Which Tent for Iceland

[john mcalpine]

I’m planning on hiking Iceland mid-July.  It’s only a 48 mile hike, but I plan to spend 4 nights.  I want to go slow and enjoy scenery I may never see again.

I’m looking at either bringing my Dan Durstan 1p X-mid or TT Aeon  Li 1-person.

What would you take?

[John E]

I don’t have any useful insight, but would love to know your route!

[Jon Solomon]

I’ve never been to Iceland.

I have used both. You’re very fortunate to have this choice.

There’s a considerable weight — and price — difference between the two. I think you could buy two X-Mids for the price of a single Aeon Li.

If your goal is to enjoy the scenery while in camp, the Aeon Li opens up more fully on one side than the X-Mid but the X-Mid opens on two sides (please somebody correct me if I’m wrong about the X-Mid’s inability to open fully on one side. I vaguely remember that you need one of the two side panels deployed to get a taut pitch, but somebody with more experience better confirm that before it becomes a thing). I prefer the former by a long margin. YMMV. If you carry two poles, the Aeon Li would allow you to use one pole to pitch camp and another pole to use while sauntering around camp. The X-Mid will be more comfortable if you’re spending hours and hours inside due to the extra internal volume, but the Aeon Li is hardly cramped.

Pitched properly (really quite easy for both), both are very stout in storms and moderate winds. The X-Mid gives you slightly more protection because it goes down to the ground on all sides. If the Aeon Li is positioned right (with any of three sides but the front pitched into the wind), it will deflect much less in strong wind than the X-Mid. The triangle formed between the two struts and the center pole on the Aeon Li is very strong, as in zero deflection. In my experience the X-Mid will deflect a lot in strong winds, but it’s not really a problem. Whichever one you pick, bring a few really good stakes.

I’d bet that the X-Mid materials will last longer, if long term economy is a concern. Plus the X-Mid is a priced at a level that shows appreciation for mere mortals. Silpoly is reputedly more environmentally friendly to produce than DCF. I haven’t read anything about the environmental impact of disposal for either material.

Both look equally nice in photographs. :-)

Can’t go wrong with either.

Personally, I’d choose the Aeon Li, just for the weight savings if anything. I’m also partial to monopole designs. (For those looking to buy, I’d also suggest a silpoly Pioulou from Tipik, but the lead times are very long now).

[dirtbag]

Are u doing the Lagavaugua trail?  If thats spelled correctly….  if so.. would love to see pics or video and hear all about it when you return!! It is on my to do list… best of luck to you, be safe and enjoy that!!!!!

 

[Todd T]

Take your most wind-worthy tent and take long stakes.

I did Laugavegur and Fimmvorduhals (from Landmannalaugar to Skogar) in 2018.  We’d planned to go *real* slow, allotting five or six days if needed.  The weather was such that the wardens kept strongly recommending we not camp where we’d planned but move on to the next stop, so we basically did it in three days (plus one dayhiking day at Thorsmork).  When I say weather, I mean mostly wind, plus some rain mixed in.  From Thorsmork to Skogar we defied the warden’s stay-put recommendation and encountered the forecast 50ish-mph winds.  Things eventually calmed down when the rain started.

One night (at Alftavatn Lake) the “ground” was basically 4-inch thick moss, which made my 6-inch stakes close to useless.

Iceland is gorgeous!

[john mcalpine]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Thank you for your responses.  I may not have been clear.  I currently own both these tents.  Just deciding which one.</p>
I recently purchased six 6-inch stakes from Bigsky.  I’ll be bringing them along with me.

My hike is the exact one Todd T above did.  It’s actually 52 miles.   Typically I’d do a 52 mile hike in 2 nights and 3 days.  I want to slow down and take in the sites.  I need to check the return bus schedule at the end of the hike and see when I need to be finished.  That’ll determine if I take 3 or 4 nights.

[Todd T]

I recently purchased six 6-inch stakes from Bigsky. I’ll be bringing them along with me.

Those will probably work in the rocky spots, but not where there’s several inches of moss on top of the dirt.  I’d take 8-inch stakes if I went again.

If you have time, there’s a short (~5-mile?) loop trail to the east of the huts at Thorsmork that nets you one of the best views I saw in Iceland:  toward several outlet tongues of the Myrdalsjokull glacier, lush greenery in front of that, Krossa River coming toward and past you…  I hesitate to post a pic because mine turned out so horrible, but imagine that you can actually see the glacier and have a full 360-degree view:

Regardless, you’re going to have a great time.  If you like bagging peaks, Snaefel was fun.  Eight-mile round trip, 3300 vertical feet.

