>>2838534Dan Durston “designed” the XMid (took a Sierra Designs High Route and improved it). Durston was the first to yo-yo the Great Divide.
The X-Mid is popular for a few reasons.
>designLet’s not kid ourselves, it’s a great design. Two-pole designs maximize headroom, usable floor space, and add structural integrity. It’s well built and has a lot of good design choices. The X-Mid is also pretty light for a double walled shelter. And it came out at a time when silpoly was replacing silnylon.
>low priceYou can’t buy them anywhere but from the manufacturers website, which is why they’re $260 (recently increased from $240) and not $350.
>Massdrop and scarcity effectThe X-Mid wasn’t sold on the manufacturer’s site for a few years after its release. It was only sold on Massdrop. The tents were made in limited quantities only a few times per year. This all culminated into a limited supply, which can necessarily increase demand. In marketing it’s called the “scarcity effect.” Even now the tents come in batches; they’ve been sold out for a month and aren’t available until late September.
>Reddit circle jerk/echo chamberIt’s one of the most insufferable aspects of Reddit. There’s a lot less nuance than there should be. The X-Mid really is great, but you’d think it was the only shelter available.
>owner engagementDan Durston was a regular on Backpacking Light even before starting his company, and he’s engaged directly with consumers on Reddit and Facebook.
