u/dru1d1

Hello. I've been looking into adding a new tent (at least one :D) to my gear selection, and the amount of praise Durston gets has not gone unnoticed. I do already have a couple of tunnel tents, one being more towards three-season/shoulder-season usage and one being a proper expedition-grade tent.

What am I looking for, then, and what kind of questions do I have?

Well, something lighter, which is a no-brainer since both the X-Mid and X-Dome would 100% fit that category. But I'm also keen on understanding what kind of weather each of these models can realistically be pushed into, and what kind of configuration would make the most sense for different conditions (e.g. carbon vs. aluminium poles, mesh vs. solid inner). I'm considering the 2P models since I'm quite often camping with a partner.

Our yearly hikes and camping range from the Finnish archipelago to Northern Norway, as well as more mountainous areas such as Jotunheimen in southern Norway (and pretty much everything in between).

My concern is that I'm trying to find something that fits absolutely everything, and it just seems to get a bit difficult when also trying to stay relatively lightweight.

To me, it seems like the X-Mid would be considerably more storm/wind-worthy, while the X-Dome would be a no-brainer for trips in the archipelago or on smaller islands in Finnish lakes. Archipelago and island camping generally requires reasonably good weather for boating or kayaking, so I don't think storm-worthiness is quite as crucial for that particular usage, even though the sea can obviously surprise you.

On the other hand, pitching a tent on smaller islands (sometimes with no flat areas and very rocky surfaces) could be tricky with a trekking-pole tent, and this is where I can see the X-Dome's freestanding structure being a major advantage. The weight also isn't such a big factor when moving around by boat/kayak/canoe.

Then again, when moving to mountain plateaus where high winds could hit the tent, I'm more concerned about the freestanding structure and how much it can actually take, even when properly reinforced. I've seen a video where an X-Dome completely collapses in strong wind with the carbon poles, although it also recovers afterwards. This made me wonder whether aluminium poles would be a better fit for this kind of use.

I've also been wondering about the solid inner. It seems like it could make quite a lot of sense for Scandinavia, especially in exposed and windy conditions, but I'm not sure if I'm overestimating the benefit. I do have a relatively warm sleeping system already, so warmth isn't necessarily the main reason I'm considering it.

Also, how are these tents to pitch in regular winds? So let's say in +10 m/s (22 mph) sustained winds? I get that they can both take at least the twice the amount of wind, but I've seen some people struggle with getting a good pitch in windy conditions. Is it actually difficult, or is it mostly a matter of getting used to the pitching procedure? And how about when the wind or gusts gets significantly higher? 10ms/22mph is something that I consider very common, but of course it's still far from any kind of gale force numbers. I'm also trying to get an idea how each performs in different kinds of environments, not only occasional one night storms.

And finally, I could also just look at the price difference between the X-Mid and X-Dome and use that money towards a cheaper freestanding tent for the occasional island trips.

All comments and different perspectives on my considerations are highly appreciated. Thanks!