Six Moon Designs - Lunar Solo

I used the solo lunar when I hiked the Colorado trail but have since switched to SMD’s Gatewood Cape which is my go-to favorite. I’ve put it through the wringer and when I destroy it will buy another. https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/products/gatewood-cape

I've had my lunar solo since 2019 and I've always set it up with the pointy end of the trekking pole down. I wasn't aware that it was supposed to be otherwise. I'm not in love with the tent, but it has met my needs.

As someone who has exclusively used X-Mids for years now (OG, Pro 1, Pro 2+) I'd recommend going with none of them. The Lunar Solo is going to provide you with enough space for your dog, and save you $400. I love my Pro 1 but it will not fit a dog comfortably, and the Pro 2 is too big for the PCT.

I have three of these: the Lunar Solo, X-mid 1, and Rainbow Solo. Lunar Solo is ok. Bit finicky to pitch sometimes but not horrible. I have to make sure to use my second trekking pole to lift the head end of the tent to give me enough room. XMid 1 for me is too small. (I’m 6’2” and about 230 lbs). No extra usable internal space. Feels tight. Of the three the Rainbow Solo hits a pretty nice sweet spot of price, size, and weight. I have the aluminum pole which I recommend. As you know it is single wall so probably better for dryer climates. I’ll probably pick up an Xdome 1 at some point. Maybe next year. The Lanshan tents over on Ali Express seem popular as inexpensive options. IMO the XMid Pro 2 is the perfect solo tent but is way more $$$ than your criteria.

Man at 5’3” a SMD lunar solo would be super roomy too and 24 ounces 

that's true! I got mine for $180 on a sale but that's not nothing

You're right about the Lunar Solo. It's an endless hassle to wrangle that thing into a site that's just a little too small, but it's site you want for the night. Plus, I think it's too big to get that bathtub floor to be a bathtub rather than a flat groundsheet. It's just too much work after a long day of backpacking. So instead, I've been using a Nemo Hornet 1P. Which is the opposite of spacious, but it's working for me for now.

I honestly think the lunar solo pitch instructions are wrong. I used one for a few trips and had excellent pitches every time by following the tarptent aeon instructions. I forgot the instructions on my first night with it but I used to have an aeon and so I pitched it that way. I tried it again weber I got back to civilization and I don't know why smd recommends the way they do

I love my lunar solo.

I don't hate my lunar solo, but I wouldn't say I love it either. Sure its large for the kind of tent it is, but a lot of that room isn't usable - like my dog is right against the outside wall. The bathtub part is pretty hard to get right, and takes a lot of faffery, for often no gain. Its not that light, nor does it pack that small for what you get. Don't get me wrong, I think the value is there, in terms of cost vs weight vs usability, its for me the kind of tent I take on one or two night trips but since I've bought a MSR freelight I just take that because it weighs almost the same and I am biking so I carry a pole for t he solo.

Just wanted to share my disappointment with the six moons lunar solo as I wish I came across something that pointed me to something else. I bought it because I wanted a one person tent with room for gear that only required one pole and didn't destroy the bank. This was still a fair price mind you but had disappointed from early on. In my test pitches I put a hole in the top because unlike zpack, durston, lanshan etc they put the pointy part of the hiking pole up. This damage was done through the protective sleeving they have, it just isn't sufficient and eventually causes a minor tear. Repaired that and put a sharpie lid on the end of the pole to make it less sharp so it was going ok but not great. Now I discover the rain fly zip is broken when it is raining and I'm not having a good time. I've only had the thing a week on the trail Also the pitch is a little awkward to get consisten, you will be touching the condensation because of the wall slopes, very hard to get the bathtub up to what it is meant to be. Also the vent at the top is asking to be rained in at some point. Would wholeheartedly recommend getting something else. The durstons on trail seem to be the envy of everyone. The z pack people are pretty happy. But I am definitely suffering the most. Wish durston would do a 1.5 person tent with 1 pole but right now I'd happily just risk it with a two pole setup for the comfort. I've also been contacting support with very little help. They didn't even reply to one email. I have since emailed about the zip which I think is actually a problem worthy of support so still see what they do. But honestly, go with a different tent.

