When choosing a tool, prioritizing "lightness" often results in a sacrificing comfort and durability. "Comfort and durability" and "lightness" often have a conflicting relationship, and when you seek comfort, equipment becomes heavy, while when you want it lightness, comfort tends to be at the expense of it. There are still many balanced gears.
The theory is that tents are more pronounced, and that if you want comfort, it becomes heavier, while if you want lighter it becomes less comfortable. While I was looking for a comfortable resident and lightweight tent, I came across the DURSTON X-Dome 1+, a promising outdoor brand from Canada. I tried it and found it very good, so I'd like to review it.
With attention to ease of use and detailed construction, the DURSTON X-Dome 1+ was a great tent with a high level of livability, weather resistance and portability.
table of contents
- Main features of DURSTON X-Dome 1+
- Main Specifications and ratings
- Detailed review
- It is self-supporting and can be set up anywhere, and the integrated inner and fly type makes it easy to set up
- High weather resistance
- Highly livable inside
- Wide vents, wide openings that can be expanded depending on the purpose
- A double wall tent with a lot of useful features, yet lightweight and portable.
- Summary: An unmatched, comfortable tent that combines strength, livability, weather resistance and portability!
Main features of DURSTON X-Dome 1+
The X-Dome 1+ is a free-standing, three-season double-wall tent that combines strength, livability, weather resistance and portability. Unlike a typical cross-frame tent, it has a unique frame structure with Y-shaped joints on the left and right, and by adding a short crossbar on the top, it is more livable than a conventional mountain dome tent, but it is lightweight at 985g and is highly portable, making it the world's lightest class for a self-supporting double-wall tent for one person. A trekking pole can be added as an option as a frame, making it a groundbreaking design that allows for even greater strength, and is a structure that maintains high livability even in the storm.
Although it is a single-person tent, there is plenty of space for one person to sleep in addition to being able to store luggage, and the spacious vestibule allows for plenty of space for cooking even when you place your shoes and other items. This tent is designed with detailed and detailed ideas that have been carefully thought out to make life inside the tent even more comfortable, and is designed to be easy to use.
Favorite points
- Highly livable, including a wide headspace, an vestibule, and an opening that can be expanded depending on the purpose.
- Despite being a freestanding double wall tent, it is surprisingly light
- High weather resistance including materials, peg downs, and additional pole design
- Self-supporting and can be set up anywhere
- It can be set up first from the fly, and the fly and inner design are integrated, making it easy to set up
Interesting points
- Attachment Point Strength
- Vertical sides that are difficult to pass through
- It's too spacious for a single person (in some places it doesn't suit Japan's small tent spaces)
- There are only four pegs, no guitar line included
Main Specifications and ratings
| Item name | DURSTON X-Dome 1+ |
|---|---|
| Number of people to sleep | 1 person |
| Minimum weight | 985g (Innerwear, Fly, Pole) |
| gross weight | 1040g (Innerwear, Fly, Pole, Stuff Sack, 4 pegs) |
| Fry material | 15 denier Silpoly Water resistance 3500mm (silicon coating) |
| Floor material | 15 denier Silpoly Water resistance 3500mm (silicon coating) |
| Pole material | Easton Carbon 3.9/6.3 Blend |
| Indoor size | Length 2.15 m x Width 0.7 - 1.3 m x Height 1.08 m |
| Number of entrances and exits | 1 on the long side |
| Storage size | 45 x 12 cm |
| Floor area | 2.15㎡ |
| Front room area | 0.85 ㎡ |
| Outdoor Gearzine Review | |
| Living comfort | ★★★★★ |
| Ease of setup and removal | ★★★★★ |
| Weather Resistant | ★★★★☆ |
| Durability | ★★★☆☆ |
| weight | ★★★★☆ |
| Portability | ★★★★★ |
| Suitable activities | Mountain climbing and hiking for four seasons, except for harsh winters, and long distance hiking |
Detailed review
It is self-supporting and can be set up anywhere, and the integrated inner and fly type makes it easy to set up
The X-Dome 1+ is a tent with a freestanding hanging structure. In other words, there is no need to worry about not being able to set up on ground where pegs do not penetrate, like non-independent. The fact that it can be set up anywhere as long as there is the ground is more reliable than anything for beginners.
It also has a simple design that allows you to set up the settings in no time once you learn them. Most typical mountain tents are set up separately, independently of inner tents and fly sheets, but the X-Dome 1+ has an integrated structure that allows you to connect the inner and fly sheets, so setting up is done simply by hanging the fly sheet hooks on the pole. In fact, during the field test, despite strong winds, we were able to set up the building in less than five minutes.
