View Full Version : Six Moon Designs - Lunar Solo E
snarbles
05-13-2005, 23:11
Was wondering if anyone could share they're opinion on this new enhanced version of the Lunar Solo. Has anyone had a chance yet to check it out?
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=36
Thanks :D
Was wondering if anyone could share they're opinion on this new enhanced version of the Lunar Solo. Has anyone had a chance yet to check it out?
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=36
Thanks :D
i bet youy could make your own for a lot less with the same type of material or get a seamstress to do it? just a thoght.....wanderer :-?
Footslogger
05-16-2005, 16:34
Just got back from Trail Days and Ron had one on display. Having owned a Wanderlust Nomad Lite before I have quite a bit of experience with a shelter of this type/weight. At $235 it is WAY pricey but is about the best combination of all the features I've seen to date in a solo shelter that includes mesh and a floor. What I like the most about it is that there is NO separate pole that needs to be carried. It uses a single trekking pole (instead of the 2 pole design of the Nomad Lite) and the pole is exterior to the tent, which makes it a lot easier to set up.
The one concern I have about the tent, and I shared this with Ron, is the velcro closure on the split front awning. With the tent pitched somewhat taught it is pretty hard to pull the edges of the awning together so that the velcro grabs and holds ...and that was doing it from the outside. From the inside it would be even more difficult. I asked Ron if he was considering a zipper in the place of the velcro and he said yes. Personally, I'm waiting for that zipper upgrade before taking the plunge. That said though ...I am seriously considering ordering one soon.
'Slogger
AT 2003
snarbles
05-16-2005, 16:38
Yeah that makes sense about the zipper. I think I will wait for that as well. Until then I guess I'll be using my trig 2.
I have a Lunar Solo E. It's really a well designed shelter with a surprising amount of floor and head space.
An alternative to undoing and redoing the velcro on the vestibule is to slide the vestibule up the front guy line. There is a loop sewn into the bottom of the velcro strip, and there's a hook prusiked to the front guyline. The hook can be slid up and down the guyline, or the vestibule can be unhooked and slid up or down. In good weather, one or both sides of the vestibule can be rolled up. In bad weather, you can just slide the vestibule up, enter, and slide it back down, which is faster than either the velcro or a zipper. Depending on the severity of the weather, the vestibule could be slid to any height to control ventilation. The animation on the Six Moons website shows this well.
Footslogger
05-20-2005, 16:36
Thanks for that feedback FlyBy ...
I think one of the problems I observed at Trail Days was that Ron had the front guy line pulled/staked too far away from the tent. That made it very tough to overlap the awning halves enough to secure the velcro.
Sliding the awning up and down the guy line makes a lot of sense.
Thanks again ...
'Slogger
Slogger,
Did you happen to notice what type of stake Ron was using on the tent he had set up at Trail Days? On his website, he suggests using Easton stakes around the tent body in order to better control the height of the tent body from the ground. I do this, but use a standard Ti stake up front. The front guyline is a fixed length, and using one of those Easton stakes, with the guyline connected at the top, would put the front guyline farther out from the tent than a regular hook-type stake, and could make connecting the velcro a bit tougher.
Footslogger
05-20-2005, 16:59
FlyBy ...as I recall he was using Eastons all the way around. They tend to stick out of the ground a lot more than the shepperd hook Ti's so maybe that was the problem. Either way, it looks like a good design and having owned the Wanderlust Nomad before I can see huge differences/advantages.
Thanks again,
'Slogger
snarbles
11-02-2005, 14:33
Any new reviews or opinions on this tent? I sure wish they would make a zipper for it already :D
Footslogger
11-02-2005, 14:59
Any new reviews or opinions on this tent? I sure wish they would make a zipper for it already :D
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Well ...since my earlier post here on this thread I've received and used my Lunar Solo-e. Very happy with the tent. I did send it back and have Ron move the rear tie-out loop to a different spot on the tent. Where originally located they didn't do a really good job of pulling the tent out for maximum interior clearance.
Otherwise I'm very happy with the tent. Have had it out in some pretty windy/rainy conditions here in Wyoming and it performed like a champ. Love the 23 oz weight. A breeze to set up and take down.
