[An honest, self-funded review] The Durston X-Dome 1+: I was completely impressed by its well-thought-out design. This freestanding double-wall tent is livable, portable, and weatherproof

When choosing gear, prioritizing "lightness" often means sacrificing comfort and durability. "Comfort/durability" and "lightness" are often in a contradictory relationship; if you seek comfort, the equipment becomes heavy, and if you seek lightness, comfort tends to be sacrificed. There are still not many gears that achieve this balance

This is even more evident when it comes to tents: the more comfortable you are, the heavier the tent will be, and the lighter the tent will be, the less comfortable it will be. While searching for a tent that was both comfortable and lightweight, I came across the DURSTON X-Dome 1+, an up-and-coming outdoor brand from Canada. I tried it out and found it to be extremely good, so I thought I'd share my review.

The Durston X-Dome 1+ that has been carefully crafted down to the smallest detail with a focus on ease of use, offering a high level of balance between livability, weather resistance, and portability.

DURSTON X-Dome 1+ Main Features

The X-Dome 1+ is a freestanding, three-season, double-wall tent that combines strength, livability, weather resistance, and portability. Unlike typical cross-frame tents, its unique frame structure features Y-shaped joints on both sides. The addition of a short crossbar at the top enhances livability compared to traditional mountain dome tents, while its lightest weight (minimum 985g) makes it highly portable and one of the lightest freestanding double-wall tents in the world. Optional trekking poles can be added as a frame for even greater strength, further enhancing the tent's innovative design and ensuring it maintains high livability even in storms.

Although it is a one-person tent, it has enough space for one person to sleep and store their luggage, and the spacious vestibule is large enough to allow for cooking even while storing shoes and other luggage. Every detail has been carefully thought out to make life inside the tent more comfortable, making it a tent that is designed for ease of use

Favorite points

• High livability with ample headroom, a vestibule, and a width that can be expanded depending on the purpose
• Surprisingly light despite being a freestanding double-wall tent
• High weather resistance including materials, peg downs, and additional pole design
• Freestanding and can be set up anywhere
• You can set up the fly first, or the fly and inner lining are integrated for easy setup

Points of concern

• Attachment point strength
• Vertical sides make it difficult to deflect wind
• Too large for one person (depending on the location, it may not fit in the narrow tent spaces in Japan)
• Only four pegs, no guy lines included

Main specifications and evaluation

Detailed Review

It is freestanding so you can set it up anywhere, and the integrated inner fly makes it easy to set up

The X-Dome 1+ is a freestanding, suspended tent. This means you don't have to worry about being unable to set it up on the ground where the pegs won't go, like with non-freestanding tents. Being able to set it up anywhere you have ground is reassuring for beginners.

Its simple design also means that once you learn how to set it up, it can be set up in no time. Most conventional mountain tents require you to set up the inner tent and fly sheet separately, but the X-Dome 1+ has an integrated structure that allows the inner tent and fly sheet to be connected, so you can set it up simply by hanging the fly sheet hooks on the poles. In actual field tests, it took less than five minutes to set up, even in strong winds.

Below is a video of me setting up the tent for the first time. I didn't realize it was a one-piece structure at the time, so I set it up from the inside out, which ended up being a mistake. However, if you don't make that mistake, you can see that it's surprisingly easy to set up (see the short video link below)

Smooth setup video after learning the setup procedure

If you set up the inner tent and fly sheet separately, first connect the fly to the poles and let it stand on its own, then attach the inner tent inside the tent to complete the setup

Easy to set up from the fly, making it easy to use in bad weather

Being able to set up the tent from the fly sheet has many advantages. For example, in bad weather, by setting up the fly sheet first, you can set up the tent without getting the inner tent wet

This is a useful structure when camping in bad weather in mountainous areas, such as when hiking. With tents that are set up from the inner tent, the tent inevitably gets wet before the fly sheet can be put on, and even after setting up the tent, you cannot take off your rainwear unless you enter the inner tent wearing it

This means that the inside of the tent will get wet from your own rainwear after you set it up, but the X-Dome 1+ , you can first set up the flysheet and then once you're inside, you don't have to worry about rain or wind.This means you can take off your rainwear and calmly set up the inner tent, and you won't get the floor of the inner tent wet with your own rainwear.

