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treal512
435
Jul 31, 2018
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dandurston
5116
Dan Durston
Jul 31, 2018
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treal512The 28" width is mostly the result of the basic geometry. There are three ways a wider floor could fit:
1) Widen the entire inner but not the fly. This would require moving the poles/peaks closer to the edge of the fly to shoehorn in a wider inner. This would have the negative effect of steepening the side walls so the tent would likely require guylines and/or be less robust in high winds. Not a good way to go. The poles are set back 25" from the side and end walls because that much of a set back is needed for a robust shape.
2) Widen the inner floor only (not the entire inner and don't change the fly at all). The floor could simply be widened so the walls of the inner are no longer vertical, but rather slope so the inner is wider at the bottom. This would require angling the poles outwards a bit so they don't interfere. That works, but the floor could only get a few inches wider before the edges of the floor would start to be no longer covered the fly and thus rain could fall or splash in. So realistically the floor width could be squeezed out to 30 - 32". That spec would sound a bit better, but not actually feel much different for the user because it would only widen the floor and not the width at the top, so the increase in volume wouldn't be that substantial. But I'd be open to a slight widening of the floor on future generations of the X-Mid.
3) Widen the entire tent (inner and fly). I could simply widen the entire tent, so the poles and peaks retain their current positions relative to the sides of the fly, but the center of the fly grows wider to accommodate a wider inner - like adding an extra plank to an expandable table. This is how a 2P version would be made. The reasons I am hesitant to do it for the 1P are that (1) due to the generous vestibules, the footprint of this tent is already a fair size and didn't want to make a 1P tent that would struggle to fit into small tent sites, and (2) it would add a fair bit of weight because I'd be making the entire tent wider rather than just the inner and I want to keep the X-Mid competitive at comfortably under 30oz. So the reasons are weight and the footprint. Everyone is focused on weight specs these days, and adding a few inches here and there, plus a few features, can quickly result in a 2-3oz gain and suddenly everyone is more interested in something lighter. In future versions I'd be more inclined to make the X-Mid slightly smaller (e.g. 43" fly peaks vs 46") in pursuit of a weight around 26oz.
Looking at the bigger picture, the basic geometry of the X-Mid is naturally inclined towards a 1P tent that is a bit generous in terms of vestibule area and a bit stingy in terms of floor area. However, there is a ton of headroom and volume inside the inner because of the high peaks and near vertical inner walls on all four sides, so it feels quite large despite the 28" width floor. Many other 1P tents have a wider floor but then walls that slope in a lot so they feel much smaller. For example the MLD Solo Inner is 30" wide if you looked at inner volume specs I bet the X-Mid would be ~30% larger. I find it's really this "elbow room" that gives a tent a spacious feel and the X-Mid has that in abundance.
My brother who is 6'2", 280 lbs said he felt like he had a comfortable amount of space. Also, since you have so much vestibule space, there is a lot of area to store gear there rather than inside the inner. You can store whatever gear you want inside at the ends of the inner and then put less needed gear in the vestibules (e.g. pack).
To give you a better sense of the floor area, here is a properly scaled diagram showing several other population 1P tents but of course you could find larger ones.
For the 2P version, if we were to start on that shortly it would take 4-6 months to do a bunch of rounds of prototyping and then a similar manufacturing time, so the soonest it would be in customers hands would be next fall. So the 1P is the only version that will be ready for hiking season in 2019. I'll talk with Massdrop soon about the 2P and see what their interest is.
1) Widen the entire inner but not the fly. This would require moving the poles/peaks closer to the edge of the fly to shoehorn in a wider inner. This would have the negative effect of steepening the side walls so the tent would likely require guylines and/or be less robust in high winds. Not a good way to go. The poles are set back 25" from the side and end walls because that much of a set back is needed for a robust shape.
2) Widen the inner floor only (not the entire inner and don't change the fly at all). The floor could simply be widened so the walls of the inner are no longer vertical, but rather slope so the inner is wider at the bottom. This would require angling the poles outwards a bit so they don't interfere. That works, but the floor could only get a few inches wider before the edges of the floor would start to be no longer covered the fly and thus rain could fall or splash in. So realistically the floor width could be squeezed out to 30 - 32". That spec would sound a bit better, but not actually feel much different for the user because it would only widen the floor and not the width at the top, so the increase in volume wouldn't be that substantial. But I'd be open to a slight widening of the floor on future generations of the X-Mid.
