Is it worth it? X Mid Comparison with the Yun Chuan 2  

I didn't have time to give this a full watch, but my goal with the X-Mid is to have people want to buy it because it actually is worth it, rather than charging a premium based on brand/image. Of course I don't love it when people copy my ideas and designs, but rather than get upset about it I prefer to focus on delivering as much benefit with our products as I can. With the X-Mid we have it priced at about $220 USD (1P) or $280 USD (2P) which I think it quite affordable for a tent that is using high quality materials and construction. Competing tents to this are often quite a bit more expensive and we do truly have pretty minimal markup on the X-Mid tents. The prices are quite low for what it is, but yeah is it possible to build them cheaper with cheaper materials, quicker ways of sewing etc. I don't recall the exact price of the Asta Gear version but it looks like it is about $165 USD for the 1P. So roughly $165 vs $220 but with a real step down in materials/quality and also Asta Gear doesn't fully understand the design like I do, so there are a variety of aspects of the tent that don't work as well as they could (e.g. how they design the corners, orient the fabrics etc). I would think most people would be better off with the real thing for $55 more ($165 vs $220) but Europe does have that import tax loop hole where items under $150 avoid that 12% tax. So saving 12% there and free shipping, and maybe some other sales I can see why some people would prefer to opt for the low cost version even if there is a notable loss in quality/function. I am always working on making my gear as affordable as I can without compromising quality, so we do have some improvements coming in a few months. The regular and X-Mid Solid tents will start to be sold directly on DurstonGear.com where we will be able to lower the shipping cost to Europe further, and also potentially avoid the import tax if we can ship the fly and inner separately. I'm not sure of the details yet, but I think we can keep the cost difference between these tents fairly small and all of that is going into making a better tent (rather than paying for brand) so if someone is on a really strict budget then the Asta version make be the choice for them, but for most people I think we can keep the cost difference small enough that it makes sense to get the higher quality and function real thing.

great analogy. it's about time someone shed some light over the situation. great video by the way. always like a balanced honest review.

Thank you! You're the first person I've ever seen talk about the Sierra Designs High Route. Dan was clearly "inspired" by it. He simply slapped a Utility Patent on the geometry and declared himself a genius who can now sue anyone who steals "his" design. The Chinese couldn't care less though.

Great video - I agree with the comments you make I have a very limited budget so l can get together kit to enable me to enjoy the outdoors 👍

I like the point you made about price range and product competition. As a budget camper, I purchase what is within my means and I’m happy with it. I’m not getting sucked into tent snobbery. 🤨

It’s the same argument with the jetboil from about 3 years ago. Jetboils a great product but if i pay £40 for a Chinese knock off I know it’s not going to be as a good as a £130-£150 jetboil. But I don’t have the spare money to spend that much on a gas cooker when i need to purchase other stuff as well. Great video mate

Great vid and I totally agree, was thinking exactly the same with tge sierra designs. I had both and thought the x mid was a take on it. 👍🏻

Hi Michael, joys of winter camping eh? Burgers looked tasty, I liked that little ketchup bottle 😊 The morning sky was something 🌅

Hi happy new year I have camp in that same spot thanks for the video 👍

I mostly agree with the sentiment there. It's horses for courses - I have the Lanshan2 which I think is a great tent for the money, but I just bought the XMID-1 as well (50th present to myself!!) and the difference in quality is very, very evident. We all need to just accept the fact that whatever tent you buy the manufacturers are using the same materials made in the same factories (mostly) and it is the assembly/stitching/accessories that make the difference. 30D ripstop nylon/PU etc is mostly bought on huge rolls from the same places in reality. If you can afford it - buy Durston/Hilleberg etc but if on a budget then look at the copies and go with them. Ultimately it is the pleasure gained from these items that is what we are after

Good point, good review, I got X-Mid and also prefer it, more expensive but way better and reliable for Scottish weather and my long distance walks to feel safe inside. Now waiting for Dan's comment here to read, but im sure he agrees with you as haha

Another great video.. mainly because I feature haha. It was not a fart…. It was the floorboard. Loving the new camera.. deffo better than the go pro. Liked the tent but probably wouldn’t buy one. See you on the next one.

