No. The sleeping area is asymmetric so it is a bit different on each side, but the tent is spacious enough so that two people can comfortably sleep the same way. About 95% of X-Mid 2 owners sleep the same way.

In more detail, the tent does have two corners where the roof is lower (the corners further from the poles). When sleeping the same way, one person will have a low corner at their head and the other person at their feet. However, the floor length is very generous (92″) so these lower corners are not something you occupy but rather are extra space for gear storage. The person with the low corner at their head should slide down, while the other person slides up, so both people are positioned side by side and with ample space. It really is very comfortable for two people sleeping the same way, and certainly more comfortable than most 2P tents on the market since the X-Mid 2P is quite spacious.

The X-Mid 2 has a very typical footprint for a reasonably spacious trekking pole tent. The footprint is smaller compared to pyramid tents and is only sometimes considered large when it is compared to relatively small freestanding tents.

Trekking pole tents do have a bit larger footprint than freestanding tents because freestanding tents can steepen the lower walls to trim the edges, but the main difference is that many mainstream ultralight tents are quite tiny, so certainly there are tents with smaller footprints but X-Mid 2 is very similar to any other reasonably spacious 2P tent. We think providing a comfortable amount of space is the right approach because it benefits you every night, whereas only on rare occasions is the bit larger footprint a small inconvenience. The X-Mid is one of the most popular tents on the Appalachian Trail where smaller campsites are common, and we trimmed about 10% off the footprint for the second generation version, so it is even less of a worry.

The diagram below shows that the footprint of the X-Mid 2 compared to other popular and reasonably sized 2P tents, to show the footprint takes less area than many others.

The X-Mid is built at the same high end factory as respected brands like MSR and Mountain Hardware. Our price is only lower because we sell direct to you rather than having a large retail markup (retailers typically double the price). By eliminating that markup, we can pass most of the savings onto you, while also investing a portion into building even better gear. For example, the X-Mid is the highest quality as we insist that literally everything is double sewn, and we use premium components such as waterproof YKK AquaGuard zippers that are rare even on the most expensive tents (e.g. Big Agnes doesn’t even use them on their $1000 tents), and yet our price is lower than anything comparable simply because of the slim markup.

There are a few other tent companies that also sell direct yet are still priced similar to tents at retail. That’s simply because they’re enjoying generous profit margins while hoping you wrongly assume their higher prices means higher quality. Take a close look and you’ll see those tents often aren’t even seam taped nor fully double stitched yet cost 50% more. Even at a higher price, you can’t find higher quality than the X-Mid.

There are tents with traditional pole sets that are lighter than the X-Mid, such as the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 (35 oz). Since pole sets are heavy (often about 10oz) to get the tent that light, something has to give. Commonly that’s space and durability, where a traditional tent as light as the X-Mid is almost certainly far smaller, less durable, and lower performance (e.g. lacking vents). In the case of the Tiger Wall UL2, that accomplished through giving up a lot of durability (e.g., 10D fabrics, #3 zippers), cutting useful features like vents, using less waterproof fabrics, and making it smaller (e.g., tapering the floor to 42″ at one end). By using trekking poles and a more efficient geometry the X-Mid 2P can offer more interior volume, higher performance/water capability, and more durable fabrics, zippers, and coatings at a similar weight. Instead of a small tent for docile conditions, the X-Mid 2P is a nicely sized 2P tent with legitimate foul-weather capability.

Yes. The inner easily disconnects via buckles at the peaks and clips at the four corners to leave just the fly. If you want to pitch just the inner, you can remove the fly peaks’ guylines and tie them to the inner peaks while adding knots for the pole tips, but the Stargazer Kit on Durston Gear makes inner-only pitching much easier as it has separate guylines that clip right on plus grommets for your pole tips and tensioners for quick adjustment.

The X-Mid 1 and 2 are designed to work with almost all adjustable length trekking poles and some fixed length trekking poles. The length of pole needed can vary based on how it is pitched and uneven ground, but the X-Mid tents typically pitch with the poles in the range of 46-48" and almost always in the range of 45 - 50". Adjustable poles are ideal for fine tuning the pitch and the X-Mid is compatible with every telescoping adjustable pole on the market. At Kaviso, we recommend Fizan Trekking Poles.

