Durston - X-Mid 1

I have a copper spur 2 person that I’ve taken both my kids in on separate occasions. I didn’t want anything too fragile so stayed away from the platinum models. I’ve since picked up a xmid 1p and obviously use that for solo outings. We are now at the point where we need two 2p shelters and I’m looking to add a xmid 2p+ at some point. We have a 4 person big Agnes tent but it’s a bit heavy and 4 people in a 4 person tent is a little rough when they get older. The best part of the copper spur is pairing it with a two person pad and two person quilt. The entire floor becomes a bed and is very comfortable. The two person quilt keeps the jimmy legs in without having to carry two sleeping bags, so for the person carrying it saves a good bit of weight. If I had to start over I’d probably make the same decisions. A freestanding tent is a bit easier if you aren’t used to trekking pole tents. My first outing with my xmid was on hard packed ground in the desert where it was really difficult to get stakes in the ground. The tent blew over during a thunderstorm that evening. If I were going on the same trip again I’d probably just take the copper spur. So for me it was about having some flexibility and diversity of functions when building out my gear closet.

I’ve liked mine. Echoing what others have said: does take some practice to get a feel for how to set up. Pole height and angle really affects the bathtub floor. Condensation (though it is a single wall tent. Gonna have that with any single wall.). I always use my second trekking pole to pull out the head end and if I’m feeling motivated find a stick to pull out the foot end. Interior space is good for a one person tent. For me it’s my fair-weather tent. If I were going somewhere with a lot of rain and/or wind I’d use something different. I have a xmid 1P but for me it’s too small.

Do you use hiking poles anyways? I have the durston xmid 1 tent and absolutely love it. Comes up a lot for recommendations for thru hikes as well because it's built well, and weighs - ~1.5lbs. A one man Company In Canada makes it (or contracts the factory who makes it) so prices are very reasonable, 350$ cad (250usd) for the one person. Only "drawback" is that you need to use hiking poles to set it up... but I use them anyways so it's no extra weight. https://durstongear.com/products/x-mid-1-tent-ultralight-backpacking I've slept in mine for probably about 30-40 nights now and really can't complain. My regular backpacking buddy even just bought one of his own since he liked mine so much.

towards the end in a larger group I was skinny pitching my 1p durston and both 2p tents in my group had 2 people in them just to fit in tent sites. honestly 2p solo tents in some of the sites on this trail felt like a selfish move. if you fit in a 1p, you aren't spending enough time in it to need extra space, save the weight.  except the very very tall, solo 2p durston owners seemed to agree it was a little ridiculous to hog that kind of real estate. it was usually their first ul tent. 1p durston owners should all know how to skinny pitch. for one thing, it saves you when your door zippers start to go. in bad weather, 1p let me sneak off to a tiny wind protected ledge and have a peaceful night. 2p would have been stuck w the brunt of the wind up on the ridge spots established by fair weather weekenders.... 

I have the xmid 2 and xmid1pro. I used my 1p on my thru last year.  Condensation is not a big issue on the PCT but space is. Although you can find a spot to pitch a 2p xmid , you may be look for awhile.  The xmid 2p is huge. Another 2p tent such as a Nemo,  big Agnes , are much smaller than the. Xmid and would be much easier to find a place to pitch. To sum.it up. If using an xmid i highly recommend a 1p. If using another brand of tent I recommend a 2p.

I have used the Durston original Xmid 1 on two long AT section hikes (112 miles and 250 miles). It’s an incredible tent for the value and weight (only $200 when I bought mine), especially for being double walled. Just prior to those hikes I completed two thru hikes using a Tarptent Moment DW and loved this tent. It’s my favorite tent of all time and have owned 2 versions over the last 10 years. I would highly recommend looking at Tarptent as they have several tents in non DCF that might be more budget friendly but still offer a great low weight and space ratio. I have a love/hate relationship with trekking pole tents. I love that they generally reduce the weight of a tent but I hate the fiddle factor, amount of stakes for a good pitch, and area of ground needed for most trekking pole tents. I have used trekking pole tents from Zpacks, Lightheart Gear, Six Moon Designs, and Tarptent as well. In my opinion, the Durston sets up the quickest and has the least amount of fiddle factor. My Moment DW set up with 2 stakes in a minute and had a more narrow profile that allowed me to sneak into some areas my Durston wouldn’t have worked in. I also like the ability to change the floor size and the variety of ventilation options the tent provided at only a penalty of 6 ounces more than the Durston. I believe the newer version of the Durston is even lighter. Edit: you don’t need the solid inner of the Durston unless you’re starting in January.

