I bought a Lunar solo six moon design tent

[Cooldays]

I am not a tent camper. I bought this used here on the forum to see what the latest and greatest is like. My plan is to get it for a friend who has a 5lb tent.

It came without anything. No stuff sack, no stakes, no documentation, no box, no photos of it in use.

I set it up but have not slept in it. I seam sealed it. It is very light for sure. I set it up and it seems that each of the corners has one tie out that connects 2 places, to the tent floor and to the edge of the sil.

the sil when I stake it out is right against the ground so the netting doesn't really get much flow the way I set it up. Am I supposed to brace it somehow so there is more ventilation on the bottom? Is there a way to set the tie outs so the sil is off the ground?

Maybe that is the way it is supposed to be?

Thanks!

[Mountain Wildman]

http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/products/HT_LunarSolo.pdf

Maybe this will help.

[D-wreck]

I think it takes a few times of setting up the Lunar Solo to get the hang out it, but once you do it will serve you well. A few tips:

-I always fully slacken the tie outs before staking them out.
-Once its set up with all 6 stakes in you can take one stake out at a time and move it to its ideal position. Experiment and see what works best.
-Instead of using the straps to tighten up things I just move the stake.

Good luck and enjoy!

[10-K]

I think it takes a few times of setting up the Lunar Solo to get the hang out it, but once you do it will serve you well. !

That's an understatement!

I have a solo and a duo and have spent more than a few months total in them.

I'm still finding ways to get a better pitch even after all this time.

[Mango]

Learning how to pitch it better never stops. I took mine on the PCT this year and was learning all the time. The last night out we were on volcanic gravel with solid rock about 2" down, so I had to use big rocks to hold the stakes - definitely not a good, taut pitch. When I really wanted more air circulation, e.g., when I knew there'd be condensation, I also used small sticks under the tie-down straps to lift up the sil-nylon edge of the tent.

I also keep the right side vestible flap (from inside) closed at night and the left side flap open, for more air circulation if not raining. I use only the netting door to enter / exit.

Keep practicing. I love mine, but I'm still learning.

[Cooldays]

http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/products/HT_LunarSolo.pdf

Maybe this will help.

thanks

It seems from their photo that the edges of the canopy are somehow off the ground. When I pitched it they were all the way to the ground because the stakes go in to the ground. Not sure how they got the edges Up in the air, but I see it is possible.

[Mountain Wildman]

thanks

It seems from their photo that the edges of the canopy are somehow off the ground. When I pitched it they were all the way to the ground because the stakes go in to the ground. Not sure how they got the edges Up in the air, but I see it is possible.

I have never used the Lunar Solo or Duo but my Nemo Meta 2P uses trekking poles to set up the same as the SMD tents, If you lengthen the trekking pole it will make the tent more taught and probably give you the lift on the canopy as pictured on their site.

[Smile]

I had the same problem with mine, but only on one side for some reason - everywhere I set it up. Used it for about 45 nights out in a three month period, and as said above - always a 'better' way to set it up. It's a nice light tent, but did mist/leak directly through the silnylon in a bad storm even though seamsealed well ( the seams didn't leak!).

The one pole design was nice, but I had to mark my pole to be sure I had it in the optimum height, and sometimes terrain called for a little adjustment.

After having this tent - it really steered me towards a freestanding tent because once you take the time to set up, and anything is amiss once you get inside ( root not visible, slight downhill, etc.) it was far too much hassle to move it and try again.

Otherwise, it's a great lightweight shelter, and I like that it's made by a small company and not shipped off overseas for mass production - American made as far as I know and this is one of the reason's I bought this tent! Customer service was terrific from Ron and company too!

have fun with your new tent!

PS - the slippage on the floor of the tent as with most silnylon was a pain....so I sewed in two "pockets" that fit my pad in - sewed them directly to the floor, and then seam sealed them really well - they never leaked, and the pad stayed in place!

[Two Speed]

. . . It seems from their photo that the edges of the canopy are somehow off the ground. When I pitched it they were all the way to the ground because the stakes go in to the ground. Not sure how they got the edges Up in the air, but I see it is possible.

Depends on whether you have the original Lunar or Lunar E. The designer, Ron Moak, suggested using 8" Easton tent stakes, and leaving the stake protruding 1.5 - 2' so that the canopy was held slightly off the ground. That worked for me.

I have the original design and don't know if that's necessary for the Lunar E.

[Cameldung]

I have a Six Moons Solo-e and love it.
As everyone has said, getting used to setting it up can take a little getting used to.

I got this off the Six Moons Website and have found it to be very useful in how to set the tent up. (It is from Ron at Six Moon Design):

" ronmoak

04-25-2005, 14:38

... When setting up the Lunar Solo it's kind of like balancing a plate on the end of stick. Since the tent is a floating canopy, it takes a bit of practice to get it figured out, after that it should be fairly straight forward to set it up. The Lunar Solo E is a bit easier to setup than the first version but both can be a bit confusing.

I first loosely insert the front and rear and the two stakes on either side of the front door (ignoring for a bit the two back corner stakes). These four stakes are the primary balance points. Adjust the pole to the proper height, 44 to 46 inches. The higher the more air flow around the tent.

Now set the front and rear stake (with the pole in place) so that the pole is vertical and there is several inches of clearance in the rear. Then do the same for the two stakes on either side of the front door. You may need to move the stakes some to achieve the correct balance.

Once the tent is balanced front to rear and side to side, extend and stake out the two rear corner stakes. On the origional Lunar Solo it may be advantageous to replace the shorter yellow stake guylines with longer cords. This will allow the stakes to be set out further from the tent and lower in the ground.

The Enhanced has been reshaped so that it'll setup correctly with the stakes fully set into the ground. With the Enhanced you've also got individual tensioning on each stake so can adjust the tension without moving the stakes.

Also so make sure to tighten up the tension at the top of the pole. Let the tent rest a half hour then retension the tent.

With the origional Lunar Solo you may see some dips in the netting (2 to 3 inches) in the two rear corners of the tent, this is normal. It occurs inpart because the tent floor tends to rise off the ground and due to the cut of the canopy material. In either case there still should be excellent air flow around the tent perimeter. Most of the dip has been cleaned up in the Enhanced version.

...

Ron"

Hope this helps.