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Reviews > Shelters > Tents > Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo > Russ Curry > Initial ReportSIX
MOON DESIGNS
LUNAR SOLO 1.5 POUND TENT Tester Biography Name: Russell Curry Age: 57 Gender: Male Height: 6’0” (1.83 m) Weight: 190 lbs (86 kg) Torso: 24 inches Chest: 42 inches Waist: 36 inches Email Address: dproATdatarecallDOTnet City, State, Country: Orange, TX, US Date: November 27, 2004 Backpacking Background: I began backpacking in the late 1960’s but really in earnest 7 years ago, as I had more free time from my career and my children were grown and out of the home. I have hiked extensively in Western and Eastern Texas, the Grand Canyon & other Arizona sites, Utah, Colorado, Louisiana, Alaska, Arkansas, and in the Bavarian Alps in Germany, in a variety of terrain, desert, mountains and forests. I am a 4-season backpacker and have hiked in temperatures as low as 5° f (-15 C) to as high as 110° f (43 C). I hike often, even if just locally. My gear ranges from mid weight to ultra-light weight. Product Identification: Item: Lunar Solo 1.5 Pound Tent Manufacturer: Six Moon Designs URL: http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/ Year of Manufacturer: 2004 MSRP: $225.00 US Product Description: The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo is a single walled, light weight, 1 person tent fabricated of 1.1 oz/ yd^2, (37 g/m^2) silicone nylon fabric for the canopy and floor, with an option for a heavier floor of 1.9 oz/ yd^2 (64 g/m^2), 70 Denier material. The specifications for the tent on the Six Moon Designs website are: Stated Weight: 24 oz (680 g) with a notation that weights may vary up to 2 oz (57 g) depending upon fabric coating thickness which varies between production runs. Weight as Received: 25 oz (709 g) Color: Green or Gray with Black Floors and netting Color Received: Kelly Green with Black Floors and netting Floor Space: Sleeping – 25 ft^2 (2 m^2) Vestibule – 10 ft^2 (1 m^2) Floor Space as Received: Sleeping –25 ft^2 (2 m^2) Vestibule –10 ft^2 (1 m^2) Stated Packed Size: Approximately 15 x 4.5 in, 240 in^3 (381 x 114 mm, .4 cm^3) Received Packed Size: 15 x 5 x 4 ½ in, 338 in^3 (381 x 127 x 114 mm, .6 cm^3) Stated Layout: 84 in wide x 54 in deep x 44 in high (2 x 1.5 x 1 m) Received Layout: 84 in wide x 54 in deep x 44 in high (2 x 1.5 x 1 m) Product Warranties, Repairs and Refunds: Six Moon Designs offers to refund unused items within 30 days of purchase. Six Moon Designs also warrants the original owner against defects in materials and workmanship for two years, and also offers repair services. Product Features: Six Moon Designs website proclaims the Lunar Solo 1.5 pound tent as a 3-season shelter that : "Protect------------ like a tent" "Airy--------------- like a tarp" " Lighter-------------than a Bivy" The features of the tent represented on the website are: Full Vestibule Optimized Sleeping Area Canopy Wings Center Pole Support Single Hiking Pole Support Internal Gear Area Easy Tensioning Adjustment Oversized Screen Door Ultra-light waterproof canopy Handy mesh cargo pocket Extremely easy setup Initial
Observations
I received the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo Tent on Saturday, November 20, 2004. It was delivered by USPS Priority Mail in a cardboard box measuring 14 x 12 x 3 in, (356 x 305 x 76 mm) in size. Inside the box I found the tent in a black stuff sack cinched at the top by a ¼” (6 mm) wide nylon webbing with a common slip clasp. Also in the box was the sales receipt indicating the color and floor option of the tent and showing it was for BGT review. Attached to the stuff sack is a two page, 4 ¼” x 5 ½”, (108 x 140 mm) owners manual. The front of the manual contains the Six Moon Designs logo, the product identification and a photograph of the tent in its pitched position. Inside the front cover are the instructions for setting up the tent, the opposite page are instructions on seam sealing the tent and safety notes concerning hazards of open flame and a warning to not cook inside the tent. On the back of the manual is the product description, the color of the tent, the rating of the floor, and the phone number and website address for Six Moon Designs. I was pleasantly surprised when I removed the stuff sack and tent on the size of the package. It was smaller than I thought it would be. I expected to hear some clinking of the stakes, but when I removed the tent there were no stakes. I checked the Six Moon Designs website again and observed that stakes are not included with the tent. This is the first tent or shelter I have ever received new that did not have stakes included when they are required to erect the shelter. I had preferred the gray color, (only two colors are available, gray or green), but this was not possible and I received the green with heavy floor. However, I like the green color, it is much darker than shown on the Six Moon website. The floor and ventilation panels are black. The material for the top of the tent is 1.1 