Yes the recommendations will be flooding in for the Durston! I had the 1p but didn't like it only because I am tall and it felt claustrophobic for me. Got a 2p and it's great. The new Durston Xdome if you want a free standing tent is amazing and I am hoping for a dyneema / Xdome Pro Version to be released. Everyone will say get the Durston, you just have to figure out which one is best for you

I will second this. When I’m using a trekking pole tent, the x-mid 1 is my go to. I use both a free standing Hubba hubba 2 (love that tent) and an x-mid 1 for backpacking. The choice depends on the terrain primarily and a little bit on weather.

If you are familiar with the gen 1, model, it is quite different than that since the width has grown 5” wider, 4” taller and about 7” longer. The geometry increases the volume out of two trekking poles (eg more space than a more traditional interior shape) so the current version is one of the largest 1P interiors available.

The ‘solid’ inners for our X-Mid have a panel of mesh (on the upper part of the doors) that can’t close, but with the X-Dome this mesh panel is accompanied by a second layer of solid material that can be closed to have it ‘full’ solid (no areas of exposed mesh). I don’t have a great photo of it, but [this shot](https://durstongear.com/cdn/shop/files/16_-_Durston_X-Dome_2_Ultraight_Tent_-_Solid_Inner_446.jpg?v=1757631867) shows it when the solid layer is shut behind the mesh

The short answer is that it is a combination of sewn on and zippers, and is included in the weight. The long answer is that the ‘flap’ of solid fabric is a triangle that is sewn along the bottom edge (permanently attached & part of the weight). So the bottom edge is ‘sealed’ such that any snow building up on the solid panel isn’t going to slide down into the tent. Then the other two sides are both sewn for the lowest 4-5” to further prevent wind blown snow from sneaking in, and this creates a pocket that the rest of the flap can be tucked into when it is open. Then above that, the side of the triangle along the main zipper has a zipper to zip shut. The zipper is not vertical, but angling over the flap, so it does a nice job of raising up the flap to cover the mesh. Operating the zipper is what closes the flap. As it does that, the final side near the top is pulled closed and sits shut with a bit of overlap. It is an overlap closure for the upper part of the ‘top’ side, such that the mesh is covered but the edge here is not ‘sealed’. We could’ve put another zipper here (or Velcro etc) but it’s at the top, sits shut nicely now, and is shielded by the fly. If it’s so windy it’s forcing snow through there, it’s probably not the right conditions for this tent anyways, but if a user wanted it would be easy to add a bit of velcro

FWIW, you could start with the regular X-Mid that is 1/2 lbs lighter, and then add the solid interior later if you were getting into winter backpacking.

Regarding your X-Mid 1P vs 2P questions, the X-Mid 1 has steadily gotten larger over time. It was 28" wide in 2018, 31" wide in 2022 and then in 2025 the gen 3 was released that is 33" wide. I think it's quite spacious for a 1P tent. It's got a lot of headroom, a lot of length, and the width is pretty good plus the sidewalls are vertical so it's not sloping narrower like some tents. The X-Mid 2 is often the highest rated PCT tent by 'couples', but gets lower ratings by solo users because it is a lot of tent for one person: [https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/pacific-crest-trail/best-thru-hiking-couples-shelters-2024/](https://www.halfwayanywhere.com/trails/pacific-crest-trail/best-thru-hiking-couples-shelters-2024/) A lot of solo people do use the X-Mid 2 and tons of them do love having a 'palace', but if I was hiking the PCT I would go with a 1P model because you're not in the tent very much, it's lighter, and does fit into more sites. With that said, you can collapse the vestibules on the X-Mid 2 to fit into the same sites as any other 2P tent. Condensation is just a fact of life in any tent, but the X-Mid is a doublewall (aside from the Pro version) so it has a barrier to separate you from it, which is about as good as you can possibly do. \- Dan

I still have my F10 helium 1 but went to an xmid 2 and then an xmid 1. I liked the helium but the headroom was an issue in bad weather or when the midges are out.

I have a helium 1. Love it but headroom is too restrictive for me now. I got a Durston x mid 2 and it is lighter, more room, easier to pitch but won't fit in the small places my vango does so I bought an x-mid 1. Still bigger. The helium 1 could sometimes get a wonky pitch and was very flappy in the wind. I once spent 12 hours in mine in bad weather. Still love it though and won't sell it. It is just too difficult for me to get in and out of now