MLD DuoMid

[simonm]

Does anyone have any experience with the MLD DuoMid?

I am still searching for a lightweight tent for use in Tassie, for when I can't use my hammock. I have looked at the Tarptents and was close to a purchase but have recently discovered pyramid tents, mind you I had a heavy canvas touring tent which is basically the same design, and it was bombproof in all conditions. A Shangri-la 5 is on its way for the family outings, purchased off this site, and I really like the design.

My thoughts are moving towards a DuoMid with solo innernet. Any helpful thoughts from others?

[simonm]

Or do I make my own? I have just been reading up on some of the MYOG pyramid threads .

[Orion]

Phil has one and likes it apparently. He posted a number of detailed photos of his here:
http://bushwalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=11177&hilit=duomid&start=270

Making your own certainly seems reasonable. Here's an example of a MYOG rectangular Cuben pyramid:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin ... index.html

[Bluegum Mic]

John at bearpawwd makes some pretty good stuff. Ive got this with built in bathtub floor and mesh.
http://www.bearpawwd.com/tents_tarps/ute1.html
The luna would also be a good option too. I carry mine all the time. Nice n light and can put it up with my hiking pole if an emergency/bad weather arises

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk 2

[Franco]

If you are using it for one, add the weight (and cost if relevant) of the fly,inner,stakes and guylines and see how much you will save over the TT Notch.
That is of course if you like the Notch at all...
Notch, seam sealed with 4 pegs about 780g..
franco@tarptent

[simonm]

Thanks all.

Franco I do like the Notch and the Scarp and the Stratospire however I just like the design of the pyramids, for the moment anyway. Not sure why I didn't give them much thought before.

[Franco]

Yes those pyramids do have a strong appeal (from my cowboy and indians days...)
About 1 hour after I posted the above comment, this link :
http://sectionhiker.com/ode-to-the-moun ... d-goodbye/
was posted at BPL.
Made me smile....

[simonm]

After a very slow day at work and lots of reading, including the links above, I have decided I am going to make my own pyramid, why buy when you can make . Time to move on from hammock making.

Even though I have access to a good Cuben supply, I will be going down the sil-nylon path at least for the first one.

[phan_TOM]

I've only spent 6 nights in mine so can't give you a very qualified answer but I'm happy with it so far. There are a couple of minor things that I'm not too keen on like I wish the floor of the inner tent was made of a heavier material (I don't like having to take an extra groundsheet) and I'd like the bathtub walls of the inner to be higher for added protection against splashes coming under the fly. Not an issue on grassy sites, it was mainly rocky or hard packed surfaces where the rain spattered around.

I have the silnylon version & the quality of the materials and workmanship are first rate so no worries there and It's a simple design so not too much that can go wrong with it.

I love the size of it with the solo inner tent, there's a huge amount of vestibule area for storing gear and still plenty of room for sleeping, getting changed or cooking if you had to. The floor of the inner and the pole can easily be moved to increase the porch or sleeping area depending on what you need at the time too and the pole & corner guylines can be adjusted from inside to increase ventilation / storm protection or to remove sag.

I think my setup including fly, inner, guys, pegs and pole weighs about 1.2kg which is heaps lighter than any of my previous tents, it's nice to drop a bit of weight. I'm a bit unsure about the carbon fibre pole I got to go with it, yes it's light but I'm dubious of it's durability (or how to repair it in the field if it did break). I leaned on it by accident and the crunching sound wasn't the most reassuring thing I've ever heard... I think I'll get a heavier but more robust aluminium one at some stage.

Did I mention that it's dead sexy?
http://www.bushwalk.com/forum/download/file.php?id=23720&mode=view

[simonm]

phan_TOM - Do you know what the flooring of the inner is made of and the fabric weight?

[phan_TOM]

The website says 8.5oz pro silnylon but I don't know what that really means. It's probably fairly durable but I'm used to having heavier floors so It feels a bit too thin for my liking, I prefer something more like 70D PU as a minimum.

[surly 17]

Hi Simonm, I bought a Duomid off this site and used it for the first time last week. I'm happy with it so far I used a bug bivvy with it just to keep the mozzies off.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Best tent shelter I have ever owned.

I own a Cuben DuoMid.

[Orion]

Phil, I looked but couldn't find it in that thread -- what does your Duomid + nest + stakes weigh in total?

