Head to head
Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo vs Black Diamond Distance Tent
The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo gives each person more floor — 26.3 sq ft against 13.0, which is the difference between roomy and tight. The Black Diamond Distance Tent is the lighter carry at 25.6 oz, and the Black Diamond Distance Tent is the cheaper of the two at ~$250.
Six Moon Designs Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo | Black Diamond Black Diamond Distance Tent | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ultralight | Ultralight |
| Rated capacity | 1-person | 2-person |
| Floor area per personestimated | 26.3 sq ft (roomy) | 13.0 sq ft (tight) |
| Floor area | 26.3 sq ft | 26 sq ft |
| Vestibule area | 8.5 sq ft | 0 sq ft |
| Peak height | 49 in | 41 in |
| Minimum trail weight | 26 oz | 25.6 oz |
| Weight per personestimated | 26 oz (trail weight) | 12.8 oz (trail weight) |
| Pad fitestimated | 1 × 25 in pads fit | — |
| Fits sleepers up toestimated | 7ft tall | — |
| Doors | 1 | 1 |
| Freestanding | non-freestanding | non-freestanding |
| Poles | trekking poles | trekking poles |
| Wall type | single wall | single wall |
| Season rating | 3-season | 3-season |
| Floor hydrostatic head | 3,000 mm | — |
| Approx. price | ~$260 | ~$250 |
Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo
Twenty-six square feet for one person is the roomiest per-person figure of any solo shelter here, and at $260 the Lunar Solo is also the cheapest serious trekking-pole tent. One pole at 49 inches, a hexagonal footprint, a full vestibule that rolls back, and 20D silpoly that neither stretches when wet nor degrades in UV the way silnylon does. The one-door, one-pole layout means the pole stands near the middle of the entry, which takes a couple of pitches to get used to, and the seams arrive unsealed unless you pay Six Moon $35 to do it.
Best for
A solo hiker who wants space and a low price more than the last few ounces.
Black Diamond Distance Tent
Black Diamond built this for fast alpine days rather than for camping: 25.6 ounces, one door, no vestibule at all, and a pole system that screws into the grips of their own Distance Carbon AR trekking poles so there is no separate hardware. Twenty-six square feet nominally sleeps two, which at thirteen square feet each is the tight end of the scale, and the sloping side panels take more of that away than the floor plan suggests. Buy it with the adapters for $250 if you already have poles; $400 gets it with the BD poles included.
Best for
Fast alpine trips where the shelter is insurance against a night out rather than a place to live.
Rows where the two differ are tinted. Specs are the makers’ own; floor area per person, weight per person and pad fit are our arithmetic on them.