oz/ yd^2 (37 g/m^2) silicone nylon and the floor is 1.9 oz/ yd^2 (64 g/m^2) silicone nylon. Between the solid floor and the canopy is the no-see-um netting. Fastened to the tent at the guy out points of the canopy wings are 12" (305 mm) long bright yellow guy lines, which are tied to smaller, 12" (305 mm) long black bungee cords that are fastened to the floor. The yellow guy lines and the black bungee cords form a loop between the canopy and the floor. There are 5 corners that require staking out. There is another 65" (1.6 m) long yellow guy line fastened to an adjustable ½ in wide x 10 inch long (13 x 254 mm) nylon webbing at the peak of the canopy and then another 65" (1.6 m) long yellow guy line fastened to a nylon loop on the back of the canopy 25 1/2" (648 mm) below the apex of the tent. There is a 1 ½” x 1 ¾” (38 x 44 mm) nylon webbing with a ¾ in (19 mm) diameter metal grommet inserted into it at the apex of the tent. The grommet is used to support a hiking pole in the inverted position, with the tip in the grommet and the handle on the ground. At the apex of the peak, on the exterior, is a ½” (13 mm) wide nylon web loop that can be used to suspend the tent from a tree or tie line, in lieu of the hiking pole. The webbing strap fastened to the front guy line can be adjusted to tension the tent if required without re-staking the front guy line. There are two more side tie outs that do not come with guy lines. These are used for increased stability and some additional headroom. The setup instructions are very simple and straightforward. The instructions warn in bold type that the height of the pole should be 44 to 45 inches (1.1 m). This distance is important since it fully extends the mesh door. Also in bold type is a warning to “locate a site where rain water will not puddle or run under the tent, if using the lightweight 1.1 oz floor.” It goes on to say to “make sure you have an impermeable ground cloth if the ground under the tent is soggy. You can force water through the floor!” Since I opted for the heavier floor, I will be unable to determine how the 1.1 oz (37 g) fabric performs, but I will be checking the heavier floor during the field test. There is no mention of any warranty for this tent, nor cleaning, repair or general care instructions on the owners manual. The manual contains only the most minimal information for setting up the tent, and does not advise of the requirement for furnishing your own stakes, nor does it suggest the length of the stakes as mentioned on the Six Moon Designs Website for optimal pitching of this shelter. Information on the warranty, refund and repair options can be found on the Six Moon Designs website. I examined very carefully every inch of the sewn seams, inside and outside the tent. Other than finding some loose thread cuttings, every seam appears tight and well done. I checked the apex where the hiking pole fits. I had read where there was a problem with this part of the tent leaking. I could find no fault with the materials at this point. I will follow up with leak testing further into the field test. I examined the zippers and operation. There are 2 zippers in the netting that open to allow access to the tent. They each operated smoothly and easily. Next, I examined the vestibule cover. The cover is sewn onto the tent on the left side, and drapes over the guy line that extends from the apex of the tent at the front. The vestibule has a metal ring sewn onto it that will clasp onto a sliding clip fastened to the guy line that can then be adjusted to create tension on the vestibule cover. The cover is then fastened to the right side by 3, ¾”x 6” (19 x 152 mm) Velcro® strips. I then examined the stuff sack. The sack is made of the same material as the bottom of the tent and has one continuous seam that extends down the sack and then across the end. The size of the sack is 18 x 8 in (46 x 20 cm). The nylon webbing that draws the sack closed is ½” (13 mm) wide with the typical sliding clasp. I could find no faults in the stuff sack. Being that I am pretty picky about the size of any object I put in my pack, I decided to determine if I could get the packed tent to a smaller size in the stuff sack. Six Moon Designs, on their website, represent the packed size to be approximately 15 inches x 4.5 inches, 240 in^3, (381 x 114 mm, .4 cm^3). When the tent was removed from the stuff sack, it was folded neatly. The size of the stuff sack with tent inside, as received, was 15 x 5 x 4 ½", 338 in^3 (382 x 127 x 114 mm, .5 cm^3). I tried just stuffing the tent back into the stuff sack without folding it up. I was able to do so, but it was a little difficult due to the slickness of the material. Once I had the tent stuffed into the sack, it measured 15 ½ x 6 x 4 ½ inches, 419 in^3 (394 x 152 x 114 mm, .7 cm^3). I then removed the tent, laid it out and folded it neatly and as tightly as I could. The resulting size came to 13 x 5 x 3", 195 in^3 (330 x 127 x 76 mm .3 cm^3). The tent and stuff sack are easily compressible and I have no problem getting it to fit nicely on or inside my back pack. Seam
