Durston - X-Mid Pro 2

I’m 6’6” and have a xmid pro 2 for myself diagonally. Not wide enough for two talls on a thru hike imo. Xmid 2+ certainly is though. Trekking pole tents that will fit you almost certainly will have a large footprint. I’m sure you could make it work. Odds are you’ll have room to pitch it or be able to cowboy camp. If space is truly a concern y’all could consider each carrying 1p tents like aeon li’s instead.

X-Mid 2. Ridiculously good value (even being the most expensive on the list) and lighter than the other options. I got the Pro 2 for the AT later this year and the amount of room, ease of setup etc. is awesome, though the Pro is... not cheap. It hurt... but it won't hurt my back!

I'm about to take the Pro 2 on the AT. If you ventilate well with a good pitch, condensation is minimised and it's super light, plus it's big enough I'm not in any danger of brushing against the sides anyway. All Durston tents get massively glowing reviews and for good reason.

I've seen quite a few your height-gifted fellow hikers extolling the virtues of the internal room. Being aggressively average in height myself, I have a ridiculous amount of room!

As someone who is 6’ 10”. I have the Xmid pro 2 and it’s a game changer. I finally can fit without needing to curl up. I had the BA copper spur UL2 prior and it was ok but the xmid is another level.

As a 6’5 hiker I went for the x-mid 2 pro for the extra room and the ability to use it with a partner in the future. I think the slight extra weight is worth only buying one.

I have a hornet 2p and while I liked it (I def wouldn’t go with the hornet 1p) I didn’t like the way it sagged when wet. Note the hornet is semi free standing so still an issue on rocky ground. I’ve since used a Durston Xmid pro 2 as it’s so light and roomy but it’s also pricy and needs a lot of space to pitch. My next tent will be the Durston Xdome 1+. Doesn’t sag, has lots of room but less than the Xmid , proper freestanding and a good price. I’ll use that for a while before decide whether or not to sell the Xmid.

I only used Durston but it is not free standing (the one I used) and in very windy Utah wild areas and by the California beach winds, it was untouchable. But I have used a hammer and stronger stakes than the ones they offer (the lightweight ones bend). I have XMidPro2 and 2+ (but it is one piece), here is the two part - XMid 2 - they updated it even more, not much more heavier than the pro2, but again they use trekking poles and I used rocks on the flaps during very heavy storms. Lol. I don't know how to use the storm lines yet. They send them with tent but I never learned how to use it. Though, at 300 price tag and below 2.5 pounds and the space inside, you may wanna check, got my comment removed for link, so had to remove the link. For hammer in hard soils, I used MSR mountaineering one, the link doesn't go through, sorry!

Durston is my vote! I got two tents from them, was thinking to resell one but thinking to keep it if my son starts hiking on his own, so he can keep it. I want to buy the nylon one (two wall tent) next. It would be better for the winter than the one wall tent (XMidPro) that I have I think. But, the quality of their products is great! If the shipping/fees isn't too bad, consider it.

Second Durston. They could even go to for the nylon tent that is around half the price point of the dyneema tent. I have both: xmid2pro and xmid2+pro and the 2+ is roomier like you said and it is really roomy for two people with wide pads and two big backpacks and some. I slept in it on a campground in Canada through a week of rain by the lake and all stuff fitted in it. I haven't tested much in mountains except in Rockies at ~8k elevation and it was great. I am not able to give any good comparison though as I only used the two tents and even solo camping, I prefer the 2+ one.

Second Durston. They could even go to for the nylon tent that is around half the price point of the dyneema tent. I have both: xmid2pro and xmid2+pro and the 2+ is roomier like you said and it is really roomy for two people with wide pads and two big backpacks and some. I slept in it on a campground in Canada through a week of rain by the lake and all stuff fitted in it. I haven't tested much in mountains except in Rockies at ~8k elevation and it was great. I am not able to give any good comparison though as I only used the two tents and even solo camping, I prefer the 2+ one.

Any of the x-mid tents are going to be extremely easy to set up. It’s probably the easiest to set up trekking pole tent out there. You just need to stake out the corners, put up the poles, then tighten up the corner lines. It’s nice to stake out the vestibule and there are some other points on the tent where you can add guy lines for additional stability, but they are optional and aren’t necessary 99% of the time. I’ve got a xmid pro 2 and it’s super light. They are expensive, but I saved some cash by buying it used.

If you’re comfortable with a trekking pole tent, get the xmid 2. It is a fantastic tent for the money and you won’t feel like you need to upgrade later.

I have the XMid Pro 2 and backpack with one of our huskies almost every trip. Mika is 45lbs, Max is 50lbs. Just one dog and me fit easily with extra room for gear. Two people and one of our dogs would work but be tight. (replaced a Strat Li but below applies to both tents) To protect the floor, I bring a full size z-fold pad (generic z-lite). I cut it into two pieces - about 1/3 and 2/3rds. I place them together to put where the dog will be sleeping. I cut it into two pieces so that I can use the 2/3rd piece under my pad in the event I get cold. They can still use the 1/3rd. I lay a costco quilt over the top of the pad. The like to "dig" sometimes. Between the pad and quilt, it protects the floor long enough until I can tell them to stop. For just casual walking in and out of the tent, laying down etc, there would be no need to protect the floor. Kneeling on a sharp rock or stick would probably do more damage than a dog stepping on the floor. We also have a Big Agnes UL2 and UL3 we've used for people and dogs. Only damage to any of the tents (first time out in a brand new UL3) was when I walked away with the dog in the tent and she paw'd at the screen and ripped it. Luckily, she hit the pocket so it didn't affect the door.

I backpack with one of our Siberian Huskies (one is 45lbs, other is 55lbs) using either and XMid Pro 2 or Copper Spur HV UL2. I'm about 5'10". I like having some room in the tent for stuff or just hanging out. Both of the above tents work great for this.

I had a hubba Hubba nx2 but wanted lighter so I got a hornet osmo 2P. Returned it because I couldn’t get in the tent during rain without the poorly designed fly dropping water on tent body mesh. Now I have a Durston xmid2 pro for most trips and a BA copper spur 1 if its platform tenting. I love the hubba. Old style was just too heavy. All the Durston products are fantastic!

That will be so easy to drop a ton of base weight when you get a good tent. I was at 6 lb 2 person eureka. Got a 3.75 lb MSR Hubba Hubba in 2020. Last 2-3 years I have had the extreme pleasure of carrying the just over 1 lb Durston xmid pro 2. It’s pricy but the regular xmid is much more affordable. And double wall vs single wall of the pro. Nemo Hornet and any of the BA tents are great too.

Loved my Lunar Solo. You won't get a more spacious 1p tent in terms of ground space. Not sure about poor build quality; mine worked immaculately from the time I bought until the time I gave it to a friend years later. I finally upgraded to an XMid Pro 2 when my girlfriend started coming on trips with me, but my friend continues to use my Lunar Solo to this day. Pitching is not hard, just requires some practice and some knowhow. I don't think it's any harder to pitch than my XMid.