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Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo Tent
Long Term Report - May 26, 2005
Contents
Reviewer Information [return to top]
Name: Chuck Kime
Nickname: Fuzzy
Age: 38
Gender: Male
Height: 5' 8" (1.72 m)
Weight: 229 lb (104 kg)
Email address: ckime AT nelsononline DOT com
City, State, Country: Upper Darby (Philadelphia suburb), PA, U.S.A.
Date: May 26, 2005
Product Information [return to top]
Manufacturer: Six Moon Designs
Model: Lunar Solo
Year of Manufacture: 2004
URL: http://www.sixmoondesigns.com
Listed weight: 24 oz (680 g)
Measured weight as delivered: 23.6 oz (669 g), scale accurate to 0.1 oz
Color: Tent – Kelly Green, Floor – Black
Other color available (tent): Grey
MSRP (beginning of test period): $225 US
MSRP (end of test period, Closeout Price): $150 US (Six Moon Designs now has an Enhanced version of the Lunar Solo, for $235 US)
Features (directly from web site) [return to top]
- Full Vestibule provides protection while still maintaining good ventilation when closed. Fully open, the vestibule maximizes ventilation and view.
- Optimized Sleeping Area is oriented to maximize usable space, ventilation and view. A peak height of 44 inches gives you plenty of head room.
- Canopy Wings provide 360 degrees of ventilation while maintaining rain protection. They can be raised or lowered for additional protection as conditions warrant.
- Center Pole Support significantly improves the ability of the tent to handle wind and snow loads.
- Single Hiking Pole Support reduces the amount of gear need. The rear can be supported with a second pole, stick or tied to a convenient tree.
- Internal Gear Area keeps your gear is easily accessible.
- Easy Tensioning Adjustment makes keeping your the tent taut a trivial task that can be accomplished while still in your sleeping bag.
- Oversized Screen Door allows easily enter and exit the shelter and keeps the front pole keeps it out of your way.
- Ultra-light Waterproof Canopy is made from high strength 1.1 ounce Silicone coated Nylon.
- Handy Mesh Cargo Pocket located next to the door provides quick access to needed
- Extremely Easy Setup requires only six stakes and can be preformed in less than five minutes, under virtually any conditions.
Description [return to top]
The Lunar Solo is, as the name might suggest, a solo backpacking tent. It is a single-wall design, with a sewn-in floor, large zippered door, and complete bug netting.
The Lunar Solo is designed for use with trekking poles, needing one for the front peak and one (optionally) supporting the rear of the tent. I tested the tent with a pair of Black Diamond FlickLock Carbon Fiber poles I also tested for BGT.
The tent body is a modified hex shape as viewed from above. It is made from lightweight silicone impregnated nylon (silnylon). The no-see-um mesh is sewn to the body in somewhat from the edges, leaving ‘wings’ of silnylon hanging like eaves over the mesh walls. The zippered door takes up nearly half of the long (mesh) wall of the tent. The vestibule flaps (beak) may be left completely open, for ventilation, or closed almost to the ground in inclement weather. The floor is made from black silnylon, the same weight as the tent body. A heavier floor is available as an option. The floor is sewn to the bug netting all the way around. The corners are tied out in two ways at the same time – a bungee attached to the floor, and a guyline attached to the fly. These are hooked to the same stake, and allow some adjustment in the height of the tent. There is a strap and buckle arrangement at the top of the front guyline for adjusting the tension after the tent has been set up and allowed to ‘relax’ a bit.
For a more detailed description, along with photos and measurements, please see my Initial Report.
Field Testing [return to top]
Our Boy Scout troop camps monthly. Almost all of these outings included a minimum of 2 nights of camping, with temperatures from lows around 25 to 30 ºF (-4 to -1 ºC) to highs around 60 ºF (16 ºC). Elevations ranged from sea level to approximately 2,000’ (610 m). We also added monthly hikes to our schedule, which also include up to 2 nights of camping.
My experiences with the Lunar Solo during the Long Term phase echoed those in my Field Report.
My last night out with the Lunar Solo was at our Boy Scout district’s Spring Camporee on the first weekend of May, 2005. Shortly after we set up camp on Friday night, a steady rain began to fall and continued on and off – mostly on – until we left on Sunday. I think I may have gotten a little rain seepage through the seams around the peak, but with the amount of condensation on the inside of the tent (it was extremely foggy at night) and the rain dripping off my clothing when I leaned inside, it was difficult to tell.
