best. Sure, double trekking pole tents provide a bit more livable space, but when it comes to solid wind resistance a pyramid can’t be beat. That’s why MLD only offers pyramid tents, however I do wonder why Ron hasn’t marketed a single wall Solomid XL with integrated floor, such as the Mid 1. You wouldn’t have a barrier against condensation like the innernet provides, yet the weight could be lowered by a few ounces. I’m sure Mr Bell has thought about it and built prototypes, so he doesn’t need an amateur like me to point this out to him.

I think HMG has a real winner on its hands with the Mid 1. No critiques about the peak vents will dissuade any potential buyers from purchasing one. Again, if the Mid 1 was offered in .75 spruce green instead of .50 I’d be all over it. And did I mention the nice small 55″ wide footprint?

@MarshallF the vents are held open with sorta stiff flexible plastic hoops. I’ve not had mine out in a strong breeze yet, so I don’t know about the noise.

Got the Mid 1 today and tested it in our nearby park. Blown away. There are lots of nice little touches everywhere – built-in mesh inner, wireless double-reinforced arches on each vent, adjustable bath floor pulls, pole hook which keeps the floor taught, extra guyout points with elastic band leaders, clippable front fasteners, magnetic door holders, zippered front doors, ability to open up both doors or one at a time, etc. I have tested a lot of tents and still looking for that unicorn. This just may be it.

SPACE

I’m 6ft and when laying on top of a 3in pad coupled with a 10F thick sleeping bag, there’s still a good bit of space between me and the sidewalls. A bit less than the Durston X mid pro 1, but it’s close and it’s a comfortable amount of space.

PITCH + STORM WORTHINESS

The pitch took two minutes. I added a front tieout which makes it extremely taught. More so than the Durston Mid. With the front tieout, the tent uses 7 stakes. Pitch uses one pole, about 51-52″ high. I’ll be testing it in a storm soon, but you can already tell this mid will likely take any wind thrown at it. One potential quip is that the bath floor on the back panel is much lower than the front to allow full integration with the mesh. It seems a bit low for splashing from bigger storms, but there are also 7 pull zips along the perimeter to raise it up higher. The mesh along the back panels is halfway on the ground which could rub and wear, but should also prevent heavy splashing. Time will tell how that combo works. HMG forgot to add extra guylines and one front door clip and two of the back panel stickers had very slight peeling going on. According to HMG, they’re going to resolve this quickly for me.

WEIGHT

17.3oz out of the bag
17.7oz with the extra front tieout and a smaller cuben stuff sack.
Only one pole is needed, which is fantastic. That alone saves about 5-7oz in overall weight since most tents rely on a two-pole setup. (If you don’t use poles when hiking, that is.)

PACKABILITY

Because the floor is also cuben, that pack size is a bit bigger than I thought. Prob about 20-25% bigger than Durston X mid pro 1. That said, HMG sack seems a bit big for the mid, so I used a smaller stuff sack to make it more packable. Also, Durston’s 15d silnylon floor will likely need an extra polypro or cuben groundsheet when pitching in rougher alpine environments. With that in mind, the final pack size of both will probably be about the same.

AESTHETICS

Being a photographer and graphic designer, aesthetics are important to me. I absolutely love the thinking, the amount of space and functionality of the Durston tent. It’s brilliant, really. Dan’s customer service is also out of this world phenomenal. But, the off-center double pole setup looks too techy for my taste. I much prefer the classic mid / A-frame aesthetics. The Mid 1 just looks beautiful.

EALY TESTING CONCLUSION

Overall, assuming the back panel bathtub will be tall enough, this one may end up taking the cake over the Durston X mid pro 1p, Altaplex, Duplex, Solplex, Trailstar, GG The One, BD Firstlight, Locus Gear Khufu, MLD Patrol shelters, tarps, etc. Very much looking forward to using this tent on long hikes.

A few phone pics

I’m quite interested in this.

Is it similar to the old ZPacks Plexamid?

I think the Plexamid is a bit lighter (no zip?), has the flattened top, but are the sizes, shape and wind resistance  much the same?

Perhaps the MID-1 has less of a gap between the ground and the doors, which would be more appealing to me.

I’ve been dithering about buying a Plexamid I came across, but perhaps the MID-1 makes more sense.

Pull zips to raise or lower the floor along the perimeter is a great idea. As we all know, every pitch is different depending on the ground, venting needs and other considerations.  Being able to adjust the edges of the floor could make a difference.

I actually left the floor down completely for this reason, even in the rain, and never had any issues. It also makes the floor area larger and more forgiving in the pitch.

In a true sideways rain storm maybe you’d want it up, or very dry very cold conditions.

hmm.  What is the price tag?  Even if reasonable, it is a half mid with a low ceiling, and the same limitations on space as any mid or A-frame.  Gary’s photo does show a more extended canopy that is more resistant to storms, and thus also allows more height above  head and feet, which is better than many other similar half mids.

Anyone have any updated thoughts on this after using one in a variety of seasons? Seems a versatile, small, and light 1P shelter for 3 season use.

The Mid-1 has become my primary shelter this summer, nudging out the Gossamer Gear The One and MLD Duomid. It’s light, easy to pitch, and roomy enough for me.