I’ve never been your biggest fan regarding your opinions, but, your opinion on copying manufacturers products for a totally different budget level of customer I do totally agree with, so we have finally found some common ground.

Good review and your point on plagiarism is spot on. Used my Yun Chuan a few times now and made a couple of modifications to the inner to make it less saggy. My main gripe with the tent overall is the foot print size, love the big porch but putting it up in tight spaces like woods it can be quite tricky. 👍

The points you made at the end of the video was bang on, i would love a Xmid but the chances of me being able to afford one is remote, i have looked at the High route 3000 the european version of the tent for two reasons the design and the small footprint but this is £200.00 plus, there will always be variations of tents similar to successful ones. Shame about the weather but still lots of people out and about, but well argued the point accross.

Spot on Mike, ivd been saying exactly the same thing since i first saw Andys vid, i was like oh come on, you all going ape but most of you have cloud peaks or havent kicked off about those, and yes i also knew about the seirra designs tent which came out years before the xmid, again the danfans seem to chose to ignore that little fact or go on saying ahh but it was slightly different, well so is this if thats your argument!!! Great vid mate and Happy New year to you and yours 👍

Some wise words here, and a cracking review of a cheaper option to the xmid.

Securing the peaks on any tracking pole tent is absolutely imperative because that's where the structure needs to be supported in high winds and is most likely where we structure fails in the high winds. I think this tent will have a higher chance of failing in high winds compared to the xmid. Those poles will have a lot of give. It's pretty cool that you can connect at the top with a tree though and I would absolutely be adding a line to the top to secure it when the pole is inside as well

Great review as always Mike, but the important answer we all need to know is... Did Ash sh:t himself? 😅I like the new camera, although it seems to have the same low light issues that most action cams have. As for the tent, I really don't like it and I'll never have one... unless they get in touch and offer me one of course 😅

Excellent review - I had been wondering when an X-Mid style tent would appear on AE. I have an ASTA pyramid tent, I really want to love it because of only needing one pole and the amount of space it allows for gear. But I have played around with it endlessly to get a pitch that works - the same problem you mention in the video about the inner touching the outer - it's almost like the two sections have been built by different teams. Frustrating but I m not giving up on it yet. Cheers

Great reasoning there Mike, well said.

Thanks for the video! I picked on one these up (3season, 1person) on the aliexpress Christmas sale for about 100 usd. Figured I couldn’t pass up the deal. Very few videos out there about the specific tent since it’s so new. Glad to have found yours. Haven’t gotten to test mine out yet. I ordered some waterproof spray to spray the seams. So you set up the outer first then the inner?

Another great video mate. I have seen this tent on the other videos & its certainly creating a HooHa. I have an Xmid2 solid bought via Kaviso & had to pay the extras. When I 1st got it I was amazed by the quality & how it just works. Since then its been tested in all sorts of weather & has held up well. To me your expert video shows the many deficiencies well but as you say its £160. I generally pay up for crucial gear & take risks with less important stuff. As the saying goes "Buy cheap, Buy twice"

You're spot on with Chinese "copies", couldn't agree more with it driving innovation & it causing a trickle down of technology and design...I know it doesn't sit well with at least one youtuber.....who loved his cloud peak 2.

Agreed 💯 % 😊👍Thanks for sharing this Video ! I have the Yun Chuan 2 / 4 season as well. I my opinion the x-mid 2 is not worth double the price. At least not the way I use this tent! I go hiking and camping 6-10 weekends a year. Sometimes I also go fishing with it. Since we have regulations in our country that you can only have a tent without a floor when fishing, I chose the ASTA GEAR Yun Chuan 2. I am very happy with it for this price. I also prefer to buy a new tent every 3-4 years instead of using the same tent for 8 years.

