X-Mid Pro 2

FAQ

Q) Do two people have to sleep opposite ways?
No. We recommend that two people sleep the same way. The sleeping area is a bit different on each side, but the tent is quite spacious with 20-35% more interior volume than its main competitors, so two people can comfortably sleep the same way.

Compared to most trekking pole tents, the X-Mid’s diagonal ridgeline is substantially longer which gives greater headroom in the tent. This extra headroom is gained diagonally, so two opposite corners get outstanding headroom, while the other two corners have more regular head room. You could sleep opposite so both people get extra head clearance, but when sleeping the same way the person on the regular side still has as much or more head clearance than competing tents so there is no headroom disadvantage on one side – just extra headroom on the other.

Since the X-Mid Pro 2 is longer than comparable tents (106″ long canopy vs 95-100″) the person with the lower corner at their head can slide down to leave that corner as a space for gear, while the other person slides up from the lower corner at their feet to leave that for storage. This puts both people in a normal side by side position with ample headroom and handy gear storage at both ends of the tent, as you can see below:

You could sleep opposite so both people have extra headroom, but it really is very comfortable for two people sleeping the same way.  If someone is quite tall (e.g. 6’4″) they will prefer the side with added headroom. Only if both people are taller than 6’4″ do we recommend sleeping opposite. These people wouldn’t fit at all in most competing tents.

Q) Why is the floor nylon instead of DCF?
A) We like DCF but think nylon better suited for a floor than the 1.0 oz DCF that is commonly used.

DCF is super strong Dyneema fibers laid between two sheets of mylar. The dyneema fibers make for a really strong and light material that is great for a tent fly, but because the outer layers are just mylar film the abrasion resistance is relatively low.  To be useable for a floor, most companies switch to the 1.0 – 1.2oz versions of DCF that uses extra thick outer mylar layers. This improves abrasion and puncture performance so it is good but now it has the downside of being bulky since it is about 3x as thick as a woven fabric (this causes the complaints about DCF tents being bulky). We think a woven floor makes sense because it offers similar durability and weight weight at a smaller packed size while also being easily repairable with tapes.

Q) Does the X-Mid Pro 2 have a large footprint?
The X-Mid Pro 2 is designed to be a reasonably spacious 2P tent and thus does have a larger footprint then some 2P tents which are quite tiny when actually used by two people, but it is still quite normal (see diagram). Our original X-Mid 2 had a larger footprint but it has since been refined smaller and the Pro has a smaller footprint yet. We think a more spacious tent is the right trade off because the extra space benefits you every night, while a slightly smaller footprint is only rarely helpful and even then you can collapse the vestibules of the X-Mid Pro 2 to have a tiny footprint if needed.
Q) What is a singlewall/hybrid tent?
A singlewall tent is when the floor of the tent is sewn to the fly so the canopy has just one layer instead of having a second inner layer of bug mesh or fabric. The X-Mid Pro is singlewall in some parts (ends, roof) but still doublewall in other areas (sides) so it can be called a hybrid tent. The design is 100% bug proof and brings substantial weight savings. The downsides are that you don’t have the ability to use the fly and inner separately, and that there aren’t mesh inner walls in all areas to prevent you from touching the fly if there is condensation. The X-Mid Pro 2 has every possible advantage to minimize condensation (e.g. large peak vents, spacious) and it is not more prone to condensation than other tents, but if condensation does occur you do need to be more careful not to touch it. The X-Mid Pro makes this easier than most single wall tents because it is more spacious and has steep walls so condensation won’t drip.

Q) How does the angled ridgeline affect headroom while sitting?
Most noticeably, the angled ridgeline gives substantially more headroom. In any trekking pole tent, the ridgeline is the part with maximum height, so a longer ridgeline means more headroom. In the X-Mid Pro 2 the ridgeline is 60″ long while competing tents are 45-50″ – meaning that the X-Mid Pro has 20-35% more headroom.

The other difference is the position of this headroom. The X-Mid ridgeline is diagonal, so when two people share the tent one person will have the highest area a bit above the center while the other person has it a bit below the center. This offset is fairly minor as the the highest areas are only about 6″ away from the centerline and the tent is quite tall so you don’t need to sit exactly there, but you may find that you prefer to shift your position slightly as you sit up to take full advantage of this headroom. This is something that quickly becomes second nature, and when you do gives a large increase in personal space because the two people sit slightly offset from each other instead of shoulder to shoulder. So the headroom layout is unique but gives more total headroom and personal space.

Q) Does the X-Mid Pro 2 fit two wide pads?
Sometimes. The X-Mid Pro is carefully designed to be just large enough for two wide tapered pads. Wide pads are spec’d at 25″ width but typically measure a real world 24-24.5″ when inflated for a combined width of 48-49″. The floor width of the X-Mid Pro 2 varies depending on how it’s pitched (a lower pitch also lowers the floor walls for a wider floor and vice versa) but typically the floor width is about 48″. Thus, two adjacent wide pads will bulge the sidewalls out only slightly. This is normally fine with two wide tapered pads (e.g. Thermarest NeoAir) since >90% of the pad length under 24″ width and thus the bulged section is minor and not stressing anything. We do not recommend the X-Mid Pro 2 with two wide rectangular pads (e.g. Nemo Tensor) since it would bulge the full length of the floor and thus stress the corner connections. When using wide pads, we recommend pitching the tent lower for the widest floor. To do this, adjust the corner cords short before staking out the tent.