When packing up, follow the steps in reverse order to complete the packing up without having to take out any equipment that you don't want to get wet

It is possible to set up the tent using only the fly sheet or only the inner lining

The X-Dome 1+ can be used with just the flysheet and inner tent, allowing you to change the way you sleep depending on the situation. The X-Dome 1+ is already lightweight, but if you want to make it even lighter, you can use it as a freestanding shelter without the inner tent, saving approximately 293g of the weight of the inner tent.

The combined weight of the fly sheet and poles is 686.5g, which is slightly heavier than a one-pole shelter, but the space inside the shelter is comfortable and it is a highly recommended use due to the good balance between light weight and livability (comfort)

The inner tent can also be set up on its own, so on sunny days when there's no need to worry about rain, you can even sleep while gazing at the starry sky. In Japan, where humidity is high, it can be difficult to use the inner tent alone, but by combining it with a tarp, you can stay comfortable even in hot seasons

High weather resistance

The tent poles are made by Easton, an American company with over 40 years of history, and boast significantly higher strength-to-weight ratios. To maximize the weight while still using high-quality materials, we use 3.9mm and 6.3mm poles in different locations, with 6.3mm poles used in areas subject to greater loads to increase strength

Additionally, the X-Dome 1+ has a total of 14 peg-down points (16 points including ventilation), which increases weather resistance and helps maintain space inside the tent even in windy conditions.

However, guy lines are not included and only four pegs are included, so you will need to prepare them before use

One thing that concerns me is the X-Dome 1+ uses carbon poles, while most mountain tents on the market use aluminum poles. Carbon is said to be more expensive than aluminum, and while I understand that aluminum is often used to keep prices down, is that really the only reason? Even when looking at trekking poles, which are subjected to a lot of stress, it's true that aluminum is often used in poles that are designed with durability in mind. Although the poles have been made thicker to increase their strength, I still have concerns about carbon poles.

Add trekking poles for extra strength

Trekking poles can be added to the long side

The X-Dome 1+ has even more features to enhance its strength. Its structure allows you to add trekking poles to the front and rear of the long side, further increasing its strength. As mentioned above, the tent is weatherproof thanks to the 16 pegs, but adding trekking poles transforms it into a sturdy tent that is practically invincible.

During the test, we set up the tent in a position where it was facing the wind directly from the front, but by adding trekking poles, the tent was able to stand upright without being crushed by the wind

the X-Dome 1+' s impressive strength , one thing that bothered me was the stitching on the hanging attachment. Many tents designed for use in harsh environments, such as mountainous regions, are designed with sleeves or mesh reinforcement to distribute the load when exposed to wind, preventing the tent fabric from tearing. However, the X-Dome 1+' s attachment area is not reinforced, which is a bit of a concern. In terms of stitching strength, Japanese-made tents designed for use in high-altitude mountainous regions would likely win. Given the extremely strong structure, the unreliable attachment area was a bit disappointing. If this area had been reinforced, it could be boasted as the strongest tent ever.

I'm a bit concerned about the stitching at the attachment points, which tend to be heavily loaded in one place

Are the slightly vertical sides more susceptible to strong winds?

The X-Dome 1+ is a rectangular tent. Most mountain tents are based on a rectangular shape, but many models have a pointed shape with the vestibule or other parts protruding out, and this is not a design issue, but rather is designed with weather resistance in mind.

The larger the surface area exposed to the wind, the greater the strain on the fabric, so the triangular design allows the fabric to deflect the wind, thereby improving wind resistance. The X-Dome 1+ has a large surface area exposed to the wind, and 16 peg-down points allow for the addition of trekking poles, making it highly weather-resistant. However, including the stitching mentioned above, it should be noted that this tent is designed for long-term hiking and travel, rather than for use in the high mountains. Due to the tent's basic shape, specialized mountain tents will likely be better at providing wind resistance when camping on high-altitude ridges.

The water resistance of the flysheet and floor is superior to other tents

When we looked into the water resistance of tents (fly sheets) available on the market, we found that the general range is roughly 1200mm to 1500mm. Even the most expensive models only have a water resistance of around 2000mm, but the X-Dome 1+ fly sheet and floor is 3500mm, making it more resistant to rain than other models.