At first I thought that I'd wait until Ron did the whole zipper thing on the front awning but finally decided to bite the bullet and order one. Glad I did. The velco works fine and once fastened it slides up/down the guy line without a problem. One modification I did make was to add a small shock cord loop to the bottom of the awning. It makes attaching the awning to the small hook on the guyline a lot easier.
Hope that helps ...
'Slogger
vipahman
11-02-2005, 21:58
I bought the heavier 26oz tent recently and used it in heavy rains for about 10 hours and was very happy with the performance. I did use 6" Ti stakes, not Eastons, and had no complaints. Eastons will give better height control but I didn't need with the rains. Tent space is amazing for a solo tent. I stored all my stuff inside. Don't wait for a zipper.
And I didn't quite figure out what the prusiked hook was for. But thanks to this old post, I know it now.:banana
snarbles
11-02-2005, 22:28
Would this tent work for 2 people, or is that out of the question.
Kerosene
11-02-2005, 23:40
It would be quite tight for 2 full-size adults; I'd only try in an emergency. It might work with an adult and a 10-year old kid, although it would still likely be a bit tight. You can go with the 2-man Europa model that weighs in about 10 ounces more.
Two Speed
11-02-2005, 23:45
Would this tent work for 2 people, or is that out of the question.Needs some consideration, but getting two people in a Lunar isn't out of the question. On SMD's website they describe it as having "capacity for one plus people" which I think is a fair way to describe it. I've got an earlier version, and think it's got lots of room for one person, could be made to work for two if one person was petite and someone I wanted to sleep EXTREMELY close to).
Would this tent work for 2 people, or is that out of the question.
The solo is not designed for two unless their kids. While two could sleep in case of an emergency, it would be too small for normal usage.
Ron
vipahman
11-03-2005, 10:17
The Lunar Solo E is pentagon shaped. It's 88" long and 35" wide at it's narrowest. But if you back in 1' on it's length on both sides, the width hits that critical number of 40" that allow 2x20" sleeping pads to be placed side by side. So the feasible length of the tent for the second person then be 88" - 24" = 64". That would be good for someone 5" tall or more if they curl up. Also since the roof slopes down at this point, the roof tieout HAS to be used. The POE sleeping pads will arguably work best because of their angled upper body. $0.02.
Two Speed
11-03-2005, 11:06
The solo is not designed for two unless their kids. While two could sleep in case of an emergency, it would be too small for normal usage.
RonPersonally I'm going to defer to the man that knows the most about the Lunar. I'd like retract my comments about two people using the Lunar on a regular basis.
snarbles
11-03-2005, 11:13
The solo is not designed for two unless their kids. While two could sleep in case of an emergency, it would be too small for normal usage.
Ron
Any news on the Zipper option?
Any news on the Zipper option?
I've considered adding a zipper to the vestibule but haven't come to any definite conclusions. The primary issues are weight, stress and wear. The zipper adds significantly more weight than a Velcro closure. Also the because of the added stress of the vestibule closure vs the mesh door zipper, we'd probably have to go to a larger zipper.
Also Velcro, despite being more of a pain to use, has significant service life. With Velcro if the vestibule gets blown open or someone stumbles into the vestibule and rips it open, you can simply re-close the door.
With a zipper closure there's a good chance of having a blown zipper, thus rendering the vestibule useless. With ultralight shelters designed for long term use under often adverse conditions and in remote areas, having a blowout could easily become a serious problem.
I do like the ease of use of a zipper, so I'm still looking for one that also meets my other criteria.
Ron
Footslogger
11-03-2005, 16:12
I do like the ease of use of a zipper, so I'm still looking for one that also meets my other criteria.
Ron
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Ron ...gotta tell you that despite my initial concerns, I'm really happy with the velcro on the front flap. If you recall, I was one of the customers who pushed for the zipper in the beginning.
What I've experienced is that once you have the front flap closed you really don't need to undo it very often. Getting in and out of the Lunar Solo-e is actually pretty easy and only requires you sliding the front flap upwards on the guy line. The trick is not staking out that guy line too far out from the tent
Anyway ...glad I didn't wait for you to come up with the zipper option. I'd have missed out on a lot of fun this past year.
