Perfect Pitch: Lunar Solo - Six Moon Designs
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- We show you exactly how to pitch the Lunar Solo.
With its floating canopy and bathtub floor, the award-winning Lunar Solo requires some nuance to pitch well. Luckily, this video shows you everything you need to know about pitching the Lunar Solo.
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We're confident that Six Moon products will be invaluable additions to your backpacking essentials.
So, if you're looking to make your next backpacking adventure more enjoyable, and less of a burden, we invite you to consider Six Moon Designs.
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Just got the tent, really glad there was a video!
just finished 3 day backpacking trip using this tent, it's amazing.
To this day it's my favorite Tent in the SMD lineup. After a couple times setting it up, it becomes second nature and the setup is a breeze.
Heh, I googled this just yesterday because I suck at putting mine up. Great timing.
I just took this out for the first time to Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
I loved it; it's so easy to put up and take down.
Awesome tent guys, used it on thru hiking Kungsleden and Cretan way and I loved it! Budget friendly, Easy fast pitching, super cool that you can completely open the vestibule and can confirm it can withstand some serious wind! Looking forward to use it on my upcoming Colorado trail 🙂
Thank you. I’m looking forward to using this on the CDT. Will start this 6/18/23.
I love my six Moons, so versatile depending on the weather
love these tents i need one
Ah hah! I have always started with the back corners first and never seem to get it right the first try. Will try this method. A fine little shelter, by the way, perfect for solo Sierra ventures.
Good stuff SMD!!
can you use an improvised pole like a branch in the right dimensions as well? I don't always use poles when hiking :)
Sharp stake technique there!
Overall I really like this tent design. I have a couple questions. First, why does the inner tent door zipper dip down into the bathtub wall? It sure seems like in a heavy rain that water would enter the tent through the bottom of the zipper. Isn't the point of a 'bathtub' wall/floor to keep water out? Second, it seems like a sideways rain could also enter that peak vent easily. Can it be partially closed? Thanks SMD.
To put away you can just stuff it or should you roll it?
Try this:
Setup: SMD got the instructions wrong. People sometimes complain about the trickiness to set it up. The reason it seems tricky is that SMD approached the setup as though you were building the tent from the bottom up instead of the top down (you're really just hanging the canopy at the end of the day). This is my advice from a guy who's done a lot of aviation industry tooling development/design, etc.:
Preface. The entire shape is defined by the front door panel; if that's correct, the entire tent will pitch correctly, and to do that you have to work around a solid, fixed point. That point is the grommet on the bathtub at the base of the door in the center of the tent.
1. To attain this datum point, put the TIP of the trekking pole into the grommet. Now the entire tent pivots around that point and it is fixed in space. Extend the HANDLE of the pole up into the 'pocket' where the tip is supposed to go. You can flip it around later if you want, but there's no reason to. Extend the pole to the correct dimension.
2. Set the front guy line so that the pole is sitting vertical and cannot tip toward the rear of the tent. Ensure this matches the zipper line as well as the slope of the vestibule doors; this relieves pressure on the zipper caused by the guy line being at a more obtuse angle than the doors naturally are, and that makes it easy to open and close the doors without any strain on the zipper.
3. Set the FRONT corners and ensure that the pole is not leaning toward the head or foot of the tent. As with the front guy line, make sure the lines match the seam line as well as the slope of the canopy. This now ensures the primary structure of the tent is correct, and that the rest of the tent points will fall in their correct spots to ensure the bathtub floor will sit perfectly.
4. Stake out the rear line, matching the slope of the canopy. Double check that the pole is standing vertically and hasn't tipped toward the rear of the tent.
5. Stake out the corners, again following the seams and slope of the canopy.
6. Snug everything down and admire your perfect pitch.
Totally get this - front tent panel tensioning seems to be key.
For step 2, how keep the centre pole upright and not falling left or right before staking the front out?
Also how does the vestibule doors attach to the front guy line?
I’ve got a black plastic hook on a short yellow loop but not sure how to use (without a biner as an anchor)?
Cheers!
@@majic2802 Solid questions, and I am surprised I haven't had more like this (probably because people don't care, LOL).
There are a couple of different methods to set up the tent so that you're establishing the front panel shape. I was just trying to make it as foolproof as possible. I'm not entirely sure I accomplished that, but I gave it a go.
You don't have to keep the pole upright at initial setup. If you establish the correct vestibule guy line angle (so that it doesn't put pressure on the lower portion of the door zipper) you can kind of set it and forget it; the pole will be vertical and the guy line will always be the same length (provided there's no slope to deal with between the guy-out point and the pole). I know that isn't really what you asked, but it's related and it makes setting that front guy/pole combo really easy from that point forward.