Sealing
The instruction manual that comes with this tent indicates that all outside seams must be sealed with a silicone based seam sealer prior to use. This is normal procedure for shelters fabricated of silnylon material. The instructions go on to say how to seal the seams if using SilNet® seam sealer and how to use homemade silicone seam sealer based on instructions on the Six Moon Designs web link. I am familiar with sealing seams so opted for the homemade version. I pitched the tent on the floor of my shop attic with the seams stretched out and flat. I was able to seal the seams in about an hour. Initial
Setup
After seam sealing the tent and allowing it to dry per the instructions on the Six Moon Designs Website, I erected the tent in my back yard to familiarize myself with it. The temperature was 70 F (21 C), and humidity of 90%. It was raining at the time. These are the features as shown on the Six Moon Designs Website pertaining to the tent. Full Vestibule Optimized Sleeping Area Canopy Wings Center Pole Support Single Hiking Pole Support Internal Gear Area Easy Tensioning Adjustment Oversized Screen Door Ultra-light waterproof canopy Handy mesh cargo pocket Extremely easy setup I then began the process of evaluating these features with the tent erected in my backyard. Below are my findings: Full Vestibule Easy Tensioning Adjustment Oversized Screen Door The vestibule cover can be opened halfway or fully opened to enhance the view from inside the tent, for increased ventilation, and to enter the tent through the zippered, mesh door. It can also be adjusted upward by using the sliding hook and clasp to raise it for increased ventilation. If I remove the hook from the clasp, I can fold it completely over the top of the tent. The tensioning adjustment on the front guy line is easy to reach, once I open the mesh door. I can easily do this while still in my sleeping bag. The zippered door opens widely and it is easy for me to get in and out of the tent. The usable size of the entry/exit area when the door is opened is 32” wide x 36” high, (813 mm x 914 mm). One problem, though, is that there is no way to roll up and secure the half opened vestibule. When fully opened and rolled there is a loop and clasp that will secure the rolled up vestibule in a secure position. The area covered by the vestibule when closed is adequate for my Golite Speed Pack, shoes, or other gear that I hike with. The 10 ft^2 (1 m^2) of space is enhanced by the height attained due to the hiking pole. I have some worries though about how well the vestibule will resist a blowing or heavy rain. Beginning from the apex of the tent along the edge of the tent where the Velcro® is fastened is a sewn area that is 7 ½” (191 mm) in length, then a distance of 21½” (546 mm) to where the first Velcro® strip is fastened. The Velcro® strips then continue to the ground spaced at 6” (153 mm) intervals. This configuration basically leaves a slit along the vestibule that is not secured, (see photo below). When I carefully align the Velcro® strips that are on the vestibule with the tent edge, the slit area is covered and overlaps, but is not secured. I can easily poke my head through this area, or pull down the vestibule to take a peek outside. I am not sure why there is no Velcro® strip at this place on the tent edge. An email from Ron Moak of Six Moon Designs was received in reply to my inquiry about this and he indicated that initial testing did not seem to require fastening the vestibule at this point. Fastening the Velcro® strips to each other while inside the tent is a bit tricky since I have to align them from inside the tent. It can be done a little easier if I slacken the tension on the sliding clasp that secures the vestibule to the front guy line. I plan on testing the vestibule configuration further during the field trials.    Optimized Sleeping Area Internal Gear Area The sleeping area is plenty large for my 6’ (1.8 m) height and it is easy for me to enter through the screen door. The hiking pole is at the front center of the tent, but the entry door is large enough so that the pole is not in the way when entering or exiting the tent. The flat space on the floor where I sleep is 36” (.9 m) wide x 84” (2.1 m) in length. There is a smaller space created inside the tent at the rear that will accommodate smaller gear, shoes, etc. The head space inside the tent at the apex is 44 to 45 inches (1.1 m) as noted on the specifications for the tent, if I adjust my hiking pole to this length. The sloping walls of the tent are 9" (230 mm) above my face while prone. If I tie off the guy line at the rear of the tent near the apex, and tie off the side guy out points, the head space is much improved. I guess this is what Six Moons means by “optimized sleeping area”. I am comfortable for the night without the added tie outs, but if I were to have to ride out a storm for a day or so, I would definitely want to increase the head space as much as possible. There is no loop of any