Durston - X-Mid Pro 1

Durston X-Mid for the win!

As someone who has exclusively used X-Mids for years now (OG, Pro 1, Pro 2+) I'd recommend going with none of them. The Lunar Solo is going to provide you with enough space for your dog, and save you $400. I love my Pro 1 but it will not fit a dog comfortably, and the Pro 2 is too big for the PCT.

My Pro 1 barely fit in some campsites and didn't fit at all in others. Though I know people do it (it's the third most popular tent on trail) I certainly wouldn't want to.

There are no conditions that I have not and would not use my X-Mid Pro in.

I'm late 50's backpacker. You want to go as light as possible. Your knees may be fine now, but maybe not in 3 years. I have problems with my knees, and hip, my lower weight really helps. You should consider weight for everything you buy. You don't need to go full ultralight (r/ultralight), but you should pay attention. The durston xmid is a very popular light tent (treking pole tent). They make a 1 person and a two person tent. Many hikers already carry poles, if not you should consider it. Many skip the footprint, it isn't needed. If you really want one, buy a piece of tivex from Amazon and cut it so that it is a little SMALLER than the floor of your tent. You can buy small pieces of tivex on Amazon for ~$20. Many hike the entirety of the PCT or AT without a footprint.

I got a solid inner with my x-mid because it was what was available at the time (they were still doing the drops, no stock on hand). No appreciable difference in condensation that I've noticed. Even if there's some on the fly, the inner stays dry. Since the inner has nothing to do with stormproof that's a wash for me. I might get the mesh inner at some point to have the option. I've also used it without the inner to have all the space inside, which is nice, I sat inside in the rain using my stove because floorless tents are cool that way. I have tyvek for use as a groundsheet under the pad.

towards the end in a larger group I was skinny pitching my 1p durston and both 2p tents in my group had 2 people in them just to fit in tent sites. honestly 2p solo tents in some of the sites on this trail felt like a selfish move. if you fit in a 1p, you aren't spending enough time in it to need extra space, save the weight.  except the very very tall, solo 2p durston owners seemed to agree it was a little ridiculous to hog that kind of real estate. it was usually their first ul tent. 1p durston owners should all know how to skinny pitch. for one thing, it saves you when your door zippers start to go. in bad weather, 1p let me sneak off to a tiny wind protected ledge and have a peaceful night. 2p would have been stuck w the brunt of the wind up on the ridge spots established by fair weather weekenders.... 

I could skinny pitch my 1p xmid pro anywhere you could fit a cowboy. Some people hate skinny pitch but I loved the versatility. 

I have a Durston Xmid and love it - I also considered Six Moons Lunar Solo and Tarptent Stratospire and rainbow. They have some other tents in your budget too. Gossamer Gear has affordable single wall tents.

I was lucky and found a hubba 1p on clearance for £100 at go outdoors. It’s a decent tent but there’s no way I would pay full price for it. I massively prefer my x-mid

X- mid with a solid pitch (harder to achieve on uneven sites) is quite sturdy. I carry a couple of MSR Groundhog stakes to use in looser soil.

Durston Gear X-Mid all the way, baby!