Siegmund,
Actually Shawn’s instruction aren’t that different from my own. He starts with the front three stakes, I start with the two sides opposite the door then the rear. The point in both cases is to stake the rear corners last. Part of the problem most people incur is in over stressing the rear corners in an attempt to raise the canopy. However, due to the dynamics of the tensioning, the more stress the more the canopy collapses. This is opposite your normal intuition. Pulling tightly on the corners causes the canopy into a concave shape which collapses the netting and reduces ventilation.
You can get a very taut and wind worthy shelter with fairly minimal stress on the canopy. It’s all about balancing the forces.
I will have to try Shawn’s method of setup an see if it’s easier to explain.
1- What type of stakes are you using and how close to the ground are the heads where the straps attach?
We recommend 5 – 6” stakes set fairly flush to the ground. Then a 6th 9” stake for the main guyline. This line has the most stress and is more likely to be tripped on, so a longer stake is better.
2- How long/short are the fly straps when staked; near full extension or shorter?
In general the webbing connecting the canopy to the stake should be fairly well extended. This allow you the ability to re-tension the tent as the canopy becomes slack.
3- How much tension remains on the shockcord to the floating floor?
One of the biggest mistakes people do is to over tension the floor. It’s a habit that’s carried over by use of traditional tents. There should be little tension on the bungee attached to the corners of the tent.
4- Most important, what does the netting look like at the inside back corners when fully pitched? Is it relatively taut (providing maximum floor space) or does it sag; if so, how much?
Properly setup the netting in the rear two corners of the tent may droop a couple of inches. This is due in part because the floor has a tendency to rise.
5- Does your tent have the tieout loop on the back center? If so, do you use it to lift the back and provide a little more headroom at the peak?
Only the first generation of the shelter, pre E, had two piece canopies with a distinct break in the rear. The E model went to a larger single piece canopy. There was a carry over of the center rear loop on the first couple of production runs, but it was dropped as it wasn’t needed.
I have modified the Lunar Solo web page to include a link to a pdf that illustrates the setup. It’s still pretty crude and needs better photography and layout. Still it illustrates the basic concepts.
Dan, whether the Lunar Solo will be comfortable for your height depends upon a number of factors. It’s certainly roomier than a small tarp or small tent like the Micro Zoid. At the same time it’s not massive. Size and weight aren’t easy things to balance.
There are a couple of pull out on either end of the tent. You can secure a light cord to the end over your head and attach it to some nearby vegetation. This will help to raise the canopy above your head by several inches. Having a center pole design brings the canopy closer to your head while sleeping. At the same time it also provides you with greater usable space when sitting up and doing chores.
One of the big design criteria I had for the Lunar Solo was to be able to easily access the entire floor of the shelter with minimum contact with the canopy. With long tunnel tents, it’s difficult to access gear that’s pushed to the rear of the tent. When any condensation accumulates on the canopy, you’re forced to either belly crawl to the rear or dump the contents of your tent to avoid getting soaked.
