
The North Face
Wawona 6
Spacious vestibule, strong in storms, but rainfly tricky solo.

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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.
Six moon designs: Solo Lunar for a tent. Enlightened Equipment for a quilt. The combo is lighter, cheaper, smaller and more versatile.
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'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. 😁
6 tents. Regular car camping tents: 8 person Coleman (not sure what model), a Kelty Dardenelle 4P, and a Nemo Aurora Highrise 4P. Since it's usually just me in the tent and I haven't done any car camping for quite a while, these haven't been used for a while. I haven't used the Highrise at all since it's really difficult for me to set up alone (I'm short), and I'm not sure how well it would do if it's windy, which I didn't realize until the first time I set it up in the backyard. Backpacking tents: Featherstone Obsidian 1P, Nemo Hornet 2P, & a Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo. These get a lot more use, and the Lunar Solo is the most recent tent. It will likely get used the most because it weighs the least and requires the least amount of room in my pack.
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.
I've been super happy with the six moon designs lunar solo. Like you, I was more concerned about durability than being the absolute lightest and also more concerned about packability (apparently you aren't supposed to compress dyneema). The lunar solo compresses down to about the size of a large burrito in a 3 liter compression sack. Coming from a two-person tent, I was concerned about space but it is plenty big inside for me and my gear. Apparently it's one of the most spacious one-person tents out there. Aluminum stakes, tent, and compression sack comes to 31.5 oz / 893 grams
I've been super happy with my Six Moon Designs lunar solo. Before that I had a 3f UL gear lanshan 2. I really didn't have any complaints with the Lanshan. But I wanted something that packed down smaller, and only required one pole as opposed to two with the Lanshan. The lunar solo packs down super small in a 5 liter compression sack. I ordered a carbon fiber " z-flick" tent pole from durston for it. With stakes, pole, and compression sack it weighs exactly 32 oz. It's also made out of sil-poly as opposed to sil-nylon so it doesn't absorb water, or stretch as easily. If you are on a budget, the lanshan tents are solid tho. I think they've just recently started making them with sil poly. Lanshan 1 pro would be a good affordable option for a lightweight minimalist tent. But like I said, I'm a big fan of the lunar solo so far. It's small inside, but has more room than most of the other single pole one-person tents. https://preview.redd.it/jnlto7u0a70h1.jpeg?width=3648&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1389496d7cec865ae675baa0b30b2323427db3f0

The North Face
Wawona 6
Spacious vestibule, strong in storms, but rainfly tricky solo.

Gazelle Tents
T4 Hub Tent Series
Fastest setup, durable, but bulky and awkward door.

Durston
X-Mid 2
Ultralight, spacious 2P, but not for very strong winds.

Durston
X-Mid 1
Budget ultralight 1P, spacious, but large footprint.

Naturehike
Mongar 2 Backpack Tent (Nylon)
Budget 2P, spacious for price, but not for 4 seasons.

Ranked #1
Durston - X-Mid 2

Ranked #1
Gazelle Tents - T4 Hub Tent Series

Ranked #1
Gazelle Tents - T4 Hub Tent Series

Ranked #1
Durston - X-Mid 2

Ranked #1
The North Face - Wawona 6

Ranked #1
SlingFin - Portal 2