Below is a video of how I first set up the building. In fact, I am not aware of the integrated structure at this time, and I have normally set it up from the inner layer and have made a mistake, but if I don't get it wrong, you will see that it can be set up surprisingly smoothly (link to the short video below).
A smooth setup video after learning the setup procedure
![I immediately put up a DURSTON X-DOME 1+ [1kg freestanding double wall tent]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rOUdgwMJiBQ/hqdefault.jpg)
If you want to set up the inner and fly sheets separately, connect the fly to the pole to make it stand on your own, and then attach the inner tent inside the tent to complete the process.
It can be set up from fly, making it easy to use in bad weather
The ability to set up from a fly sheet has many benefits. For example, in bad weather, you can set up the fly sheet first so that you can set up the tent without getting the inner tent wet.
This structure is useful for camping in mountainous areas such as mountain climbing and in bad weather. With tents that are set up from an inner tent, the tent will inevitably get wet before the fly sheet is over it, and even after setting up, you will not be able to take off your rainwear unless you put it in the inner tent in the rainwear.
This will cause the inside of the tent to get wet after setting up your own rainwear, but X-Dome 1+ , first set up the fly sheet and as long as it's inside, there's no need to worry about rain or wind, so you can take off your rainwear and set up your inner tent calmly, and you won't be able to wet the floor of your inner tent with your own rainwear.
When retracting, you can withdraw using the reverse procedure so that you can complete the retraction without removing any equipment you don't want to get wet.
It can also be set up using only the fly sheet or the inner layer
The X-Dome 1+ can also be used with just the fly sheet and inner tent, and you can change the way you stay there depending on the situation. The X-Dome 1+ already lightweight , but if it is to make it even lighter, you can use it as a self-supporting shelter without using an inner tent, which reduces the weight of approximately 293g of the inner tent.
The combined weight of the fly sheet and pole 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 way to use it because it is lightweight and has a good balance of livability (comfort).
It can be set up with just an inner tent, so on sunny days, you can sleep while gazing at the starry sky. In Japan, where there are high humidity, it is difficult to use an inner tent alone, but combining it with a tarp will make you feel comfortable even in hot seasons.
High weather resistance
The tent poles are carbon poles made by Easton, an American company with a history of over 40 years, and boast significantly higher strength than their weight. In order to make it lighter as light as possible while using high-quality materials, we use 3.9mm and 6.3mm poles depending on the location, and 6.3mm poles are used to increase strength in areas where more loads are applied.
Furthermore, the X-Dome 1+ can be peg down in a total of 14 locations, which (including ventilation) can improve weather resistance, allowing you to maintain the space inside the tent even in windy environments.
However, no guy lines are included, and only four pegs are included, so you must prepare them before use.
One thing that concerns is the X-Dome 1+ uses carbon poles, many of the poles in mountain tents on the market use aluminum poles. Carbon is said to be more expensive than aluminum, but I understand that aluminum is more likely to be used to keep prices down, but is that really it? Looking at trekking poles that are subject to load, it is also true that aluminum is used in poles that are made with an emphasis on durability. The strength is increased by making the pole lighter, but I can't help but feel uneasy about carbon poles.
Adding trekking poles can increase strength
You can add a trekking pole to the long side
The X-Dome 1+ still has gimmicks to increase its strength. The structure allows you to add trekking poles to the front and back of the long-length side, which further increases the strength. As mentioned above, the 16 peg-downs provide excellent weather resistance, but by adding trekking poles, you can transform into a robust tent that can be called invincible.
During the test, we set up the tent in a state where it was exposed to the wind from the front, but by adding trekking poles, it was able to stand independently without being exposed to the wind and collapsed.
The X-Dome 1+ has been made so strong , but what caught my eye was the sewing of the attachment for hanging it. Many tents that are expected to be used in harsh environments such as mountainous areas have sleeve-type and mesh reinforcement to distribute the load when exposed to wind, preventing the tent fabric from tearing, but the the X-Dome 1+ is not reinforced, so it is a bit of a concern. In terms of sewing strength, domestic tents are likely to win against which they are made to be used in mountainous regions with high altitudes. The structure is quite strong, so I found it a bit disappointing that the attachment part is not reliable. If there is reinforcement here, it might be able to boast as the strongest tent with nothing to appear on the right.
It's a bit worrying about sewing attachment points that are easy to receive loads in one place.
Are the slightly vertical sides more susceptible to strong winds?
The X-Dome 1+ is a rectangular tent. Many mountain tents are based on a rectangular shape, and are often made sharp by making the vestibular chambers pop out, so this is not just a design, but is designed with weather resistance in mind.
