I bought the Durston X-Mid Pro 1 and the Durston X-Mid Pro 2 within a year or so of each other. Not to compare them for a review. I genuinely thought I would end up keeping the Pro 2 and using the Pro 1 as a backup for solo trips. That is not what happened. I sold the Pro 2. Here is why, and why it might matter for you if you are stuck choosing between the two.
The Pro 2 Made Sense on Paper
The X-Mid Pro 2 is a genuinely impressive tent. It only adds a couple of ounces over the Pro 1 for a dramatically bigger floor, and Durston’s own spec sheet backs that up. Both tents sit in the same 15 to 22 ounce range depending on floor material, which is a small tax to pay for a lot more room. Durston lists the full weight range and material breakdown here if you want the exact numbers for your size and floor choice.
On paper, more space for almost no weight penalty looks like a easy win. That is the logic that got me to buy the Pro 2 in the first place, and it is the same logic I see beginners land on constantly when they are researching this exact matchup.
The problem is that space only matters if you are actually in the tent long enough to use it.
How I Actually Camp
This is the part that changed everything for me, and it has nothing to do with the tents themselves. I hike close to dusk, set up, sleep, pack up, and I am moving again early. My camp time is short. I am not lounging around reading, cooking elaborate meals inside the vestibule, or riding out a rest day under the fly. The tent is a place I sleep, not a place I live.
If that sounds like your style, the extra interior volume of a bigger tent stops being a real benefit and starts being dead weight and dead space you paid for but rarely use. If you spend long stretches in camp, wait out weather, cook inside, or share the tent, that same volume is the whole point and the Pro 2 or Pro 2+ will serve you far better than the Pro 1 ever could.
Knowing which camper you are matters more than any spec sheet. I just did not know which one I was until I had actually used both tents back to back.
Packed Size Turned Out to Matter More Than I Expected
I did not think packed size would be a deciding factor going in. It became one. The Pro 1 packs down to roughly 12 by 4 inches and stores horizontally in almost any pack without eating into usable space, a detail confirmed across multiple independent reviews of the tent, including SectionHiker’s breakdown of the X-Mid Pro 1. The Pro 2’s larger floor means a noticeably bulkier stuff sack, which does not sound like much until you are trying to fit it alongside a bear canister, extra food for a longer stretch, or a bulkier sleep system.
For me, a smaller, more predictable packed item made loading my pack simpler every single morning. That is a small thing that becomes a big thing over weeks on trail. It is the kind of detail that never shows up in a spec comparison but shows up constantly in the actual hiking.
What I Gave Up, and What I Did Not Miss
To be fair to the Pro 2, I am not pretending it is worse. Its 46 inch floor width and taller, more evenly distributed headroom genuinely make it a better tent for two people, for anyone who wants to bring gear fully inside instead of leaving it in the vestibule, or for anyone spending long weather days under the fly. Durston’s own comparison chart is honest about this tradeoff, and it is worth reading before you decide either way.
What surprised me is what I did not miss. I expected to feel cramped in the Pro 1 after using the Pro 2. I did not. The Pro 1 still offers close to 46 cubic feet of interior volume and a 90 inch floor length, which is enough for tall hikers and more than enough for one person and their gear. I never felt like I had downgraded in any way that affected sleep quality, weather protection, or comfort. I only downgraded in ways that made my pack lighter and my mornings simpler.
The Actual Question to Ask Yourself
If you are trying to decide between these two tents, the specs will not settle it for you. Both are excellent, well built shelters from the same trusted geometry. The real question is how much time you actually spend awake inside your tent, and whether you are hiking solo or sharing the space.
- If you move fast, keep camp time short, and hike solo, the Pro 1 gives you everything you need without paying for space you will not use.
- If you spend real time in camp, wait out storms, or regularly share the tent, the Pro 2 or Pro 2+ earns its extra footprint and weight.
- If packed size and simplicity in your pack matter to you as much as interior comfort, that alone can be reason enough to go smaller.
I did not sell the Pro 2 because it is a lesser tent. I sold it because it was solving a problem I did not actually have. That distinction is worth figuring out before you spend the money, not after.