[John S.]

When I went in 2015, Alftavatn Lake was the windiest camp. Use your most wind worthy shelter.

[Jon Solomon]

Hey John, I got that you already bought both but was writing to address both your question and the question more generally of the differences between the two for those who might be curious.

Since you have both, what’s been your own user experience?

Lovely photo from Todd T.

[john mcalpine]

Jon,  That is a great photo from Todd.   Todd’s mention of hitting side trips makes me want to make it a 4 night hike.  Gives me time for a few of them.

I’m not a fan of the Aeon.  Sorry Henry.  I find it a challenge to set it up just right.  Mine is a 2019.  So it has the velcro front door.  In 2020 TT made it a zipper.  I find it difficult to reach the metal clip at the bottom of the door to either close or open it.  The storage pocket is also odd.  The opening is on the side and not the top.  Every time I bump it while moving around it empties it.  The opening should be on the top…like a pocket.  The weight is nice at 19 oz out the door.   I’m only 5’8″ @ 155lbs.

The DD x-mid is easy to set up.  Great design.  It doesn’t have as much space on the inside as the Aeon.  Plenty of storage under two vestibules.  Really nice storage  pockets on the top for small items.  Also two side entries.  You can have both open at the same time.  It’s 30 oz out the door.  If I had to hangout in a tent because of bad weather I’d pick  the x-mid.  You also don’t have to worry about your sleeping bag touching the rainfly.

I also have a Nemo Hornet 1p.  I really like that tent.  However, it doesn’t do well in wind.  I took it on the John Muir Trail.  On one night the tent was bent over sideways from a 25mph wind.

Hhmmm….I may have made up my mind to take the x-mid.

[Jon Solomon]

Funny, I’m just about your size and have a 2019 first gen Aeon, too.

I wasn’t much of a fan of the velcro door after a strong wind whipped it partially open one evening. Henry went out of his way to accommodate my request for an additional lineloc attachment on the second door panel, so now I have the option of staking down both doors when desired.

Re: setup, I’ve found that lower pitch, esp at first, really helps get all the corners and angles in place. DCF is unforgiving when it comes to both design and set up, unlike silpoly or silnylon. Having used the Aeon easily over a month on the trail, I’ve learned, albeit slowly, how to gauge the setup. The only general rule I’ve taken out of all this is that it sets up lower than I’d think.

Here’s a photo in the Alps near the Italian border that shows the kind of nice taut pitch I finally learned to get consistently:

p.s. sounds like you should take the X-Mid.

[John S.]

The nemo hornet would need to be set up with head end (two poles) into wind, using extra guyouts, and attaching the poles to the fly with the inner velcro wraps. It would probably work. I used a big agnes fly creek ul1 for that trip.

[john mcalpine]

John S….    I’m impressed you used a Fly Creek in Iceland.  I’d think the wind would’ve crushed it..  I had a 2p Fly Creek once.  I hiked up Mt St Helen’s and when I returned to my Fly Creek something tore into the tent and destroyed it.  Unrepairable.  I believe I still have the poles for it?

I replaced that tent with a 2p Nemo Hornet.

Thanks for the idea…..!

[John S.]

john mcalpine, we only had significant wind at Alftavatn Lake, maybe 15-20 sustained (guessing) for a few hours while some rain came through. On that trip I only had the head end into the wind…no extra guyouts or other measures.

[Manfred]

Sounds like you made up your mind to bring your X-Mid. It should work well. My daughter hiked the Fimmvörðuháls trail and the Laugavegur trail (and beyond) with me a couple of years ago. Like others, we spent a very windy night at Álftavatn, but our Zpacks Duplex held up well – what could not be said for other tents. You can see pictures here in our Iceland trip report

[john mcalpine]

Manfred….    WOW what a great trip!   What a wonderful adventure for a 14 year old. Thanks for sharing.

I’m still back and forth on which tent.

I’m thinking of bringing my 16 oz chair.  I’m drawing a brain fart on its brand.   Did you have a chair?

[Manfred]

John,

we didn’t bring any chairs. The back panel of my Zpacks Exo does double duty as a sit pad.

 

 

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