Well, I waited patiently for Ron to make a solo mid for maybe 2 years, and now he’s gone and made two. I’ve been comparing the relative performance characteristics, in a (very) off-the-cuff way. Paralysis by analysis, anyone?

DuoMid:
- 14.9 oz in Silnylon; 13.5 oz in Spinntex; 10.5 oz in Spectralite.
- Not much overhead coverage in heavy rain with the door open for ventilation & views.
- Steeper walls shed snow and condensation better.
- Slightly smaller footprint.
- Slightly quicker / easier pitch (6 tieouts and symmetrical footprint).
- More interior height (54”) when pitched flush to ground.
- Lashing two trekking poles together eliminates need for adjustable poles.
- Top vent (questionable functionality due to its small size).

TrailStar:
- 16 oz in Silnylon; no weights listed for Spinntex & Spectralite/Cuben
- More overhead coverage in rain with the “door” raised.
- Lower-angle walls shed wind slightly better, but condensation can not run down sides as easily.
- Slightly larger footprint.
- Slightly more complex / slower pitch (10 tieouts and asymmetrical footprint).
- Slightly more versatile pitch, and the entrance can be re-oriented in any direction.
- Less interior height (36”) when pitched flush to ground.
- Best used with adjustable trekking pole if ground-flush pitch is desired.
- No top vent (pro or con depending on your take).

Neither shelter accommodates a very sitting-friendly bug nest, relative to duo-size catenary tarps. The TrailStar seems cramped height-wise (36”), but of course it can be pitched higher. The DuoMid looks slightly cramped depth-wise (5 ft) - I would have preferred 5.5’ or even more. This would allow more rain coverage behind the pole, so the door could be left open more often (similar to the Akto, which is perfect in this regard). This would also make the DuoMid a more viable winter shelter, so that you’re not constantly smearing your down parka all over condensation-soaked walls. Even as is, the DuoMid looks clearly better suited to moderate snow loads, and the TrailStar better for prolonged rain.

The TrailStar seems better for occasional 2-person use. The “Duo” in DuoMid is questionable, IMO, since opening the door exposes the entire front half to rain.

Any additional thoughts? Am I way off base anywhere?

(Edit: weights added)

Edited by PA_Jay on 02/10/2009 13:33:49 MST.

I had the same question. Here is what Ron said:


Duomid if you want more weather protection/ colder weather and TrailStar if more often you have a partner in there and want the tarp views/ open feeling and like to spread out.


That sums up the essence of the difference simply, I think. Hope this helps. M

Edited by greenwalk on 02/09/2009 18:33:35 MST.

Jason,

Did you want to add weights to your post? I'm also curious about these two, and will watch as this thread progresses

I had the same dilemma. I ended up with the DuoMid for many of the reasons you stated.

#1 reason is that what I was hoping for a floorless year-round shelter; and I think I found that in the DuoMid. Much greater venting options are available with the DuoMid given it has a 3-wall pitch available.

Also, I feel that the pitch on the DuoMid is simpler; and I know I wouldn't look forward to entering/exiting the Trailstar in wet conditions. I'm a solo hiker with adjustable poles; so a lot of the other factors you mention don't much matter for me.

I also agree that for many conditions the DuoMid is not really suitable for 2-person use. That's not to say it can't be done, but you may end up sacrificing some of the features of the DuoMid that you would otherwise desire in certain conditions.

Thanks for the input guys.

Craig - Can you give us a sense of the overhead rain coverage when the door is open? Can you sit up straight in it without getting rained on? Maybe this is just a matter of keeping the rain pants on in that scenario...

I considered ordering a DuoMid w/ a 2nd buckle, 2/3 of the way up the zipper flap, to allow the door to be kept partially open without stressing the zipper, and without sacrificing overhead coverage so much. Does that mod sound reasonable to anyone else?

I have a duomid and I don't think you'd need the mod. You can leave one of the doors open like that without stressing the zipper because you can stake out the other door.

Jason:

I've been rained on once in the situation: with one door staked out, effectively creating a half-vestibule. Though the rain was not serious, and not a whole lot of wind factored in, I did not get rained on or splashed. That is not to say this would be effective in a downpour.

A 3/4 vestibule as you described (I think) might just actually work in heavy rains while still maintaining decent venting. I'm not so sure I agree with Art though. In my experience the tension on the zipper gets very tight even as you zip down 1/4 of the way, and I don't see a way of staking out the second door to keep the stress off of the zipper. A 2nd buckle may not be a bad idea; but you also need to find a way to keep the excess of the 2nd door from flapping around.

I too have been looking at these two. I asked Ron which was stronger in high winds, his reply:

"The DuoMid is very strong in wind and has a total of 13 external stake out points."

Interesting because the Trailstar can be pitched lower? It does have more surface area though.

I'm pretty interested in the Duomid myself.
I was wondering is there any pole out there suitable for use with the Duomid for those of us that don't use trekking poles?
Also do you guys think you wouldn't need a bivy with the Duomid or would you still bring one?

-Sid

I don't walk with trekking poles, but with my MLD Patrol I still use a Komperdell C3 Compact (carbon fiber adjustable hiking pole) which weighs 147g/5.2oz with no strap or basket. I honestly don't think a purpose built, strong and adjustable tent pole could get much lighter than this. But I haven't really looked.

For two people, the TrailStar has plenty of room. If you notice carefully in the photos the entrance peak is not at one of the "corners". There are 5 "corners or main stake out points, and between each one is another tie-out point. You can make the door at any one of these mid-tie out points. Therefore, if you make the long tie line easily removable, you can change the the position of the door without having to move the entire shelter. You can also "close" or lower the door without leaving the shelter. Set the pole close enough to the edge of the shelter, so you that it is an arm's length away. Leaving the pole still attached to its guyline, reach out and pull it down. If you have one extra stake you can the stake down the mid point lower to the ground. To raise iot up, just reach out and stand the pole upright again. If need be you can also stake other tie-out points snugly to the ground and still have plenty of protected space.
Since it is silnylon make yourself some guyline tensioners. How to do that is explained with photos in the MYOG section, entitled "MYOG Guyline Tensioners", 4/12/09.