Thanks for your review. With your measured width of 48 inches means the two 25 inch pads will be touching and leaning into the tent walls. This is the same experience I have with the Double Rainbow LI. Maybe even worse with the Double Rainbow. Two rectangular 25 inch pads will definitely push the and deflect the outside walls of the DR LI. Also when one is on the pad you need to move away from the edge to keep from touching the walls, so you don’t get to use the entire width of the pad. I don’t think there is any way to resolve this except to use one 25 inch pad and another 20 inches. I believe all tent manufacturers use standard 20 inch wide pads as a reference for how many people it can fit. Only way I know of to have comfortable space for two is to use a 3 person tent for two people. Along with a DR LI, we also have a Big Agnes Copper Spur 3 person Long version. This size of this tent is ideal for two people that value comfort over weight as it weighs 3.5 lbs. Not too bad but much more than the DCF tents from Tarptent and Zpacks. Every trip we evaluate whether or not we want to carry extra weight and bulk of the Big Agnes vs the Double Rainbow. It would be nice to have a DCF treking pole tent that is maybe 55-60 inches wide and around 30 oz or less. Maybe Zpacks OffSet Trio is one of the few options to consider for this.
I suspect part of the problem involves making a tent that also fits in normal wooded sites, the triplex and dipole 2 are huge, as well as keeping a good structure as the base widens and increases the side walls. But yeah, it would be nice to have a true 50” width tent with room for extras. I think my wife and I will move to two separate tents, to have more flexibility setting up and room around the sleeping area. Thanks for the comment!
Excellent - Thank you ! I'm sorry to hear of your leaky Triplex. Ours is 6 years old and has always kept us dry. We just had in 40+ MPH winds and she did well. BUT this Dipole looks really interesting. Thanks!
Glad to hear the triplex has been good to you. Once seam sealed ours didn’t leak either - unless the bathtub floor was pushed out or backsplash came in. The duplex and triplex have done remarkably well in the wind. We haven’t yet had the dipole in as high of wind, maybe 20-25 mph at a guess, partly because I’m wary about pitching somewhere exposed. Hope the triplex continues to work well for you! We have an old duplex that keeps on chugging along.
Thank you much! The dipole hasn’t been used much since we got off trail. I tend to seam sealed and left it in the rain with no leaks, but haven’t used it in the rain. When we go finish off the last AT section I doubt we’ll bring it since it takes a bit of space and doesn’t set up well on tent platforms. There may not be any significant updates, sorry.
I just wanted to comment that we appreciate your advice on UL tents that are truly for two people. We elongated the GG and Durston tents for the same qualifications as you. We also currently have the Triplex and appreciate the in depth comparison to the Dipole! Cheers
Glad it could be of help! I’m impressed you modified the tents-I don’t have that skill with sewing. Have you noticed the triplex dyneema shrinking too?
Glad you liked it. It was going to be a throwaway video, more for my learning the editor. I wasn’t going to upload it but I’m glad to see it has been watched. I’m still seeing leaks in this tent, but customer support got back with me very quickly today. Thank you Crow.
Thank you much! Mostly the channel was to record trips to better remember them, and let family and friends follow along. Most of my gear is pretty generic for backpacking these days, but this tent was new enough that I thought maybe it would help someone.
Nice walk through of the Dipole. It looks nice and super spacious. A quick note on the X-Mid Pro 2: The fly does come down lower at two corners but the length inside the fly is quite generous (6" longer than the Triplex, 12" longer than the Dipole) so the idea is the person on that side can slide down to leave the lower corner as a space for gear. This puts the two occupants side by side (because of the parallelogram shaped floor) and gives a few inches MORE head clearance than the Triplex. That's not to say it is as spacious as the Dipole. The Dipole is a serious generous 2P tent and definitely is roomier (at the expense of some more weight). I agree the Dipole is the better choice if you want a seriously roomy 2P tent and regularly use wide pads.
Thank you. I hadn’t considered shifting down since we usually sleep at the same level, but it is a good point. The 48” width was indeed my sticking point that stopped me from considering the X-mid Pro much further, though the weight and some of the design features caught my eye. If I’m in the market for a tent to supper a long solo hike it is bookmarked as something to revisit.
