Wow that's a lot of miles. Congrats on your PCT hike. You probably do have the most miles on an X-Mid Pro 1. It only came out about 2 years ago and you already have two huge thru hikes on it. Glad the tent mostly worked well, and the floor is free of holes. For the zippers, my guess is that it is a combo of wear on the teeth and the slider. The dust/grit on the PCT can wear through sliders pretty fast, and usually the sliders get the bulk of the wear because when the slider and teeth are rubbing together the teeth wear is spread out over the length of the teeth, but the slider wear is all at that one spot. So I do think a new slider would get it working again, but also if the teeth are worn down too it may have less ability to work with a moderately wornout slider, so essentially each slider may last somewhat less than the previous. We are happy to replace the sliders again and we do free zipper replacements here if you want (and can even sub in number fives) but also you are welcome to give it a try. As you say, the #3 zipper are a trade off. I think if someone avoids excess tension (e.g. avoid tightening the base when the doors are open, use a door stake at an angle to take some tension) then they can provide a reasonable lifespan, but they do wear out faster than the larger zippers we use on our Solid series tents. They're pretty the standard on ultralight tents (e.g. for trekking pole DCF tents from other brands), so if we used a heavier zipper it would make the tent heavy for its class. Those are good tips on the pitch. Setting the pole like that to get the interior wall tension right as an early step is a nice way to do it. With our suggested method of staking and tightening the 4 corners first it is simple to explain and usually works well, but the height can be off for a few reasons (e.g. not tightening the base, having really long cords) so that is a nice way of getting it right. Yeah the pinholes are hard to avoid entirely with DCF. It's a cool material, but does slowly fatigue and the films can eventually degrade. We did enlarge some of the reinforcements a bit for 2024 so that'll help some, but ultimately it does happen eventually with DCF. Thanks for putting together this very helpful video. - Dan
I'd be surprised if there were too many other folks with more nights in one! I was quite happy with how the tent did on 2 long trips. That makes sense about the weight/durability balance.
Listening and reading had me laughing in a good way hearing and seeing two engineers communicate. I will be trying these video tips on my way lower nights on trail Durston tent. Nice video!
Seeing Durston still care enough to watch a whole review and comment on it responsibly is amazing. Also seeing the constant improvements on the tents shows they are taking it serious. It does boost the confidence of a new buyer. And the tips are very useful for all of us seeing this. too Good job, Dan!
Thanks for this new video. As a result of your original video on the Durston I ended up getting the plain X Mid 2 for a bike tour in France that my partner and I did last month. We did about 500 miles and the tent performed marvelously. One thing we'll try next time is separate pitching for inner and outer as we had days with a lot of condensation despite good ventilation (some, but not a lot of, rain). I cut tyvek to fit the floorplan of the outer tent. That was good for us as our equipment stayed dry on the ground. My next step is to put guylines on the corners of the ground sheet. Based on your technique of getting the right angle for the inner, I'm going to draw the outline of the inner on the ground sheet with a Sharpie to make it easy to lay it out right. I learned a lot about pitching it from your last video and now from this one. Thanks again.
That sounds like an amazing trip. I have a gravel bike that I've been hoping to start taking on touring trips myself. I'm glad you had a good experience with it!
Brilliant! So many great tips and the definitive pitching video! Maybe this is obvious but where you position the trekking pole tip is quite crucial. Putting attention to position the tip to make floor as flat as possible first, then extend the poles and tighten the corners.
Thanks, and I agree. The pole tip can really help pull the floor out as well as make the tent more structurally sound if it's vertical rather than tilted.
Great pitching demo. I have the non-pro version. I replaced the corner guylines with my own four foot guylines. I learned this from Andrew Skurka. This has allowed me to set up in less than ideal places and still have a very strong pitch.
Very helpful video. Thanks for sharing these tips so we can benefit from your extensive experience with this tent. I really appreciate the amount of good info you pack into your presentations.
Congrats on your triple crown! Absolutely amazing. Your videos are always great and insightful. I think you found a good reason to get the DCF floor one, lol. I don’t use groundsheets anymore either, just no need. That’s pretty smart to watch the bathtub when you extend the poles. I’m gonna do that with mine. That’s the thing that took me some practice was just getting the bathtub right. On my second trip with the pro I got soaked. I pitched everything super tight and the bathtub was flat. I had not yet achieved the pro level required for a proper pitch, lol.
lynx, I have been enjoying your youtube work and am watching the CDT videos right now. I also have an xmid1 pro partly as a result of your earlier video. I am a High Sierra backpacker and am interested if you have any videos on your food system or choices?
