Durston X-Mid Pro 2 Tent Review: A Cutting-Edge Ultralight Shelter
Choosing a hiking tent is a tough choice, balancing factors such as weight, durability, cost, storm worthiness, and ease of setup. The Durston X-Mid Pro 2 is a premium high-performance ultralight shelter designed to excel in challenging conditions.
After relying on the X-Mid Pro 2 to set the self-supported FKT on New Zealand’s 3000km Te Araroa, we’re sharing our experiences to help you evaluate if it’s the right option for you.
Overview
The Durston X-Mid Pro 2 is a two-person ultralight tent that uses two trekking poles for setup. When purchasing the tent, you can choose either a silnylon floor (565g, $983 AUD) or a DCF floor (507g, $1,133 AUD). What sets it apart from other ultralight shelters is its innovative geometry, improving space efficiency and performance. This unique design is the core strength of the X-Mid Pro 2, making it stand out in the crowded market of DCF shelters.
Our tent weighs 507g, or 574g including our preferred stakes (4 x 160mm DAC J-Stake and 4 x Swiss Piranha RT90). The X-Mid Pro 2 provides ultralight hikers and fast packers with a reliable, storm-worthy shelter that balances weight and real-world performance, particularly in challenging environments like New Zealand’s Te Araroa.
Testing
We’ve spent over 80 nights in an X-Mid Pro 2, covering more than 4,000 kilometres. 25 of those nights were with the sil floor version hiking around Australia. We used the DCF floor model whilst setting the self-supported Fastest Known Time (FKT) on New Zealand’s Te Araroa trail.
We purchased our sil floor model at full price. Durston Gear provided us with the DCF floor model for the Te Araroa FKT.
Pros
Storm worthiness
For a trekking pole tent, the X-Mid Pro 2 excels in harsh weather. In New Zealand, it stood up impressively to strong winds and storms, maintaining stability even in challenging conditions. The tent’s design effectively sheds wind and snow and provided us with confidence even when we had to set up in far-from-optimal tent sites late at night. Its ability to pitch the fly close to the ground also prevented splashback from rain.
Ease of Setup
Testing the X-Mid Pro 2 on a shakedown trip on the AAWT.
The tent is very quick to set up once you get the hang of it. You peg the tent out in a rectangle, insert the trekking poles and retighten the guylines. The hardest part is ensuring that the four corners are at right angles to each other. This is more difficult when the ground isn’t flat.
Even after a long day, we could set it up in under two minutes. This was a huge plus when we were exhausted and needed to get out of the elements quickly.
Comfortable Space
Despite its ultralight weight, the X-Mid Pro 2 offers a good amount of interior space for us. At 174cm and 167cm, we can comfortably fit inside without feeling cramped. We especially appreciate the head and foot space afforded by the steep sloping walls. This makes the tent feel more liveable than some other ultralight options as we brush against the fly far less often.
Build quality
The construction quality of the tent is excellent. We haven’t observed any fraying of the DCF after 60 nights in the same tent. This is very different from our experiences with seam-taped DCF shelters, where the useable lifespan has been limited by fraying at the anchor points. Whilst hot-bonding seams and pre-shrinking DCF may seem like marketing terms, we think these techniques significantly extend the functional lifespan of a DCF shelter.
We also haven’t noticed any decrease in zipper functionality, most likely because they are placed midpanel instead of on a tensioned seam (like on the Tarptent StratoSpire Li).
Cons
Price
The X-Mid Pro 2 is a considerable investment, priced at over $1,100 AUD for the DCF floor option. For Australian buyers, after accounting for shipping, import taxes, and processing fees, the total cost can reach approximately $1,350 AUD. In comparison, the cheaper and heavier X-Mid 2 (1005g) costs around $435 AUD delivered to Australia. We discuss this option below.
Pitched on an exposed windy plateau, we were surprised at how quiet the tent was overnight.
Bulk
Although the DCF X-Mid Pro 2 is incredibly light, it is bulkier compared to its sil counterpart. If pack size is a priority, such as for bikepacking, this is something to consider.
Limited Lifespan of DCF
Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) is celebrated for its lightweight strength, but it doesn’t match the longevity of other fabrics. This limited lifespan is a trade-off for its ultralight properties, and it’s important to realistically estimate the lifespan of a DCF shelter at around 3-6 months of daily use.
Discussion
Silnylon vs. DCF Floor: Which Should You Choose?
We’ve used both the silnylon (565g, $961 AUD) and DCF (509g, $1,111 AUD) floors on the X-Mid Pro 2 and have a clear preference for the DCF floor. In our experience, the DCF version is not only lighter but also more durable and provides superior waterproofing.
