Lunar Solo

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

I hiked the Colorado Trail with the Lunar Solo and it’s great, particularly for newer backpackers. I switched to the Gatewood Cape and that’s been my go-to for years now. A little finickier but I like it. https://preview.redd.it/gw9jy0dksagg1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b4cfa46c90849d8c4ee4e89a6d2266c5cb46f42 Pay for the seam sealing 😅

I backpacked the Colorado trail with the Solo Lunar. It’s great. It was a wet year and I was drier than many of my trail friends. It takes a little practice to get a good pitch but then it’s golden and fast over and over. I switched to SMD’s gatewood cape for the flexibility of ditching the inner and just having the tarp, but the solo lunar is more livable and better for beginners. The Solo Lunar has won tons of awards and is a great way to go. My only hesitation with it is that it seemed to get more water logged than the Gatewood Cape. So I’d be more hesitant in persistently rainy environments.

I have the Lunar solo, and I think I could set it up one handed. The hardest part might be adjusting the trekking pole height. I usually make the pole a little taller for the tent vs for walking. If I had to do it one handed, I would probably just leave the pole in the taller position all the time. I'm 5"3".

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

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.

I'm 6 feet tall and wanted to have room for my gear inside with me, not just under the vestibule. I also wanted to find a balance between lightweight and my budget. Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo checked all the boxes for me. I loved it as I hiked the first 210 miles of the PCT and will take it with me again when I attempt the rest of the trail this year. 😁

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

Was able to strap the Lunar Solo in a Looney Bin, on the seat tube. Tight. 5-fold pole option prob the best, along a frame triangle. If you're able to string out the side-panel points, on site, that gives the best/max internal room.