Ultralight Shelters Take Another Turn Through the Shop

The ultralight tent shelf was updated again this month, with a revamped version of Gossamer Gear's long-running The One drawing most of the attention in the latest round of testing published on September 2.

The design that keeps turning up on trail, though, is Durston's X-Mid. The standard version runs about $269 and uses an offset pole arrangement to buy interior volume, pitching easily and staying reasonably dry inside. The Pro swaps the double-wall silpoly for a single-wall DCF fly and drops close to a pound, at the cost of modularity: its floor is integrated, so you cannot leave the inner at home.

Big Agnes has spent its 2026 development on keeping moisture out of down fill, using a hybrid baffle construction across new sleeping bags, one of which adds an integrated pad sleeve so you stop sliding off in the night.

For packs, Gossamer Gear's Murmur 36 remains the extreme end of the frameless category: a little over five ounces carrying 36 litres, using your sleeping pad as the frame sheet and unusually wide hipbelt webbing to move the load. It rewards people who already pack light and punishes people who do not.

None of this is a reason to replace working gear. It is a reason to know what the options are when something finally gives out.