The larger the surface that receives wind, the greater the burden on the fabric, so by using a triangular shape to dissipate the wind, the more wind resistance is improved by designing it to allow the fabric to be repelled. the X-Dome 1+ has a large area that is exposed to wind and allows trekking poles to be added to 16 peg down points, achieving high weather resistance, including the sewing surface mentioned above, it is not designed for use in alpine tents, but for long hiking and travel. Specialized mountain tents will have better wind resistance when camping on high-altitude ridges due to the basic shape of the tent.
The water pressure resistance of the fly sheet and floor is one step above other tents.
When we looked into the water resistance of tents (fly sheets) available on the market, we found that roughly 1200mm to 1500mm is the average. Even the expensive model is around 2000mm, but the X-Dome 1+ fly sheet and floor is 3500mm, making it rain resistant compared to other models.
Silpoly material with a crisp texture
Furthermore, using silpoly instead of nylon as the material, it does not absorb moisture and does not expand even when tensioned, so by peg down firmly and setting it up without wrinkles, it can maintain maximum water resistance. Polyester is also characterized by its strong and durable nature, but by using a ripstop structure, the fabric itself is also durable, despite being thin at 15 denier.
Highly livable inside
Of all the author's experience using tents, the X-Dome 1+ was the most comfortable tent. In particular, it is 108cm tall and the cross frame structure ensures a wide maximum height, so there is no sense of pressure. Comfortable air mats have become the mainstream these days, but when you place an air mat that is 8 to 10cm thick in a tent, the ceiling may be close and you may feel a sense of pressure, but the height of 108cm makes it sufficiently high even when sitting on the air mat, making it comfortable and not oppressive.
The inner tent has a space for one person to sleep in addition to a space for equipment such as a backpack. A typical single-person tent (about 90 x 210 cm) is lined up with equipment around the sleeping space, and bulky items such as backpacks can be placed in the vestibule to make room, but the X-Dome 1+ , this is not necessary; the "+α" space in the sleeping space makes it comfortable to stay inside the tent.
Wide vents, wide openings that can be expanded depending on the purpose
All rooms are spacious and the openings can be widened, allowing you to use the full tent area. The vestibules of many mountain tents are triangular in shape to pop out, limiting the area that is effective for use in relation to the area, but the X-Dome 1+ allows you to make the most of the area of all rooms by making the inner tent trapezoidal shape against the large rectangular flysheet and widening the opening.
The space in the front room is more than enough for one person
The width on the long side is close to vertical, making it difficult for rain to blow in when opened, and prevents the inside of the tent from getting wet when entering or leaving the tent.
There are also many other useful features such as two ceiling ventilation that efficiently ventilates the tent, and two large and small pockets that are convenient for storing small items, loops for hanging lanterns from the ceiling, and magnetic door toggles that allow you to reach itchy places to stay comfortably.
A double wall tent with a lot of useful features, yet lightweight and portable.
Many UL-oriented hikers avoid double-walled tents (shelters) to reduce weight, but despite being a double-walled tent, the total weight of the X-Dome 1+
The actual measured value was slightly lighter than the official weight.
If you are aiming for 100 points in terms of weight reduction, it would be better to choose a non-independent shelter that weighs under 500g, but floorless shelters are less confidential and are susceptible to the effects of not only insects and animals but also weather conditions, and as they are non-independent, they require techniques for setting up the shelter. (I am a lover of non-independent floorless shelters, so I am not denying it)
Considering that it is a freestanding, double-wall tent, it would never be heavy at 1040g, but it was such a tent that it would be light if it was 1040g, with all the comfort and functionality. It can be said that this is the perfect tent for hikers who don't want to sacrifice comfort, even if it's just 80 points lighter.
Poles, flys, and innerwear can be stored separately. The storage bag is large and easy to store
The storage size is 45 x 12 cm, which may seem a little large, but for me, this is another favorite feature: the storage bag has plenty of space, so you can store it even if you put it in a sloppy place. There are often tents with storage bags designed to be small to the very least to make storage compact, but doing so in a field where you can put them in unless you fold them properly, and moreover, doing them in a field where the wind blows is just stressful. Larger storage bags are easier to handle, and can be compacted after storage, making them more practical.
Summary: An unmatched, comfortable tent that combines strength, livability, weather resistance and portability!
In order to reduce weight, we have eliminated waste, and sometimes even reduced the functions needed, and made it lighter by putting it together in the ultimate simplicity, but from now on, items that can be lightweight without compromising comfort or functionality may become the mainstream. The X-Dome 1+ can be said to be the pioneer tent.
In addition to the 16 peg down points, the pole can withstand strong winds and the trekking pole can increase the strength, and the water resistance can withstand heavy rain. The inside structure of the tent does not feel oppressive and the wide vestibule, and although it is a self-supporting double-wall tent, it is lightweight and compact. It was such a highly complete tent that I couldn't complain about, and I thought it would have been nice if there were any features and performances.
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