X-Mid Mod

[George F]

Like most of us I have been through a lot of shelters. My favorite for a many years was the BD Betamid, but when it was time for my thru in 2010 I knew I needed bug protection and went with a SMD Wild Oasis. It did the job but I came away wanting more ventilation when it was buggy and more room when it was stormy. After my trip I did a MYOG addressing these issues and incorporating my second trekking pole for better headroom. It worked but, honestly, it was way to quirky to set up and after a half dozen trips I moved on, settling for a BD Beta Light with a S2S Nano for when it was buggy.

When I saw Dan’s X-Mid 1 I was very impressed and, even though the Beta Light was barely used I had to have one. I got it a couple of months ago, crawled in and loved it. The use of the second pole is perfect. There was only one problem. I like floor-less. Sorry Dan.

 

The outside is unchanged.

 

A full bug screen was added, both doors and a skirt. Where I hike rain and skeeters are not usually an issue at the same time so choosing between bug and rain mode is not a problem.

 

There is enough cross ventilation that the peak vents aren’t needed in bug mode, they have no netting.

 

The skirt is is cut long enough to work even it the tarp is set higher.

 

I used the regular no-see-um from Quest Outfitters. I was tempted by the ultra-light but thought the regular might be a little easier to deal with for sewing and not snag as much.

 

For the zipper I wasn’t sure on the size so went with the #5. #3 would have worked but the #5 stacked nicely with the existing zipper.

 

Setting the poles at an angle instead of vertical allows laying out straight in the middle of the tent and makes it feel roomier.

 

[Matthew / BPL]

That looks great! What’s the weight like?

[Jon Holthaus]

George, that looks fantastic.  Excellent work!

[Doug Coe]

George—Nicely done! I’m leaning toward getting (making?) a shelter with a bathtub floor to keep the occasional big rain out.

Wondering, why do you like floorless for rain?

[George F]

Matt – I am not good at getting things weighed. It is bound to be a little lighter than the whole package, but probably not much. I will try to get to the PO and post the weight.

Doug – I like floorless in general and think they do okay in the rain if the site is good. On the plus side I can totally get in with my muddy boots,  go through my wet gear and even cook dinner without worrying about the floor as long as I keep my quilt off to one side.

[Doug Coe]

George—I can see the appeal, though I’m still wanting a bathtub floor. One bad (though it looked OK) site selection experience pushed me that way.

[d k]

I’m a fan of floorless tents too…I love what you’ve done with your place! 😂

So I guess you trimmed out the existing netting and replaced it with your own?  Or did you simply tack on to what was there?

[Doug Coe]

dk—I don’t think he “trimmed out the existing netting”…it’s part of a separate inner tent on the X-Mid.

[d k]

It looks on the original version like there’s a curved zipper, and George’s zipper looks like it’s straight up and down only, and aligned with the zipper in the outer.  But it’s a little hard to tell from the pictures, on my phone.

[George F]

No original materials were harmed in the making of this mod.

dk – Doug has it right. The X-Mid is a two part shelter. The outer fly that I modified and the inner tent that goes inside of it or stands alone.

It is actually very nice, but I like floorless and the idea of having all of my stuff inside the bug free zone with me.

[George F]

Oh, and I did weigh it today and, according to the post office anyways, it is 27.4 oz (shelter only, no stakes), vs the listed 27.9 for the fly and bug tent. I was hoping for a bit more of a difference but it is more about how I use it than the weight.

[d k]

😂 “no original materials harmed”

 

Okay, I didn’t pay attention to realize the original was 2 separate pieces.  Thanks, Doug and George.

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