When you put the pole into the protective sleeve you can see it sticking into the material way more than it should just by design. I tried putting some duct tape on the end just to soften it as I was concerned. But then I must have staked it just too tight because that stress on the material overcame what the material could handle and caused a small hole. I'm an engineer and I will firmly call out a poor design here, it should not be transferring that much stress through the protective sleeve, the protective sleeve is just insufficient. This is why every other tent I have seen put the handle of the trekking pole up top. Even still this could be fixed with a much more sufficient protective sleeve. But once again having the handle go up top is a better design still because right now the handle is awkwardly just pushed into the ground with nothing really keeping it in place. As for the pole. I have had a pole break on me before. Sometimes you just have an accident. I was walking on what I thought was firm ground but it was actually a hollow bush with grass on top, one pole went through and I lost my footing and it snapped. I also have a guy who has had his poles bend a few times and couldn't extend his poles for his z pack tent. Luckily he could find a workshop who got them open and now he just doesn't collapse his poles. I would just hate to have a day where you break your pole and then you can't setup your tent properly. A rare event but the longer I'm out the more likely it may happen.

As I've said to another: When you put the pole into the protective sleeve you can see it sticking into the material way more than it should just by design. I tried putting some duct tape on the end just to soften it as I was concerned. But then I must have staked it just too tight because that stress on the material overcame what the material could handle and caused a small hole. I'm an engineer and I will firmly call out a poor design here, it should not be transferring that much stress through the protective sleeve, the protective sleeve is just insufficient. This is why every other tent I have seen put the handle of the trekking pole up top. Even still this could be fixed with a much more sufficient protective sleeve. But once again having the handle go up top is a better design still because right now the handle is awkwardly just pushed into the ground with nothing really keeping it in place. So I won't take user error here. I believe if durston had made such a mistake it would be changed and fixed within the next iteration. Even so every other trekking pole tent I see avoids this problem entirely by putting the pole the other way around. I am using the side tie outs. How is the zipper possibly my fault? You're just dismissing my experience and opinion because it doesn't align with yours. I'm sharing my disappointment with this tent because there is much better out there and I'm here wishing I got something else.

Agree. We have a 3p that we use for motorcycle camping. It's great for that - we put our riding gear in the vestibule, which was really helpful on the rainy days that we always seem to find. But it's heavyish and the footprint of the tent + vestibule is very large. We've been to campsites with platforms were the tent+vestibule barely fit. We do like the utility of a large vestibule but we wish there was a way to pitch the tent + fly without it sometimes. Big Agnes has some models were a vestibule can be added. That might be the best of both worlds. We also have a Six Moons Design Lunar Solo 1p. Our first single wall. It's ultra light and small but susceptible to condensation.

I second this, I had my Lunar Solo seam-sealed, and never have leakage. The walls don’t droop if you pitch it correctly on level ground. Great design.

The worry I had with "the one" was the sil nylon. Any issues with sagging and water retention? I went with the lunat solo because of the sil poly.

I love mine! It won me over when I camped on a ridge, and it stayed rigid in really strong wind. I used it on part of the Great Divide Trail.

I use a TT aeon Li and SMD Lunar Solo. If your on the fence about tracking pole set up shelters the Lunar Solo is a great choice. They are very affordable and fairly easy to find second hand.

