Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo

[Michael Karaman]

The first generation Lunar Solo is a 1.5 person sil-nyl single wall with a lot of protected mesh in a great side-entry design. It even gives you a vestibule for your boots and some equipment! Uses a hiking stick offset from the main entrance, plus tie-outs to give even more interior space. A lovely design, but it really requires five 8″ Easton aluminum stakes so you can tie the “wings” high and the floor pull-outs low. Add a front stake and you’ve get a lot of room in a package that weighs less than 27 ounces!

I have not had experience in high winds or wind-driven heavy rain at this point.

[Richard Matthews]

This tent brings together many of the superior design features from other light weight tents.

The basic design is similar to the Dancing Light Gear Tacoma Solo Shelter. The Lunar solo has a very generous peak height, but the best part is the location of the peak. The peak is over your body’s center of gravity when you are prone. That way you can sit up without having to relocate your center of gravity to under the peak. This tent has more useful sit-up room that either the TarpTent Squall or Stephenson 2R.

The ventilation gap between the canopy and the ground as well as the bath tub floor are very similar to the features found on Shires TarpTents.

The high vent on the vestibule and the easy tensioning adjustments are similar to features found on the Stephenson Warmlite tents.

A unique design feature is that the canopy extends over the netting. The interior netting wall separates your sleeping bag from possible condensation on the canopy.

The 27.5 sq. ft. interior space is roomy for a single person tent. Compare that to the 15.9 sq. ft. in an MSR MicroZoid or the 31 sq. ft. in the 2 person Sierra Designs Lightning.

[Mike Storesund]

I like the simplicity in the concept of the design. It is a combination of bivy sack and single wall tent with plenty of room that weighs in at 25 ounces. The bathtub floor and netting along the floor and the opening makes for outstanding ventilation. The adjustment tabs are great; you just have to remember to extend them prior to staking down the tent.

There are two things I don’t like about it though; first is the need to have longer, therefore heavier, stakes to ensure the height of the canopy allows for proper ventilation; second, is the vestibule closing. The Velcro strips are somewhat awkward to completely close from the inside, almost like they are reversed when sewn in.

[Mike Barney]

Things I liked: This is a 1.5 – 2 lb tent with significant openness that can be setup to vent well for a single wall tent. *If* you get it setup up well, it’s a nice shelter.

Sleeping with the front flaps rolled up and the rear and side off the ground and having the tent “fully extended” on all sides and points, it ventilates *very* well. Plus, you’ve got a great view out the front and a little in every other direction.

For 1 person, there is alot of room for you and your gear. You could use it for a cozy 2 in an emergency. It can be very light and airy when set up on flat level ground.
With extra stakes and using either poles or small branches for vertical support, it’s possible to have about 10″ of openness all the way around the tent that is shielded from the elements. This adds weight (having the extra lines and stakes), but in humid or raining conditions, it’s nice to have more ventilation and less condensation.

Things I didn’t like: I was rereading their website, and have to take strong exception with the statement: “Extremely Easy Setup in less than two minutes under any conditions.” I find this to be very different than my experience, particularly in inclement weather or uneven ground, and certainly not looking like their website picture.

It is a pain to get this set up to look like the website, particularly on uneven or non-level ground. While looks may not be important, getting enough head room for sitting up is important if you don’t want to be a “wethead” when you sit up on a humid morning. On a 10 day trek, it became obvious that if it was raining outside, significant condensation would occur on the inside if the flaps were down as shown on the website. This is one reason in the last 1/2 of the hike, I set this up for minimum slope on the side and backs but more ventliation, and that seemed to work reasonably well. Note the seams were sealed, so that helped to make this approach possible.

When I set this up like the picture on the website, I noticed a lot of condensation in side.

When you add the “recommended” Tyvek ground cloth and additional stakes and lines, the weight jumps up to 34-36 oz. range.

This is a little bit unconventional tent and setup, but not a bad tent, so you really need to set this up many times in diverse conditions to see how to get this right.

I’m not sure after a total of 11 nights in it that I have acquired that skill yet.

[David Neumann]

I have used my “first generation” Lunar Solo in the Pacific Northwest and on a thru-hike of the JMT. While mine does not have the upgraded bathtub floor, I never experienced any problems getting wet from water entering the floor.

I did have some condensation issues, particularly during a rather warm and wet Sierra thunderstorm, but no worse than other single wall, non-breathable tents. Use a bandanna to wipe the condensation off periodically.

I found that the tent set up was quick and easy once I’d practiced a few times on my lawn at home. It is very helpful to use the side “pull-ups” to gain more head and foot room but one can certainly have an excellent nights sleep without doing so. I had no problem with wind but I always tried to set it up with the rear to the wind as indicated in the directions.

