Tarptent Dipole Li Review

A note on the apex stability/number of stakes for the X-Mid:

Without getting into a time consuming physics discussion, the X-Mid is stable with 4 stakes from a practical use standpoint and that is how most people use it (e.g. a quick glance at the #xmid hashtag on Instagram shows the majority of tents being used without peak guylines). This is true because the peaks are located within the perimeter of the fly and thus when the pole is extended the various vectors will sum to zero on the peak. The 4 stake pitch of the X-Mid is quickly demonstrated here where it is obviously stable and practically useable with 4 stakes. This is quite different from the High Route where the apex is along the perimeter so there are no vectors along one side and guylines are mandatory.

The X-Mid 1 has always has very little need for peak guylines (just in high winds or to compensate for a poor pitch) which is why many users never use them (e.g. my wife hiked the 1100km Great Divide Trail and never used them once). Conversely, the original X-Mid 2 did benefit more from peak guylines in moderate winds but not because of uneven tension at the peaks but rather because the side panels are a fair size and steep which gives a larger profile to the wind. When this is combined with the greater stretch of a woven fabrics and only shallow vectors to oppose this wind force, there can be a need for a peak guyline to anchor against the wind. This is quite similar to the Dipole which also has large, steep sidewalls and only shallow vectors to anchor the apex against this. Both tents are stable in mild conditions while peak guylines are recommended for both in high winds. Also, second generation of the X-Mid 2 reduces stretch in the canopy and takes peak guylines from something people might use 30% of the time down to maybe 10%.

The closer comparison to the Dipole though is the X-Mid Pro 2, which is also DCF. With the smaller size of the X-Mid Pro 2 combined with low stretch DCF fabric, the practical need for peak guylines is much less and near zero. The tent is so stable without peak guylines (even in pretty decent winds) that we envision >90% of users will never use them and we don’t include any on the tent (just a loop in case some users want to add some). So it’s not inaccurate to say that X-Mid’s are ‘always’ shown with peak guylines and they are needed for practical use.

All of this can get quite academic, but the practical takeaways are:
1) Both tents can form a stable structure with only 4 stakes but most users will use 6 so the vestibule side of the doorways can be anchored.
2) The main benefit of a 4 stake pitch is not that more stakes is particularly onerous to put it, but rather than tents with 4 main corners require less guesswork in the pitch. Both tents share this benefit.
3) With both tents, the peak guylines become increasingly important as wind starts hitting the sidewalls. I expect the Dipole’s need for such guylines is at least as great as the X-Mid Pro 2 because it is a larger tent with a larger profile to the wind.

Anyways, I hope that clears things up. It was quite a surprise to read the X-Mid always needs guylines and it’s not practical to use it without them, when we have thousands of people out there doing exactly that.

In that example there is an extra stake added to hold the door flap after it is up, but it’s not required and not a peak guyline as you are saying are needed. If you want to see a 100% pure 4 stake pitch, you can see it here. I do add a stake at the door later in the video to hold the door flap in place, but that’s the same as the Dipole where it’s not needed for stability and not a guyline.

There are examples of guyline free X-Mid’s everywhere. Why not focus on more meaningful differences between these tents, like the greater width of the Dipole? It looks super spacious and it’s great it works with two wide pads. It looks like a nice tent.

Great offerings from great company(ies).  Having a construction background meant being a builder of many things.  I do appreciate innovative design(s) when applied to intended application(s).  And yet the bar continues to be raised.  Humble bows left and right.  Just some thoughts.  ~RL

What Henry calls the “faceting” of the Dipole canopy (smaller size, triangular shape, and symmetrical placement of the panels) means that it should be very good at avoiding permanent deformation and stretching of the DCF fabric due to tensioning that plagues a lot of other DCF designs. This is likely to be a big plus for long term durability and aesthetics.

My friends in Taiwan, where humidity is very high, are pretty excited about the large end vents on the Dipole.

Bravo! This looks like a really awesome, mature design. I think early adopters can buy with confidence that they will be getting a tent that is already well-tweaked.

For most users it won’t be problem, but for those who camp in sites regularly exposed to high wind, I expect that the Dipole, like the X-Mids, will still be fairly noisy, albeit certainly able to withstand the brunt of the wind force. Edit: Are there stake out points on both sides at the bottom of the door zips for really windy conditions/potential zip failure? It’s hard to tell from the photos here and on TT’s site whether there is just one stake out point on one door panel or whether there aren’t two, one on each panel? Having a dual tie out option for each panel on the side door would put less stress on the DCF wouldn’t it and provide a backup in case of zipper failure (a problem I’ve had on other DCF tents due to permanent deformation).