When you get the front guy staked out and the pole vertical, you can stake one of the front corners and that should keep the pole up. You could tentatively just drop a stake in both the front corners to allow it to stand up if you wanted; and that may be easier but you'll likely have to move them a bit and I was trying to avoid that practice. Alternatively you could guy out the rear stake immediately after the front, then return to the front corners, then the rears. That may allow it to remain standing; my guess is that conditions will dictate, but overall the primary focus is ensuring that the pole is perfectly vertical and that the shape of the front panel is correct (which it will be if the pole is vertical).
The trouble with SMD's idea of setting up the rear first is that it'll almost ensure the front panel won't be the correct shape, and that defines how the rest of the positions need to be anchored, and without the front shape being correct, it's nearly impossible to get the correct contours and angles of the remaining stakes.
As for the vestibule tabs attaching to the guy line: I currently have it 'as is' but that was certainly a silly oversight by SMD. I've seen folks put some double-hook attachments on the prusik knot loop which seems to be a great solution; I'm just weary of having something that might wear through the fabric when packed attached to the tent. My thought is just a couple of loops and toggles, but I haven't pursued it to any great degree, being winter here and all. And... I'm just getting into testing my Gatewood Cape/Serenity Net Tent deal.
As a total aside, I found a net tent that looks like it'll work perfectly inside the Lunar Solo which will effectively make it a double-wall tent. It's like $19 on Amazon (GWHOLE... who named this?!?) and weighs in at around 100g. Could be modified to weigh even less since you really don't need the zipper door, and that would be a great addition in some circumstances.
@@dangerpudge1922 thank you
To get a good pitch, needed to adjust/fix so that the vestibule could be easily attached and tightened by the front guy line (prusik was slipping).
Once sorted, current approach is:
1. Loosely peg the centre rear, but only extend guy line half the possible distance (steeper angle is preferred, per SMD instructions)
2. Carefully peg the front two sides.
SMD has a good tip: for the second peg, pull taut but then back off 15cm and stake.
These peg directly in line with the front panel and door (ie 90 degrees to the front guy line), helping to get a flat tight front panel.
3. Close the vestibule, attach via prusik to guy line and insert pole.
4. Stake out front guy line, extending maximum out in front so that the vestibule is under tension.
Tighten front guy so pole is under light tension.
5. Check the pole position, move as needed to be vertical and in line with the mesh zipper.
Watch the front bathtub corners to get even positioning/minimise collapsing.
Higher poles do help!
Make sure the vestibule is taut.
6. Peg the rear corners, following seam lines.
Tighten all corners as needed.
7. If needed reposition the rear peg, but preferably only if it’s really not in line with the front guy line.
Tension as needed but be careful not to collapse the bathtub by distorting the bathtub floor - the four corner pegs control the bathtub shape better.
8. Check tension after 30 minutes.
SMD recommend ‘walking’ the rear three pegs forward if the bathtub shape is wrong - a common problem is apparently having the rear stakes out at too acute an angle.
It seems difficult to get a perfect bathtub with a 49” pole.
@@majic2802 The whole method to setting the front panel first is that you do precisely as you prescribe, but in a more efficient manner. Set the front peg and pole in relation to each other so that the guy line matches the vestibule angle (which should always be shut as you set it up). If it isn't tilting backward, you'll get the proper tension. The sides next, keeping the pole vertical will ensure the rest of he points can be staked out taut and not have to walk around moving them here and there to adjust for angle, since everything is related to the front panel to set angles and slopes. ;)
Anyone notice the Sasquatch running around in the background? 😂
Good tend brother
Currently on the PCT with mine, really enjoying it 900 miles in…
Vids are on my channel.
Made the mistake of not running the guy lines all the way to the ground. Came back to camp after a light rain and had puddles on 3 sides and the roof was slightly collapsed 🤦♀️
Same here!
Thanks for the tip!
it is possible to use a 115cm pole?
While it may be possible to pitch at 115 cm, and may be ideal for stormier weather, we recommend 124 cm for optimal pitch height. Pitching too low will not allow enough airflow to enter the shelter.
If they would put a waterproof zipper it would make it alot better .... No extra flap and no velcro ... I do not have this tent but would like it some day when able I like less stakes and easy set up and no poles to put together this tent would fit the bill ..
And you don't even need a trekking pole either, i simply know where on my body 49 inches is and then find a stick in the woods to use that's the right height
Hang on, your i structions say back is #3 peg. 😂😂
Are all of your products made in the USA including this tent?
Our tents are designed in the US and manufactured overseas.