Six Moon Designs - Lunar Solo
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 14, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
8
0
"Not sure about poor build quality; mine worked immaculately from the time I bought until the time I gave it to a friend years later. ... my friend continues to use my Lunar Solo to this day."
"pitched it hundreds of times in all sorts of weather (never snow, though. I hate the cold.) and it has held up in some pretty gnarly winds and torrential downpours."
"Mine’s still going strong 2.5 years after the AT ... if it wore out I’d buy it again"
5
3
"I one hundred percent feel is user error is the people who have flattened bathtub floors or baggy wrinkly pitches. This never happens to me, watch the setup video six moon sends you that explains the proper procedure as it works."
"I've lent it out to people with less experience pitching a tent and they've all figured it out easily. ... My wife took it to Accadia on a solo trip and came back glowing about how easy it was to dial in after the first couple of practice pitches."
"Used a trekking pole to pitch it. The main thing that really improved the pitch was adjusting the trekking pole to 125 cm instead of 120 as recommend in the instructions."
10
1
"I have the lunar solo and love it for the weight and pack size."
"I brought my Six Moon Designs on a PCT thru hike and absolutely loved it. If you plan on backpacking and use trekking poles, it's a great choice."
"26ish oz total weight and packs down to a fatter Nalgene size in a compression sack ... fits in my saddle bag with its one pole along with the rest of my sleep system perfectly"
11
3
"Don’t feel like you’re sleeping in a coffin, like some UL tents"
"You won't get a more spacious 1p tent in terms of ground space."
"You have tons of space for your pack or an additional person if they’re small (trust me I fit another person in it for 3 months - you just have to like them a lot lol)."
5
3
"pitched it hundreds of times in all sorts of weather (never snow, though. I hate the cold.) and it has held up in some pretty gnarly winds and torrential downpours."
"Absolutely storm worthy."
"The bathtub floor worked fine on my tent and moisture never got inside."
Disliked most:
0
5
"I did break the zipper during a heavy rain, I was used to the stretchy silnylon deschutes plus. I stretched the solo too tight and when I went to unzip it, the zipper stretched completely apart from the tension."
"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"
"It's easier with a trekking pole or adjustable carbon pole (the SMD pole is absolutely not the right choice it's too flimsy)."
2
5
"won't be able to sit up, for your occasional use case."
"It will not fit 2 people even cuddling."
"my head and/or foot (I’m 6’) had tendency to touch by morning."
1
9
"i did think it was a little short lengthwise. ... i always woke up with either a damp head or footbox of my quilt because even at 5'10", i couldn't lay straight and not hit one end or both."
"I enjoyed using it a lot more in California than in the Midwest, just for the condensation issues. ... Definitely need to leave the door open whenever possible to air out if you’re in a more humid place."
"single walled so when I was camping around Taiwan for a month it would get very WET inside"
1
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"I definitely struggled to get a proper pitch. ... The bathtub invariably lies flat at the back of the tent so I imagine you could get some water in there if it really poured but maybe that's to do with pitch. ... I've tried to set it up different ways in an effort to get the walls of the bathtub up further from the ground but never had any luck. ... Yeah same, every time I get it out I spend some time trying to get it better... To no avail."
"I also found it awkward to set up so it was taught. Even with practice."
"Bathtub floor kind of lays on the ground. ... I can get it up on one side of the tent, but then it will be down on the other. ... I think it's less to do with my pitching skills and more to do with the fact that I need a longer pole."
1
5
"I definitely struggled to get a proper pitch. ... The bathtub invariably lies flat at the back of the tent so I imagine you could get some water in there if it really poured but maybe that's to do with pitch. ... I've tried to set it up different ways in an effort to get the walls of the bathtub up further from the ground but never had any luck. ... Yeah same, every time I get it out I spend some time trying to get it better... To no avail."
"I also found it awkward to set up so it was taught. Even with practice."
"I found it to be hard to pitch mostly because it was too big and a little unwieldy. ... Always has problems finding a spot with enough good space for it to fit easily, and had to resort to securing the guy lines to logs, tree branches, etc."
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
r/WildernessBackpacking • [deleted by user] ->I took Six Moon Design’s Lunar Solo on my first big thru hike of the Colorado Trail ($260 not on sale), but then switched to Six Moon Design’s Gatewood Cape, which I like better, but is finickier to set up. ($155, no inner. Or to make it double walled, also get the serenity net for $155 as well) Depending on how bad the bugs are, the Gatewood Cape is fine alone or with a head net. Tho, some places you definitely also want the bug net. You can look for sales. Or buy used. https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/products/gatewood-cape
r/Ultralight • Beginner tent for backpacking ->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.
r/Ultralight • Six moons lunar solo disappointment ->I second this. I also took mine on the AT in 22 and the only problem with it now is a hole in the mesh that a mouse chewed through. You have tons of space for your pack or an additional person if they’re small (trust me I fit another person in it for 3 months - you just have to like them a lot lol). There were some campsites I couldn’t use because of it, but I never really had a problem finding a spot for it.
r/AppalachianTrail • Best cheap through hiking tent ->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.
r/PacificCrestTrail • Help Choosing Between X-Mid Pro Tents (or Alternatives) ->I have a six moons lunar 1 that I love. Your budget would be helpful here but the lanshan is also pretty well regarded. Hope that helps
r/backpacking • Trekking pole tent ->I’ve liked mine. Echoing what others have said: does take some practice to get a feel for how to set up. Pole height and angle really affects the bathtub floor. Condensation (though it is a single wall tent. Gonna have that with any single wall.). I always use my second trekking pole to pull out the head end and if I’m feeling motivated find a stick to pull out the foot end. Interior space is good for a one person tent. For me it’s my fair-weather tent. If I were going somewhere with a lot of rain and/or wind I’d use something different. I have a xmid 1P but for me it’s too small.
r/Ultralight • Lunar solo advice ->Got one this year and can't recommend it enough. And this was after purchasing the most hyped tent in history, the Durston X-Dome 1+. My tent purchases were always conditioned by the typical anxiety of thinking I needed a freestanding tent. Then finally did a retrospection of all my wild camps and realised that not even once I really needed a freestanding tent. Ordered a SMD Lunar Solo with their collapsible pole and couldn't be happier. Much faster to pitch than any other tent I ever tried, super compact, light enough, very robust floor (40D), and as simple as it gets. Big enough inside that I already spent 2 night in it with a 5 year old and even one night at altitude with my wife (wouldn't recommend it as a dedicated 2p tent, obviously, but it does the job for 1 night here and there). I had some hardcore UL friends telling me for years to try pole tents, and I now feel a bit dumb for not doing so sooner
r/bikepacking • Oh look, another “what tent?” post ->I enjoyed using it a lot more in California than in the Midwest, just for the condensation issues. Definitely need to leave the door open whenever possible to air out if you’re in a more humid place.
r/Ultralight • Lunar solo advice ->Front Ortlieb Handlebar Roll. I have a Six Moon Lunar solo. This is really small and light. The pole i put at the frame pack
r/bikepacking • Where on your bike do you carry your tent? ->I’ve had one for about 5 years. It might take a little practice to pitch well if you haven’t used trekking poles tents before, but I don’t think it’s very hard. I ended up switching to an xmid1 just because my head and quilt foot box would touch the sides if I didn’t use the extra tie out points (I’m 6’1” for reference). The only other downside I noticed is that ventilation wasn’t great with the door closed, so condensation built up easily in wetter conditions.
r/Ultralight • Lunar solo advice ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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