@@hobblinhikers1847 It's a bit counter intuitive, but shifting down actually puts you on the same level because of the floors parallelogram shape. If you don't slide down, the person on the low side is higher up. I wish I could post a diagram but RU-vid deletes comments with links. Perhaps a clearer way to think of it is that the X-Mid has a normal rectangular floor, plus extra little triangles for gear storage at top opposite corners. If you slide up into those triangles yeah the roof is low, but there's no need for that. But yes the 48" width is borderline for two wide pads. If you use two wide tapered pads like XLite's then they will fit fine because the sidewalls of the floor can tilt out a bit, but we don't recommend it for square wide pads because the ends of the floor have struts and don't tilt out as readily.
I’ll take a look next time I’m around someone on trail. The last one I crawled in was in 2021 on trail, so it has been a minute. At the time I didn’t look too much more because the tents weren’t available much. Y’all have hit some sort of sweet spot because the tents are becoming so common. Thank you for the input!
Hello Dan, I know you've been asked many times before. But I couldn't find a clear answer around: Are there any plans for adding those two so much needed inches of floor width in the next iteration of X-Mid Pro 2? I would preorder it instantly.
While I appreciate the comments about leaks in these tents, I have to note that for decades (mostly with silnylon shelters) I've taken them out onto the golf course behind the house and soaked them with a lawn sprinkler for a few hours and then both seam sealed them and spotted any leaks. Usually only has to be done once, when you get the tent. I've found this to be true on almost any tent I've purchased.
I’ve been pretty naive and lucky prior to the Triplex and Dipole. Every other tent that has come seam sealed or taped has not leaked until the two triplexes and this dipole. If I remember right, my first trip in the Yama tent was a wintry mix downpour for hours with high gusts and it performed perfectly- but I shudder in hindsight thinking of the risk we took. Live and learn. BTW I’m still off daydreaming of the sierras after your first comment.
Sudecif i could get a dipole design with the triplex floor spec i would be in love lol, im a big guy with really wide shoulders, i have been wanting to get a 30 inch wide pad but my wofe has a 25 inch pad , and as anyone who has researched these before knows it impossible to find any with that spec
I should note that I've had a couple of Henry Shires' tarp tents for years (since he first began to sew them up) including one Dyneema version that's gotta be 10-12 years old. They aren't designed for high winds or seriously rainy conditions, and they're slow to set up in those conditions. For that weather, I've been using a Stephenson Warmlite 2R. That's probably the fastest and driest tent to set up that I've used in really nasty rain/wind, and even though it's sold as a 2 person tent, I usually use it as a single. It's just far more aerodynamic in high winds (though it weighs in at about 2.75 pounds). I should note that I'm backpacking in the Sierras, at altitudes up to 11,000'. I'm not carrying a 25" wide blow-up style pad (usually just lightweight closed-cell foam).
Thank you. I’ve never heard of Stephenson before and will look them up. Yeah I consider these types of tents a bit like tarps - site selection, weather, and being below tree line are more of a factor. If I were not hiking as a couple this tent wouldn’t be a candidate either. But it just needs to be better than the triplex, which we’ve used on the AT from Ga to Pennsylvania as well as many trips in the Superstition and Gila wildernesses plus northern Az. I do miss the expansive western views and would love to go to the sierras someday, but I can only envy those of you who can sleep on the closed cell pads. The reduced weight, durability, and ease of setup were amazing. Loss of sleep and walking like Gollum for the first half mile, not so much.
Thanks for this review. I normally use a hammock but on some trips hammocks are not practical. I got rid of my Tigerwall tent and have been looking for a replacement. Of course Z-packs are the most popular of the dyneema tents but I’m very intrigued by the dipole. I’ve been unable to locate a demo so I need to go by reviews. Your review is very persuasive and I’ve seen a couple of other dipole reviews on RU-vid. Likely I’ll get the dipole even without a demo. Thanks again.
You’re welcome! I’ve never hammocked since most of my early backpacking was out west where it isn’t practical, but it does look comfortable. I was so focused on a two person tent that I really didn’t even look at the one person version of the Dipole - if you buy one I’d be interested in your experience. I did have leaks with my tent, but others have commented that they haven’t seen any issues and been in moderately high winds. Tarptent customer service responded very quickly so we’ve been corresponding before the holiday weekend. They said they had been seeing customer complaints regarding the leaks. In the meantime I’m pretty sure I’ve found the cause and it is an easy fix and probably a one-off. I’m on travel for a few weeks but I’m planning on doing an update video once I return and it is resolved. My wife is pretty happy with the tent despite the leaks for what that is worth.