I have never used a groundcloth with this tent and do not have the heavy duty floor. I have experienced no floor puncture problems. I find that it rolls up easily and stuffs into the side pocket of my pack making for quick take-down and put-ups.

The Lunar Solo can be heavier than a combination of poncho tarp-ground cloth-mosquito head net, but it is easier to set up and much more comfortable when the bugs are out.

[Brett Tucker]

In regard to the above comment:
>>”It is a pain to get this set up to look like the website, particularly on uneven or non-level ground. While looks may not be important, getting enough head room for sitting up is important if you don’t want to be a “wethead” when you sit up on a humid morning.<< I agree that a taut pitch takes practice. A taut pitch, in this case, means that the rear panels avoid sagging inward near the canopy/mesh interface. When such sagging occurs, headroom and overall interior volume are noticeable compromised. That said, in the hundred-plus nights I’ve used this tent I’ve discovered a few tricks to effective pitching. 1) Begin with the grosgrain guyout tensioners fairly loose.
2) Stake out the two front-corner points as well as the rear-center point with the bungee only semi-taut.
3) Raise the canopy high enough so the seam of the bathtub floor at the front of the tent is completely suspended above the ground.
4) Stake out the two rear-corner guys with the bungee quite taut.
5) Tighten the rear-corner grosgrain tensioners as much as possible, then tighten the rear-center tensioner. Leave the front-corner tensioners relatively un-taut.
6) If all efforts at a taut pitch fail, or if saturation of the canopy during the night produces sagging that the overhead tensioner can’t fix, stuffing a backpack or food bag into the interior rear corner nearest the head will effectively raise the canopy in this area, increasing interior volume and limiting any flapping in wind.

I don’t mean to imply that this tent needs to be jury-rigged in order to function properly. These are simply a few solutions that experience has born out in solving this particular tent’s idiosyncracies. Once properly pitched, I find that this shelter performs like a champ – waterproof, highly ventilating, and durable. After 100+ nights without a ground sheet, the 70D “standard” sil-nylon floor still shows almost no wear.

[edgar desert rat]

The Lunar Solo showed up first. Upon setting it up in my front yard the tie out in which the trekking pole sits broke. It seems SMD has poorly executed bar tacks or none at all. When I called the manufacturer from Etna CA (while on my walk) I was informed that they didn’t have a bar tacking machine. I took the damaged shelter to be repaired in a local facility with a bar tacking machine; it looked like it would hold. Upon seam sealing the shelter I became aware of how poorly executed it was. The seam running down the front door where the beak is on one side was all rumpled (poor stitching). The zipper in the beak wasn’t flat felled; it was just cut raw with what looks like dull scissors. This area had so much poor stitching going on it would be difficult to really seam seal it. There was also a hole in the floor where the bungee tie outs were sewn in. I didn’t really notice this until I began using it during bug season on trail. Eventually after about 25 nights in this shelter all the bungee tie outs were about to come out. Again, the culprit was lack of bar tacks. I also believe, after extensive wilderness use, that this shelter is not well suited to the rigors of the trail nor to thru hiking. I believe the design is well thought out, unfortunately it is poorly executed. After my walk was completed and it was time to take the manufacturer up on their warranty, the manufacturer had closed up shop for a month or so. I find this to be unacceptable. I walk every weekend I have a chance, so to be without my shelter doesn’t work. Nor does offering a warranty, but then only intermittantly.

[Matthew L.]

Upon using the Lunar Solo e over the last 18 months, I have never found a better shelter to use for my hiking trips. The quality of the shelter for the very low weight (24 oz.)is superb. I have used this shelter extensively in the northeastern part of the country (PA to ME), and it has handled all I have asked it to. The set up takes a couple of tries to perfect, but I was able to erect it in less than two minutes with no problem after a short time. It has kept out some very hard rains for many hours with no problems and provides the best condensation prevention that I have seen on a shelter such as this. There is virtually no way that one's bag can touch condensation on the walls because of the mesh covering so much of them. There is plenty of room to move around for me (5'10", 155 lbs.), and to allow all of my gear inside the tent with me. The vestibule is also generous and allows plenty of protection for the door. I am also a big fan of the green color since it is quite pleasant and blends in well. All in all, I feel that this shelter is the perfect one person abode. The only problem that I have with mine is that the velcro for the vestibule is somewhat hard to connect from inside the shelter, but this has been corrected with a zippered vestibule. Great job, Six Moon Designs!

