Tent Review - The Dan Durston XMid 1P - hints, tips and mods
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ค. 2021
- As promised, this is a post CWT review of the Dan Durston XMid 1P. I got mine via Drop and it's been an excellent purchase. I think you get a double skinned ultra light set up at a half the price (maybe even a third) of a Dyneema/Cuben tent. It'worth noting that it packs down smaller than DCF as well. It's not free standing so if you don't use tracking poles then maybe it's not the 'no brainer' it is for me.
drop.com/buy/drop-dan-durston...
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I've had my DD X-Mid 1P right from the beginning, either the first or, probably, the second "drop", so I've had it a few years now. Mine is the Gen 1 and I believe it has been improved with the Gen 2, with a wider inner and a few other improvements. That said, it is the best tent I've ever had, which has served me well on the Pennine Way, Wainwright's C2C and others. I didn't take it on the Hebridean Way because I thought the winds would be too much for it, so I took my Hilleberg AKTO instead, which leaked - something the X-Mid has never done. I've since seen vids on YT that testify to the X-Mid's excellent resilience even in severe wind, so I would have been better off with the X-Mid in the Hebrides and I note with interest that you have taken yours on the CWT, which is a good test for it!
Like you, I've made some alterations to give it improved performance in wind. I have added a shock cord loop to each of the additional staking points (one along each long edge and one alone each short face). I also take with me some Dynema guys with shock cord loops that I can then attach to the door loop in the middle of each of the main face panels (the loop that is used for tying the doors back on each side). A full set-up in severe wind then deploys a stake at each corner (4), a stake at each face via the retro-fit shock loops (4), a guy with shock loop for each of the main face panels (2) and a guy off each ridge (2). Also the door zippers get staked out (2-4). That's 14-16 anchor points in total!
If ventilation is likely to be a problem in still, wet conditions, I pitch the outer higher by extending the walking pole supports internally, creating more of a gap all the way around. This gives good air flow. Condensation has never been a problem with this tent.
I take a Tomshoo poncho (on offer on Amazon currently £13.47) with me, which doubles up really well as a ground sheet at night, a tarp shelter during the day for a brew-up and additional rain protection if I need it, particularly in still but wet conditions, when the raincoat stays in the rucksack and the poncho gives protection with great ventilation. I've never had rain water tracking under my inner when using the poncho as a ground sheet, even in heavy rain when on the PW. I think the poncho has more functionality than a piece of Tyvek, which I used to use and which is also heavier than my poncho.
SO much that is good about this tent, even the Gen 1. It really is easy to live with on multiple wild camp nights in all weathers. So quick to put up. Can use as a shelter and then add the inner very quickly when ready. Can easily store the dry inner separate to the (wet) outer. Sil-Poly doesn't stretch like sil-nylon and doesn't "wet-out" like nylon, so a quick shake in the morning and the tent is ready to pack. Very light. Lots of room inside. 2 huge vestibules for storing gear, cooking, etc. Good ventilation and very little condensation. Keeping the down sleeping bag dry is easy.
It's a well thought-out tent. My best out of my 4 tents. DD X-Mid #1. Fjallraven Abisko Lite 2P #2. Nemo Hornet 2P #3. Hilleberg AKTO in last place #4. I'd say to anyone that if you CAN get hold of one (!), then do so. You won't be disappointed - unless you're looking for the "ideal" tent, which doesn't actually exist. ATB. Neil. PS: have liked and sub'd. :)
This is the review I've been waiting for. 👍 I've been eyeing this tent for over 6 months now. Great to hear from Dan that there is another run pending.... 2nd major plus is this review is in Scotland, where i plan to use the tent. Great review, love the tips you provided. Always wondered how it would do in a Caledonian downpour.
Hi vegaman, I'm please to hear you found the review useful 👍 For the weight, usability and packsize it's a great tent. It's not a summit tent so choose your pitches accordingly and you'll be fine. If have any questions ask. Cheers
Thanks for sharing these tips with us. Really like the way you set up the door to open and close without having to get out in the rain! I'll be cruising the Dutchwear gear site for additional hardware to do this on my X-Mid
Thanks for the comment and glad you like the mod. It's small thing but makes a big difference. Snipes
Great review. I can’t wait to test my x-mid 1P out soon.
Very helpful video mate, thanks so much for your efforts!