Crisp Silpoly material

Furthermore, by using Silpoly instead of nylon, the tent does not absorb water and does not expand even when tensioned, so by firmly staking it down and setting it up without wrinkles, you can maintain maximum water resistance. Polyester is also characterized by its strength and durability, but by using a ripstop structure, the durability of the fabric itself is ensured despite its thinness of 15 denier

High interior livability

Of all the tents I've used, the X-Dome 1+ is one of the most comfortable. Its 108cm height and cross-frame construction ensure a wide maximum height, so there's no feeling of being cramped. While comfortable air mattresses have become mainstream recently, placing an 8-10cm thick air mattress in a tent can bring the ceiling close and create a feeling of oppression. However, the 108cm height ensures ample height even when sitting on the mattress, making it comfortable and not oppressive.

The inner tent not only provides sleeping space for one person, but also space to store backpacks and other equipment. In a typical one-person tent (approximately 90 x 210 cm), equipment is packed tightly around the sleeping area, and bulky items such as backpacks are stored in the vestibule to create space, but the X-Dome 1+ , this is not necessary, and the extra space in the sleeping area makes it comfortable to stay inside the tent.

A spacious front room and a width that can be expanded depending on the purpose

All rooms are spacious and the openings can be widened, allowing you to make full use of the tent's surface area. Most mountain tents have a triangular veto, which limits the area that can be effectively used, but the X-Dome 1+ has a trapezoidal inner tent with a large rectangular flysheet, allowing you to widen the openings and make the most of the surface area of ​​all rooms.

The space in the front room is more than enough for one person

The opening on the long side is angled almost vertically, making it difficult for rain to blow in when the tent is open, and preventing the inside of the tent from getting wet when entering or exiting

Other features include two ventilation points on the ceiling that efficiently ventilate the inside of the tent, two pockets of different sizes that are convenient for storing small items, a loop for hanging a lantern from the ceiling, and magnetic door toggles, all of which are convenient features that will make your stay comfortable

This double-wall tent is packed with convenient features, yet lightweight and highly portable

Many UL-oriented hikers avoid double-wall tents (shelters) in order to reduce weight, but the X-Dome 1+ is a double-wall tent, yet its total weight is only 1,040g.

The actual weight was slightly lighter than the official weight

If you're aiming for 100% in terms of weight reduction, it's better to choose a non-freestanding shelter that weighs less than 500g, but floorless shelters are less airtight and are more susceptible to the intrusion of insects and animals as well as the weather, and because they're non-freestanding, they require skill to set up. (As a fan of non-freestanding floorless shelters, I'm not saying I dislike them.)

Considering that it is a freestanding, double-walled tent, the weight of 1040g doesn't seem heavy at all, and in fact, considering how comfortable and functional it is, it feels light at 1040g. This tent is perfect for hikers who don't want to sacrifice comfort even if they're happy with a weight reduction of 80 points

The poles, fly, and inner liner can be stored separately. The storage bag is large and easy to store

The packed size of 45 x 12 cm may seem a little large, but this is also a point I like about this tents. The storage bag is roomy, so you can pack it in even if you put a lot of stuff in it. There are many tents that are designed with the smallest possible storage bag to make the storage size compact, but you can't fit it in unless you fold it properly, and doing that in a windy field is just stressful. A larger storage bag is easier to handle and can be compressed after storage, making it more practical

Summary: An absolutely comfortable tent that combines strength, livability, weather resistance, and portability!

In order to reduce weight, we have eliminated unnecessary elements, sometimes even eliminating essential functions, and simplifying the design to the extreme, but from now on, items that achieve weight reduction without sacrificing comfort or functionality may become mainstream. The X-Dome 1+ can be said to be a pioneering tent in this area.

In addition to 16 peg-down points, the poles can withstand strong winds, and the strength can be increased by adding trekking poles, and the water pressure is high enough to withstand heavy rain. The tent's interior is not cramped, and the spacious vestibule provides high livability. It's also one of the lightest and most compact freestanding double-wall tents. It's a highly complete tent that has all the features and performance you could ever want

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