[Shawn Basil]

I used the new Lunar Solo(E), the Enhanced version, this past summer on my Colorado Trail through-hike. I was extremely happy with it in a mix of hot dry buggy weather early on with extended cold rain later.

Many have complained about difficulty of set-up, but after having worked with tarps in the past, the LS was quite easy. By the end of my through-hike I could easily have the LS up and erect in about 3 minutes.

The large vestibule gives me the open, in-touch-with-the-world-around sensation of a tarp, with the bug protection and bathtub floor of a tent. I have more room than than any other solo tent I have ever used, at a lighter weight than any other except a tarp.

Condensation did become an issue after nearly two weeks of cool rainy conditions. However, I believe this would be an issue with any single wall tent and the huge vestibule can be opened in light rain to provide better ventilation than "tube" versions such as the SMD Europa or many of Shire's models.

Based on my first 40 or so nights of use, I can definitely say I prefer this tent to any other solo shelter I use, even my Hennessy Hammock.

[Sven Klingemann]

Just got the Lunar Solo and have used it on a weekend trip at the Black River Falls in WI. I was a bit worried about (a) ease of setup based on other people's comments and (b)problems of condensation based on my previous experience with one of Henry Shire's tarptents. Setting up the tent was easy though and I did not experience any condensation problems at all. Of course the latter is affected by temp/humidity etc. but I think that the design of the tent helps a lot in that respect. Great head room and plenty of space, especially when you are not that tall. A lot of space also in the vestibule, Overall, I am extremely pleased with the Lunar Solo so far!!

[John Adams]

I have been very pleased with the lunar solo e. It was somewhat difficult to learn to set it up properly, but once you have it down, it is a great tent. It has performed great in WI and MI in both the hot/humid and in the snowy winter.

It is lite and airy. I love having the large vestibule to cook in and store items (that are wet).

There is a lot of room in the solo.

Highly recommend.

[Greg Vaillancourt]

SMD has changed the design somewhat in the most recent batch of Lunar Solo Es. Now the bungee for the floor attaches to the canopy.

I've only used mine on 3 nights but I always get a taut pitch. I do use 8" Easton stakes which probably help.

Of those 3 nights 1 was hard rain turning to snow and the other 2 were a mix of snow and sleet. I cannot see another single wall solo shelter performing better in these conditions. I did have to bang the snow off occasionally but that was it.

EDIT – I have now spent 4 more nights in the LSe and 3 of those were clear which afforded me the chance to use the shelter with the vestibule retracted. The view one has in this configuration cannot be topped (unless shelter free). If possible pitch this puppy with the door facing east (like a Hogan) and the vestibule pulled back.

[Steve Skinner]

I have only stayed two nights in my enhanced version. A group of other backpackers and conoe campers I didn't know really liked it. It stold the show. I found it easy to get a good pitch, but I was always on pretty level ground.
I took their advice and put some seam seal smeared on the floor to keep everything from moving around, it's slick.
The only issue I have with it is the vulnerability of the end of the trekking pole puncturing the tent if it comes out of the gromet. After a not so good experiment with a webbed attachment I came up with a winner.
Get a spring loaded plastic bar that goes in your toilet paper dispensor. The inlaw won't mind. Take it apart and throw away all but the large diameter one.
Get a nylon #10 x 1 inch socket head cap screw, file the head down to fit the gromet and drop it through the hole in the cylinder. Cut off the cylinder just the length it takes to both snap over the larger diameter of your treking pole and penetrate the inside diameter of the socket head cap screw. Now the device makes contact with both the carbide tip and the large diameter of your trekking pole tip. Once you get it right, glue it together and you can snap this on your pole and know that if you do allow the pole to slip out of the gromet during set-up, it won't damage your tent….in the worse possible place.
I love the tent more than any I have ever had. Alas! I am going to another sleep system, but if I ever come back it will be to something as well designed as the Lunar Solo.

[slow mowo]

In brief, I got a substandard one but the seller keep saying that it's ok.

with 6 pegs and a pole it's set in a few minutes. Thereafter you will get huge space for your gear and good headroom for the 29oz. you've carried along. In foul weather the beak is good for storing wet gear PLUS making a meal.

The ventilation is excellent and the fabric is flimsy so I don't expect it to withstand a storm. In heavy rain the seams leaks so better have the seam sealed with silicone, and beware of flooding possibility when choosing pitching site as the bath-tub wall is just hanging a little bit above the ground. After all this is a minimalist tarptent so don't expect luxury comfort.

My sample got the problem that one side of the fly is larger then the other (links to photos included), so the side wall at the far corner is always dipping down. Has made complaint to Ron the seller but only received instruction in how to set up the tent.