@@hobblinhikers1847 I’ll sure let you know when I get a dipole. I’m hoping any leaks would be with the stitching, which may be fixed with seam sealer even though I hate using it.
I’m believing that this can be fixed with the repair tape tarptent included with the tent, but haven’t verified this with tarptent nor will I have a chance to try it until I’m back home from travel in a couple weeks. I’m sure seam sealer would work too - it is not my favorite stuff to use either but it is not like I’d have to do the whole tent. Just localized spots.
Interesting video. I have a Tarptent Rainbow. Unique and underrated company. I’m unfamiliar with this model I guess it’s fairly new. I’m going to check it out thanks
I really want to like this tent, but am still seeing leaks. I’ll probably put out another short video after chatting with Tarptent’s customer service. Glad you got something out of the video.
I’ve got a Triplex and really regret buying it. I do not get the promised 90” length either. I’m 6’6” and end up touching at both ends. The darn thing also leaks in just moderate rain.
You are the first one I’ve heard of that also had a leaky duplex or triplex! I wondered why we were so lucky to get two of them, but I’m sorry to hear you got to share in the frustration. After sealing the seams and guy out points with gear aid WP I didn’t have anymore leaks. But I had to seal the whole tent. I also can’t imagine being 6’6” in the triplex unless you were using it solo and sleeping diagonally, since being 6’2” felt like the upper limit. I suspect you’d be fine in the dipole2 and maybe even the dipole 1 because of the vertical walls. I’d guess I have 8” of margin in the 2, but the 1 is 2” shorter. The dipole seems to give gives much more usable length than the triplex. The leak on the dipole is, I think, caused by the factory skipping seam sealing at 4 small locations that I believe will be an easy fix. I’m on travel for a while so I can’t confirm that. I’m planning on putting out a short update video when I’m back and the leaks are resolved.
@@hobblinhikers1847 thanks for the update. I'll be selling the Triplex soon. I have also sealed the seams but got rather wet last week due to my height - I end up pushing the bathtub floor outside of the overhand and rain just runs inside to pool within the bathtub floor. Ive really had it with this tent. Its not what Z-Pack told me I was buying. The Triplex is also 'peg heavy' - taking 14 pegs. Im not comfortable with the Dipole design as I feel it is a wind catcher. I am going to look at the Durston tent closer.
I hear you. I thought afterwards about suggesting the X-mid too. Moe Berg said in a comment on this video that he had had the dipole in moderately high winds with no issues. I had also heard a podcast with Andrew Skurka in which he made a sideways comment about the X-mid in the wind, but since my primary drivers are weight and size I resigned myself to compromise. Good luck!
I just got mine Tarptent Dipole 2 Li (Check out my video) I chose the Tarptent mainly for the spacious interior. Thanks for the great video! It helped me make my decision. Can't wait to use it on my upcoming trip!
I think you made the right choice. Did you consider the Double Rainbow Li from Tarptent? It would be my choice because it's easy and quick to set up and can be set up as a stand alone tent if needed. I used the silnylon version(before they used DCF) and it was a great tent. I'm surprised by the leak issues, but a little silicone sealer should easily fix them. Good luck!
Hi and thank you. I did briefly look at the double rainbow, but the addition of poles and cross struts along with the width being just wide enough to fit two 25” pads was a downside. It also appeared from the pictures that the interior sidewalls sloped in and might cramp my space when I sit up. Once I saw the Dipole, the DR didn’t get much more consideration. It looks like a nice tent though, and isn’t much heavier than the Dipole 2. I’m believing the Dipole leak will be fixed with either seam tape or sealer, and am eager to try that out when I get home from travel. Thanks again!
@@hobblinhikers1847 I’ve had my Tarptent Dipole 2 Li in 40 mph wind and driving rain. Not a drop of water made it inside. The tent was NOT flapping around either. I can’t say enough about that tent. Tarptent tends to use more science behind their designs than trying to create a freak design concept like the Durston tents.
Customer service said nobody else had had this issue as of yet. I had it out last night while 1.5” came down and had 3 corners leak this time. Glad to hear you haven’t had this experience, I’d really like to get the tent there since it is the tent I’d like to use on a AT section in April. So roomy and no bathtub issue. Very good to hear about the wind too. I’ve wondered but just haven’t had it up in conditions yet.
