Durston X Dome 1+ vs Big Agnes Tigerwall UL 2

[@durstongear]

Thanks for putting this together. Glad you're liking the X-Dome. Yeah poly is great :) - Dan Durston

[@thomashall7315]

question ? as the x-mid has mitten hooks to bind the inner with outer . How does the inner bind with the outer for the x-dome ? thanks

[@backcountry4life]

@@thomashall7315 clips

[@pritchoutdoors]

Hey Dan, sure this has been asked to death, but any plans for an aluminium pole set?

[@durstongear]

@@thomashall7315 It uses some small buckles.

[@durstongear]

@@pritchoutdoors We think carbon is better for a 3-season tent (stronger and lighter). Aluminum would be less expensive. If we do a true 4-season version some day then we might use aluminum for that.

[@baldmi3603]

The Tigerwall was my first tent. I loved the tent, but got rid of it because of the zipper issue. I am very tempted to get the Durston even though I am happy with my current set up. I like the tent for the exact same reasons you bought it.

[@davecustance8389]

Thanks for the comment! I have only used Big Agnes tents and they are very well made and the company is outstanding! It's just that Dan has address the few things that I had an issue with so I thought I would give it a try and this tent is pretty awesome!

[@davecustance8389]

I agree! I am really happy with the X Dome!

[@kentv999]

Nice comparison video! Thanks for putting this together

[@davecustance8389]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment!

[@mikebellick6956]

When closing a tent vestibule door and you get the flap caught in the zipper. I find that if you hold the zipper between your index finger and thumb to run it. The tip of your index finger acts like “clearance device” to keep the flap from getting caught. As opposed to grabbing the zipper leash to zip it Hope that helps

[@duaneboxwell9137]

Yep, this is the way.

[@plmn93]

Good tip but doesn't help when you're inside the tent, which is when I have the most trouble.

[@timgearing5121]

Hi, greetings from Queensland. Good review,nice camera work, and a gold star for your timing assistant.😀 When I put mine up I found having the crossing pole on top helped me with the pitching. I’m a bit wary of the clips holding the inner to the outer, so I’m going to be very careful when joining them, or maybe just leave them joined. Happy Trails and many peaceful nights camping under the stars.

[@davecustance8389]

Thanks for the crossbar tip! I’ll try that next time.

[@duaneboxwell9137]

Great comparison and initial impressions--thanks for sharing! I have a Big Agnes Copper Spur, which I quite like, but you are right: it is extremely difficult to unzip from the inside without snagging that covering flap. I've figured out how to do it, but it's super fussy. Also, where the toggle is positioned means that a rolled up fly unrolls itself. With those caveats, it's extremely well-made and lightweight, but the Durston is tempting for the reasons you observe.

[@davecustance8389]

Thank you for your comment! Yes I agree that Big Agnes tents are great! I also have the copper spur 3. I'm just really looking forward to having the fly dry quicker and being able to set up in the rain, fly first easier.

[@SanJava]

Thanks for this comparison, Dave. Remember to put the cross bar on the XDome over top instead of underneath.

[@tjholcomb1225]

So glad your video came up on my feed. I carry the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2 when solo backpacking as well, but I'm looking into the X Dome 1+. So, this review is spot on. :) Fully free standing at the same weight point as a semi-free standing is what got my attention. Then the rectangle fly with trapezoid interior design that opened up the corner of the fly got me curious. My main issue with the Tiger Wall isn't even about the semi-free standing aspect, the need to stake out the bottom half of the tent. My main issue was about getting in and out of the door. The fly door cuts off the top part of the interior door, making it difficult to get in and out of, especially in the rain. I was actually looking at the Big Agnes Copper Spur 1-person tent to replace my Tiger Wall 2 when I saw the X Dome. Either way, I'm down-sizing to maintain the weight of a semi-free standing tent, but the X Dome looks like it might solve the entry and storage space issues. I haven't made any purchases yet, so I'll have to be satisfied with reviews like yours. Thanks, and good job.

[@davecustance8389]

Thanks for the great review! I would choose the X Dome over the copper spur. I have the copper spur 3 which I used this weekend with my daughters on Santa Cruz Island. There was condensation on the tent in the morning. I had to pack up the tent still damp but my friend’s X Dome was completely dry. This along with the issue of the zipper getting caught steers me toward the X Dome.

[@tjholcomb1225]

@@davecustance8389 My first time in the Tiger Wall was in the cold rain. I crawled into my tent late afternoon and stayed there till morning. Condensation was literally dripping from the rain fly.

[@karacho1]

Hey, you have missed the top clip. I am used to real 1-person tents, so the Durston is really HUGE for me. So much space! Thanx for the review.

[@davecustance8389]

Yes I noticed that aft3er it was too late.

[@alissa_thornton]

It’s a great tent!

[@davecustance8389]

Yes I realized I miss the clip after it was too late and you're right, there is a ton more space than a standard 1 person tent.