As I noted in my Field Report, I should not expect any warmth retention within the tent, only from my sleep system. I keep this in mind when packing and make sure I have appropriate gear to stay warm.
All in all, I am quite fond of the Lunar Solo, and will continue using it in the future. It is small, light, and roomy enough to be comfortable. The tent has also become something of a conversation piece on our Scout outings, and gives me an opportunity to talk about BGT more often.
Things I was looking for:
- Ease/speed of set-up. Can I get it up easily in bad weather? When I’m tired? When it’s dark out (I prefer to know all of my gear by touch)? How long does it take?
- Pack size/weight. Experience to date tells me that bulk is more of a problem for me to pack than weight, since my Deuter Futura 32 is not the largest pack around, although a recent car accident and… ahem… advancing age have been nudging me to lighten up even further. The Lunar Solo is listed as both small *and* light – a big bonus. With winter coming, my pack was likely to be even more crowded than usual, so this got increasingly important.
- Packability. Can I get it easily into the stuff sack? How about when wet and/or dirty?
- Does it have everything I need for set-up? It needs six stakes, and comes with guylines. Are the guylines sufficient for various pitching options?
- Dimensions. Do I fit? Comfortably? With my gear? How large a site do I need?
- Durability. Are there any significant wear points, especially over time? The spots where hiking poles contact the shelter will be investigated, along with tie-out points, zippers, etc. I will be carrying a ground sheet (Gore-Tex fabric) – that serves double duty as my hammock fly – so I can protect the tent floor in case of particularly rough ground, but will set the tent up without it when I feel confident in my site selection.
- Waterproofness. I don’t mind being wet, but I do prefer that my gear – particularly my sleeping bag – be dry when I use it.
- Ventilation. Do I need to worry about condensation?
- Adjustability. How high/low can/must it be pitched? Is this adjustable?
My findings:
- Ease/speed of set-up. I can get it up in a light rain with moderate winds in under 5 minutes, and manage to keep the inside dry. Additional time is spent re-adjusting stake locations, but I am able to get out of the weather if necessary.
- Pack size/weight. I generally fold the tent in half after stuffing into the stuff sack and keep it in a gallon-size (~4 liter) zipper bag. If I could find a bag a little smaller, I would use it.
- Packability. The only difficulty I have had is remembering to fold the tent front-to-back small enough to fit in the length of the stuff sack.
- Does it have everything I need for set-up? I have provided my own stakes, generally using 7 so I can raise the roof a bit. The roof guyline could be a tad longer, but I can still manage to get more headroom the way it is. Two more stakes (and guylines) may be used to lift the head and foot slightly, but I found it unnecessary.
- Dimensions. I fit quite comfortably for either sitting (at the center) or sleeping (at a slight angle), with my gear in the back center and/or the front by my feet. With the tent fully set up, a space just slightly larger than 8 x 8 ft (2.5 x 2.5 m) is needed.
- Durability. No wear noted.
- Waterproofness. After seam sealing, I had no noticeable leakage until the tent went through a two-day rain.
- Ventilation. The Lunar Solo has plenty of ventilation. I have noticed condensation on the inside of the tent on two different mornings, but both nights had been very foggy.
- Adjustability. If I extend the front pole beyond the specified length, the front of the floor is lifted slightly off the ground. I don’t consider this a bad thing, as groundwater can then flow under – instead of into – the tent.
Things I like [return to top]
- Lighter than every shelter I have, besides tarps.
- Includes everything necessary for setup, except stakes. This lets me choose my own.
- Fits in my pack.
- Fits me.
- Sets up quickly.
Things I don't like [return to top]
- A longer cord on the ridge tieout would allow use of the same stake used for the rear of the tent. Note: I have now managed to find an angle for the rear pole that allows me to use the same stake for both the rear of the tent and the ridge tieout.
Backpacking Background [return to top]
My family started car/trailer camping when I was about 5. I spent 17 years in the Army Reserve fine-tuning my packing methodology – when I got out, I was down to a fairly respectable 75-80 lb (34-36 kg) load in my ALICE pack. Advancing age, arthritic knees and a car accident have led me to seriously rethink my gear choices, experiment with tarps and hammocks, make some of my own gear, and take a closer look at my ‘toys’ with an eye for multi-use and light weight. I now have a sub-30 lb (14 kg) 3-season load, and should be able to reduce it to 20 lb (9 kg) – before food, fuel and water – without much more effort.
Thank you for your time.
Chuck Kime
a.k.a. Fuzzy
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