Mid 1 Insert

bugglife
bugglife Member Posts: 100
edited June 4 in THE GEAR LAB
Mesa - 54.jpeg

I had the pleasure of spending two nights in the Mid 1 insert in Grand Canyon in April, and thought I would share my thoughts for interested folks.

Pros:

  • Lightweight
  • Packs down small
  • High Quality
  • Phone / glasses pocket
  • Bathtub floor

Cons:

  • Not as easy to set up as the Ultamid 4 insert. Getting the toggles into the loops in the corners was doable for me, but I had to work at it a bit more.
  • It definitely cuts down on the usable square footage under the tarp. I'm 5'9" and it was plenty long, but quite narrow. I had enough space, but it didn't feel nearly as room as the tarp on its own.

Neutral / thoughts:

  • I use fixed 120cm trekking poles because they're lightweight and fold down small. I've used the tarp on its own with these poles without an issue. The insert requires a taller pole to remove drooping sides. I tried using the pole jack, but it didn't feel very stable due to the short length of the spikes below the baskets on my poles. I think a longer pole would help both with the droop.
  • I also think a longer pole would assist with the ease of setup because you won't have to reach under as far to find the toggles.
  • I've got more than 30 nights in my ultamid 4, so maybe it's not a fair comparison, but I wasn't anticipating as much of a challenge setting this up since I figured they would be more similar.
  • In just two nights, I didn't experience serious wind, rain, or insects, but it seems capable of handling them all.

On the whole, I'd give this 4/5 stars, and might up my ranking with taller / adjustable poles. Will be interested to hear more people's experiences as this gets more use in the backcountry!

Comments

  • AustinHager
    AustinHager Member Posts: 37

    Awesome thanks for the tips! I have been checking this out and was wondering about the width in particular. Did you leave it clipped together or did you disassemble each night?

  • Jessicaholly88
    Jessicaholly88 Member Posts: 47

    I also found this harder to set up than my mid 2 and couldn't quite get rid of the droop either I thought I was doing something wrong!

  • bugglife
    bugglife Member Posts: 100

    @AustinHager Sorry for the delay! I disassembled each night to pack up. I hadn't considered keeping it all together. I may use it again in July, will report back when I do.

    @Jessicaholly88 you are not alone! I'll let you know if I come up with a solution, please do the same.

Categories