Great tent, great customer service.
'Slogger
snarbles
11-03-2005, 17:54
Thanks for the responses. So far for a new solo tent the Lunar solo E is my first pick! :D
I'm considering one of these as well.....I wonder if they'd put a zipper in if you ordered/requested it that way....maybe even send the zipper? Would like to check on this....
I got to set up a friends a few weeks back, and definately had to velcro FIRST to get it together properly.
Footslogger
11-03-2005, 18:29
I'm considering one of these as well.....I wonder if they'd put a zipper in if you ordered/requested it that way....maybe even send the zipper? Would like to check on this....
I got to set up a friends a few weeks back, and definately had to velcro FIRST to get it together properly.
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I thought that was going to be the case with mine but it really isn't. If you pull the loose front flap down tightly it tends to overlap well and the velcro grabs. All you have to do that that point is run your finger up/down the velcro seam to form the solid lock. Now ...if your front guy line is too tight (pitched too far away from the tent) this CAN be an issue but otherwise I was pleasantly surprized how easy it was to seal the front flaps using the velcro.
Years ago I had a tent with a fly that used a zipper closure. It was actually a pain at times to lean way out of the tent, once you were in the for the night, to secure the zipper.
'Slogger
Good points to know, thanks, zipper would probably weigh a lot too. i only set it up once so maybe I should just get one and give it a few bag nights so get the hang of it
vipahman
11-04-2005, 13:20
Ron, I used your tent in about 10 hours of rain. I seam sealed it of course and the results were nothing but impressive.:clap It's great when the first experience is flawless.
For anyone interested, the Lunar Solo E and some other products from Six Moon Designs will be on display at the Southern Ruck to be held at the NOC over MLK weekend.
Details to follow.....
Ron, I used your tent in about 10 hours of rain. I seam sealed it of course and the results were nothing but impressive.:clap It's great when the first experience is flawless.
Thanks, these kinds of comments make the long hours worth while.
Now back to designing more gear!
Ron
I testdrove my Lunar Solo on top of Springer Mountain a few weeks ago. I camped in one of the designated campsites up on top in the clearing. It is windy up there so I chose a site that had some protection from a large tree. About 2am the winds from hurricane Rita came in and it was a wild night after that. The strong winds got up under the fly so the tent bucked alot but the Ti tent stakes held up well and it was VERY easy to adjust the slack back out by pulling on the front tie out. I never had to get out of bed, Had I known that kind of weather was heading in I would have pitched the fly tight to the ground. There were two other people up there who fled to the shelter because they were "kissing" the roof of their name brand double walled tents. With all that wind getting underneath my sleeping bag stayed dry which is a good thing because its down.
snarbles
01-11-2006, 18:26
Dreams do come true:
New for 06 Zipper Vestibule Closure makes opening and closing the vestibule a snap.
New for 06 Single Piece Bathtub Floor makes a more watertight floor.:)
I think that settles my debate for this tent over the new Rainbow, unless I start hearing some awesome stories about the tarptent.
Blue Sky II
02-03-2006, 21:47
snarbles, the 2006 Lunar Solos with zipper vestibules and seamless floors are shipping as promised right now in February. Wonder how many will be on the trail this year in the hands of thru-hikers?
If the vestibule can slide up and down the guyline then why not do away with the zipper/velcro entirely? Is it feasible to do without? It would save a few grams and it's one less thing to fail when the fecal matter impacts the rotary ventilator.
Footslogger
03-20-2006, 12:50
If the vestibule can slide up and down the guyline then why not do away with the zipper/velcro entirely? Is it feasible to do without? It would save a few grams and it's one less thing to fail when the fecal matter impacts the rotary ventilator.
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It's feasible but having the split awning is realy nice for ventilation. You can roll back half of the awning and still have some cover for the head end of the tent and a little overhang for that all-of-a-sudden rain storm. I have the original design with the velcro and at first I thought I'd rather have the zipper but now after using the tent for a while I really think the velcro is the way to go.
'Slogger