Mountain Laurel Designs - DUOMID ™ | 5.7X9.2

IME it’s much easier to pitch well than my duomid.

I absolutely love my Cirriform for 3 season use. While it can handle some winter it wouldn't be my first choice as a dedicated winter shelter. The number of stakes it takes and the complex geometry makes setup more complicated than other shelters in winter. I know you said you're not concerned about snow loading, but due to it's shallow walls that make it great in wind it's only ok at snow loading. Personally at 5'10" I can sit up in my Cirriform unless I've really slammed it to the ground in storm mode, but it's certainly not roomy. Granted in winter if you're willing to take the time you can always dig down and make the living space much larger. I have the older version with a larger vestibule so I can easily cook in it. I'm not sure how easy that would be in the current design. [Cirriform in the snow.](https://www.imgur.com/a/q82lfZe) Personally I use a MLD Duomid for winter, but I don't think that's going to be cheap to get to Canada and I'm far more worried about snow loading where I'm at.

To be honest my main reason for going with the Duomid over an X-mid is that it's a time tested design that has served people well in extreme conditions. I will say I do enjoy digging out the base of the Duomid which I can do since I just lash my two trekking poles together to get the height needed. A traditional mid will also do better in high winds which doesn't seem like you're too concerned about. [Here's some Duomid pictures if you're interested.](https://www.imgur.com/a/cUwDSYj)

This would be my choice for those conditions.

1\. Probably an MLD Duomid. Mids offer really good protection for the weight and the tradeoff compared to other shelters is headroom, but you're not that tall and also the Duomid is large enough to fit a second person and thus will have a bit more room when solo. I'd get the Solomid XL inner to pair with it but only bring it along on buggy trips. The caveat here is that it is a non-freestanding shelter. I think there's the impression that freestanding is easier and non-freestanding is harder but I think that this is one of those skills where it is less that you need to be really really good at it before it is useful and more that there is a bar of ability and once you clear that it is easy. To be even more specific, I think if you have a good eye for angles and to a slightly lesser extent can tie knots then you won't find a non-freestanding shelter any more difficult to pitch than a freestanding shelter. If you don't have a good eye for visualizing angles and/or are knot-phobic then you might want to just take the weight hit and get a freestanding shelter. 2\. This is a lot harder to do. You've basically said you are going mostly solo but sometimes with a second person and potentially in every weather condition imaginable. A two-person pyramid shelter is probably the best jack-of-all-trades option for that vague description but getting beyond that requires a bit more specificity. It's easy to think you need to be prepared for every weather conceivable because every conceivable weather is near you, but the flip side is that you get to pick when and where you go on trips. Which two shelters would best cover your trips is going to depend on which types of trips you take the most and what you find most necessary in a shelter. If half of your trips are an even mix of all of those weather conditions and the other half are you going to an established campsite in good weather with heavily impacted campsites then I'd go with the do-it-all Duomid and add in a freestanding tent that'll be better for the fair weather campsites. If the bugs aren't that bad in monsoon season I'd want a big tarp because I like having a huge dry area on a wet trip, and also you just can't beat the ventilation of a high tarp. If you do want to go out in more extreme winter conditions then you'll definitely want a proper winter expedition tent which would absolutely not be good for any of the other types of trip. Any of those shelters (or others!) could pair with a pyramid or each other depending on which types of trips you choose to do the most.

Do you use trekking poles? If you do, mids are a great lightweight option that stand up well in wind. MLD make the duomid XL that will fit 2 people and still have a vestibule even with the inner attached. They’re sold with the inners here in the uk, https://thegearcottage.com/collections/brands

MLD Duomid or Solomid XL is probably a great choice. I used a Duomid in Alaska's Brooks Range in 2015 and Wrangell St. Elias in 2017 and they held up great. I also have an X-Mid 1P and have used it in the Tetons, Wind River Range, Sierra, etc and it's been great, though I'd say the MLD is more stormworthy. Locus Gear and HMG also have mids that would be worthy alternitives to the MLD Mids. If you really want UL wind-worthyness the MLD Trailstar is the best, though it does have some other drawbacks.