Silnylon floors, while functional, can allow small amounts of water to seep through under pressure. Additionally, we find they are more prone to punctures, which can be a concern when using an inflatable mat. Although these issues are minor, they add up over time. This makes the DCF floor a better choice for us, even with its larger pack size and higher cost.
X-Mid Pro 2 vs. X-Mid Pro 2+: Which is Right for You?
The X-Mid Pro 2+ offers more interior space compared to the standard Pro 2, with the floor width expanding from 46″ (117 cm) to 52″ (132 cm) and the peak height increasing from 46″ (117 cm) to 49″ (124 cm). This extra room makes the Pro 2+ an excellent option if you’re a taller hiker, use wider mats, or simply want more space to move around inside your tent.
One of the only daylight photos we got of the X-Mid Pro 2 on Te Araroa. The company we hired canoes from for the Whanganui river section required we only paddled during daylight hours. We were nervous the nearby goats would develop a taste for DCF!
However, the trade-off is a slight increase in weight (7%) and a larger footprint (6.25%), meaning the Pro 2+ is trickier to pitch in tight spaces and is more susceptible to wind. In our experience, the standard Pro 2 strikes a great balance between weight, space, and storm worthiness, making it a solid choice for most hikers under 6ft. However, if comfort and extra room are your top priorities, and you don’t mind carrying a few extra grams, the Pro 2+ could be a better choice.
X-Mid Pro 2 vs X-Mid 2: Is it worth the extra money?
The X-Mid 2 costs $435 AUD delivered to Australia. This makes the X-Mid Pro 2 more than three times as expensive. By spending around $900 more, you lose some durability, move from a double-walled to a single-walled shelter, lose a small amount of internal space, slightly increase pack size, and save 496g (making the X-Mid Pro 2 around half the weight). The X-Mid 2 is also a better choice if you have winter trips in mind. It can be used as a 600g fly only shelter and has the added benefit of snow sliding off sil more easily.
There are many benefits to choosing the original X-Mid, whilst the X-Mid Pro 2 represents the no-expenses-spared ultralight option for people looking to cut every gram.
X-Mid Pro 2 vs. Zpacks Duplex: Which Performs Better?
The Zpacks Duplex has long been a favourite among ultralight hikers due to its impressively low weight. However, despite the two tents being nearly identical in weight, we believe the X-Mid Pro 2 edges ahead in several important areas. The offset trekking pole design of the X-Mid Pro 2 creates more liveable space with better headroom, making it notably more comfortable for longer trips where space and comfort matter.
Drying out the X-Mid Pro 2 on a quick stop in the Richmond Ranges, NZ.
In terms of storm worthiness, the X-Mid Pro 2 also outperforms the Duplex. Its design is more aerodynamic, increasing wind resistance, and the steeply angled walls are more effective at shedding snow. Additionally, the ability to pitch the fly all the way to the ground prevents splashback from rain, which is a significant benefit in wet conditions. While we haven’t noticed a substantial difference in condensation between the two tents, the included vents theoretically give the X-Mid Pro 2 a slight edge in managing moisture.
For those considering the Duplex, the main reasons to choose it would be its availability on the second hand market, the option to select from fun colour choices like orange and white, and the option of a more durable 0.75 oz/sqyd fly fabric for extended longevity.
Are There Lighter Two-Person Shelters?
Yes, there are lighter two-person tents available, such as the Zpacks Duplex Lite (423 g) and the Gear Swifts Stargazer (384 g). However, we believe that tents like these come with significant trade-offs in durability, interior space, storm worthiness, and ease of setup. These ultralight shelters can be viable options for specific niche scenarios, such as fastpacking or FKTs in ideal weather conditions. However, their compromises make them a less versatile option for most hikers.
In contrast, the X-Mid Pro 2 offers a more balanced package, delivering reliable performance in a variety of environments. This is why we chose it as our tent for the Te Araroa FKT, where the combination of weight, storm resistance, and ease of set up was crucial to our success.
You might also consider a tarp setup (~250-300g) to save even more weight. However, that comes with its own challenges, such as limited bug protection and a more complex setup. For long trips, we prefer tents because they provide a dedicated space to retreat from the elements, offering more comfort after long days on the trail.
Conclusion: Who Should Buy the X-Mid Pro 2?
A sunset from the top of Australia.
The Durston X-Mid Pro 2 is well-suited for hikers and ultralight backpackers looking for the lightest and overall highest performing two-person tent. Whilst there are marginally lighter options, we would not generally recommend them because of their significant compromises in terms of durability and storm protection. We believe the design and capabilities of the X-Mid Pro 2 justifies its high price, and earns its place in a growing and crowded DCF market.