Q) How tall of people does the X-Mid Pro 2 work for?
The X-Mid Pro 2 has a length inside the fly that is 6″ longer than it’s main competitors because the X-Mid, Zpacks Duplex, and HMG Unbound are all 100″ long but in the X-Mid Pro you sleep on a 20 degree angle to the fly so the length inside the fly is 106″. The floor is still 90″ but this longer fly gives create headroom and clearance at both ends.

When sleeping two people in the tent we recommend it to 6’4″. That is a realistic estimate of what we think 90% of people would agree with (not some inflated marketing answer) but the actual outcome varies depending on several factors including how thick your pad is, if you use a pillow, how large your sleeping bag is, how straight you sleep (e.g. side vs back sleepers), and how much space you think is enough. If you have a bulky setup and want a lot of extra room you might only find it suitable to 6’0″ whereas if you have a compact setup and aren’t too fussy it can work to 6’6″+. We recommend sleeping in the same direction, but note that the headwall will be steeper for one person than the other, so if one person is taller we recommend they on the steeper headwall side for a bit more clearance at their head end. If you are considering using this tent solo, the parallelogram floor gives one diagonal that is very long and we think it works well for up to 7’0″.

Q) How should I pack the X-Mid Pro?
A) You should roll the tent rather than stuffing. DCF can eventually delaminate over time if it is subject to repeated sharp creasing. Rolling the fabric reduces this and will prolong the life of your shelter.

Q) How durable is X-Mid Pro?
A) DCF is an incredibly strong material with several times the strength of normal tent fabrics. However, it can delaminate if it subjected to bias stretch and it can be puncture and abraded. This is why we reinforce stresses along the bias with DCF backed tape, and we only use DCF for the canopy of the tent which sees minimal abrasion and puncture stress. Provided the canopy is treated reasonably well (e.g. not used to sleep on top of, folded not stuffed) we expect it last 200-300 nights. Floors are commonly the weak link in DCF tents, which is why we have opted for a more durable 15D woven floor. This type of material is common in lightweight tents and will last as long as the canopy when used with the care. With a groundsheet and thoughtful use, this tent could last a lifetime.

Q) Should I use a groundsheet?
A) The 15D floor is more durable than the floors in many ultralight tents which can be 7-10D fabrics or 0.8 – 1.0 oz composites. We have selected this 15D material because it is durable to use without the added weight and hassle of groundsheet, provided care is used not to pitch on harsh surfaces like gravel, pine needles, or bedrock. However, for a cleaner floor or use on harsher surfaces, we offer a groundsheet. 

Q) The appearance of the DCF is uneven. Is this normal?
A) Yes. DCF is an artisan material where the Dyneema® fibers are hand laid. As such, variation in the density of the fibers and the corresponding color of the material is normal. In particular, darker bands every 12-18″ are common where the hand laid strands overlap.

Q) Should I pitch it with the pole tips up or down?
A) The X-Mid Pro 2 is designed to be pitched with your poles oriented handle up. The tips go into the small elastic loops on the sides of the floor. If you pitch your X-Mid Pro 2 with the tips up it can damage the tent.

Q) I don’t use trekking poles. What can I do?
A) We offer 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.

Q) How can I repair my X-Mid Pro?
A) DCF can be repaired easily with DCF backed tape, which is widely available from RipstopByTheRoll and other tent companies. We are working on having repair supplies available. For repair of the woven floor or bug netting check out our repair guide.

Q) How does the X-Mid Pro compare to [some competing tent]?
A) 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, cut features, or make it smaller. With the X-Mid Pro we have designed the lightest possible tent that is still reasonably spacious and functional. Thus, any lighter tent and even other tents at a similar weight will provide less space, function, and stormworthiness for the weight. Commonly those tents are smaller, use more delicate materials, and lack peak vents, a full coverage fly, door zippers, and a tensioned floor. To illustrate this, check out the ‘compare‘ tab.

Q) What is hot bonded construction?
A) DCF is commonly joined together using a double sided tape or sewing. Sewing is the least desirable option because unwoven materials like DCF have poor ability to hold stitching, so the seams are much weaker. Double sided tape works well and is the most common method, but these adhesives still weaken in extreme temperatures. They can slip in hot weather or fail in extreme cold. Hot bonding construction also uses adhesive tape, but with a special heat activated adhesive that is stronger and much more temperature stable. We use a double sided tape between the overlapping panels of material, plus we add single sided DCF backed tape on the outside of the seam. The DCF backed tape is important because it adds Dyneema® fibers running parallel to the seam so the seam does not stretch under load (one of the most common failures for DCF tents is when this step is skipped, leading to the seams stretching and cracking under load). Our tapes are applied at room temperature and then the seam is pressed under heat to set the adhesive. Using a heat activated adhesive and pressing every section of the major seams is a more labor intensive and costly process, but the result is the strongest possible tent with the cleanest look and much better performance in extreme temperatures.