Just in time for peak outdoor sleeping season, the best known name in ultralight hiking has released their first one-person tent, the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Mid 1. Built entirely of American-made Dyneema Composite Fabrics (DCF)—a legendarily lightweight, waterproof, and durable material that’s become almost synonymous with the brand—the 1-person, 3-season tent weights just 16.8oz and can be pitched with a single trekking pole in minutes, making it an ideal shelter for long-distance backpacking, bikepacking, and other solo travel efforts. And trips with friends where you’re not keen on sharing a tent.
As with any piece of outdoor gear worth a few words here on Field Mag, the Mid 1 ($599) is both aesthetic and entirely functional, designed from the details up. Under the integrated fly is a fully sealed interior with no-see-um mesh and a 7” DCF bathtub floor that measures 32” wide by 96” long with adjustment points to increase ventilation or eliminate slashing during particularly nasty weather, and vestibule doors that open both ways and secure with magnets.
Mid-panel guy line tie-in points help mitigate stress in windy environments and hi-viz defective hits on all attachment points to help you find your way home after a midnight wee.
And if you don't carry trekking poles, any collapsible pole at 135 +/- 5cm will work. Word is HMG will soon have a dedicated carbon fiber option to purchase too, of course.
As longtime users of the HMG Junction Pack and more recently, the 40-degree backpacking quilt, we’re excited to see the Maine-based brand add a proper solo backpacking tent to their growing ecosystem of bright white backcountry gear. For me, the pyramid-shaped UltaMid tents never made much sense, and the recently released Unbound 2-person tent looks impressive, but requires two trekking poles (shout out my fellow hikers who've yet to give in to the trekking pole craze). The Mid 1 might just be the middle ground I've been looking for. Hbu?
Published 06-13-2023