[Buck Nelson]

I used the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo on my thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail, just completed a few days ago, http://www.bucktrack.com. I began this hike with the same Silshelter I used on the Appalachian Trail. The Silshelter is roomy, light and sheds the rain well; a good choice until it gets buggy. I switched to the Lunar Solo in the Wind River Range when there were more than enough mosquitoes to go around!

The Lunar Solo is my new favorite ultralight shelter. Usually after using a shelter for a short while I can pick out several things that I would change. With the Lunar Solo I’m hard-pressed to think of improvements. There is a lot of room for the weight, it keeps out insects well and the floor is a real treat when setting up in the snow or on wet ground. I’m a firm believer in “keeping it simple,” so I like the use of a single hiking pole for set-up. I like the vestibule for wet shoes. I like the option of opening both wings of the vestibule/door for more air flow and great views. One small quibble is that the stake loops should be tacked/sewn to hold them open slightly so the stakes are easier to insert. My Lunar Solo is well-constructed and works as good as new after a couple of months of hard use. The stuff sack was roomy enough, something I like, but the sack’s main seam started coming loose.

It takes practice to set up properly, but once I got a feel for it the set-up was easy and fast. Condensation? Sure, under some conditions, just like every other single wall shelter I’ve used. A small price to pay for such a light, floored, netted, rain-shedding tent! Most nights there was little or no condensation at all. I rode out an all-night rain or two in this tent and with its sealed seams it never leaked a drop. Yup, there was some condensation but I find the Lunar Solo to be roomy enough that I could avoid the walls with little effort, the netting helps with this. One feature I really like is that the side and back walls of the shelter carry the water well away from the floor and the walls can be pitched lower to the ground in windy and wet conditions. The Lunar Solo sheds wind quite well, although site selection (wind protection, good drainage, etc.) should always be a top priority. In windy conditions longer stakes or heavy stones on top of your shorter stakes would be a wise idea. I found that tying out the side loops made the shelter feel even more roomy. A very fine one person ultralight shelter!

[Mary D]

I bought a Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo (e) in June of 2007 and used it through two backpacking seasons.

First of all, I need to point out that my Labrador retriever backpacks with me (he's part of my sleep system!). While he fits quite well curled up in the triangular area of the LS meant for one's pack (I use my pack as my pillow), this tent was designed for one human, without canine companion. In other words, I was stretching the envelope a bit.

In 2007 all our trips were in fair and dry weather. We were in the tent only to sleep, and the LS worked fine for that. I really enjoyed the light weight and compact footprint of this tent.

In 2008 I took two one-week trips in the Rockies. On the first trip it rained every day, with several severe thunderstorms (think cloudbursts, with hail) starting about 5-6 pm. The dog and I were confined to the tent for several hours before bedtime. Under these conditions, the tent was just too cramped! We also suffered significant condensation problems, not surprising considering the weather and that the tent's ventilation system was built for one human without dog. We also had significant condensation problems in fair weather on the second trip, during which it froze every night. If I woke up before the dog and wiped down the inner surface of the tent (really easy to do in that small a tent), we were fine. If the dog woke up first and started his whole-body-tail-wag routine, it created a monsoon inside!

A second problem is that I use a 2.5" insulated air mattress and high pillow, which gave me more chance to brush against the head of the tent, even when guyed out.

The condensation problem, however, wasn't just due to the dog. During a family trip, without dog, to the damp and drizzly Olympic NP wilderness coast, I slept alone in my LS. I had significant condensation in the tent every morning. My son and his two children, who slept in a Tarptent Rainshadow 2 right next to me, didn't have a drop of condensation inside. My tent before the LS was a Tarptent Squall 2; the dog and I had no problems there, either, even in soggy weather. I believe the Lunar Solo could use a larger peak vent. The considerable amount of canopy outside the netting wall definitely collected moisture from the ground–I would see condensation there at bedtime–and funneled it into the tent.

So three caveats about the Lunar Solo: First, it's for one human only; if you have a dog get something bigger. Second, it will get more condensation inside than tunnel-shaped tents like Tarptent's Squall and Rainshadow. Third, if you have a thick sleeping pad and like a high pillow, you have to be more careful about not brushing your head against the tent wall. I'm only 5'3"; I don't think this tent would work for someone a foot taller.

On the other hand, this tent stood up really well to the Labrador tail wag (he can clear books off a coffee table with a single wag), to running kids and dog tripping over the front guyline, to me tripping over the front guyline in the dark (unfortunately, the guyline is black), to the Colorado cloudbursts and to the high winds that came with them. It is not, as one reviewer suggested, fragile! The only time I ever had a pulled stake (even in ground where I could get them in only halfway) was when I tripped over the front guyline at night. I suggest replacing the black front guyline with Kelty Triptease (it's the right thickness) or similar reflective cord.