The X-Mid 1 and 2 tents are designed to pitch with the pole 'tips up' by fitting the tip into a grommet. Almost every pole will be compatible with this grommet but it is possible that rare models of poles have unusual tips shapes that are incompatible. At present, we only know of the Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z poles as being incompatible as they have thicker tips. These poles can still be used in a 'handles up' orientation with Tarp Tent adapters.

Durston Gear offers folding, adjustable length poles called Z-Flick poles that can be used instead of trekking poles. These are the lightest adjustable poles on the market and can be purchased in X-Mid tent bundles as well.

There are also less common folding style adjustable poles (e.g. Black Diamond Distance Z Carbon) which have more limited ranges and may only work in certain sizes so you should check the specified adjustment range to ensure it spans at least 46-48" (117 - 122 cm). Fixed length poles can also be used in the 115 or 120cm lengths, although these can be slightly too short or too long such that additional techniques are needed (e.g. angling them to make them lower, or shimming them up to be taller).

The main reason is that nylon absorbs water in wet conditions. That results in 3 big problems: First, it expands (or “sags”) about 4% which makes for a saggy tent in wet conditions. This is a common problem in nearly all lightweight tents, but low weight polyester fabrics are finally available which solve this. Second, nylon’s water absorption makes the tent slow to dry and heavy with up to a pound of water in the fabric, and third, nylon weakens by about 10% when wet. Polyester doesn’t absorb water, so it doesn’t have any of these issues plus it’s far more UV resistant so it lasts longer.

A) The X-Mid 2 is our most well rounded 2P tent, while the X-Mid Pro 2 is our cutting edge ultralight version. They are both built the highest quality and just have different aims.

The regular version is a bit more spacious, more durable, and more functional (e.g. doublewall) but the Pro is a lot lighter (20 vs 36oz) and not far behind in those categories. It’s only slightly smaller and still good in tough conditions, but it is a bit less durable (e.g. #3 zippers), doesn’t protect you from touching condensation (since it is hybrid/singlewall) and a lot more expensive because it uses extremely light but very expensive Dyneema composite fabric. The X-Mid 2 is a great tent for anyone, but if you can afford DCF and don’t mind trading away a bit of durability the Pro 2 will save an entire pound of weight off an already very light tent.

For the most weather resistant pitch, you should pitch it low to the ground (shorten the cord at the corners as much as possible), use the optional stake out points around the base to spread the load, and deploy the peak guylines. Orient the guylines towards the long sides of the tent to support those larger walls. For extreme conditions, you can add a second peak guyline by tying cord inside the peaks and running it out the vents. This way, you can guyout each peak from two directions, which makes it extremely strong.

The X-Mid geometry is the most volumetrically efficient shape possible. Thus, it is impossible to design a lighter tent unless you use lighter materials, fewer features, or make it smaller. If you find a more lightweight tent, it likely is a single wall design that isn’t nearly as good in sloppy conditions, or it uses DCF fabric and thus costs at least 2.5x as much.

Any tent that uses similar materials and is also a double-wall usually is quite a bit heavier. Of the few tents that are not, these are always smaller, less featured, or both. We could make the X-Mid smaller or less featured too, but its current design is carefully considered so that it is among the lightest tents in its class while still offering a comfortable amount of space and a useful feature set. Basically, the weight is similar to the lightest woven double-wall tents out there while providing more space and features. To save another two ounces would require large compromises in function or durability, such as hard to use door clips instead of zippers, smaller or omitted vents, and delicate hardware. Tents that make these compromises are much less well rounded.

The 20D floor is designed to be durable enough to use without a groundsheet, whereas many other UL tents use more fragile 10-15D floors. However, it still requires care not to pitch on sharp sticks and rocks, and the floor could be damaged on harsh surfaces like gravel. For harsh surfaces or a cleaner floor, Durston Gear offers a groundsheet.

A) Check out our repair guide.