kind inside the tent for my tent light or any other item I may want to suspend. However, due to the way the tent is configured, I could not find a likely spot to put a loop, other than where the hiking pole fits into the top of the tent, and then my hanging item would be suspended against the mesh panel and screen door. The zippers on the screen door work smoothly. There are two zippers, and I can set them to be in any location I desire. The door is zippered across the bottom and up to the apex of the tent. If I place a zipper at the apex, I can open the door using just one hand for most of the way. If I try to open the door using the zipper at the bottom, I have to use both hands. When opened, I can roll up the screen door and using the clasp and loop, secure it to the edge of the tent and out of the way. This little clasp and loop that is used to secure the vestibule and screen door is a “hook and loop” type affair. I am not sure that I could secure the rolled door to this hook and loop in the dark without a light. Once I have it fastened though, the rolled door stays secure. There is not a "bath tub" type floor on this tent. The mesh panels are sewn directly to the edge of the floor. However, when erected the floor edge does tend to "roll up" a distance of about 1 inch, causing the effect of a shallow bath tub type floor. Additionally, the edge of the floor "rides" up somewhat at the edges when the stakes are a few inches above the ground and the bungee cords are taut. During the hard, two day rain that I experienced with this tent erected, no water flowed into the tent from the ground, but the tent was pitched on grass, so was not in direct contact with the ground. I plan on following up on this during the field trials. Center Pole Support Single Hiking Pole Support The tent is supported at its apex by an inverted hiking pole, or I could use a stick if I cut it down to 44 or 45 inches, (1.1 m). On the exterior top of the tent at the apex is a nylon loop that I can use to suspend the tent from a tree or line, so technically I should be able to use this tent without a pole of any kind. I will test this scenario further during the field trials to see if this is really a good option. The guy out point that is just below the apex of the tent on the back side is used to increase the head space inside the tent and provides some additional stability to the tent. This guy line needs to extend either horizontally or up to a branch or other object to pull the tent taut. The single hiking pole is just used as something to tie the guy line to, and then another line is required to stake the hiking pole to the ground to keep it from collapsing. I could use a stick for this or tie this guy line to some overhead object if available.  Extremely easy setup Setting up this tent is about as easy as it gets. I opened it up in my yard, staked out the 5 corners per the instructions, inserted the tip of my hiking pole at the apex, ran the guy line to a stake and it was done. A minimum of 6 stakes and 1 hiking pole or equivalent is required to erect this tent on open ground. I spent just over 3 minutes doing this. Six Moon Designs recommends "using stakes that are long enough to leave several inches out of the ground. This allows better control of the height of the canopy." I did have to go back and slightly adjust the location of 3 stakes to get the tension correct. Six Moon Designs has a page on their website that shows in detail the proper way to set up the tent. By placing the stakes so that the black bungee cords that tie to the floor are slightly stretched, then erecting the tent, the proper ventilation is created at the bottom of the tent. One thing I like about this tent is that unlike a tent with a fly, this tent stays dry during setup. If I want to “optimize” the sleeping space, it takes me just a few seconds to place the second hiking pole or stick at the rear and stake it out. I can easily sit upright inside this tent cross-legged with no problems. The view from inside the tent with the vestiuble fully open is very large, basically the whole side of the tent is open. This also creates substantial ventilation inside the tent.   Ultra-light waterproof canopy The canopy wings is just the configuration of the way the tent is shaped. However, these 5 wings do provide some internal gear space inside the tent and allow for ventilation between the canopy and the floor. Even though this gear space is a small area, it is more than adequate for shoes, snacks, hat, or similar items that I may want inside the tent. The canopy wings can be raised or lowered depending on how I stake out the corners, the height of the stakes, and how long I adjust the guy lines. The pre-configured length of the yellow guy lines would make it difficult if not impossible to stake out this tent on ground where I could not drive a stake. Each guy out point on the 5 wings has a bright yellow guy line attached to it. At the other end of this guy line is a loop, and tied to this loop is one end of a smaller, black bungee