[@toocleanpappas5397]

Again, you really can't pitch the inner first and then the fly. You have to detach all of the stays except the 4 corners, which is basically like doing the entire inner again. That was the first thing I noticed when I got mine, they said you could do it inner first, but that's not really true. I only bring this up because if you're out and it's not supposed to rain, and you do inner only, and then a storm roles in (happens all the time in the Tetons or Wind River, or Ireland or Scotland or.. well a lot of places.) You're gonna get your stuff wet while you detach all the poles, and then put on the fly. The Big Agnes that you have there, you could just quickly throw the fly over the top, and then clip it in, no problem. That's why I don't like the design of having the fly clip to the poles instead of rest over. There are many things I like about this tent, but that's not one of them.

[@kid5Media]

Separate fly pitch is a deal killer for ANY tent.

[@davecustance8389]

Yes I noticed that clip after it was too late! Yes the amount of room is incredible for a 1 person tent. Thanks for the review!

[@cuervosail2]

My X-Dome is on order. I can't wait to test it out!

[@davecustance8389]

You are going to love it!!!

[@DM-fv7hw]

I currently have the Tigerwall UL1 as my solo tent, but am buying this Durston X Dome 1+ to replace it. I'll miss the Tigerwall storage pocket.

[@davecustance8389]

I thought the same thing. The mesh picket on the X Done is smaller but it still works to hold all my stuff sacks and my puffy jacket. Thanks for the comment!

[@steveh5169]

This is a nice review. It's nice to see Dan's tent when it isn't set up in a windstorm. Looks like a great tent for 1 person. There is no way you are getting two adults in that tent. The floor width is 50" at one end and 27" at the other, so a roomier 1 person tent.

[@ZIIZ2112]

You're gonna love the polyester

[@davecustance8389]

Thanks! That was one of the the main reasons I got this tent.

[@MarcMallary]

I bought a Tigerwall 3, it was a big mistake and I will probably never use it. I also hate the white and yellow colors.

[@SparkyOne549]

I never purchased it because it’s yellow, the only color I don’t like.

[@billinroswellga5432]

I find it laughable that Tarptent first used magnetic door toes in production. Dan Durston knows a good thing when see's it, and put magnetic fly ties. Nemo, Big Agnes, Marmot, Hyperlite, etc have yet to catch up. Zpacks just started to use magnets. I was recently camping in my BA Salt Creek 3 in southern Utah. Nightly winds and temps +/- freezing, those d#@& door toggles were a pain to deal with, taking off gloves, fumbling with the ties for many moments. That got me thinking, what if it were 35F and raining? Those little folded nylon fabric loops stick together when wet - then what? I did find a psuedo fix on Amazon - silicone cords about 2 in. long with a magnet molded into each end. It worked on my X-Mid to keep the insect net rolled away. Now putting those on the BA.

[@samuelfox8126]

I think it's a great tent for what it's designed to do. But there's some really silly marketing applied to this tent. Who pitches fly first? Now, who pitches there tent without the fly on a clear evening but later quickly adds the fly due to incoming weather. The XDome would be a pain to add, or take off, the fly after initial setup. Paying for a feature you think is cool but probably never will use vs a feature many people commonly use that this tent sucks at. Still a great tent. But things like pitch time and fly first pitching are still 98% of the time. And the 2% usually can be avoided by setting up the tent before the rain is over you. The number one question in my mind is difficulty with that very thin polyester. I hope it strong because that would be a major breakthrough for light polyester tents. Nylon 6.6 has always been much stronger. But I too hate dealing with soaked nylon.

[@SchmakerSchmoo]

Basically all of Europe pitches fly first. It’s a backpacking tent - you don’t always have the luxury of deciding when you can pitch the tent. If it starts raining at 3pm and you are still 5km from camp then you can’t just “decide” to pitch your tent sooner. Having to do inner first pitch just means everything gets soaked for no reason.

[@samuelfox8126]

@SchmakerSchmoo I guess it rains a lot more in Europe than in the USA. Or maybe it's a cultural thing. I can only speak to the USA and Durston is USA company and I bet most of his customers will be in the USA. The Xmid is one of the most talked about tents when it comes to the PCT, AT, and CDT hikers. That's thousands of hikers a year and a lot of word of mouth marketing on the trail. For a cottage company to make it and scale they have to become predominant on those three trails. PCT rarely rains, AT most stay in the shelters and CDT hikers are often the trekking poles tent community. Not a large need for pitching rainfly first over here.

[@KatrinaOutside]

Shorts, tee shirt, barefoot, and palm trees… in December. You must live in Florida! Lol

[@davecustance8389]

Actually Southern California!

[@jbinmd]

Calling the Tiger Wall semifreestanding is true but disingenuous given the similar and more popular BA Copper Spur is completely freestanding for those that desire that feature.

[@markspicer5029]

It is, but if you don't peg out the sides you don't have a vestibule....

[@jbinmd]

@@markspicer5029 And if my aunt had balls she'd be my uncle