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Post by cweston on Jun 12, 2020 6:48:32 GMT -8
This sil-poly X-Mid 1P Tent seems like a lot of tent for the money ($200): fairly similar in design to the Tarptent Stratospire. The reviews I've been able to find are pretty universally positive. There is apparently also a 2p version.
I'd not really heard about Massdrop (now called "Drop") before.
Anyone have any experience with these tents, or with purchasing through Drop?
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Post by JRinGeorgia on Jun 12, 2020 8:32:47 GMT -8
Purchasing through Drop: yes, always a good experience. It's different from a regular store in that they buy a bulk order of one product at a time and then sell it off. Some drops are contingent on getting enough orders. This arrangement means receiving your goods could take longer than with a regular retailer.
No direct experience with the Dan Durston shelters but lots of talk about both the 1p and 2p shelters on BPL. Very positive reviews. Interesting design in that the tarp/outer is rectangular and the inner is then oriented on the diagonal underneath it. Dan is on BPL and has personally and swiftly answered every question asked. He's also quick to point out any limitations of his shelter or how a different one might compare, very transparent.
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Post by cweston on Jun 12, 2020 8:37:53 GMT -8
Thanks, JRinGeorgia. Just knowing that he's part of the BPL community and has some accountability there is very helpful. |
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Jun 12, 2020 10:22:30 GMT -8
I recently bought the X-mid 2P. I've only spent two nights in it but am very impressed. As a modified pyramid, it's impressively solid in wind (though I haven't had it in real above-timber mountain winds yet). I love the silpoly's no-stretch and no-absorb properties. It's well designed, very well put together, has ample room in the vestibules, uses nice strong zippers, and as you say is a lot of tent for the money.
I have only two niggles. First, its footprint is fairly large and the floor needs to be staked in a very clean rectangle. This can sometimes make it hard to find a good spot. I'm sure the 1P is better (smaller footprint), but you still have to get that pretty rectangle, so uneven ground can be an issue. Probably similar to any pyramid-style tent in that respect. Second, I'm not yet convinced that the silpoly floor is going to be as durable as, say, the silnylon floors on Tarptents.
Even with the niggles, it's a solid tent for a modest price that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend. Dan Durston answers questions readily and thoroughly on the drop.com website.
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Post by cweston on Jun 12, 2020 10:39:24 GMT -8
I have only two niggles. First, its footprint is fairly large and the floor needs to be staked in a very clean rectangle. This can sometimes make it hard to find a good spot. I'm sure the 1P is better (smaller footprint), but you still have to get that pretty rectangle, so uneven ground can be an issue. Probably similar to any pyramid-style tent in that respect. Second, I'm not yet convinced that the silpoly floor is going to be as durable as, say, the silnylon floors on Tarptents. Yeah, the large-ish footprint and need for a fairly precise rectangle are the two most common knocks I've read in reviews of the X-mid 1P as well. My most frequently-used tent is a Tarptent Stratospire 2, so I'm familiar with the "large footprint" issue, and haven't found it to be too big a deal. Most of my hiking is in the high mountains, so I don't make camp in dense timber very often. I find that the plus of the large vestibules more than offsets the large footprint issue. I find all non-freestanding tents to be a bit fussy on the pitch, so I'm not surprised that that's a knock people have on these.
EDIT: I just pulled the trigger on this. It doesn't ship until late July, but I'll post some impressions when it arrives. I don't usually go solo, so can't really justify spending on a DCF shelter.
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toejam
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Post by toejam on Jun 13, 2020 10:23:34 GMT -8
I like the looks of this. Reaching for the trigger …
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toejam
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Post by toejam on Jun 23, 2020 4:22:01 GMT -8
BANG!
Looking forward to using this in the high Sierra in August.
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Jun 23, 2020 13:25:53 GMT -8
I think you'll be pleased. I'd give my eye teeth for a 1P that accommodated tall folks.
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Post by trinity on Jul 1, 2020 3:28:14 GMT -8
I'd give my eye teeth for a 1P that accommodated tall folks. |
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Jul 1, 2020 7:06:11 GMT -8
I'd give my eye teeth for a 1P that accommodated tall folks. Well, when I said 1P, I was referring specifically to the Durston X-Mid 1P.
As for the Altaplex, I'm skeptical of its 6'6" claims, a skepticism based on many years of disappointment with such claims. Especially for a single-wall tent. Shoot, even in the ZPacks video where they show a tall person lying in the tent, the foot of his sleeping bag is touching the end wall.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jul 3, 2020 22:41:34 GMT -8
I think you'll be pleased. I'd give my eye teeth for a 1P that accommodated tall folks. At 114 inches long this might be worth looking at? A Mountain Laurel Designs Solomid XL. Probably a bit dependent on style: at 6’2” I’m happy with my older Solomid. (90 inches iirc) for Sierra non bug season). A nice 11 oz solution (Dyneema) mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/solomid-xl/(And, yes, I’d be skeptical of a statement of a 7.5 foot length fitting a 6’6” person: that’s the dimension of my Solomid and it would be tight were I four inches taller.) |
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texasbb
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Post by texasbb on Jul 4, 2020 12:41:55 GMT -8
I think you'll be pleased. I'd give my eye teeth for a 1P that accommodated tall folks. At 114 inches long this might be worth looking at? A Mountain Laurel Designs Solomid XL. Probably a bit dependent on style: at 6’2” I’m happy with my older Solomid. (90 inches iirc) for Sierra non bug season). A nice 11 oz solution (Dyneema) mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/solomid-xl/(And, yes, I’d be skeptical of a statement of a 7.5 foot length fitting a 6’6” person: that’s the dimension of my Solomid and it would be tight were I four inches taller.) Hmm, I wasn't aware that they'd lengthened the solo XL in 2020, so I might have to do some research. I know better than to base anything on floor length--it's meaningless without a lot of additional geometry knowledge.
I don't blame mfrs for not making tents for tall folks--they're trying to make a buck and can't do that if they force the 99% to carry a too-heavy tent just so they can accommodate the 1%--but I do wish they'd be a little more forthcoming with their specs and claims. Usually, the max height they claim will indeed work, but only if Lurch can lie flat on his back on a half-inch mat and not so much as twitch a muscle all night. On that solomid-xl page they show a guy lying down in the tent. I have no idea how tall he is, he's on a paper thin mat, and he has no sleeping bag or pillow. So it tells me exactly nothing. </rant>
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Jul 4, 2020 14:05:14 GMT -8
Oh sure floor length is just the start BUT, it’s totally necessary if not sufficient. If the floor length is five feet? You don’t get a six foot sleeping bag under it...
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