For anyone who has doubts about the DD X-Mid's ability to withstand punishing winds, here's the link you should watch: th-cam.com/video/MflvcODbqVs/w-d-xo.html I've had my X-Mid for some years now and love it to bits, but always at the back of my mind was the "what-if" regards wind resilience. Not so worried after watching the video. I have made a couple of easy mods to give it extra support, mainly involving a few shock-cord loops and a few extra guys and better pegs. I feel confident to take it on the Kungsleden later this month.
But don't misunderstand - it is not an expedition tent for high altitude use and severe weather conditions - it's not meant to be. If you need that, then spend £1000's and get a proper expedition tent. This is a backpacking/hiking tent, not an expedition tent.
Very nice review. Thank you.
Very nice. You found a lot of the tips and mods that make the X-Mid work better. One mod I made was to tie the inner guyline to the corner D-rings of the outer tent, and moved the mitten hooks to the end of the line and clip them directly to the bungee loops on the inner tent. Cheers!
Thank you for your comment Bert. I can see why you'd do that 👍 easier to attach and detach the inner? I like it and will give that mod a go. Slainte
Yep, I did the same. Easier to deploy the inner when you do this.
Awesome review! your tips are great!
Yeah still use it for 3 seasons. Usually take the MSR Access 2 for winter and summits 👍
Hi Sniper, I've just got a X-Mid 1p which I'll be trying out in Scotland in June. This video is the most thoughtful and helpful I've seen on the X-Mid, so thank you very much. I've got the groundsheet and I'll be doing the other mods you suggest.
You don't seem to have posted anything for a year or so. Really hope you are OK. Best wishes.
Thanks for the review and nice to hear you are liking the tent!
We agree a side panel guyout can be a good idea in windy conditions, so we have added that for the next run which will be available in a few months.
Thanks for taking the time to check out the review. The XMid has been great. It coped very well with challenging weather on the CWT and is great value for money. It's good to hear about the side panel guy and that there's another run due 👍
My little tab that you tie the door back with broke on my first time using it, I have done a makeshift repair (I’m in the uk and I couldn’t find a way to contact mass drop for info) so sad as the rest of the tent is fantastic. Is this a common problem or did I just get a duff one 🥺
@@jaxkelly8933 Sorry to hear this. Send us an email at support@durstongear.com and we'll sort it out.
Did the door tie cord pull out of the seam? Normally those are quite strong, but in rare cases the factory might not get it stitched well enough since it's a skinny cord that can be hard to hit with the sewing machine. That's very rare (about 2 out of 12,000 tents) but we've seen it once or twice before).
@@durstongear thanks, yes it came out of the seam , just my luck I’m one of the 12000! 🤦♀️(Although I’m still in love with the tent 🥰). Will email you.
Thanks.
@@jaxkelly8933 Sounds good. If it was the loop side and one strand is still in the seam then you can tie a loop in the end of that (like a lollipop) as an interim fix.
Hi I have this tent and also think its great. Good tips and I'll use them thanks. In case your looking for any additional mods.
Ive made mine more stealthy by applying Army Camo Face Cream, to the outer fly. Just one small triple tray of green, brown and black, (available on internet) dabbed on in a thoughtful hit and miss leaf type pattern, not too heavy I can still see the base grey beneath, means I blend better into our UK outdoor backgrounds. The grease paint only adds to the water proffing.
I considered if not harmful to human skin then not harmful to the tent. Been on 12months now with no ill effect. So bye for now Ive just subscribed and will watch with interest your trips with the Xmid 1p.
Would love to see a picture 😊
First of, so sorry you never made it to the light house
Must say though that i have watched all your videos' on the Cape Wrath trail Twice!
So interesting and I learned a lot from your experience.
I've just ordered a pair of Vivo Barefoot shoes thank you for you recommendation.
Please keep doing your videos,
Kindest regards,
Ant...
Hi Ant, I was gutted at the time but it's another reason to go back and sample some of the alternatives as well as the lighthouse. Thanks for watching....twice no less! I'm glad you found them useful. The Vivobarefoots were excellent, I don't know if you can get the same model any more so please let me know how you get on. There will be more videos, (be careful what you wish for lol) I hope to be camping on one of the Loch Lomond islands tomorrow night 👍
I've always been a tarp camper... I'm excited to step into the civilized world of tents as soon as Dan allows me to give him money lol!.
