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Will it go on your bars?
This is a trekking-pole shelter, so there is no pole set to fit across the bars at all.
This is a trekking-pole or tarp shelter, so there's no pole set to fit across your bars. You do need a support solution — trekking poles strapped to the frame, or a dedicated pole set.
This is a trekking-pole or tarp shelter, so there's no pole set to fit across your bars. You do need a support solution — trekking poles strapped to the frame, or a dedicated pole set.
Only 29 of the 43 shelters we track publish a figure we can compare, which is why this question is so hard to answer anywhere else.
Compare every shelter by pole lengthDurston Gear X-Mid 1 Solid — Specs & Analysis
Manufacturer specifications, compared against every other shelters & tents in our database. We do not test gear in the field — we measure, verify, and compare.
Dan Durston's X-Mid has become a cult favorite for its clever geometry. The offset pole design creates two doors and two vestibules in a trekking pole tent. Incredible value for the features and weight.
Who Is the Durston Gear X-Mid 1 Solid Best For?
Best value in ultralight shelters with two-door livability. If that describes your riding style, the X-Mid 1 Solid should be at the top of your shortlist. It sits in the Shelters & Tents category alongside 17 other products we track.
How It Compares
At 890g and $289, the X-Mid 1 Solid is 740g heavier than the lightest option in this category (the Borah Gear Cuben Fiber Tarp at 150g). The most budget-friendly option is the MSR Thru-Hiker Mesh House 1 at $150.
The price-to-weight ratio comes in at $32 per 100g — a premium price point, but you're paying for quality, materials, and design that justify the investment for serious bikepackers.
What We Like
- +Two doors and vestibules at this weight
- +Excellent value at $289
- +Intuitive quick pitch
- +Great ventilation reduces condensation
Watch Out For
- −Requires two trekking poles
- −Silnylon can sag when wet (non-DCF version)
- −Sells out frequently
The Bottom Line
We haven't scored the Durston Gear X-Mid 1 Solid, and neither has anyone else we can cite. It's here for its verified specifications and dimensions, which is what the fit tools run on — a score is an editorial judgement, and we don't hand one out until someone has a basis for it. What this page can tell you is measured: 890g, $289, and how both sit against every other shelters & tents product we track.
Price and Weight checked against the manufacturer on 18 August 2026 — see the source.
Specifications and dimensions come from the sources listed above. Where a page draws on first-hand riding, it says so.
What it packs down to
Durston Gear publishes a packed size of 4.5" x 15", which is 3.9 litres as a stuff sack. Of the 55 bags we track that publish a capacity, 36 have room for it and 19 do not.
Volume is computed from Durston Gear's own packed size, treating a two-dimension figure as a stuff sack. Bag capacities are the makers' published figures, not ours — 12 of the bags we hold dimensions for publish no capacity and are left out of the count rather than assumed. A stuff sack does not reshape itself, so read the headroom as room to spare rather than a guarantee it goes in easily.
How the X-Mid 1 Solid compares
Against the bags people cross-shop it with, measured rather than reviewed — including how many real frames each one fits.
How it compares
Against the 18 shelters & tents we hold published specs for.
At 890g the X-Mid 1 Solid is lighter than 6 of 17 alternatives we track. The category median is 822g.
At $289 it undercuts 13 of 17 of them, against a median of $360. That works out at $32 per 100g — below the $50 median for shelters & tents.
Weight and price come from published specifications. Cost per 100g is a blunt measure — it rewards light gear and says nothing about durability or whether the thing works — so treat it as one input, not a verdict.
More in Shelters & Tents
Ultralight tents, tarps, and bivvies designed for minimalist overnight adventures.