In 24’ I started with a smaller tent and upgraded to the Durston X mid Pro 2+ at Shenandoah. Mine has sil poly floor. Room to set up was never an issue. There was one place just north of Mt Washington where we had to use a wooden platform. Two tents per platform. I had to wrap a corner or two over the edge of the platform. It still worked great. I enjoyed the extra room especially on the rainy evenings/mornings. I have consumed the Durston koolaid. I won’t go back… 🥾
Ricky Bobby
Edit: the location was Mizpah. Also I ended up moving to my own platform later same evening when the sites didn’t fill up.
I've mostly ditched dome tents for pyramids for their lighter weight and using my trekking poles instead of dedicated tent poles. IMO, campsite selection is more important than tent strength. Don't setup on a high ridge, mainly because you don't want to be caught in lightning, but also to stay out of direct wind. Even at high elevation I can always find protected spots.
If it's not buggy, I prefer my floorless Seek Outside Cimarron. I've used this a lot at elevation through all sorts of bad weather and it's been great. Have to take some care to ensure stuff is off the ground when the rain is really coming down.
If bugs, then my Durston X-Mid Pro 2+. This is a newer tent so I've only used it once, but I have no concerns about longer term durability. To be clear, it's not bomb proof, you have to careful will most backpacking gear. Like don't set it up on jagged rocks, stand on it with boots, force zippers... common sense stuff.
I would recomend the Durston xmid pro 2+ or the solid version if you expect high winds in a dusty area. This is especially true if you guys are not in a relationship due to proximity because it’s designed to sleep head to toe and has less limitations of many tents. The 2+ version will fit two wide sleeping pads very comfortably and generally feels much bigger inside than its exterior appearance would suggest compared to other tents I have used. I have the regular two person pro version and it is a bit narrow with two wide pads and we have to be careful not to put too much pressure on the inner floor fabric. I would love to have the 2+ version but it was not created when I bought my tent. That being said it is still a huge tent compared to other manufacturers but still much lighter than competitors for similar size. What sets Durston tents apart from competitors is the location of the tracking poles right above the door or your head when sleeping or entering the tent door. It allows you to sit on opposite sides of the tent next to each door. This allows two people to sit up in the tent across from one another and have about 6 feet between your heads with the high tent ridge between you and set your gear up or play cards easily without bumping into one another . If it is raining or simply too cold to be outside, this makes a huge difference when you are in the tent, either setting up gear or hanging out . When I had my Z-Pak duplex, there was not enough room to do any of this without bumping into each other . It was literally impossible for us both to be inside the tent setting up gear at the same time let alone hang out or play cards. The Durston tent design is beyond function and has been a life changing tent experience for us.
The zpacks duplex is an antiquated design but was very innovative when it came out and a pioneer in its own time and thus deserves a lot of respect! Having said that I would never recommend it unless you want to feel cramped and have your head a few inches from the wet tent ceiling versus several feet above your head using the durston.
Edit: we are tall people with big feet haha… Short people can use smaller options tents…. Some camping locations may only fit small tents. Check all tent sizes to tent spots available in designated camping areas etc…
https://durstongear.com/products/x-mid-pro-plus-tent-ultralight-thruhiking
Hey, zpacks fre duo is outstanding in wind. It barely moves. I also have the plex solo, it is also really good in wind. it’s my go to for summer fall above tree line. I had it in 80-90 km winds I had to get up and out a couple times to re set things and beef up the lines as the wind was a surprise, my friends big Agnes was destroyed, poles where actually snapped. One thing is, unlike my fre duo the plex has 10 steak outs so it takes a bit of time to set up but I always found a way. It’s under a pound so that’s awesome. I’m gonna get hate here- I also have xmid 2p+, fantastic tent but it’s a sail in the wind. Had it in sustained 80+ km winds while my son had the fre duo, the duo again barely moved! And was quite. He slept most the night! Me in the xmid! Holy shit ! That thing was as if I was in a wind tunnel, the noise was defining, and cut through 3 steak outs, I was able to repair on the go so it would continue to stand. But.. it did stand. Yeah not good in big wind, if I know for sure there is wind, big wind- first choice - fre duo, last choice- x-mid.
FrugalATHiker
