The Durston X-Mid Pro 2 is a two person single wall DCF non-freestanding tent weighing only 19.6 ounces (for the tent alone). The tent uses 4 to 8 stakes for a pitch under normal conditions, and takes up to 12 stakes total for stability in inclement weather. The tent features a 0.55 DCF body construction, with a 15D silpoly floor. The tent has an inner livable space of 46 inches in height, 90 inches in length, and 48 inches in width, making it the perfect size for a two person ultralight shelter.
Pros: I’ve been using this tent for the past three months and I’m very impressed with the craftsmanship and attention to detail put into this shelter. It has fully replaced my Six Moon Designs Haven Bundle as it is both wider, lighter, and easier to pitch. I’ve taken the tent into 50+ mph winds with only 8 stakes and have not experienced a single issue with its storm worthiness. The tent fits my 25” wide sleeping pad next to a 20” regular pad side by side perfectly. Using these pads in my prior SMD tent was always an issue as it was just not wide enough at 44 inches. You would have to compensate by dropping your pole height down a few inches to expand the bathtub floor for more width. The issue with this, was it would cause a lack of a tubbed floor in rain storms causing items inside the tent to get saturated and muddy. I have not experienced any of the usual issues regarding condensation with the single wall design of the X-Mid as it features a rain gutter shelf at the head and foot end of the tent’s mesh. This really does work to keep any of the accumulated condensation from wetting out your quilt as the moisture rolls down the wall and gets passed off to this shelf and drips to the outside. It really is a genius design and I applaud Dan for thinking of this solution. The tent’s build quality feels very robust and I do not feel like I have to baby it like other DCF tents or products. Another feature I really enjoy about this tent are the small carbon poles inside all four corners of the shelter that help keep the floor taught and increase the livable space. The internal corners of the tent do not bunch up and flap around in the wind like they do with other tents due to this design. This also makes sweeping out dirt and sand extremely convenient to keep everything nice and tidy inside. What’s also great about this tent, is it does not need a ground sheet due to the 15d silpoly flooring. I can’t begin to express how much I hate laying out a Tyvek or polycro ground sheet in windy conditions; especially feather-light polycro. Luckily, we don’t have to deal with this anymore using the X-Mid.
Cons: I really can’t think of any cons to this shelter as it has everything I need without extra bells and whistles that add weight. I suppose the lack of pockets on the mesh doors on this version (V1) is a bit of a bummer, as I often can’t find where my headlamp, chapstick, or phone went when the lights are out, but I’d say it really isn’t a problem as much as nit-picking. If I could change one other feature, it would be a better system to the magnetic door clips Dan decided to go with. They’re simply not strong enough and if you brush up against the rolled up doors when getting in and out, the doors will fall down.
Summary: With all that being said, the X-Mid is the best tent I’ve ever used thus far. The attention to detail in every regard to the design is extremely impressive and I can’t wait to see what Mr. Durston comes up with next.