Awesome design for taller folks. A lot of thought must have gone into determining the optimal strut height. The top Dyneema panels have an angle that becomes more shallow towards the ends due to the height of the struts. Water can flow down the sides as the roof panels narrow as they extend, and pooling is avoided, but I wonder what happens with snow? Is the tent designed to be a three-season shelter, or can it take a bit of snow? I suppose one could gently tap the roof from the inside on the spot close to the struts that may be susceptible to snow accumulation in case of suboptimal pitch. Or perhaps this is just not an issue in the field. It would be interesting to find out.

> Do you envisage offering this design in a woven fabric at a later date, or will it be DCF only?

We’re not none with this design by any means.

-H

> I’m not sure TarpTent can patent the ability to stand with 4 stakes. Durston did it first (yes, I read Henry’s comments).

The patent is for the overall geometry which includes the symmetrical tension lines (for 4-stake stability) and the end strut system for volume enhancement and faceting.  As I understand it, the X-Mid patent has to do with relative positioning of interior to fly geometry and not for the fly geometry (which is actually just a widened SD High Route design sufficient to angle an interior).

“[The X-Mid Design] is actually just a widened SD High Route design sufficient to angle an interior.”

Please cease with the misinformation about the X-Mid. It is not just a widened High Route to rotate the inner. There are other core differences such as in the relative peak position (along the edge versus internal) which give further differences in stability, panel slopes, stake and guyline requirements etc in addition to the differences in the floorplan.

Whelp, there ya go.  Design an Aeon with dipole end struts and yur all in

Everyone has different tolerances for what constitutes “mild”, “moderate”, and “heavy” winds. My tolerance is pretty low when it comes to ultralight shelter stability. Having spent the majority of my wilderness camping nights during the spring and fall in the Northern Rockies of CO, WY, and MT, wind is a norm rather than an exception. After reviewing what we wrote and how we presented the review, I totally understand why @dscramer (Darryl C) is confused. As reviewers, whether for BPL or for any other place online, we need to qualify our claims. I hope to clarify this a bit in the rest of this post.

Here’s my experience with both the Tarptent Dipole 1 & 2 Li:

I generally consider “mild” wind to be steady wind less than 10 mph and gusts less than 15 mph. In this case, the Dipole 1 Li, Dipole 2 Li, and the Durston X-Mid Pro do “OK” (not awesome) without apex guylines. All three tents are pretty wobbly and noisy when it gusts to 15 mph. The Dipole fares *marginally* better than the X-Mid in this case, in terms of noise and the perception of deflection. No data here though, so take this claim with a grain of salt.

In what I identify as “moderate” wind, which I consider to be steady wind of 10-20 mph and gusts up to 30 mph, both tents *absolutely* need the apex guylines. As with every other 2-trekking pole tent I’ve used, accessory guylines at these wind speeds are essential. In this condition, if *just* the apex guylines are pitched, and *just* the four corner stakes, the Dipole is “a bit” more stable than the X-Mid Pro (again, in terms of noise and perceived deflection).

In *heavy* wind (steady 20+ mph and gusts to 40+ mph) – I only have ONE data point for each of these tents. On the X-Mid Pro, I staked the four corners, the 2 apexes, and the vestibule zipper (which was a different stake-out point than the apex). On the Dipole 1 and 2, I staked the four corners, the apex and vestibules (same stake), and the end struts. The Dipole 1 was the most stable (kind of obvious, it has the smallest fabric area here). The Dipole 2 was less noisy and had less apparent deflection than the X-Mid Pro, but the differences aren’t going to be noticed, and users probably won’t care if:

They purchased one over the other and don’t have side-by-side experience with both.

Again, I want to reiterate that both of these are great tents. Either one will serve you well in any condition appropriate for a trekking pole tent – which is *not* extreme winds or severe storms. Look elsewhere if you need shelter for those conditions!

I came back to BPL to see what was up with the Dipole…I’m in the market for a double-dog shelter (yep…TWO adventure pups!) and am struggling with my decision.

I for one, having not been seriously backpacking in a few years, am super excited to see all this healthy competition! Henry and Dan both make amazing shelters, and frustratingly you guys are really just making my decision so. much. harder.

Ryan, thanks for taking the time to put together your post on the behavior of tents in the wind. This is difficult information to come by, and your posts over the years (e.g. this one) have been some of the only information available to help predict how various tents might fare in high winds.

For comparative purposes, how do the DR Li, Khufu DCF and Duplex do in mild, moderate and heavy winds?