X-Mid 2 Solid

The Solid version uses solid fabric instead of mesh for most of the inner and makes a few other changes to increase stormworthiness.

The most notable change is the solid inner fabric that provides a warmer and less drafty space, although it can be too warm for very hot conditions. Mesh is still used for the upper half of the doors for outward views and ventilation.

Additionally, the Solid version gains buckles at the base of the fly zippers, premium low-stretch guylines, and additional reinforcement at some optional stake points around the base. It remains great for all around use but more aimed towards use in cooler climates, the shoulder season, and winter trips.

The X-Mid tents have been influential in the recent trend towards polyester in ultralight tents, with many other companies initially criticizing our fabric choices and then later switching themselves. We weren't the first to use silpoly, but the X-Mid was the first popular ultralight tent to opt for polyester and our passionate defence of its merits has been a key reason for its resurgence.

The main advantage is that poly does not absorbs water in rainy conditions, whereas nylon does. That results in 3 big problems: First, it expands (or “sags”) about 4% which makes for a saggy tent. 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 sag, dries faster, remains strong when wet, and doesn't gain as much water weight.

The diagonal ridgeline gives a different distribution of space on each side. One side will have very generous headroom while the other side will be more typical. As such, the more generous side works for people up to 6'4" while the the lower side works for people up to 6'0".

If you are using the tent solo, the tent is extremely spacious for tall hikers because the parallelogram floor gives one diagonal that is extra long. For solo use we recommend it up to 7'0".

No. The headroom is a bit different on each side but the X-Mid 2 is highly spacious with up to 35% more interior volume than its main competitors, so two people can comfortably sleep the same way.

Here is a look inside

Compared to most trekking pole tents, the X-Mid’s diagonal ridgeline gives greater headroom which is gained diagonally, so two opposite corners get outstanding headroom, while the other two corners have more typical head clearance. You could sleep opposite so both people have outstanding 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. Only if both people are taller than 6’4″ do we recommend sleeping opposite.

Since the X-Mid 2 is longer than comparable tents, the person on the regular side does not need to sleep up in the lower corner. They should slide down to leave the lower corner as a space for gear. This puts both people in a normal side by side position with ample headroom and handy gear storage like this.

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 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.

There are tents with traditional poles that are as light as the X-Mid 2 Solid. Even with the lightest tubing those polesets are still heavy (about 8 oz) so something else has to give. Almost certainly that’s space, protection, and durability.

A traditional tent as light as the X-Mid will be much smaller and use more delicate fabrics and much thinner waterproof coatings. You’ll also find they omit features like vents and use tent poles that are much weaker.

Compared to the lightest freestanding tents, the X-Mid 2 Solid offers a more spacious, durable and high-performance shelter for the same weight.

The X-Mid 2 Solid is a comfortably sized 2P tent and thus does have a larger footprint then that some 2P tents that are quite small. There is a trade off here since a tent that is larger on the inside will also be larger on the outside, but the footprint of the X-Mid 2 is still quite normal for a 2P tent. Additionally, we trimmed about 10% off the fly area for the second generation introduced in 2022.

The diagram below shows that the footprint of the X-Mid 2 compared to other popular 2P tents:

Footprint diagram

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 and even then you can collapse one or both vestibules to fit into smaller sites. The X-Mid is one of the most popular tents on the Appalachian Trail where smaller campsites are common.

We like to fold and roll the tents because it is easier to get a smaller packed size, but it is also okay to stuff this model.

The 20D floor is more durable than the floors in many ultralight tents which can be 7-15D fabrics or 0.8 – 1.0 oz composites. We have selected this 20D 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, added safety margin, or use on harsher surfaces we do offer a groundsheet.