There was a similar issue in the rebuildable high end vaping market at one point, there were very high end expensive vaping products from Switzerland and Germany costing hundreds and were made in really small numbers and then Chinese companies made clones of them for a fraction of the price, all close in looks and design, BUT, some of them altered the design slightly after seeing reviews of the original product and ended up with an improved version at a much lower price. Nowadays, almost all rebuildable vape products are far more affordable and attainable but still very good quality, and those more expensive higher brands still exist because they have an air of exclusivity about them that will always attract customers… the only thing these “clone tents” really are doing is bringing a lower priced product to those that want it and possibly even adding improved ideas that will more than likely be considered for the future versions of the next higher end models… the Chinese companies are very good at tweaking designs to maximise their market and sales… if that then gets applied to the higher end ones in turn, that can be a very good thing…

The bottom line is: people love the feeling of belonging to an "elite club" of expensive/brandy stuff and when someone pops up with something similar, they don't feel special anymore. While in reality, when the "elite stuff" is really from a superior quality, the product itself proves their point and this should be enough to make you feel better. It happens to everything. I remember when Chinese car brands started their business, they were mostly ripoffs and only the brave bought it. Then, after some years, they didn't need to rely on copies anymore, they had their own stuff with highlights and lowlights. Copying is part of the process. And finally... "Copying is the most sincere form of flattery". Dwight Schrute

Spot on about the "plagiarism", I couldn't understand why people had a bees in their bonnets about this tent but not the hundreds of other copies out there. However, I have a Trangia burner copy which works perfectly, but I've just bought the real thing because... well I can't really explain why! Would love to see a follow up if you can mod it to your requirements.

I've never been a fan of trekking pole tents. But I do love different cooking sprays. What was that you sprayed to cook the burgers?. Butter spray?? 😂❤

Awesome review

I agree with you 100%. it's just like some of the camping gear on temu. I have some, and it so far has worked just fine. so my question to those people that complain about the Chinese companies . Why should I be held back from camping and enjoying the outdoors because I can't afford that overpriced expensive gear? That is an elitist way of thinking, and it's just not right and if they gave me too much grief I would probly give them a black eye. Dwayne

Not taking anything away from your video but please use this tent in high winds/bad weather to so we can see its quality. Great video and a very balanced explanation.

I've got a Lanshan, and picking up the Yun Chuan 2. But, if it gets a lot of use this year, I'll certainly look at the X Mid and forking out the extra. But the extra cost has got to make sense. I can already see the inner sagging being annoying & will try and mod that out in the meantime.

Just posted a comment on another channel about how I've pre rigged mine to be strug from a ridge line! As you kinda said!

Well said that man.

Hey , did you ever think it might be designed to let air in , even when it's cold. This tent is lightweight for summer . . Hyped up

Sounds like you have a very cool hike - nice video! I'm thinking about getting this tent, but I hike mostly in Sweden and this tent isn't really made for my country conditions - what do you think? I own the NatureHike Opalus 2 tent and I like it - how do you think it's worth upgrading to the YunChan 2 !?

Nice night out there ! Think you know my thoughts on this , think the “copying” issue is that is China v small cottage manufacturer not v a big manufacturer Plus who actually pays proper import duties from “Chinese” won’t mention specific companies, factor that in and suddenly Durston doesn’t look so bad just we get stung on paying proper vat and import duties from US 🤷‍♂️ anyways very good viddy very comprehensive but I would have expected no less 👍

I've not even watched the video more than a couple of minutes but I just wanted to say the quality of the film, the look is superb. What camera do you use.