8:20 I found it interesting that you're in Scotland, but using inches to detail how far you've moved the zipper.
Hi Ewoks, thanks for the comment. The tent's worth the wait 👍 I'm partial to a tarp set up as well. Be that with a hammock or ground nest. The UK is strange that way, when the rest of Europe was changing to metric we retained a mixture of metric and imperial for many years. So a lot of things (esp building materials) you find listed in both. My age might also be something to do with it lol. Enjoy your tent when you get it. Any big trips planned?
Before going on a trip, I spray clothing (especially underwear), sleeping bag interior, and tent door with permethrin. It repels and kills bugs & ticks.
Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
Thanks for your comments Jack. 'Yup' I do and did the same. I sufferred no ticks and there were no midge on either my CWT or JMT trips. The permethrin was for peace of mind. But both trips were times to miss the bugs 👍
I’m not a fan of footprints. They try to protect the floor of the tent. So far, I’ve never seen a tent floor that didn’t weep or seep moisture, or just outright leak. So, rather than try to protect the tent, I try to protect the camper (me). I measure the inside of the tent, and go to a local hardware for a piece of visqueen from which I van cut out a single, integral piece that is 1 foot (12”) longer and 1 foot wider than the inside. I fold up all 4 edges 6”, miter the corners, and secure each neatly folded corner with duct tape. I now have. 6” deep, waterproof bathtub between me, my gear, and surface water. Several times in tents, I have watched water moving around in between the tent floor and my bathtub. If it gets a puncture because I inadequately cleared the tent site, I patch it with duct tape. A few bucks worth of visqueen will get me a new one.
Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
My little tab (loop) that you tie the door up with broke on my very first outing, I have done a makeshift repair but I’m very dubious that they are suitable as an extra guy line? Apart from that I love my mid-x 2p 😊
Yep, that's my concern too, but I'm hoping that attaching a long-ish loop of shock cord to a dynema guy will protect the loop from ripping out. The tent face will still flap, but hopefully it won't "slam" when the wind gusts. It's the very sudden "snapping" when the wind gusts and the face panel "whips" that causes the stitching to fail. The generous (and moderately thick) shock loop will hopefully take the worst of the stress out. I did at one stage make a "fail-safe" shock loop using an auto-electrician's electrical clamp-connector. I did a video of it on my channel (Hikerdoc - camping playlist). The idea is that the clamped end of the loop gives first, before the tent rips.
Thanks for the review, I'm seriously considering getting this tent (when it becomes available again) for UK thu-hiking, my one concern is how well it stands up to the wind & rain we can get on the coast and in the mountains.
Hi David. The rain could be an issue but it wasn't once I figured it out. I've had it out in windy conditions and I think it holds it's own (in terms of sub 1kg tents). It's certainly much more stable than my Tarptent Motrail. If I knew conditions were going to be harsh I'd take my MSR Access 2 (that's twice the price and weight of the XMid at 1.8kg). I think the Xmid would serve you well in the UK 👍
@@sniperhikes3716 Thanks for the comments. I've a MSR Hubba Bubba NX2 however I've been wanting something around the 1 kg mark. I use trekking poles and have narrowed it down to the Tarptent Stratospire 1 (weatherproof but pricey) or the X-Mid 1P. I like the double vestibules on both. I think the x-mid is a great option for the price and I also love Dan's involvement in answering comments. Your review has helped greatly, many thanks
I was worried about that too, but now know it isn't an issue. There is a brilliant video by a British X-Mid owner who got caught in a SEVERE storm on the Andalucian trail in Spain - I forget his name and can't find the link just now - but his X-Mid stood up to it, even though he didn't make use of all of the available fixing points. I also saw another review by someone who was caught in a storm. Of 7 tents, only the X-Mid and a Nemo tent survived. The 5 others all failed! If you apply shock cord to the additional stake points (one on each side = 4 in total), plus the 2 ridge guys, plus a shock-corded guy to the door loops on the main face panels and stake out the door zips well, I'd be surprised if the DD X-Mid would fail, unless you use some really crappy trekking poles as internal apex supports.
I have the 2P. How did you attach lines to the groundsheet? and How do you use the same location of the stakes for the groundsheet as well as the outer?