[simonm]

Well it seems there is some Mid lovers out there.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Phil, I looked but couldn't find it in that thread -- what does your Duomid + nest + stakes weigh in total?

total is 915 grams.

[ULWalkingPhil]

You could go a lot lighter with the inner. My Oookworks inner weighs 382 grams on its own. An ultralight bivy would work great, but in reality unless there are bugs about and its not very cold, you don't require an inner for the Duomid.

[Orion]

I think that article Franco posted a link to said it pretty well. Pyramid tents really shine when used simply as an improved tarp shelter, whether in high summer or camping in the snow. Once you add a real bathtub floor, walls and bug netting they aren't as competetive weight-wise.

One thing that article left out was that for solo use you can push the pole off to one side to make more room.

The Notch looks like a nice design, although it appears to me that the poles obstruct the entry.
What's the typical weight of the Notch after seam sealing but without the inner tent?

[Franco]

"What's the typical weight of the Notch after seam sealing but without the inner tent?"

Mine with apex guylines attached (6' x2) without pegs is 480g.
I use 6 pegs, some use 4 with the guylines using the same peg for the guyline and the door panel.
As for size , this may give you a better idea :

I am 172cm , on top of the Exped 7cm thick mat.
The door panel is about 90cm high and 90cm wide at the base.

[Orion]

Notch:

Sil Duomid with Duo inner:

Cuben Duomid with OookWorks inner:


Notch is the cheapest and appears to offer a little more headroom thanks to the struts.
Duomid has more overall space and can accomodate two.
Notch+inner is lighter than Cuben Duomid+inner, but Cuben Dumoid is lighter than a Notch without it's inner.
Pyramids are known to confer magical powers upon objects or people who sleep under them.

[Nuts]

After a very slow day at work and lots of reading, including the links above, I have decided I am going to make my own pyramid, why buy when you can make . Time to move on from hammock making.

Even though I have access to a good Cuben supply, I will be going down the sil-nylon path at least for the first one.

I like MLD's Trailstar, though think i'd make one of these (if building tipi style):

Screen Shot 2013-10-09 at 10.00.40 AM.png (423.52 KiB) Viewed 11754 times

and probably make or buy something like this:

Screen Shot 2013-10-09 at 10.00.59 AM.png (395.46 KiB) Viewed 11754 times

The 'nest' not the mat ; )

[Franco]

here is a direct comparison between the Notch inner and the MLD version (white line)

Still on my 7cm mat...

Mld inner 90" L,46" H

[phan_TOM]

That photo really highlights one area where the Duomid and inner could be improved Franco. Like the notch there needs to be a couple of attachment points lower down to pull the netting closer to the fly material at the head/foot level. There is plenty of space for it so I can't work out why the existing attachment points are so high up the fly nor why manufacturers like oookworks have the direction of pull so vertical. A quick glance and it looks intuitively wrong to me, it doesn't look like the cords are doing much at all. It's something that I noticed on mine and I'm keeping it in mind as I've started buying a few materials to make my own inner.
You can see in the picture below what I mean, the cord that attaches the net to the fly is doing very little to move the netting away (yellow arrow). I put the red arrow on here to show where I think it would be better suited and the difference it would make to the shape of the inner.

[icefest]

If you are interested phan_TOM, it's a relatively simple mod.

Just attach this to your mid (and another to the nest):

ignore the lack of adverbs

[Giddy_up]

That photo really highlights one area where the Duomid and inner could be improved Franco. Like the notch there needs to be a couple of attachment points lower down to pull the netting closer to the fly material at the head/foot level. There is plenty of space for it so I can't work out why the existing attachment points are so high up the fly nor why manufacturers like oookworks have the direction of pull so vertical. A quick glance and it looks intuitively wrong to me, it doesn't look like the cords are doing much at all. It's something that I noticed on mine and I'm keeping it in mind as I've started buying a few materials to make my own inner.
You can see in the picture below what I mean, the cord that attaches the net to the fly is doing very little to move the netting away (yellow arrow). I put the red arrow on here to show where I think it would be better suited and the difference it would make to the shape of the inner.

duomid-nest.jpg

phan_TOM is that inner made by Oookworks, if so what model?
Thanks.

G_U

[Giddy_up]

Don't worry phan_TOM, I think I have answered my own question. I was getting confused between the Bearpawed and the Oookworks.