The top ultralight option for Iceland might be the MLD Trailstar - It should be rock solid in the wind for a UL shelter. The MLD Duomid (or a mid from HMG, Locus Gear, etc) would be a great option too. I've used a Duomid multiple times in Alaska in Brooks Range and it held up great.

I've actually owned both (though the Solomid XL I had was the older non offset pole version) and I don't think it makes much difference. I used both in some pretty nasty weather - both have been to Wind River Range and Alaska with me on trips and I preferred the Duomid, though the newer offset pole Solomid XL looks really nice too - I think either would do great. I mostly use an X-Mid 1P now, but it doesn't seem nearly as stout as my Duomid in high winds. I have sold the Solomid, but use the Solomid XL inner with the Duomid as a 1P shelter. Also - though I typically like the Easton stakes and use a mix of the 6" blue and 8" gold (when needed), in the soft tundra of Alaska, I've found that MSR Snow Stakes work really well - I'm not sure if Iceland has similar soft tundra that doesn't hold stakes well or not.

If you're open to non - freestanding shelters I'd recommend the MLD Trailstar for that particular trip as it's bomb proof in the wind for such a light shelter. For something a little more well rounded a small mid is great - the MLD Solomid XL or Duomid, the HMG Ultamid 2, or Locus Gear. I've got a Duomid and have used it twice in Alaska - once above the Artic Circle and in all sorts of exposed campsites. Typically I use an X-Mid 1P now, but it wouldn't be my first choice for Patagonia winds, I'd rather use my Duomid in those conditions. If you want something heavier, the Tarptent Scarp is very popular choice in the UK where they get similar type winds.

The Durston looks to be a solid choice. I have friends who used a Tarptent Stratospire 2 which looks like a very similar design, although in 2 person size. In 2016, I cycled through a few options before ending up with a MLD Duomid with inner tent. Worked well for me, didn't blow down like a few others did when camped in high winds near Tehachapi and other places. The silnylon that the Duomid is made of is heavier then Cuben, but funny enough, it packed down smaller than the smaller Cuben tent (basically a Six Moons Trekker, but in Cuben. I can't recommend that, especially for freak snow loads) that I had been using before changing to the Duomid. Easy to pack too, just stuff it in without regard to rolling, a pretty mice feature then packing up in the morning. Just to keep things clean, I also used a piece of raw silnylon as a ground sheet. not as light as polycro, but I found it easier to live with day in and out. One thing I would recommend, no matter what tent you end up with, would be to attach some long guy lines to the anchor points. Several times I ended up camping in sand that would not hold the stakes I had (Ti wire stakes) or was impenetrable. Long lines let me wrap rocks or logs and use those as anchors. You can use some fairly light line for this. I used reflective guylines.

why not a mid? duomid + floor would be a great option

Better wind and snow-shedding because of the steeper walls. (But the Durston option is probably fine if you're in a bunch of trees.)

If you use trekking poles a good option for year round use would be the MLD duomid or if you needed a bit more room the duomid xl. Mids are great in wind but also very light for the size. If you want to take a look and find more info we have them here on our website, https://thegearcottage.com/collections/mountain-laurel-designs

If you use trekking poles a good option for year round use would be the MLD duomid or if you needed a bit more room the duomid xl. Mids are great in wind but also very light for the size. If you want to take a look and find more info we have them here on our website, https://thegearcottage.com/collections/mountain-laurel-designs

UL-ish winter, I’d go with a MLD mid shelter. They’ve been used in 4-season adventures including a winter thru hike int the Sierra (Trauma and Pepper’s winter thru).

The Duplex is too heavy? It’s much lighter than any other tent you or anyone else has mentioned in the thread. Anyhow, for your use case, I would recommend a pyramid-style shelter - MLD being the best. Pegging the shelter is essential, free-standing or not. If you learn the big-rock/little rock method you will be able to pitch any shelter anywhere.