Hi, thanks for commenting. The Luxe Tyvek groundsheet comes with tabs. So I used 2mm shock cord with loops at the end. It took a little bit of trial and error but works well. I hope that helps. Cheers Snipes
looks like a great tent for the money and the weight if you can get your hands on one. I did wonder though about how tough the conditions were on your CWT, and if the tent would have stood up to really bad weather. I think you were quite lucky with the weather, were you not? I can't remember, I was doing it from my armchair 😎
The weather wasn't good but could have been worse that early in May. I chose my route and potential pitches accordingly. The only thing I would have added to my kit would be a 2 person emergency bothy/shelter. This would have been welcome on the exposed mountain stretches. Good to ensure I stopped for food, rest or to regroup. If I'd gone earlier in April I'd have taken the MSR Access 2 from the start 👍
What did you call that loop addition on the fly for adjust ing that door from the inside
Hi David. Not sure what I'd call it, but it was a godsnd when the weather was inclement 🌧️
I tried to set my Xmid 1p up in dark and had trouble finding the corners of the rectangle. I tried to use one of the side loops by mistake. I intend to mark corners with some reflective cording to be able to identify in dark in order to solve this problem.
I ended up not setting tent up at all and cowboy camped. Good thing it was not raining or an area with mosquitos.
Try getting the Petzl Bindi head torch. You'll never need to fumble around in the dark again. Brilliant torch. I once had to do an emergency exit at 1 am from a bothy in Scotland when some drunks became violent. The Petzl Bindi enabled me to trek 14 miles in the pitch blackness until I found a suitable wild camp spot far from idiots.
/Great review! and some excellent mods - can i ask where you got the ground sheet from and the matching colour guy lines? cheers
Hi Geordie, thanks for the comments. I'm sure this is the size I used - www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelter-accessories/WB105.html
The guys lines on the apexes came with the tent, the other ones were bits of cordage I had lying around
What size is the ground sheet that your using , I have the x mid 1 p but currently use it without a ground sheet
Hi Kevin. It's 210cm x 150cm. It doesn't go quite to the edge but it's close enough www.backpackinglight.co.uk/shelter-accessories/WB105.html
@@sniperhikes3716 that's perfect thanks
NP Kevin, it comes with tie outs but I extended them using 1.5mm bungee cord by about 5 or 6inches
How did you find the inner? Seen/read other reviews where they say it is a bit narrow?
Hi Tom. It just takes a bit of getting used to. If you're used to a hooped bivvy it will feel like a palace whereas, if you're used to a 2 person tent it will feel small and take getting used to . Outwith the nest there's plenty of storage space in the vestibules. I hope that helps. Cheers
@@sniperhikes3716 Thanks for the response Sniper. Looks a great tent all round and as you say plenty of covered space in the vestibules. Might see if I can get hold of one when the next batch is ready in the autumn
Don't know why but your X-Mid looks a lot lighter then mine...almost white. While I did upgrade my stakes I've never had to do any further modifications. I am a huge fan of Dan The Man Durston and his wife, Lady D. Guess the only question I have is...is your X-mid white or gray?
Hello Stephan. That's an easy Q ...it is a light green/grey (teal). The mods make it a little more practical in Scotland. That said, I was greatful for the extra lengths of guy I added to my Tarptent Motrail on the JMT in 2018. Again there were times when the ground was rocky and wouldn't take a peg. I don't know Dan but am certainly a fan of his tent. Slainte
The X-Mid color is notoriously hard to capture in photos and video. This is the actual dye that we use:
www.pantone.com/color-finder/16-0110-TPX
But the color comes out a bit paler than what you see there because polyester doesn't take die that well. So it's that shade but a bit more pale. With that said, we're moving it to a similar color but slightly darker this fall.
How does it perform in high winds?
Remarkably well. It's not a UK 4 Season or summit tent, but it doesn't pretend to be. Other than that 👍 my windiest pitch on the trail was day 10 (14.45m into the vlog).
@@sniperhikes3716 thanks for the reply. I'm in Australia and camping conditions can be rough with blustery winds. I was concerned this tent would present too large flat panels to such winds and might experience kite effects.
Do you still have the X-Mid tent? If so, would you be interested in selling it to me?
Hi, I'm afraid not, this one is a keeper. There's rumours of another run so I hope you manage to get hold of one 👍
No one talk much but Durston (X-Mid) cloned this tent from the Sierra Designs - High Route 🙂 Sierra Designs - High Route Was realised in 2016 and Xmid came out 2018. Sometimes reality not as you want, fact is a fact 😊...