Thanks for watching the CDT series. I just posted my first PCT trip video today! I really like the Pro 1 and hope you are enjoying yours. I should definitely put together a video going over my food preferences. I'll keep that in mind for a future video.
Thanks for a comprehensive review! What brand of guy line accessory and tent stake bags and where did you buy them? Did you buy the Dutchware's direct? Thanks! I liked and sub'd. Paul
Sorry for the delay. The brand of the guyline I like is "Zing it". It's made for throw ropes for tree arborist climbers and is very strong and light. I did buy the ring worms directly from Dutch.
I'm heading out to do the PCT starting March 2025 . I'd like to replace my Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 with a Durston X-Mid Pro (saving over a pound). I'm 6'2" with fairly broad shoulders and would prefer the additional space in the Pro 2. While I'm willing to carry the extra couple of ounces, in your experience on the PCT would the additional footprint space be a problem with finding appropriate tent sites? Appreciate any insights.
Can you tell what those 2000miles translate in how many nights/how many pitches ? In Europe we go 20km a day, but on those US throughhikes it can be many more. Thanks!
Sure. The PCT for me was 106 days from start to finish. I'd guess I was in the tent somewhere around 85ish nights. The CDT was closer to 140 days and I had more nights in it that trip as I was further away from towns and lodging. I would guess maybe 120 nights.
It doesn't look too taut. It's probably wind stress doing your zips. A few inches of shock cord in guy lines helps regulate tension. Might keep zipper from pulling apart. Graphite dust lubricant (dry) might help if it's just wear.
![ปฏิเสธไม่ไหว (Crush on you) - LIPTA feat. No One Else [TEASER MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VC689EgdSIw/mqdefault.jpg)
this is probably, no this is the best pitching video for an xmid,
Wow that's a lot of miles. Congrats on your PCT hike. You probably do have the most miles on an X-Mid Pro 1. It only came out about 2 years ago and you already have two huge thru hikes on it.
Glad the tent mostly worked well, and the floor is free of holes. For the zippers, my guess is that it is a combo of wear on the teeth and the slider. The dust/grit on the PCT can wear through sliders pretty fast, and usually the sliders get the bulk of the wear because when the slider and teeth are rubbing together the teeth wear is spread out over the length of the teeth, but the slider wear is all at that one spot. So I do think a new slider would get it working again, but also if the teeth are worn down too it may have less ability to work with a moderately wornout slider, so essentially each slider may last somewhat less than the previous. We are happy to replace the sliders again and we do free zipper replacements here if you want (and can even sub in number fives) but also you are welcome to give it a try. As you say, the #3 zipper are a trade off. I think if someone avoids excess tension (e.g. avoid tightening the base when the doors are open, use a door stake at an angle to take some tension) then they can provide a reasonable lifespan, but they do wear out faster than the larger zippers we use on our Solid series tents. They're pretty the standard on ultralight tents (e.g. for trekking pole DCF tents from other brands), so if we used a heavier zipper it would make the tent heavy for its class.
Those are good tips on the pitch. Setting the pole like that to get the interior wall tension right as an early step is a nice way to do it. With our suggested method of staking and tightening the 4 corners first it is simple to explain and usually works well, but the height can be off for a few reasons (e.g. not tightening the base, having really long cords) so that is a nice way of getting it right.
Yeah the pinholes are hard to avoid entirely with DCF. It's a cool material, but does slowly fatigue and the films can eventually degrade. We did enlarge some of the reinforcements a bit for 2024 so that'll help some, but ultimately it does happen eventually with DCF.
Thanks for putting together this very helpful video.
- Dan
I'd be surprised if there were too many other folks with more nights in one! I was quite happy with how the tent did on 2 long trips. That makes sense about the weight/durability balance.
Listening and reading had me laughing in a good way hearing and seeing two engineers communicate. I will be trying these video tips on my way lower nights on trail Durston tent. Nice video!
Seeing Durston still care enough to watch a whole review and comment on it responsibly is amazing.
Also seeing the constant improvements on the tents shows they are taking it serious.
It does boost the confidence of a new buyer.
And the tips are very useful for all of us seeing this. too
Good job, Dan!
@@calebe16 Thanks :)
Thanks for this new video. As a result of your original video on the Durston I ended up getting the plain X Mid 2 for a bike tour in France that my partner and I did last month. We did about 500 miles and the tent performed marvelously. One thing we'll try next time is separate pitching for inner and outer as we had days with a lot of condensation despite good ventilation (some, but not a lot of, rain).
I cut tyvek to fit the floorplan of the outer tent. That was good for us as our equipment stayed dry on the ground. My next step is to put guylines on the corners of the ground sheet. Based on your technique of getting the right angle for the inner, I'm going to draw the outline of the inner on the ground sheet with a Sharpie to make it easy to lay it out right.
