Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo Review

Mark (and Ryan) – thanks for this review.

One of the strengths of BPL reviews is comparing the reviewed product with close competitors, and you did a great job.

— Rex

Yes, a very nice review. Plans for a review of the Z Packs Plexamid Tent with what has already been review would be helpful to the many that are looking for a new 1P shelter.

My only complaint with the Lunar Solo is its very wide footprint. More like a 1 plus tent really. I often had a hard time finding a campsite for the Lunar Solo. It also requires much more of a learning curve to get pitched drum tight than most 1P shelters. Mark’s review compares the Lunar Solo to the Aeon LI. but as you can see the Aeon isn’t near as deep.

Aeon Li

A correction here is that the X-Mid is not made in China (as the comparison table states). It’s made in Vietnam by the same factory (CampTec) that makes a lot of the worlds high end tents (e.g. MSR, Mountain Hardware). We could make it a lot cheaper in China but CampTec does a much more professional job and with better social and environmental standards.

Monte: I also had to put a decent bit of effort into finding a good site with the Lunar Solo, much more than my MSR Hubba. Once I realized that only the part I would be sleeping on needed to be flat (which took me a bit longer than I’d like to admit) it made finding sites a bit easier, but often resulted in challenges with getting a tight pitch. And yep, the Aeon Li doesn’t have near the depth as the Lunar Solo but the shelters seem to come up frequently enough when discussions of one-person shelters occur that it seemed worthwhile to mention it as an option, even though it isn’t an apples to apples comparison.

Dan: Thanks for pointing that error out, my apologies. It looks like the table has been updated to correct that mistake.

Thank you for the detailed review and comparison.  Regarding the 3F UL Gear Lanshan, it appears that the weight you have shown is for the 1P, yet many of the differentiating features you mention (two doors, greater interior volume, etc.) appear to be for the 2P only if I am reading this correctly.   I think these are all great tents though and the more options backpackers have the better!

I bought a Lunar Solo years ago when it was made in the USA. Silnylon, and I had Six Moon seal it. Because of the floating floor, I’ve been able to squeeze into ridiculously small, and geometrically odd places. Poor pitches, yes, but enough shelter for a dry night. I’ve never been wet in NE storms, and have been able to easily wipe off condensation while in my sleeping bag. I did some mods to the front door to slide it up and down from the inside (Hear that, Six Moon ;-). Although I’m now looking for a different tent for other purposes, I recommend the Lunar Solo. Sorry to hear about the poor construction. Mine is still A-1.