I have sold my Lunar Solo and gone back to my Tarptent Squall 2. I have fond memories of the LS, though, and especially miss the zippered vestibule and the lighter weight!

If it hadn't been for the condensation I had on the Olympic coast, without dog, compared to the Tarptent pitched alongisde it, and the invisible (in the dark) front guyline, I'd give the Lunar Solo a 5++.

[Jeff Holm]

After my first trip with the Lunar Solo, I had plenty of misgivings…too much condensation, not enough headroom for a guy over 6' 3" tall. Then I figured out how to properly pitch this tent. Now I bring my dog too and we both fit just fine.

Sure, my 75-pound lab has to curl up right against me, but the size of the tent is not an issue. My dog always curls up tight against my side, even in my other 6-foot wide tent. Why waste all of that tent space and carry all that weight when my dog is going to sleep on top of me anyway?

Now about the proper pitch. I bought 8" Easton stakes, and I leave 2-3 inches out of the ground for a higher anchor point for the tie-downs. I also extended the tie-downs by about a foot. By anchoring further out and higher, the canopy "floats" much higher, giving me two bonuses; a roomier tent and less condensation. I also use the optional head and foot tie-downs, since I am so tall. And finally, one of the most important steps; make sure the back of the tent does not sag, by tightening the front (vestibule) tie-down as the final step. Note that tightening the back tie-down does not lift the back wall or give you more room inside the tent. Tightening the front tie-down is the key.

This tent held up to some huge winds in Montana's Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness this summer. We found numerous trees blown down when we hiked out. I had plenty of concerns listening to the heavy winds and rain and hail, but the tent held up to it perfectly. The lightweight construction surprised me with it's durability.

I love this tent and highly recommend it. If you have a dog, you might not like the coziness and may opt for a two-person shelter. However, when pitched properly it is extremely roomy as a one-person shelter and can accomodate a dog as well.

[Jeffrey Wong]

I used the Lunar Solo to hike the 93 mi of the Wonderland Trail August 2012 & twice this year (2013) in Olympic NP and in Snoqualmie Nat'l Forest.

PITCH. This compact tent fits in small spaces even as small as where one might bivy camp, as long as one doesn't mind pitching over rocks or bushes. I didn't find the pitch very challenging, maybe I was just lucky. The siliconized nylon did stretch after the pitch, requiring adjustment of the guy outs.
WEATHERPROOFING: the LS required me to perform seam sealing–I did that well enough to prevent leaks in the mild rain. I wouldn't have paid for it to be done ($$ if ordered direct from Six Moon Designs).
SPACE. I like the spacious accommodation (26 sq ft), even with my 2.5 inch high air mattress. Moving the bottom end of my trekking pole around a bit got me a better bathtub effect with the slippery silnylon floor and more headroom at the ends while lying down–120 cm or longer for the trekking pole works better than 115 cm.
FLOOR: The slippery floor issue I tackled with strips of silicone caulk.
VESTIBULE HOLD-OPEN LOOPS: To hold the vestibule flaps open you have to maneuver a little drilled plastic football attached to elastic through a loop. The elastic fights you even if you roll up the vestibule tightly. Ditch the elastic–make it easy, please.
CONDENSATION. I noted significant condensation on the first night in the Olympics with the vestibule zipped closed, but no drops formed. The second night brought mild rainfall, for which I left the vestibule open thus reducing condensation to a very light layer of moisture–the hood over the open vestibule provided enough cover to prevent any rain from entering the interior. I had located my LS right next to a very large log, limiting ventilation and the height of the rear and side walls was 3-4 inches above the ground. Using small sticks or rocks under the rear guy outs to raise the tent walls might have helped reduce condensation on such a windless site. On three freezing nights on the Wonderland Trail last year, I had zipped the vestibule shut, vapor stuck and froze to the walls. That has happened to the fly on double wall tents that I have used. I can see no way around the trade off between condensation and having your sleeping area just a bit warmer.

Overall, for the 23 oz weight, space and a simple pitch, my Lunar Solo gets a 5, despite mild shortcomings in ventilation, which just cannot match a properly pitched tarp. A silnylon tarp large enough to ventilate well, properly deflect rain and exclude bugs might weigh many ounces more. The price of about $150 for the heavier (30 oz) current version with thicker nonslip floors is good. Add $30 for the optional carbon fiber pole if you don't use a trekking pole. If you can find two 32" carbon arrow shafts for about $5 each, cut them to 16" and add joints–this worked well for me.

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