I have an xmid, i had a high route. Very different tents. High route needs to be guyed out and has tiny vestibules, i was very disappointed with it, not so with the xmid

What Dan has done really well, is interact with his customers and creating almost a feverish, cult like group of fans. He seems to have a niche group of fans who forget the realities of life for most people and in business. I’ve seen his personal responses in a few places now, and I’ve yet to see acknowledgment from him or his followers that the xmid itself is a copy with minor changes. This rubs me up completely the wrong way. The Yun Chuan is simply another copy with minor changes. To me it’s outright hypocritical to be up in arms about this, even if you are a small cottage company, when you yourself have done the exact same thing. Not to mention that it shows a great misunderstanding of how consumers behave, and that people place different value in different places. No one is up in arms about the Naturehike tents because the original creators of the (Hilleberg, Fjallraven, Big Agnes) aren’t actively generating the discussion themselves like Dan does. There’s no point in them doing that because, as you rightly point out, people who can afford the “original” version, will buy the “original” version. I’m personally not prepared to drop $1.5k on the xmid (you think your import tax is bad!), it’s simply not value for money for me. I can’t look / touch / try. I’m not risking that much money on something I don’t even know will work for me. I would buy the Yun Chuan at $300 though, as that’s a low risk investment for me. If I could get past some of the (xenophobic at best) commentary on the Asta Gear version, and I decided i need a more durable or “collectors” version of it, I may keep an eye out for a second hand Xmid, but only if I could get it for under $500, which isn’t happening in my country, ignoring all the dominoes that would have to fall to get me there in the first place, because my values just outright don’t align with this bullying behaviour towards people who cannot afford a higher end, higher cost product.

Personally i dont have a problem with companies copying things.but i think people should be aware that the materials and the slight difference in design may make the product not as good like the outer fly not being polyester which doesn't sag as much when wet so keeping more tension or the ridge line guy out again providing more tension. its those little things that makes the durston arguably a better product and its those things we as customers pay for.

Love the drama who would have thought a tent could cause controversy. You mentioned another tent like this Asta one that was a clone of the X mid on Ali baba do you have a link or any place I can look at that? I have looked at this one but was unaware of another copy tent of the X Mid. I do like my X Mid 2 its a great tent

Xboil 🙌 yes a man of culture! 😁👍 I'm 6'5" Do you think I would actually fit in this tent? 🤔

Did you manage to pitch it properly in the meantime with inner and outer having sufficient distance?

Why are you always able to test the equipment I just bought? Start with the naturehike rock 60L backpack😂I totally agree with you. I just bought this tent. The reason I didn't buy Xmind is that it's too expensive in China and I can get a single person DCF tent for almost the same price. So I bought this tent to save money. By the way, Astagear isn't really a big company, it's similar to a small craft store. The stitches aren't perfect. It looks like a trainee tailor made them.

The tent review starts at 8:56. Before this is just load of cooking and eating various meals plus rambling about weather conditions.

If you could see ourside with the tent closed , that would be a fresh design .

Absolutely agree with the plagiarism thing… In fact, if somebody buys one of these and likes it, there’s a good chance they may then aim to upgrade to an x-mid one day, so it’s actually a positive. Plus, if it wasn’t for this tent, would there be so much publicity for the x-mid right now?

Does the astra need seam sealing??

I don't see what the deal is with copying design. For example Snugpak. Used to been really good but recently went up in price like the world was coming to an end as well cheaper materials. Then we have other companies coming in with the same design but cheaper and better materials. It can really go in both ways and sometimes it is a god send when you see another company trying to make a better version.

For the YC @ £160, I'd add a few quid and buy the Dusrstam Xmid2 for @ £224 ... No-brainer!

Great review! None of these cheaper Chinese tents are ever true 4 season. If you want the Durston buy a Durston. Quality and durability on these copies are rarely identical or similar let alone as well designed. There is a reason why it is cheaper after all. Anyway, if you want quality and anything other than at most three seasons don't buy this.

13:24 this is the one thing i wish the x mid came with.

Good video. My concern has never been about copying but more about how can these cheap tents be produced and shipped half way across the world for £160? I always get suspicious when something appears too good to be true. The real problem is that with most of what we buy (expensive or cheap) we are not able to know if it’s been ethically produced. By the way how did you find the sil nylon of this tent compared to the x mid being sil poly? I’d be concerned about it sagging when wet.

You're probably on your own if you have a warranty issue... I'll stick with the xmid.

this channel is not as popular as it should be. Damn algorithm