Lunar Solo Backpacking Tent

• Full Vestibule provides protection while still maintaining good ventilation when closed. Fully open, the vestibule maximizes ventilation and view.
• High Vent removes excess moisture build up.
• Zipper Vestibule Closure makes opening and closing the vestibule a snap.
• Easy Tensioning Adjustment makes keeping the tent taut a trivial task that can be accomplished while still in your sleeping bag. Re-tension straps have been added to all tie out points.
• Floating Canopy allows the canopy to be set to different heights.
• Floating Floor reduces floor stress and helps to minimize punctures from sharp objects.
• Optimized Sleeping Area is oriented to maximize usable space, ventilation, and view. A peak height of 48 inches gives you plenty of headroom.
• Center Pole Support significantly improves the ability of the tent to handle wind and snow loads.
• Single Hiking Pole Support reduces the amount of gear need.
• Internal Gear Area keeps your gear easily accessible.
• Oversized Screen Door allows easy entrance and exit while keeping the front pole out of your way.
• Ultra-light Waterproof Canopy is made from high strength 20 denier Silicone Polyester.
• Handy Mesh Cargo Pocket
• Extremely Easy Setup in less than two minutes under any conditions.

Backpacker Editor's Choice 2019

OutDoor ISPO Award 2019

The Trek Best Gear Award 2019

Garage Grown Gear Summer's Finest 2019

Section Hiker's 10 Best Ultralight Trekking Pole Tents

Section Hiker's 10 Best One Person Backpacking Tents

Lunar Solo Set Up

Unlike a traditional tent, the Lunar Solo's canopy floats off the ground. This allows for 360o of ventilation. Plus the floor is not rigidly fixed. It is designed to float. A floor under tension is more likely to rip or get holes poked in by sharp objects.

These factors combine to make the Lunar Solo a bit more difficult to set up for the first time user. However, we've built a number of features in the tent to help get it set up correctly.

Follow the instructions and with a little practice, you'll find the Lunar Solo easy to set up time and time again. Lost your instructions? Download the pdf here.

Since your tent canopy floats, you can vary the height of your trekking pole depending upon conditions.  Higher will provide more ventilation and lower in stormy weather. The front of the tent should always be off the ground. This is to ensure that you have adequate ventilation. The optimum height of your trekking pole should be 49 inches or 124 centimeters.

Setting the stakes in the proper order is one of the key elements in getting the perfect pitch. Look at the guide layout guide below to know where and in what order to set your stakes.

HERE ARE A FEW ADDITIONAL DO’S AND DON’TS.

Do’s

• Do extend the webbing guy-lines to their extent. Run the guy-lines all the way to the ground.
• Do set the stakes in the order listed above. Since the canopy floats off the ground on the top of the pole, it’s important to achieve a balanced side to side and front to back.
• Do set the height of the front pole to 49 inches.
• Do close the vestibule before setting up the tent. This aide in getting the best alignment of the stakes.
• Do any additional tension with the adjuster on the main guy-line, if needed.

Don’ts

• Don’t try to raise the perimeter of the tent by using long stakes and terminating the guy-lines several inches off the ground. This is somewhat counter-intuitive to normal logic. When you set up the tent this way, instead of the canopy and sidewall rising, they will tend to collapse instead. This will cause the corners to dip, resulting in reduced headroom and ventilation.

COMMON PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS:

My bathtub floor is flat.

The canopy of the Lunar Solo floats and so does the floor. If your bathtub floor is flat, it likely has to do with your corner guy outs. Make sure the webbing guy lines on the corners are fully extended with no tension. If you need to make adjustments to tension your shelter, make them by moving your stake. Once you’ve achieved the proper tension, you can use the guy lines to make minor adjustments and re-tension the shelter should you need to after it has been pitched for a while. Another common mistake is that the shelters are pulled too far to the rear, not creating enough separation of the rear canopy from the ground and creating too much slack in the front vestibule. To correct this bring closer the rear three stakes and move further the front, the main stake. Be sure to reduce tension on the vent corners by unclipping the door or concurrently sliding the Prussik loop. The supporting pole should be at a slight angle with the tip inserted into the pole pocket at the apex.

Pitching with a trekking pole.

One of the most common mistakes we see on pitches is that people pitch their Lunar Solos with their trekking pole handle pointing up. This places the handle inside of the apex/vent area of the Lunar Solo. While the Lunar Solo can be pitched this way, it was not designed for this sort of set up and a few problems occur. When the main guy line is tensioned, a lot of extra stress gets put on the vents and seams of the apex of your shelter. It also puts stress on the vestibule zipper, potentially causing problems with closing your vestibule. To avoid this stress, pitch the Lunar Solo with the tip-up. There is a Hypalon (rubber-like material) sleeve that can be found at the apex of the shelter that the trekking pole tip goes into. Pitching tip up into the sleeve allows for a proper pitch while preventing the trekking pole tip from puncturing the canopy. We designed the Lunar Solo this way for a couple of reasons:

• Using a sleeve allows for both trekking pole use and collapsible pole use.
• By placing your handle down, your pole is less likely to sink into the ground if your campsite is in a location with soft or wet ground.

The Lunar Solo, with its single pole and raised canopy, creates an incredibly light and airy shelter. Unlike other tents with fixed points of setup, the floating canopy and floor design does take a little more patience to master. Still, the Lunar Solo’s weight savings make it well worth the effort.

NOTES:
1. The weight does not include stakes or pole.  2. Support poles sold separately.
3. Floor color matches shelter body color.