r/DurstonGearheads

For two days, I have been able to test the X-Mid 1 in white Durston Tyvek. This tent will never be produced, Durston has said, and I have had to promise to write exactly that, i.e., that it will never be released in Durston Tyvek. But these are my thoughts after using it.

The difference between this and my X-Mid 1 PRO in DCF is that it weighs about 550 grams more, which is about 47% more for an X-Mid compared to one in DCF. And it takes up about 100% more volume. Another difference is that the material is much more cheaper than DCF. In short: heavier, larger volume, and cheaper. But...

The positive thing is that Durston Tyvek is far more durable and feels more like the side of a house than parchment paper, which DCF can almost feel like. The material is also continuously being developed. I just found out that an even more developed model than the Durston Tyvek I have has recently arrived. It's also breathable.

This also means that it doesn't need to be folded and rolled in the same way, you can treat it like Dan Becker treats Lloyd. Partly, as you might see, it is not transparent like DCF, which I think is damn nice to have on the mountain. I have about 2 nights in the tent so far.

But even if it takes up a bit more volume and weighs more, this is my absolute favorite tent. I don't have to think about handling it in the same way, as you can roll it up on thorn bushes without any problems. The more static structure also makes it even easier to pitch perfectly.

There are plans for the material, but the X-Mid specifically will not be sold in Durston Tyvek. Yesterday I got approval from Durston to post about it as long as I am clear that it will NOT be released to the public. Previously, I had to promise not to share pictures or anything about it at all.

I strongly believe in Durston Tyvek as a material if they can make it a bit thinner so that it gets closer to the weight and volume of DCF. It is such an extremely durable material that doesn't get pinholes in it after long-term use and that doesn't wear in the same way as DCF.

I don't know how many nights you can use this before you think it needs to be replaced, there are no tests on that. As far as I know, this is the only tent that exists in Durston Tyvek apart from the one Durston has, and also the side and roof of every house in America.

But after 2 days with this tent, my opinion is that Durston Tyvek has a very promising future, as long as Justin outdoors, Miranda, Dan Becker and Eric Hanson approve. Partly because it doesn't let light in the same way, partly because it is far more durable than DCF. And I won't hide the fact that I think it looks better too... much better.

So I see a promising future for Durston Tyvek shortly, when they have reached their goal regarding the thickness and then also weight and volume.

I think some people will pay the price even if it were to cost about 50% less, which Dan has said is the approximate difference. So I don't think the price, even if it is really low, will deter people even though they want the most expensive materials known to man.

I believe anyway that Durston Tyvek will take over the market in the not-too-distant future if they manage to make it lighter.

I love my extra heavy X-Mid in Durston Tyvek at 1600 grams including guylines and stuff sack anyway and will continue to use it on my trips.

/s

https://preview.redd.it/lvd8zxzyuckh1.jpg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86857fc664c8d6a7958e434830f05cfe13977a83

Translated using Kagi Translate from Swedish here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/681466165805217/?multi_permalinks=1936935210258300

>For 2 seasons I have been able to test the X-Mid 1 in black ALUULA. This tent will never be produced, Durston has said, and I have had to promise to write exactly that, i.e., that it will never be released in ALUULA. But these are my thoughts after using it.

>The difference between this and my X-Mid 1 PRO in DCF is that it weighs about 85 grams more, which is about 17% more for an X-Mid compared to one in DCF. And it takes up about 10% more volume. Another difference is that the material is much more expensive than DCF.

>In short: heavier, larger volume, and more expensive.

>But…

>The positive thing is that ALUULA is far more durable and feels more like a plastic film than parchment paper, which DCF can almost feel like. The material is also continuously being developed. I just found out that an even more developed model than the ALUULA I have has recently arrived.

>This also means that it doesn't need to be folded and rolled in the same way. I do it anyway, i.e., fold and roll it, but it's damn nice to know that you don't have to be particularly careful with the material.

>Partly, as you might see, it is not transparent like DCF, which I think is damn nice to have on the mountain. I have about 80 nights in the tent so far.

>But even if it takes up a bit more volume and weighs more, this is my absolute favorite tent. I don't have to think about handling it in the same way, as you can roll it up on thorn bushes without any problems. The more static structure also makes it even easier to pitch perfectly.

