u/AshamedPossibility33

I've been desperately looking for a stand (ideally the Cricket or Tensa4) and quality tarp (ideally the WB Superfly or a similar quality with good coverage) but the rare times one is listed for sale in the FB groups I'm in it sells before I even have a chance to see it...

I have a "looking for" post in FB Marketplace for a while but either hammock camping isn't very popular here in Quebec or the hammock campers who have gear are just not looking to sell it.

I keep an eye on Ebay but looking for quality gear through all the Amazon crap and hammock lounging gear is like looking for needle in a hay stack. There's a Tensa4 I've considered but it includes many extras I might not need therefore the price is quite high.

If anyone has extra gear they'd like to sell or knows good places to purchase used gear, let me know?

According to Outdoorgearlab, the Roadie 24 keeps temperature 50F or below for up to 4 days:

"In our rigorous hot room insulation testing, the Roadie lasted 4.3 days, holding temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. (...) It then held temperatures below 50 degrees for several more hours, providing a full 108 hours of chilled beverage temperatures"

I agree this is impressive compared to similarly sized coolers however I worry about it not being airtight:

"however, the specific unit we tested was not airtight, easily leaking both air and water along the gasket seam. Reading other online testimonies of the Roadie 24, this seems to be a common experience. It would make sense that a fully airtight cooler can be expected to perform even better when it comes to insulation, but alas, the Roadie isn't quite airtight."

For those of you who own one, I'd like to know your honest opinion on the 2 points above.

Is the Roadie 48 airtight or is that an issue with the whole series?

For me a drawback of the Roadie 24 compared to the 32 or 48 is that it doesn't have wheels.

This means unless I have access to a wheelbarrow I could only use it for camping trips where the site is right next to my car.

I'm reasonably strong but I usually camp alone and I dread having to have to carry it over 50-100 meters, let alone more than that...

(original post edited)

TL;DR: IF YOU'RE ON AN IPHONE USE SAFARI !!

Not sure if it was a Chrome browser issue, outdated cookies or the fact I was already logged into my account, but 10 minutes ago all the options were available when I switched to Safari!

Got a X-Dome 1+ regular with aluminum poles + and the ground sheet because gravel is common where I camp in Quebec (mostly SEPAQ National Parks).

Considered getting the carbon poles but having ADHD my clumsiness is legendary! If ChatGPT is right and carbon fiber poles could snap if accidentally stepped on or if the pole bag is dropped on grabite, I made the right call despite the weight penalty.

Now the wait begins! 😬 It's going to feel like forever, can't wait for my first Durston tent!

P.S. If I had missed my chance I might have bought a X-mid 1 (lighter and cheaper) but at my experience level I might have struggled with a non freestanding tent.

I just saw in the options that it's possible to get your DH Darian in a symmetrical version.

Anyone here owns one?

Any disadvantages versus an asymmetrical version?

I think I prefer left lay but I am not 100% sure and I am afraid to make the wrong choice

I keep reading horror stories of people who had their cork handles nibbled on by rodents.

I've read posts on Reddit (including in this group) of people wanting to pitch their non freestanding tends handles up to prevent this.

Some people even write to no out your trekking poles in your tent as rodents will make a hole in your tent to get access to the handles.

In my case, if I get a X-mid (which I'm still debating, I don't want to regret it if I'm unable to set it up correctly), that would be my main reason to buy Tarpten adapters to pitch it handles up.

ChatGPT says the rare instances where this happened have been blown out of proportion.

GoogleAI says that rodents are attracted by the salt from your sweat in the cork handles...

I don't know what to think anymore.

Also, that common complaint that it can be harder to find a suitable spot to pitch the X-mid, does it remain true on developed campgrounds (like SEPAQ) or is it strictly a backcountry / primitive camping issue?

Just as I start looking into hammock camping to lower my pack weight when camping sites are far from parkings, I learn that tree hammocking is prohibited by SEPAQ - so basically EVERYWHERE I usually camp. 😫

Before I waste my hard earned money on gear I'll never get to use, is tree hammock camping allowed anywhere in Quebec or Ontario or does that mean I'll have to start camping in the USA?

I'm so disappointed and pissed at those airhead irresponsible jerks who ruined it for everyone else because they didn't have the common sense to learn how to hang their hammocks properly!!!

that because some irresponsable jerks have caused damage to trees

I own a Marmot Swallow 3P and used it 0-3 times/year over the last 20 years.

Granted this is far from heavy use, but you'd think that with the time some of the materials would have degrades and become more prone to getting damaged, but except for the stretched/dried out elastics (which I plan to replace), the tent is still in great shape.

I've been using a footprint but other than avoiding the type of surface for comfort purposes, I've never been overly careful not to pitch over small rocks, twigs, etc. in fear of piercing the floor fabric.

Back then things were still made to last a reasonable amount of time. When I look at today's tents, I'm appalled at the low quality of the materials used even for higher end products.

The main issue I have with the Swallow 3P is its heavy weight. The only time I use it to camp without the car being parked right next to it or (or at least close by), my ex and I had grossly underestimated how far a 2 km walking distance between the parking and the camping site would be.

Although we had split our non lightweight camping gear, it quickly became obvious it would not be possible to carry everything in a single trip so we had to walk back to the car to get the rest of it.

Needless to say that by the time we finally started setting up the tent, we both were exhausted, in pain and regretting our life decisions... 🤦‍♀️

Now that I can afford lighter equipment better suited for occasional backpacking trips, I've been looking into buying a tent that's light enough to comfortably carry for a few kilometres yet durable enough that it won't get damaged easily under normal conditions.

Most of the time I'd be using it alone, but I'd prefer a 2 person tent as I'm hoping I can convince my boyfriend to accompany me on some of the trips.

Until I found the Durston X-Dome 2, I was split between the Big Agnes Cooper Spur UL2 XL (which has a rectangular shaped floor rather than tapered) and the Nemo Dagger Osmo 2.

I've read the X-Dome 2 has a parallelogram shape that requires 2 people to sleep offset. I don't know if that's necessarily the case or if this can be avoided?

What's stopping me from taking the plunge is the delicate nature of the fabric used in these lightweight tents... Alongside the mostly positive reviews, I've read quite a few negative ones mentioning their lack of durability (a reviewer for the CS included pictures showing many holes after a single trip). Lemons and carelessness might explain some, but surely not all, of these.

From what I understand, in at least some cases the damage occurred despite the use of a footprint and careful consideration of the best pitching spot.

Supposedly, one of the advantages of the Dagger over the CS is its durability but the store model at my local store already has 2 holes in its floor! 🤯

For this reason, I had started looking at heavier but hopefully sturdier brands/models that could still be used for occasional backpacking (eg. MSR Hubba Hubba, Marmot Tungsten...) when I heard about the Durston X-Dome 2.

It was slightly more expensive but seemed more durable than the tents I had been looking at and the brand was canadian. As a canadian, I'd rather buy canadian especially from a smaller company.

After checking the website and reading many raving user reviews, I was pretty much sold on buying it ... until I watched a video on YouTube mentioning it has a parallogram shaped floor design that requires 2 person to sleep offset of each other.

Would that be necessary with 2 sleeping pads 25 inch wide by 72 inch long? My boyfriend and I like to snuggle so we strap them together.

Your advice and thoughts are welcome, keeping in mind being an occasional camper and never backpacked I'm pretty new to all of this. 🙏