X-mid Pro 1 - What to X-pect?
Since the release of X-mid 2p Pro, many solo hikers have been waiting for the 1p Pro to be released. Well, the specifications release date is set to 23/01/23 (which has a quite nice ring to it), ordering opens on 24/01/23 and the delivery is scheduled for mid-February. Official specs are still to be released, but durstongear.com has some information out there.
Expect a tent weighing a mere 1 lbs yet with remarkable stormworthiness, ease of use, and build quality. It will have a compact footprint and tiny packed size, yet be incredibly spacious with best-in-class useable length, shoulder room, and headroom.
1 lb is 453.5g, which makes it very attractive for ultralight solo hikers. Competitor to the likes of Zpacks Altaplex or Plex Solo (UL thru-hiker favourites), albeit a bit heavier. The weight penalty can be “offset” by higher volume, non-floating bathtub, 2 ceiling vents, 2 doors, 2 vestibules and D-shaped doors (which keep the doors off the ground from dirt and being stepped on), and better stormworthiness, if any of those things are important to you. 1p Pro does require two hiking poles, so either carry a Durston Gear Z-flick pole(s) or go with a Zpacks tent or other alternatives.
Bath tub Sizing
2p Pro is narrower (122cm) than the regular 2p (132cm with 4cm shorter bathtub), which also indicates that 1p Pro could be narrower than the regular 1p (81cm). I owned the original Drop 1p which the bathtub was only 71cm compared to the current models which have 81cm. The original Drop 1p was wider (end to end) than most other solo tents, and it was certainly wide enough for me and my long wide mat, it didn’t leave much space for anything else inside. The current width of 81cm is better, as it leaves a bit more room for tossing and turning, and keeping small items inside the inner, like ditty bags. It’d would be a shame if 1p Pro would be 70cm wide, as that little extra space does increase the liveability quite a bit. Maybe the groundsheets, of which weights have already been released on durstongear.com can give us a clue?
Comparing the groundsheet sizing, 1p Pro is 22% less than 2p Pro (1p is 32% less than 2p, so correlation is not accurate), which would make the 1p Pro 93cm wide if the length is the same as in 1p and 2p Pro (at 230cm). That's pretty wide compared to 1p solid at 81cm, so let's say the width will be 85-90cm making it super spacious. Direct comparison of the groundsheet is tricky due to other hardware than just the fabric. However, it’s unlikely that the 1p will be wider than the regular 1p, as the 2p Pro is narrower than the regular 2p. In fact, 2p Pro is 7.5% narrower than the regular 2p. If using the same ratio compared to the regular 1p, that would make the 1p Pro 75cm wide, which would make sense, as hybrid wall construction removes the need for the space in between the inner and the outer, allowing either to increase the internal space or decrease the overall footprint.
Fly Sizing
The regular 2p fly size is 210cm x 254cm and the 2p Pro 203cm x 254cm. This makes the 2p Pro fly size 3.3% narrower than the regular 2p. If this same ratio was to be applied to regular 1p and 1p Pro, this would make the 1p Pro fly size 164cm x 254cm. However, it’s also probable that the vestibules might be a bit smaller, so let’s say the 1p Pro 160cm x 254cm.
Weight
As mentioned on durstongear.com, the 1p will be under 1lbs or 453.5g. Dan just posted a trip report for his High Route Extension of CDT/GDT. This trip report features some photos of the yet to be released X-mid 1p Pro. The photo on the left was already released by Dan on the Durston Gearheads FB group as a teaser a while back. Both tents in the photo are X-mid 1p Pros, mostly likely both of them are prototypes. The white one is an earlier prototype. The Spruce Green (which looks a bit blueish) is the same colour as in the already released 2p Pro, so we can then assume that it’s a more recent prototype.
In his gear list, 1p Pro with stakes is listed as 530g.
In one of the photos, there are six stakes, and if you zoom in on the closest corners of the tent, a bit of Y-shape in red showing, I assume these to be MSR Groundhogs. If they are regular Groundhogs at 16g each and 6 stakes used (as seen in 3 photos), that'd make 16g x 6 = 96g deducted from 530g weight making the 1p Pro weight 434g.
Summary prediction
Weight: 434g
Fly: 0.55 oz Dyneema® Composite Fabric (CT1E.08) in Spruce Green
Bathtub: 15D Sil/PEU nylon in grey (floor)
Fly zip: YKK #3 AquaGuard water-resistant zippers (fly)
Inner zip: YKK #3 zippers (inner tent)
Fly dimensions: 160 x 254 cm
Fly area: 4.1 sq m
Peak height: 117 cm
Floor width: 76 cm
Floor length: 230 cm
2 ceiling vents
Pockets in inner
(hoping for loops on inner apex for a line)