Durston X-Mid 1P

This 2025 X-Mid is a decently priced, super light 1P double-wall trekking pole shelter that is a serious contender for the best shelter in its category. It packs down small, has ample interior room, dual doors and vestibules, and can be set up with a minimum of four stakes. It's ideal for three-season use.

There are plenty of helpful reviews of the X-Mid 1P (non-pro) out there, so I'll focus on the basics in this review.  First, I should note that the X-Mid that I'm reviewing is the 2025 version. It has a few improvements from the previous versions (e.g. slightly lighter and more interior room).

I did try out an X-Mid 1P in 2023 and it was too small for my liking (I'm 6'1"). However, the 2025 X-Mid 1P is bigger inside and now it fits me and my larger pad very well. I'm comfortable sitting up and lying down. And when I lie down on my 4 inch thick mat with a down quilt on me, my toes are a few inches from the mesh net and around 6-8 inches away from the outer wall. There's pretty much no way my feet or head will ever touch the outer walls and get wet with condensation. Score! 

I really like how small the tent is when you put it in its stuff sack. Also, it's only around 25 ounces, which is super light. It is a double-wall tent and you can (with an easy modification) set up just the net if you want. Alternatively, you can just set up the shelter without the net if you want. It does require two trekking poles, but it does have some easy tweaks that make it very versitile. 

The X-Mid 1P takes a little practice to get a good pitch. I've used trekking pole tents quite a bit before so I understand the concept and I figured it out pretty quickly. I like to set it up so the fly is about an inch or two off the ground. This helps minimize the condensation. You can put it right on the ground on cold nights if you want to trap in more heat (and add some condensation). It does come with two guylines on the tip of each ridge but I haven't used them yet.

I should note that the X-Mid 1P takes up more ground area than other 1P tents I've used. It's not horribly huge, but it might not fit in some spots that smaller tents would fit in. You can skinny pitch the X-Mid 1P—there are videos online to show how.

I really like the interior of this tent. The floor is plenty big and can easily fit my large Sea to Summit Ether Light XT. There's ample room leftover on the floor for some of my gear. I also like the fact that there are four(!) mesh pockets. That's awesome! There are two loops on the interior ridges if you want to hang something or add a clothesline. The dual entry doors are also great. And each vestibule is the same size—plenty big for a pack and your shoes. 

Plenty of floor room even with my large pad. 

I haven't used the X-Mid 1P in any terrible weather yet, but I can say it does fine in wind. It was gusty one of the nights I slept in it and after tightening it up this tent handled the wind just fine—minimal flapping or movement. 

A shot of the room at the side of my mat. You can leave the mesh inner connected to the rainfly and set it up that way. That's how I do it because of the bugs and ticks in the Midwest. I'm forced to sleep with the mesh netting and bathfub floor because of bugs. But it's no problem at all to leave the mesh clipped into the fly.  

All in all, I'm extremely happy with the X-Mid 1P (2025 - non-pro version). I like it because it I fit in it well even though I'm a little bit taller and lanky. I also like it because the price is right and so is the weight. Finally, the tent really is designed and constructed well. I can't complain about much when it comes to this tent. I'm almost certain you couldn't find a better 1P double wall trekking pole tent for the price.  (I should note that the Durston customer service is top-notch!)

Background

I've been backpacking and tenting for quite a few years in the mountains and on the plains. I've also tried many tents on trail and enjoy thinking about tent design and usage.

Excellent value in an innovatively designed, lightweight, and well thought-out solo tent by UL hiker Dan Durston.

This solo tent is a good option for folks seeking a good balance of light weight, space, simple/fast pitch, and strength in various conditions. I think the design is very innovative, allowing poles to be placed to the side so that entry/exit is not obstructed by poles.

The floor has a diagonal shape inside a rectangular-based fly. The separate mesh inner clips into the fly at the peaks and the four corners of the fly, allowing it to be pitched separately or remaining clipped so that both inner and fly can be pitched as one.

Before setting out on my first trip with it I set it up in the yard (see photos) to familiarize myself with the shapes (diagonal inner inside the rectangular fly) and sequence of steps to get a good taught pitch. This is pretty straightforward once you get a feel for it. In flat sites it pitches easily but can be more complicated on uneven or irregular sized sites, due to the size of the rectangular fly.

The size of the diagonal floor is 87" long (max.) but fairly narrow in width (28"), compared to many tents, but headroom is good (43"). Floor area is 17sq ft overall. The dimensions of the rectangular fly are 67 x 100".

The total weight of the tent, stakes, and stuff sack is about 28 ounces. Not the lightest tent out there, but a very good option given its excellent functionality and versatility, and relatively low cost ($200).

A larger two-person model is also available.

Background

I have other single wall and double-wall tents. This is my first trekking pole tent. Used it this season on trips in Washington's Olympics and Cascades.

I bought it based on it being lightweight at 28 ounces, ease of setup, and low investment at $200. Thanks, Dan for bringing this to market. It's now my go-to shelter on the one or two backpacking trips I squeeze in a month in mostly Ohio and West Virginia. I'm an avid, but not hardcore, hiker who likes a lightweight pack while enjoying the outdoors.

I've backpacked and camped with this tent a dozen times over the last year. It has travelled well for over 300 miles in dry and wet, hot and cold conditions. No leaks, tears, or mildew. No condensation due to the neat vents in the ridgline.