r/DurstonGearheads

Medium torso length 

S/m hip belt 

Just got the Kakwa55 today and was doing a fit check and it doesn’t feel right. The sternum strap is at its last notch and if raise the hip belt I’m about two inches from the bottom of my sternum. For context I am 6’4”.

Firstly I just want to say I love the X-Dome/ X-mid and think they’re probably some of the best designs I’m aware of.

it’s awesome what they can do whilst being so light and compact. Also the way they pitch is simply genius.

I know that the materials in the current X-Dome are some of the best in class and very strong for their weight, but was curious if there could ever be a more rugged version?

I’d love to see a version that’s a bit more abrasion resistant and physically thicker.

What I’d be curious to see:

- a thicker floor of maybe 30/40D silpolly (I know you can use a groundsheet but still)

- a slightly thicker fly sheet maybe 25d silpolly

- thicker poles (1cm+)

This tent is already great at bad weather, but I’d love to see a more tanky version that’s you can beat up a bit more and really test it in the weather

This is the Kakwa medium. I’d say it fits like how it is supposed to fit; except for the hipbelt padding that does not actually cover my hipbones. My fault; for liking the sage with the s/m hipbelt more.

However, when walking with it (10-11 kg); I feel it poking at my bum. Never had that problem with my much heavier osprey ariel. It got slightly annoying.

Am i doing something wrong? Does that just happen with ultra light backpacks? Just a side effect of having a big bum? Would a extra lumbar pad help with this? I live in Europe; can’t order the zpacks lumbar pad easily.

Love to hear if any other people had this problem and if there are any solutions

now she's a dirty dursty

Not my best pitch because the ground was uneven. Sadly came across two small tears on the floor of the tent. :( I had gear repair tape on me and repaired them but I wasn't sure if I caused them or if the tent came with them (I bought the tent used on eBay and there wasn't any information on tears). Hoping that I don't discover more holes in this tent 🥲.

I've pitched the tent a few times now but have only just noticed that there's a gap on both poles connecting to the middle point. Is this normal, or have I inserted the poles wrong?

Howdy guys, I recently completed the south coast track in Tasmania and had a hungry critter (mouse) eat through my tent inner and about 2-3 canvas bags to get to his dinner while I was sleeping. This was a 5 night hike and the maiden voyage for my X-dome 2, which I loved. Just wondering if anyone has any advice on a decent repair-patch product or strategy?

Thanks very much!

I've probably spent about a third of the nights in 2026 in my x-dome 1+ (solid inner). I've used it in Chile, Argentina, Peru, southern Utah, and the North Cascades. I've been in 50 mph winds, torrential downpours, blowing sand, snow, one lightning storm and lots of beautiful nights. From sea level and 60°F to 17,000 feet and 12°F.

It's easy to get a taut pitch in both calm and windy conditions. I generally stake out the four corners first, then insert the poles into the grommets, then attach the top cross pole, then do the clips near the aluminum Y connectors, then the rest of the clips. In Patagonia, I used treking poles as additional supports almost every night as well as the upper corner Guylines. this made the tent virtually bombproof, and I slept well in vicious and gusty winds with earplugs in.

In Peru, in march I experienced the worst condensation I've ever experienced basically every night. I found it wasn't worth it to try to disconnect the inner from the rain fly for drying.. basically I found the best practice was simply to find a sunny and breezy spot for lunch and set up the entire tent as a unit to dry (stake one or two corners so it doesn't blow away). With the rain fly door open, a soaked tent would be dry in about 45min.

Because of the complicated interaction between wind, slope, site dimensions, etc, I sometimes slept with my head at the narrow end, which was not a big deal at all.

my x-dome 1+ weighs 2lbs 12oz with stakes, guy lines, stuff sacks, etc, which is quite a bit more than my (normal go-to) Gossamer gear whisper at 15oz all included. When the weather is harsh, variable or unknown the weight is worth it.

The reason I'm writing this review is because I remember seeing a post here a while back where someone was asking if this tent would be a good mountaineering tent. I can't find the post, but my recollection is that they got shouted down by the crowd for asking such a thing. I have since climbed two 18,000 foot mountains and one 20,000 foot mountain using this tent and I think it is a great option for any fast and light mountaineering objectives when the weather forecast is OK or better. The downsides I see are that the footprint is a bit bigger than a true mountain climbing tent, and the door is on the broad side rather than the narrow side of the tent which can make entry and egress difficult if you're on a tiny ledge. If you're mainly a backpacker, who sometimes does some peak bagging (even high altitude) then this is a great and perfectly capable option. Honestly, it's burley for it's weight. The solid inner is less resistant to spindrift than heavy 4 season tents, but you know the forecast and you're probably not climbing denali in winter.

Just got back from my 4th backpacking trip. I need help 🫠

It’s visible also from the inside at the bottom of the backpack

So I was looking at new tents to buy, and spent too many nights reading yalls Reddit posts…. So because of Reddit peer pressure ended up buying the XDome 2! I’m very excited to actually take this thing outside

I ended up building it in the living room tipsy at 2am, gf was excited to see it.. but next time it’ll be on a hike hopefully!

just wanted to share, thank you !