Yep. It really is a great tent. I have yet to find any of the “UL” makers with one that has as much to offer as the SMD. Roomy, huge vestibule, very forgiving set up, and over all price. One thing I really appreciate about it that I didnt know until I got the Aeon.. there are no supports in it. It is just a large piece of material. That is nice because you can just stuff it and go. The TT Aeon and others have carbon support rods that you have to be aware of. The only thing better than the SMD would probably the MLD Deschutes. Very similar in design, but slightly different. As a matter of fact, the owner of six moons, and the owner of Mount Laurel are close friends, and both through hikers from what I understand. Either way, whatever you choose of the models you mentioned you can’t go wrong 🙂

I love my Lunar Solo

I love the weight, it being a 1p that i can also fit gear inside with me, side entry, and how rapid it is to pitch, but many things to dislike. - Nearly impossible to get taut. I think it being all one panel for the sides and back is a design flaw and should be 3 panels with a cat cut. I have tried all of the recommended alternative set up instructions, on flat and uneven ground, it just flaps. - The carbon pole they sell is rubbish. Far too flexy = more flapping. It needs a trekking pole or similar stiffness pole. - Pole tip up. Never had issues with the tip sleeve, but had issues multiple times with the handles sliding on the ground in the night if pitched on uneven ground, or i nudge them in the night (often again because of uneven ground). The handle slides, I lose tension, more flapping. Ive been putting a spare tent peg in front of the pole handle to lessen this. I trust SMD when they say handle up will stress the tent too much, but I'll probably try handle up on my next trip. - If you can't get the bathtub floor shape, the floor can lay essentially flat on the ground so rain splashback or potentially running water can easily get in. - Not convinced the guy line points are in the right place to combat the flapping. They work for head/foot room space though and may be their intended purpose, especially if using another trekking pole to lift either end up. I keep wanting to sew on another two guy points between the back corners and mid point to see if it helps the flapping but havent committed yet. - Condensation. Not an issue with a sponge, apart from when the tent flaps and slaps me with wet fabric. Or flaps and shakes condensation on me. It has never failed on me, collapsed or soaked me, and those issues haven't been enough to force me to buy a new tent, but I get mildly annoyed quite often.

All things being equal, a single wall tent made of silnylon or silpoly will pack smaller if the denier is lower. I read in a thread earlier that the GG One uses 7d fabric so it makes sense that it’s one of the smallest available options. I have a Six Moon Lunar Solo that packs pretty small as well which is why I own it. You can basically remove any DCF tent from comparison as they are far bulkier fabric.

Conversely I don’t have a hard time pitching mine ever. The bathtub floor is always nice and never lays flat. I feel like this is user error myself. Actually I think this tent has tons of user error in large part because the instructions written on the tab of the bag it comes in are wrong. If you pitch by staking out the left and right rear corners first, insert the pole at the recommended lemgth, stake out front, and then stake out the rest of the panels it pitches perfect every time. You also need to be certain to stake directly in line with the seams and not at an angle or it’ll be baggy. This all sounds a lot harder than it really is, it just takes some experience and watching the SMD video about how to pitch it. I find it very easy and fast to pitch. If the bathtub floor is baggy adjust the angle of the pole. You can flatten the bathtub out if it’s angled too far toward the front of the tent, and vice versa.

Yup mine ca,e with instructions sewn on the bag that were wrong. Even SMD has a video on their site that’s different than what’s sewn on the bag. People follow the bag and are disappointed, people who ask online or watch SMDs video they email you when you buy it will get good taut pitches every time. I literally never have a problem and as such I feel there is a ton of user error on this tent.

I used my Lunar Solo on the PCT for 6 months everyday with no issues and still use it. There's a better method to pitch it that I found on youtube, which works great. You pitch the back 2 corners, front middle, then front 2 corners, then back middle. Another tip is to keep the stakes (except the front middle) as high out of the ground as you can for ventilation and maximum room inside, this will also pull the bathtub up higher off the ground in the rain.

Contra point. Love my lunar solo. Somewhere around 70-80 nights and it's holding up fine. Pitch can be a bit tricky and don't always get it good but the tie outs help enough where I use them every time. Space is also perfect for one plus gear plus dog. One pole is so nice. The only complaint I have, as you mentioned, was condensation which is a problem that lots of tents have.

