X-mid Perimeter Mesh

January 29th, 2025

Here are the photos first, for anyone who already read the text elsewhere.

Now for the explanation!

For my solo shelter in 2024 I used an X-mid 1 fly that I modified by sewing on perimeter mesh. I still enjoy using it so I wanted to share why I chose this option, how I did it, and a brief “review”.

Why:

I cowboy camp often, and have an Xmid 2 for trips with partners. I use a 1p shelter for all my summer guiding in mountain ecosystems (~30 nights), and for other trips where it's cold/rainy. Here are the other shelters I used/considered.

Gossamer Gear The One: I used this tent for two summers guiding in Wyoming (75 nights), and am a big fan the weight:price ratio, the simplicity of the single wall design, and the packability. I found its durability and stormworthinwss fully adequate. I stopped using it mostly because at 6’2” I needed to use the end timeouts (extra fuss) and my feet would still touch the fly. A secondary issue is the silnylon fabric does indeed sag when wet.

Normal Xmid (with inner): Obviously a good option, but I am looking for my 1p shelter to save more weight over my Xmid 2 than this would. Also, I have used one and found the decrease in length due to the inner undesirable (it compresses my footbox). Buying only the fly is also cheaper.

Tarptent Notch, Protrail, Dipole: All great tents, but like the Normal Xmid they are heavier than I prefer. They are also all more fussy than the Xmid in one way or another.

SMD Deschutes Plus: Light and silpoly. I tried this but it was way too small, so I returned it.

Xmid Pro: Truly seems like a great tent, and I would prefer to use this if the cost felt worth it to me. The other cons of DCF wouldn't bother me too much.

Gossamer Gear Whisper: Lightest option. I don't actually have a strong preference for a floorless design, so if I wanted to pay for DCF it would be the Xmid Pro.

Flat/Shaped tarp: I love “communing with nature” so I cowboy camp extremely often. When I want a shelter, I want easy, effective protection from rain/wind/mosquitoes.

What I actually want is a silpoly Xmid Pro. I like single wall shelters for my 1p, and I like integrated floors. Basically this would be like a perfected GG The One. But this isn't available and I don't want to make one.

How to:

The first step is to acquire an Xmid fly. Sometimes they are available from Durston Gear on the “Spare tent parts” page, otherwise you could just modify the fly from an Xmid you already own.

This is one of the easiest sewing projects one can do. It is way easier than the popular make-your-own synthetic quilt, and is very low consequence because it can be removed and the functionality of the Xmid should be uncompromised. Super fine mesh like this can be a little hard to sew, and you have to use a delicate machine. Any portable/domestic/home machine should be fine.

I ordered the lightest possible possible noseeum mesh (.5osy) from Ripstop by the Roll because I wasn't very concerned about durability issues. I cut the mesh into 8" strips and then sewed each strip together end-to-end so I had at least 340" of 8" wide mesh. Then I sewed that to the base of the tent, starting from one door and leaving a extra mesh around the doors. If I did this again I would make my mesh wider than 8", maybe 12-16" would be ideal. It is nice to have plenty so it can hug the ground and you can put weight on top of it.

Review:

The Xmid has enough reputation that I won't rehash it all, but for the unique use without an inner I find it amazing. I like the 1p geometry better than the 2p because the walls are steeper, which is awesome for liveability but less good for wind (just pitch it with the ridgeline in the wind direction). Inside it's really awesome how much space there is. One can choose a slender human-sized groundsheet to save weight or use a big groundsheet to have more clean space. I cook group meals while guiding and I can comfortable do that inside the shelter if needed. At 6’2” I often sleep on a large Xtherm and have a lofty 20°F bag, in which I'm not even close to touching the ends, even with an overquilt.

I have used this with another person and it is remarkably comfortable. The poles can be angled towards the middle and there is adequate length and width. It would be a phenomenal 2p fastpacking shelter for short trips or any trip where you can dry out during the day, because with 2 people you will probably touch the walls a little.

The mesh that I added weighs about 1oz. I also replaced all four corner guy lines with 24” cords so that I can more easily use natural anchors (highly recommended for rocky landscapes). In total my shelter weighs 21oz and packs to the size of a grapefruit.

“But how is a tent without a floor good enough?” - there are many opinions out there on this. My favorite is from renowned Alaskan adventure Roman Dial, who basically says on this podcast that sleeping in a tent with a floor is for noobs. I'm not that extreme, I'm more comfortable with integrated floors, but floorless tents are fine. 

The first thing I'll assert is that floorless tents are fine in rain. If you are camped in a spot where water will pool, a bathtub floor won't magically make things pleasant. Tarp campers know this - just think of a floorless mid as a more protective tarp.

My edition is 98% effective against flying insects and a version with a longer mesh skirt would be even better. It's not totally effective against creepy crawlies. In mountain environments this is fine. I once found a slug inside and once had a mouse come in and get stuck for 30 seconds.

In desert environments with venomous snakes and scorpions - if you're not comfortable cowboy camping, this probably isn't the shelter for you. I usually use a 6oz bivy as my only shelter in these conditions, because it usually doesn't rain. You could use a bivy inside this Xmid PM but then the weight is approaching a normal Xmid.