>There are plans for the material, but the X-Mid specifically will not be sold in ALUULA. Yesterday I got approval from Durston to post about it as long as I am clear that it will NOT be released to the public. Previously I had to promise not to share pictures or anything about it at all.

>I strongly believe in ALUULA as a material if they can make it a bit thinner so that it gets closer to the weight and volume of DCF. Such an extremely durable material that doesn't get pinholes in it after long-term use and that doesn't wear in the same way as DCF.

>I don't know how many nights you can have this before you think it needs to be replaced, there are no tests on that. As far as I know, this is the only tent that exists in ALUULA apart from the one Durston has.

>But after 2 seasons with this tent, my opinion is that ALUULA has a very promising future. Partly because it doesn't let light in the same way, partly because it is far more durable than DCF. And I won't hide the fact that I think it looks better too….. much better 🙂

>So I see a promising future for ALUULA shortly, when they have reached their goal regarding the thickness and then also weight and volume.

>I think some people will pay the price even if it were to cost about 50% more, which Dan has said is the approximate difference. So I don't think the price, even if it is high, will deter people because of the durability.

>I believe anyway that ALUULA will take over the market in the not too distant future if they manage to make it lighter. .

>I love my heavy X-Mid in ALUULA at 548 grams including guylines and stuff sack anyway and will continue to use it on my trips 🙂

Feel as though pack is slightly to large. My torso was measured to be around 20-21 inches but not sure how well was done.

Bag isn’t fully loaded only a few pounds( waiting for rest of gear to be shipped over) and straps could be adjusted better but just not sure. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Am 5’11 and certainly more torso than legs…

Can’t figure out what this is for help

Just got back from an overnight backpacking trip to Lilian Lake in Kananaskis Country. Took my new Xmid along and pitched it on a platform overlooking the lake. I was able to get a nice pitch using these anchor pegs wjth integrated spring and carabiner. Shout out to geartrade.ca who I believe make these - I’ve only ever seen the straight up anchor peg version. Great tent - very versatile and looking forward to many trips with it.

Night 1 of 5 on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Hi!

I had a small tear in my X-mid 2 door fly, near the bottom (100% my fault). I tried to do a repair, which I have not done before, and wanted to ask if it looks alright :)

I rounded a patch of Tear Aid (Type A) for the inside (picture 1) and applied a thin layer of Gear Aid +Sil to the outside (picture 2). How's it looking?

I did have a question about this section of my poles, there is a slight amount of damage and a little splinter of carbon, is this a big issue? Maybe Dan sees this and has some advice?

Hi all,

I am currently halfway through my AT thru hike (flip/flop type deal). I bought my x-mid 1 (V2) back in Jan 2024 after crowd sourcing Christmas money. I had only used the tent 4 nights prior to starting my thru hike.

More recently I have noticed how very very wet the inside of my rain fly gets with rain. I’m pretty confident it is not a condensation problem as it is occurring with the vents open and 4inch + gap from the rain fly to the ground. The magnet strap for the rain fly as well as the well as the tab to clip the inner near the door get so saturated that they further drip onto the meet mesh and inside the tent.

Additionally I have had the floor get wet, beyond moist with actually water inside in areas where my body weight is not (as I do expect some moisture seeping in there). Lil shiny, where I have to microfiber cloth dry it. Anything I have set in the tent gets wet, like my phone or my pump bag for my sleeping pad. My sleeping bag can also get wet if I’m not careful to keep it completely on my pad, which gets wet on the bottom.

I do not necessarily have the budget to replace my tent. So I would love it if anyone had suggestions to mitigate this issue.

I have attached some pictures I have managed to take that help to show some of the issue. I unfortunately do not have any pictures of the floor as I’ve been trying to stay in shelters more and rain is anywhere in the forecast, which I don’t enjoy but I rather that over everything I own getting damp/wet.

Went to pack my Kakwa 55 today. While it was on the floor, I loosened the load lifter straps, and this sewing popped right off with zero resistance. Has anyone had this issue with their bag? Thanks.

I bought an X-Mid 2 a couple months ago. I had been leaning towards a hammock camping setup, but wanted my dog to come with me on some trips.

Last morning of our first trip, I had left the vestibule doors open to get some airflow, since it was a nice night. I woke up to my dog kool-aid manning through the door because he saw a bird.

Lesson learned: keep the fly buttoned up so he can't see any critters. It seems like repair would be pretty tough, so I'll start my wait for an inner to be available.

A photo of the accused is included.