>Does your pole have a carbide tip? If so can you see it poking through the protective at the top when you pitch it. I had to make a cover for the end of my pole to mitigate this. Yes but I always (and I mean always) have one of those rubber feet on them. My dog once ran into the pole while I was holding it sideways and poked his eye...so the carbide tip is always covered for his sake. >I've had rain coming in at quite the angle and the vent at the top is just not very well covered. I have to put my hat up there to stop it I think that is tent placement too. I camped in a really rainy and windy night--the type of night where the wind gusts are so strong and loud it wakes you up every few minutes and probably rained about 2 inches that night and it held up. I don't think its the most weather proof tent but it did the job. Overall I probably had about 4-5 nights of significant enough rain and I'd call the lunar solo "adequate". >I would think there's room for gear or dog in the tent. But I guess If you packed your gear up instead of letting it spread out you could do both Its pretty east but I'm admittedly not a tall person, 5'9" means that I'm not even close to the walls and the gear and dog have plenty of room.

I think the lunar solo is about the only tent that fits all my requirements. Single pole, reasonably light, enough space for me and a dog, enough height to sit upright.

I was very disappointed with it as well. I went ahead and sold it after a few trips. I bought a used Plexamid and have never looked back.

I have the lunar solo and love it for the weight and pack size. Just personally id have them do the seam sealing cause I thought I did mine well even with testing at home. 3rd night out we got some good rain and I quickly found out there was a small spot that wasn't perfectly sealed

Others have mentioned it, but the Six Moon Design tents all have great shelter packability. The Lunar Solo and the Deschutes are great. I personally own the Deschutes and I can squish that thing down to fit in my hand! I think they’re also pretty affordable both new and used.

I didn't like it. It will not fit 2 people even cuddling. Somebody would get condensation on them and won't be able to sit up, for your occasional use case. The walls have a fairly low slope so isn't as good for gear storage. I also found it awkward to set up so it was taught. Even with practice.

I always put my pole tip down in the ground even though I know it's designed for tip up. It worked for me on my 11 day trip. The issue I had with it was the knot they use for the sliding awning would come undone and I had to teach myself how to tie that knot when I got signal in the dark. Otherwise, I was perfectly happy with the tent but did find pitching a little annoying after a long day.

I think the risk with 2 poles is that you might lose or break one and now you have to scramble to find a stick or something to replace it.

I like the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo as a tarp tent that is fully enclosed and provides bug protection. 26oz though. But affordable. Definitely worth looking into. https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/products/lunar-solo-tent

I have one of the early models, and it has been doing great for over a decade. Though, I did replace all side corner guyouts with longer cord. This helped for all the varied pitching locations where I had to get around or over a rock/log/root/etc. Been through some monstrous bad weather in that thing and it kept me dry like a champ. As I have gotten older, I have been looking at things like the x-mid 1 pro or offset solo since it would be nice to sit up in my tent without having to lean towards the door. But the high cost of DCF and the marginal potential reduction in weight keep me in my 24.6oz silnylon lunar solo.

Came here to say that. I have had the LS for years. It's my go-to dog hiking tent. Plenty of room for 1.5 people and solidly made. Can stuff it without much thought, no folding etc. Without dog and for thru hiking I use DCF.

\+1 for Lunar Solo! Packs really small and has a smaller footprint than The One.

Love my Lunar Solo and also love my Duplex! Different price points and usage (LS with dog). I do not put the pointy end of the hiking pole up. Yes, the walls are steep but that comes with a one-pole design. If you want to avoid that, either use the side guy lines and attach higher to a tree or the second trekking pole (head end), or pay more for tents that have different designs. I think for the price the LS has proven to be a great tent!

Six moon designs lunar solo or duo if you want a little extra room. Both use trekking poles to setup and are cheaper compared to competitors.

Safe a bit extra and get a six moons designs or durston gear tent Nature hike can be very hit or miss, and is definitely not ultralight