Notes on 2020 changes: The Duomid is now 110” long and uses a #8 zipper. While I liked the tarp before, these changes are exactly what it needed and make it even better.
When I set out to find a simple, stable, light, modular shelter in 2015 I pretty quickly landed on the Mountain Laurel Designs Duomid. It’s not the lightest shelter in the world, but something about it felt foolproof, reliable.
My Personal Use
I worked as a ranger in the High Uintas Wilderness during the 2013 season when I used the gear provided by the Forest Service. Most employees used Big Agnes Seedhouse 2 tents. At about three and a half pounds, these tents were not ultralight but they were pretty roomy for waiting out 48-hour storms while reading, listening to podcasts, or playing guitar. Yes, I carried a guitar. At four and a half pounds it was worth it considering how many nights I spent alone.
The Seedhouse, however, had a small vestibule and very stretchy fabric. I often had to get out of the tent in the middle of the night to tighten the guylines. These two problems, along with the weight, got me searching for something else.
My first duomid was silnylon, so the stretch issue wasn’t really resolved. But paired with a Solomid XL inner the tarp is more than half vestibule. I can’t overstate how much I love this aspect of the system. It rains most days in the Uintas, and water management in a place like this is much easier having a modular tarp system with a large vestibule.
First, and probably most importantly, the tarp can be pitched with or without the inner attached. I usually leave the inner unattached, and the tarp in the very top of my pack so I can pull it out and set it up quickly and dive inside if a deluge hits. This way my sleeping space is still tucked away dry in my pack until I need it. It gives me an opportunity to shake the rain off my jacket and tuck my muddy shoes in a corner. Then I can attach the dry inner, unroll my pad, and set up my quilt. With the inner at the back of the tent, away from the door, opening the door in the rain is never an issue. This is one of my very favorite things about the shelter.
When packing up the tent the next morning I usually pack the tarp and inner separately. Despite being DCF, some water does still cling to the fabric after a long night of rain. Packing the two parts separately keeps the inside of the floor fairly dry.
Weight
I used the silnylon version for about 65 nights and absolutely loved it, but there were a few imperfect attributes. First, is the stretch of the fabric in wet environments. This could be solved by purchasing the (very pricey at $455) Dyneema Composite Fabric (DCF) version. The second issue was the weight. The silnylon tarp (2015 version with some PU in the coating) with seams sealed, and longish guylines, was 24oz. That’s pretty heavy for just a tarp. The new fabric reduces this weight quite a bit. The Duomid now comes stock with 20d silnylon, costs $280, and weighs about 18oz before seam sealing and guylines. Again, this problem could be solved by getting the DCF version of the tarp. So I did.
My 2016 0.75 DCF Duomid with guylines comes in at 16oz, a full half pound lighter than my old silnylon tarp. For an extra $175 I’m not sure if this would be worth it for everyone.
I’ve now been using the DCF Duomid for over three years in the Colorado Plateau, the Olympics, the Uintas, and other various environments. So, did I love it as much as I thought I would? Did it solve the problems I thought it would solve? Does it have some unforeseen problems of its own?
Features/Durability
The Mountain Laurel Designs DCF Duomid can accommodate a two-person inner, a one-person inner, a floor, or a bivy. I’ve tried all options and find that the one-person (Solomid XL) inner is the most comfortable option. This weighs between 9.5oz and 10.5oz depending on which floor you choose: 20d silnylon or DCF.
The tarp can be pitched with a minimum of four stakes, one in each corner, but eight, and ideally nine, give you a much more secure pitch. I always carry nine stakes with my tent: four for the corners, four for the sides and mid-panels, and one for the peak. Not everyone utilizes the peak, but I have found that a long guyline from the peak gives me the option of opening both sides of the door without losing the structure of the tarp. Additionally, it adds a lot of stability. I can’t overemphasize how stable the peak guyline makes this tarp in windy situations.
My ideal setup with nine MSR Groundhog stakes, a Solomid XL silnylon inner, and long guylines weighs in at about 32oz. There are other cheaper tents that weigh about the same as this, but few are as modular, versatile, and strong. I could cut a few ounces off this weight by nixing the peak guyline, using my Borah Gear Bug Bivy (6.8oz) and using lighter stakes.
The DCF 0.75 fabric does not stretch when wet. I think this is great, but it’s not as huge a benefit as I thought it would be. Additionally, DCF can stretch, and mine did during one harrowing windstorm. At the mouth of Happy Canyon along the Dirty Devil River in southern Utah, the wind picked up in the middle of the night. Insane gusts slammed the side of the tarp. Every time this happened, the fabric hit my head, and sand poured over my bivy. I, and everyone else, laid there wide awake. I laid on my back watching the fabric slapping and writhing and then suddenly I was looking at Orion, the Big Dipper, and Deneb. Morning was forced upon me. My stakes were deadmanned in the sand under big rocks but they didn’t hold. I can’t be sure, but gusts were likely between 30 and 60mph. When I unzipped my bag and my bivy and stood up to look around, I could see that a TarpTent Protrail, Zpacks Solplex, and Seek Outside Silvertip were all flattened. A Big Agnes Fly Creek 1 and an MSR Hubba Hubba stood strong, though wavering, held down mostly by the weight of the bodies inside. Maybe there’s something to be said for a designated-pole tent in sandy places.
