Drop + Dan Durston X-Mid Tent – Ultralight, Double Walled, Backpacking and Thru Hiking Shelter, Simple Pitch, Fully Waterproof, Supported by Trekking Poles

The media could not be loaded. First, I don’t agree with fellow reviewers writing, “for the money, this is the best tent” ... I’ve been backpacking and thru hiking for over 20yrs. I’ve been through so many different tents, some great some terrible. This tent by Durston is not a compromise between function and cost. I’m happy the tent is priced the way it is, but having used it for awhile now, I’d pay three times the price. So, it’s just a great tent FULL STOP. It’s not just “a great tent for the money.”It outperforms its classification as a three season tent. The design gives the user the ability to adjust its pitch by adjusting the fly down to the ground on the windward side and raising it up to the leeward allows you to completely block out the wind, yet provide ventilation. Ventilation is enhanced significantly by two vents at the top of the fly that have small sewn in propping sticks. They can be fully opened or closed depending on the conditions. So, while certainly not a 4 season tent, the ability to easily manipulate the fly increases the warmth inside. On one recent outing the temperature dipped to 7F outside, while inside the temp was 19F. This was with two people as the only heat source.I’ll admit, my first couple of pitches were worrisome. “Man this tent stinks to setup.” I recall saying. But after about 5 pitches, you figure it out. And... you figure out, it’s the easiest, quickest, and most convenient pitch you’ll encounter. But there is a learning curve to reach enlightenment. One of the added bonuses is you can pitch the fly first and then set up the inner under its protection. If nothing else, I’ll never own another tent that doesn’t allow this ... I’ve never, in fact, owned a tent that operates like that. It’s incredibly convenient when a sudden downpour hits or if you wake up to rain, I can completely pack up under the pitches rain fly and then stuff the wet fly into a side pocket, keeping everything dry. It’s simply outstanding.Now, some reviews here note it doesn’t do well in the wind. This is totally user error. First, the design of the tent sheds wind- there are no steep walls to act like a sail. Second, the tent comes with 2 guy lines that attach to the two peaks ... I’ve pitched on top of exposed ridges and been blasted by monster storms. I’ve never needed to add additional guy lines, only adjusted the existing stake/guy line positions. However, you can double the guy lines if you encounter worse conditions. And there simply is no way this tent couldn’t take it.Look close at the shape of this tent.. it’s unconventional. It’s a parallelogram and in the 2P you sleep head to the others foot. This gives both people a ton of head room. I’m 6ft and can easily sit up and move around. It’s not like many of the tents I’ve used, where I can sit up but I have to keep my head in a 1X1ft area. As far as space, the 2P is actually a bit too big for 2 people to be honest. It’s more like a 2.5 person tent! Which is great for bringing your DOG or packs inside the inner. But... with dual MONSTER vestibules and two doors, that’s not really necessary. Each person has their own door and full sized vesti. Pretty cool.YouTube videos abound on the basics like waterproofness, so need to really elaborate beyond the high sided bathtub of the inner and the large fly keeps you completely dry.The material is made from sil/poly, not sil/nylon. This is important because most tents are made with nylon. Nylon eventually absorbs water and sags- everyone that’s had experience with sil nylon knows what I’m talking about here. So with the xmid, you don’t get any wet sag or saturated fabric.Well, I could go on and on about convenient pockets, high quality zippers, the titanium stakes that come with it but I’ll use the final bit of your patience to add one of the most important features of all the Durston Gear. That’s Dan Durstons accessibility to answer questions. Post a question on Facebook and tag Durston Gear ... it’s like he is lurking everywhere online ready to assist. Then, his responses are epic dissertations complete with charts and diagrams. It’s pretty unique.If you’re looking for a trekking pole tent amongst all the tents out there, seriously stop looking and join the xmid club ... you’ll not look back.-Terry Boardman “Further”

Lets take a look at all the other "UL" tents out there....considering price, weight, and ease of use, this is perhaps the best. I own the 1p and 2p. Ive used them during storms, massive snowfalls, hail storms, freezing rain, just about everything besides a tornado. And it has held up well. If you are having trouble with it theres a good chance its user error. This is a trekking pole tent, with no trekking poles....because you should already have them. So the people who are giving bad reviews should maybe read the description first. Finally make sure you set this up before hand, like every item you take out camping, you should know how to use it and not complain about a product because of your errors.Anyway, this tent is perfect for people that want light weight but not flimsy, inexpensive but not cheaply made, simple to use but structurely sound.

This is a great tent. I have used it on several backcountry camping trips on the Appalachian Trail in Shenandoah National Park.It holds up well against heavy rain and wind. No rain got inside. Two very large vestibule doors and very roomy inside.The key to a perfect pitch is to get a perfect and taught rectangle. The time getting that 'perfect' rectangle is worth it. I set my trekking poles to 115cm to stand it up. I have found anything longer than 115cm may cause the tent base to sit too far off the ground (unless that is what you want). Can be set up in minutes. I leave the inner tent attached unless I have to detach it to dry out the rainfly.You can set the tent up without the rainfly but you will have to get the 'Stargazer Kit" ($28) and they are difficult to get. (On DurstonGear.com)There are two ventilation ports at both ends of the tent and pockets inside to hang lamps and store items. Outside the tent, there are many stake-down loops to further anchor the tent if you need to.While the floor of the tent is thicker than the rest of the tent, I purchased a 4.5ft x 8ft grommeted UL Tyvek groundsheet which is perfect for this tent. You can get the TYVEK Groundsheet here on Amazon ($25)I love my Dan Durston XMID 2P and will be using it on my Through Hike of the AT in 2022.