3) Widen the entire tent (inner and fly). I could simply widen the entire tent, so the poles and peaks retain their current positions relative to the sides of the fly, but the center of the fly grows wider to accommodate a wider inner - like adding an extra plank to an expandable table. This is how a 2P version would be made. The reasons I am hesitant to do it for the 1P are that (1) due to the generous vestibules, the footprint of this tent is already a fair size and didn't want to make a 1P tent that would struggle to fit into small tent sites, and (2) it would add a fair bit of weight because I'd be making the entire tent wider rather than just the inner and I want to keep the X-Mid competitive at comfortably under 30oz. So the reasons are weight and the footprint. Everyone is focused on weight specs these days, and adding a few inches here and there, plus a few features, can quickly result in a 2-3oz gain and suddenly everyone is more interested in something lighter. In future versions I'd be more inclined to make the X-Mid slightly smaller (e.g. 43" fly peaks vs 46") in pursuit of a weight around 26oz.
Looking at the bigger picture, the basic geometry of the X-Mid is naturally inclined towards a 1P tent that is a bit generous in terms of vestibule area and a bit stingy in terms of floor area. However, there is a ton of headroom and volume inside the inner because of the high peaks and near vertical inner walls on all four sides, so it feels quite large despite the 28" width floor. Many other 1P tents have a wider floor but then walls that slope in a lot so they feel much smaller. For example the MLD Solo Inner is 30" wide if you looked at inner volume specs I bet the X-Mid would be ~30% larger. I find it's really this "elbow room" that gives a tent a spacious feel and the X-Mid has that in abundance.
My brother who is 6'2", 280 lbs said he felt like he had a comfortable amount of space. Also, since you have so much vestibule space, there is a lot of area to store gear there rather than inside the inner. You can store whatever gear you want inside at the ends of the inner and then put less needed gear in the vestibules (e.g. pack).
To give you a better sense of the floor area, here is a properly scaled diagram showing several other population 1P tents but of course you could find larger ones.
For the 2P version, if we were to start on that shortly it would take 4-6 months to do a bunch of rounds of prototyping and then a similar manufacturing time, so the soonest it would be in customers hands would be next fall. So the 1P is the only version that will be ready for hiking season in 2019. I'll talk with Massdrop soon about the 2P and see what their interest is.
treal512
435
Jul 31, 2018
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dandurstonDang! I love your responses. So detailed and matter of fact. I am still on the fence, but I really appreciate your feedback to my specific concerns and efforts to inform me of what I am getting into. We are lucky to have you be a part of this community.
Fushu
21
Jul 31, 2018
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dandurstonMASSDROP let him make a 2P!!!! (though I'll settle for a 1+)
Kykep
17
Aug 2, 2018
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dandurstonPlease do so about the 2 person tent, we need it. Maybe on 10 to 12 occasions I almost bought the tent, it was a close call, but Im also 215 pounds close to 6'1 and the only reason I didn't buy the tent it was because I was concern about the inside room I will have . I'm really looking forward the 2 person tent.
Edit: I just saw the review over on YouTube, I was looking for that review for awhile and now I can say that I regret that didn't order the tent. Next time a video review should probably be one of the first things you should do when coming up with a new model. Really home Massdrop allow another order on the tent soon.
Edit: I just saw the review over on YouTube, I was looking for that review for awhile and now I can say that I regret that didn't order the tent. Next time a video review should probably be one of the first things you should do when coming up with a new model. Really home Massdrop allow another order on the tent soon.
dandurston
5116
Dan Durston
Aug 2, 2018
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KykepYeah it's pretty spacious. The floor isn't super wide, but it's long, the walls are vertical and the roof is high so it feels spacious. My brother is 6'2" 280 lbs and he felt quite comfortable in there.
Hopefully there will be some in stock in the spring.
Hopefully there will be some in stock in the spring.
Kykep
17
Aug 2, 2018
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dandurston
dotyhikes
5
Aug 3, 2018
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KykepYes, I'd like to get in on the drop, but I found out about it about 6 hours before it ended and didn't have the money. I appreciate that Dan designed an Ultralight, affordable tent. I hope they open it back up!
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One of the main things holding me back from pulling on this is the 28" width of the inner. I am not big by any means, but I'm a large person at 6'1" 215 lbs. Is the 28" width inner for the sake of weight and or minimalism? How stuffy is it inside for side-to-side movement? Sorry if this has already been answered, but this discussion is getting long. I am going to dive into this with the search bar right now.