When the tarp was flapping in the wind, the handle of my pole somehow slid to the back wall and was there when a huge gust hit. The fabric sort of bubbled outwards. It seems thinner there now, and has not, and will not return to its normal shape. This isn’t a huge issue, but it’s interesting. Additionally, the perimeter shape has been vastly altered as the guylines seem to have pulled the fabric around the corners. The perimeter of the tarp is no longer a perfect rectangle, and the edges do not pull tight, but rather hang somewhat loose between linelocs, reducing aesthetic appeal. I’m not sure how much this matters, but the geometry is a bit changed after these huge gusts, and years of use.
Another thing to mention about the DCF is how it is a high-tension fabric. By this I mean the force of the gusts were transferred to the guylines. In a nylon tent the fabric flexes with the wind and the force is distributed. Because the tension is so high, the zipper is under a lot of strain. This means it can be difficult to zip and unzip, especially when sand becomes embedded in the coil. As a result, the slider wears out quickly, and I have taken to carrying sliders and stops with me on every trip. By now I have changed out the slider four times.
This is my least favorite thing about this tent, and probably the only thing I don’t like. It has left me wondering if the combination of DCF fabric and zippers is just a bad idea for sandy environments, and if such tents should be relegated to the woods. I will be using this tarp until it is dead, but afterwards I could see either buying another and using it only in alpine zones, or buying a silnylon version (or possibly Solomid XL), and taking the 4oz to 6oz weight penalty. Luckily, I don’t have to make this decision now. There’s time. There’s life left in this tarp.
Comfort
As noted above, I love the modularity of this system. It increases my comfort in camp to be able to use this as both a floorless shelter during weather events, and a secure sleeping shelter with an inner or bivy inside. The width of this tent makes it half vestibule! I love this aspect of it. I can organize my muddy, filthy gear outside the bivy or inner without getting my clothes and sleeping bag dirty.
My 2016 Duomid is a little short lengthwise (102”). If I pitch it low my head and the foot of my sleeping bag often scrape the ends. This can end up being a problem if I’m getting condensation, but a bivy with a solid foot does help with this problem. MLD has since changed the dimensions a bit, and the new one would probably fit my 5’ 11” height better. The dimensions are now 110” x 68” whereas mine is a few inches less in each dimension. The weight gained by this size increase is negligible, and probably worth the extra comfort.
Best Uses/Alternatives
Everything! I’ve used it in the High Uintas Wilderness where it poured for days on end. I’ve used it in Canyonlands National Park where it protected me only from starlight. I’ve pitched it in forest duff, desert sand, and on slickrock. If you’re looking for a versatile, modular, large, one-person shelter, the Mountain Laurel Designs DCF Duomid is an excellent option.
However, if you backpack exclusively in sandy, dry environments such as the Colorado Plateau I could see choosing something without a zipper. Seek Outside is now making two tents, the Eolus and the Silex, which don’t have zippers. The ZPacks Pocket Tarp with doors is another zipperless option that could replace the Duomid in dry, sandy places. The Silex would rival the Duomid in terms of size, but uses two poles, which can sometimes be a pain. The Pocket Tarp with doors is a little smaller, so my quilt would be likely to scrape the ends even worse than in the Duomid. That said, maybe that size would be fine if I’m not anticipating dumping rain or a dew point that would result in severe condensation.
One of my favorite things about the Duomid is the security I feel while using it. I know it can handle just about any three-season conditions, and some four-season conditions. If it’s pouring rain, or if I’m trying to sleep through sideways sleet, I’m not worried.
Conclusion
This is an all-around awesome shelter for deserts, mountains and everything in between. The weight is pretty typical for a shelter of this size, but the simplicity of the single-pole setup and the rectangular footprint make it preferable to shelters with asymmetrical or two-pole arrangements. The modularity and giant vestibule also drove me to choose this tarp over other similar ones.
My concluding thoughts on the DCF fabric are mixed. It doesn’t absorb water, which is great. It doesn’t stretch, which is also great. But the high-tension fabric puts a lot of strain on the zipper, resulting the zipper being sometimes difficult to open, and in sliders wearing out fairly quickly.
All that said, I am extremely pleased with my purchase of the Mountain Laurel Designs DCF Duomid. I would highly recommend it to just about anyone backpacking in just about any conditions.
Pros
Very large for one person
Can fit two people in a pinch
Modularity makes it extremely versatile
Very light for its size
Excellent craftsmanship
Cons
DCF and zippers don’t mix when in sandy environments
A little short when pitched to the ground
A bit small for two people
Pretty expensive