Received my Luna 6 Cuben Pyramid today from Bearpaw Wilderness Designs.
http://www.bearpawwd.com/tents/luna6.php
I wanted a big mid that could fit 3 people plus gear comfortably. I considered a number of options, but the Bearpaw design was larger than most (10 feet by 10 feet) and the price was lower than similarly sized cuben shelters. Wait time was not as long as some other makers either.
I ordered the tent, and a few days later, I came across a number of internet posts and videos (on this site and others) talking about the poor quality and bad customer service at Bearpaw. I was pretty worried. To tell the truth, had I seen these posts before I made the purchase, I would have bought something else.
So, the tent showed up today. First thing I did was weigh it. Weight with stuffsack and guylines is 25.3 ounces. The website puts the weight at 27 ounces, so it came it a bit under the advertised weight.
I set it up in my back yard to inspect it. The seams all seem pretty well sewn. They are not 100 percent straight, but there are no gaps or any variation at all that would be problematic. Everything within normal human tolerances. If I hadn’t read the posts complaining about poorly sewn seams, I don’t think I would have noticed anything negative at all about the seams. They appear to be sewn in a careful, workmanlike manner.
The tie-outs and reinforcements appear well designed and constructed. The tent pitched nice and taut, with no undue looseness. The only potential weakness I saw is that the top cone might not be as reinforced as I like for using a trekking pole with a carbide tip as the tent pole. I will add a rubber foot to cover the carbide tip, and it should be fine. This is a design parameter, not a flaw.
Have not used the tent yet other than just setting it up and inspecting it in my yard, but so far, I’m pleased with it. Based on some of the negative experiences folks here have had, I can say I’m quite relieved, actually.
Looking forward to giving it some actual use in the backcountry, but right now, I’m confident that it will work out well.
Just wanted to post this to provide another data point on Bearpaw.
