Discovering the fitting tent for a backpacking journey is at all times tough. It’s important to steadiness packed measurement and weight in opposition to livability and the way nicely it stands as much as wind and rain. I’ve at all times erred on the facet of a sturdy tent over any weight considerations, which is why I really like the Hilleberg Akto, however I do not at all times want the Akto.
There’s a brief season in my neck of the woods referred to as summer time, when storms are much less probably, and the temps do not drop a lot under the 60s. That is after I’ve been utilizing the Lunar Solo, Six Moon Design’s flagship ultralight 1-person tent. After a number of late and early summer time journeys across the north woods of Wisconsin and Michigan, it is proved itself a succesful shelter. It weighs simply two kilos, packs down fairly small, and checks an entire lot of different packing containers on my tent wishlist.
Loads of House
{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
There isn’t any one tent to rule all of them and looking for one is a mistake. You are higher off with two tents, figuring out the restrictions of every and utilizing every when it is the very best for the job. Which is to say, I really like the Akto, however I additionally assume Six Moon Design’s Lunar Solo is great for summer time journeys if you prize touring mild over withstanding intense storms.
That is to not say the Lunar Solo will not maintain you dry. It’s going to. The silicone nylon, or silnylon, is loads waterproof, although you may both must seam seal it your self with some Seam Grip, or have the Six Moon Designs do it for you earlier than they ship it, which prices $35. My testing tent arrived seam sealed, however being sufficiently old to recollect if you needed to seam seal nearly each tent, I’ve finished it sufficient occasions to say it is not arduous do you have to select to DIY it.
The Lunar Solo is single wall, single pole tent meant to be pitched with a trekking pole. This makes for a really small and light-weight tent, but additionally has two potential drawbacks: structural integrity and condensation. Extra on these in a second. As soon as pitched, the Lunar Solo affords 26 sq. toes of dwelling house, a peak top of 49 inches, and the vestibule affords 8.5 sq. toes of extra gear storage. General I discovered the Lunar Solo to be loads spacious for one particular person with gear. The rear wall expands out barely, providing you with a spot to stash often wanted gadgets with out pushing them up in opposition to the tent wall.
The 20D silnylon and mesh partitions really feel as sturdy as something you may discover at this weight, until you need to go along with a Cuben Fiber/Dyneema tent, however to my thoughts the excessive value of Cuben places it in a special class. The ground of the Lunar Solo is a extra sturdy 40-denier (40D), and has a tub form to assist guarantee water would not get in. The rear of the Lunar Solo has a 6-inch mesh portion between the ground and the principle wall that helps with air flow.
Any single pole tent goes to battle in wind, irrespective of what number of guyline factors it affords. I did discover the Lunar Solo compressed a very good deal after I pitched it in excessive winds on the uncovered shores of Lake Superior. It was admittedly not a fantastic campsite from a searching for shelter standpoint, not one I’d choose if I wasn’t testing the wind resistance of a tent. But it surely did persuade me that the Lunar Solo wants both a trekking pole or a heavier tent pole than the ultralight pole Six Moon Design offered (I did a very good portion of my testing whereas bikepacking so I did not have trekking poles).