I learned a lot about pitching it from your last video and now from this one. Thanks again.
That sounds like an amazing trip. I have a gravel bike that I've been hoping to start taking on touring trips myself. I'm glad you had a good experience with it!
You've probably got more experience with this tent than Dan does!😊
I'd be surprised if there are many people with more nights in it than me!
that is an excellent level of detail. Thank you for taking the time.
Thanks for watching. I greatly appreciate it!
Thank you for an excellent explanation of the correct pitching technique. I was about to sell my x-mid pro 2 due to frustration in pitching.
I hope it helps you get a good pitch with it. I really like the design.
Brilliant! So many great tips and the definitive pitching video!
Maybe this is obvious but where you position the trekking pole tip is quite crucial. Putting attention to position the tip to make floor as flat as possible first, then extend the poles and tighten the corners.
Thanks, and I agree. The pole tip can really help pull the floor out as well as make the tent more structurally sound if it's vertical rather than tilted.
Great pitching demo. I have the non-pro version. I replaced the corner guylines with my own four foot guylines. I learned this from Andrew Skurka. This has allowed me to set up in less than ideal places and still have a very strong pitch.
I've heard of multiple people doing this, I should give it a shot sometime.
@@lynxoutdoors8192 Yeah, you can always shorten them up on easier pitches and still have the length for the 2 rock or log method.
Very helpful video. Thanks for sharing these tips so we can benefit from your extensive experience with this tent.
I really appreciate the amount of good info you pack into your presentations.
I hope they help out. Thanks for taking the time to watch!
Congrats on your triple crown! Absolutely amazing. Your videos are always great and insightful. I think you found a good reason to get the DCF floor one, lol. I don’t use groundsheets anymore either, just no need. That’s pretty smart to watch the bathtub when you extend the poles. I’m gonna do that with mine. That’s the thing that took me some practice was just getting the bathtub right. On my second trip with the pro I got soaked. I pitched everything super tight and the bathtub was flat. I had not yet achieved the pro level required for a proper pitch, lol.
I've done the same thing. I find a nice and tight pitch with the floors up higher keeps me drier than when I try to pitch it super low on the ground.
lynx, I have been enjoying your youtube work and am watching the CDT videos right now. I also have an xmid1 pro partly as a result of your earlier video. I am a High Sierra backpacker and am interested if you have any videos on your food system or choices?
Thanks for watching the CDT series. I just posted my first PCT trip video today! I really like the Pro 1 and hope you are enjoying yours. I should definitely put together a video going over my food preferences. I'll keep that in mind for a future video.
Fantastic informaton. Thank you.
I'm glad you found it helpful.
Fantastic update, Thank you for this
Glad you liked it.
Thanks for the great video!
My pleasure!
Thanks for a comprehensive review! What brand of guy line accessory and tent stake bags and where did you buy them? Did you buy the Dutchware's direct? Thanks! I liked and sub'd.
Paul
Sorry for the delay. The brand of the guyline I like is "Zing it". It's made for throw ropes for tree arborist climbers and is very strong and light. I did buy the ring worms directly from Dutch.
I'm heading out to do the PCT starting March 2025 . I'd like to replace my Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 with a Durston X-Mid Pro (saving over a pound). I'm 6'2" with fairly broad shoulders and would prefer the additional space in the Pro 2. While I'm willing to carry the extra couple of ounces, in your experience on the PCT would the additional footprint space be a problem with finding appropriate tent sites? Appreciate any insights.
Does super glue stick to DCF? May do better on pinholes.
Thats not a bad idea. I'll have to look into it.
Can you tell what those 2000miles translate in how many nights/how many pitches ? In Europe we go 20km a day, but on those US throughhikes it can be many more. Thanks!
Sure. The PCT for me was 106 days from start to finish. I'd guess I was in the tent somewhere around 85ish nights. The CDT was closer to 140 days and I had more nights in it that trip as I was further away from towns and lodging. I would guess maybe 120 nights.
@@lynxoutdoors8192 Thanks. So 100...150 night should be possible I guess. That is ok for a Ultralight tent.
Would you say you are over tensioning the guy lines?
I certainly pull them tight. I guess it's a possibility, but with single wall trekking pole tents I find they flap too much if they're not snug.
It doesn't look too taut. It's probably wind stress doing your zips. A few inches of shock cord in guy lines helps regulate tension. Might keep zipper from pulling apart. Graphite dust lubricant (dry) might help if it's just wear.
Thanks. See my other comment. Buy some new zippers😅 cheers.
WOW!! Thank you very much. I'll be sure to do that.