cord, which is then attached to a guy out on the black floor that corresponds with the canopy guy out. I had to refasten every knot on the yellow cords due to them coming undone when I started working with the tent. The effect of this guy line and bungee cord arrangement is to tighten the floor fabric the same time that I tighten the canopy. After getting the tent taut, upon entering, the floor was stretched taut. I erected this tent in the early morning during a rainstorm. It rained the entire day. I noticed that as time went on, slack began to develop in the canopy fabric. The owner's manual notes to "allow a half hour for the tent material to relax then re-adjust front and rear tension if needed". I had to re-adjust the rear and side stakes and the front and rear tensioning after the prolonged rain. The canopy does shed water with no problems, but the slack in the material is definitely noticeable at the end of 9 hours in the rainstorm. I will need to further evaluate this during the field trials. The tent did hold up well to the heavy rain and is stable, just slackening some in the tensioning department. I left the tent pitched in my yard overnight, with the temperature a low of 58 F (14 C), and humidity of 100%. I made sure that the inside was absolutely dry. It rained again overnight, but was not raining when I went to examine the tent in the morning. I carefully pulled back the vestibule at the spot where it is unsecured, and noticed a small puddle of water, approximately 1/4 oz (7 ml), inside the tent on the floor, immediately below this unsecured spot. (see photo below). Additionally, there were many small drops of water on the tent floor, directly underneath the unsecured opening of the tent. I passed my hand over the canopy fabric inside the tent and it was wet with moisture. I will need to maintain as much ventilation as possible when using this tent in order to minimize condensation from forming on the inside of the canopy. Six Moon Designs offers a lesson on minimizing the effects of condensation in ultra light shelters along with other pointers on the proper use of this tent on their website.  Handy mesh cargo pocket This little pocket is located below the mesh doors, at the base of the hiking pole. It is triangular in shape and will hold my car keys, Chap Stick, medicine bottle, whistle, etc. It is convenient to reach while in my sleeping bag. Anything in this pocket is subject to getting wet if the vestibule is not in the closed position and it rains. Likes Dislikes
I have some concerns about leaks occuring through the slit that is unsecured on the vestibule when in the closed position. There should be a loop and clasp, or a tie, to secure the rolled up vestibule in the half opened position. Owners manual contains only minimal information. Additional information on cleaning, maintaining, and suggestions for proper stakes should be included. A copy of the information on the Six Moon Designs website for setup of this tent would be helpful. Test
Plan and Strategy
I intend to test the Six Moons
Lunar Solo tent beginning at Big Bend
National Park, Texas, in temperatures ranging from a low of 40 F (4 C)
to a high of 80 F (27 C), in the dry and desert terrain of this park,
where the scrub desert floor, wind, high and low temperatures and
numerous biting and stinging insects will serve as an inaugural test of
this tent and its design to protect me against these types of perils.
Further, I have more trips committed and scheduled for the Pinhoti
Trail in Alabama, the Big Thicket National Park in Texas, and back to
Colorado in the spring. Being a member of two large hiking clubs, there
will be other hiking trips to Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and, I am
sure, others that have not been scheduled yet. My hiking trips run the
gamut of temperatures in the lows of 20 F (-7 C) to highs of over 90 F
(32 C) in all types of terrain, weather, and durations. These scheduled
trips and others will enable me to test this tent in the deep woods of
Alabama, under dry and wet conditions, in rough terrain with small
campsites, in temperatures ranging from 30 F (-1 C ) to 70 F (21 C
). My
test plan is to evaluate all of the stated features that Six Moon
Designs has listed for this tent, as well as other issues that may
arise during field trials, to ensure that it does perform as
expected. I will do this in 3-season weather, under all
conditions possible. Of special interest to me is how waterproof the
tent will be when the vestibule is closed, considering the slit that I
refer to above. Also of special interest is how well the floor
holds up to water penetration. Even though I opted for and
received the tent with the heavier floor, the statement in the manual
about water penetrating the lighter floor is a concern to me. I
will be sleeping in this tent in soggy and rainy conditions with and
without an impermeable ground cloth. I will also be evaluating this
tent in many other varied conditions, terrains and temperatures.
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