Head to head
Durston X-Mid vs Tarptent StratoSpire 2
The Durston X-Mid gives each person more floor — 16.6 sq ft against 15.6, which is the difference between standard and standard. The Durston X-Mid is the lighter carry at 31.3 oz, and the Durston X-Mid is the cheaper of the two at ~$319.
 Durston Durston X-Mid | Tarptent Tarptent StratoSpire 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ultralight | Ultralight |
| Rated capacity | 2-person | 2-person |
| Floor area per personestimated | 16.6 sq ft (standard) | 15.6 sq ft (standard) |
| Floor area | 33.2 sq ft | 31.1 sq ft |
| Vestibule area | 23 sq ft | 25.6 sq ft |
| Peak height | 48 in | 48 in |
| Minimum trail weight | 31.3 oz | 38.8 oz |
| Packed weight | 34.3 oz | 43.8 oz |
| Weight per personestimated | 15.7 oz (trail weight) | 19.4 oz (trail weight) |
| Pad fitestimated | 2 × 25 in pads fit | 2 × 25 in pads fit |
| Fits sleepers up toestimated | 7ft 2in tall | 6ft 8in tall |
| Doors | 2 | 2 |
| Freestanding | non-freestanding | non-freestanding |
| Poles | trekking poles | trekking poles |
| Wall type | double wall | double wall |
| Season rating | 3-season | 3+-season |
| Floor hydrostatic head | 3,500 mm | 5,000 mm |
| Packed size | 12 x 6 in | 16 x 5 in |
| Approx. price | ~$319 | ~$339 |
Durston X-Mid
The X-Mid 2 is the most floor-per-ounce tent in this catalog: 33.2 square feet — more than an MSR Hubba Hubba LT 2 — for 31.3 ounces, and $319. The geometry is a rectangle pitched off two offset trekking poles, which puts the poles at the corners of the doorways instead of in the middle of them, and pitches with four stakes. It is double-walled, which almost no trekking-pole shelter this light is, and the 3500 mm silpoly fly does not sag when it gets wet. The catch is the obvious one: no trekking poles, no tent, and the footprint is 65 by 100 inches, which needs a bigger flat patch than a dome does.
Best for
Anyone who already carries trekking poles and wants the most usable floor per ounce that money can buy.
Tarptent StratoSpire 2
The StratoSpire's hexagonal footprint is the reason to buy it: six small fabric panels under balanced tension, which is a far better shape in wind than the four big panels of a square mid. Inside there is 31.1 square feet on a 52-inch floor that widens to 62, plus 25.6 square feet of vestibule split across two sides, and it is genuinely double-walled with a choice of mesh or solid inner. Thirty-nine ounces, $339, and two trekking poles that can go handle-up or tip-up depending on their length.
Best for
Exposed camps where a square mid gets loud, and pairs who both use wide pads.
Rows where the two differ are tinted. Specs are the makers’ own; floor area per person, weight per person and pad fit are our arithmetic on them.