An emerging new generation of ultralight backpacking tents combines compact, seriously lightweight construction with more comfort and convenience at camp. The Durston X-Dome 1+ was one recent example, and the all-new Lunar Orbiter from Six Moon Designs makes another intriguing option, complete with a wide-spanning exterior pole structure for increased volume, freestanding stability and lightning-fast setup.
It's true that some companies have been building impressively compact, lightweight freestanding tents for generations. In fact, a colleague and I were just talking this week about the Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 I bought way back in 2008, a tent that packs completely down to a 16 x 6.5-in (41 x 16.5-cm) package weighing 3.4 lb (8.6 kg). It was a great tent then, and it's still a great tent now.
The newer models we've noticed popping up come from even smaller boutique brands that have long been hyper-focused on competing for the lightest possible weight, not always the most comfortable at-camp experience. Companies like Durston and Zpacks have specialized in semi- and non-freestanding shelters that rely on guy lines and hiking poles for structure, often meaning more time-consuming setup and snugger interiors.
These brands seem to be coming around to the idea that you can make a tent that's convenient and comfortable to use and also light enough not to weigh one down on the trail. Prior to Durston's X-Dome, we saw those same ideals exemplified by the sub-2-lb Zpacks Free Zip 2P that launched earlier in 2024.
Similar to Durston and Zpacks, Oregon-based Six Moon Designs is an ultralight gear specialist that sells some of the lightest backcountry shelters on the market. Its traditional lineup of tents and shelters uses strategies like minimizing structural components, using the lightest fabrics available and repurposing hiking poles to keep weight down to an absolute minimum that bottoms out well under 1 lb (0.45 kg, for a floor-less hiking pole-pitched tarp). This adds comfort on the trail by minimizing weight on one's back but tends to result in slower setup and cramped pyramid-style interiors.
With the new Lunar Orbiter, Six Moon launches its first-ever freestanding tent, giving buyers a more voluminous, easy-pitch alternative to its traditional Lunar One trekking pole-pitched pyramid tent. In place of a hiking pole, the new tent uses a dedicated crisscrossing four-corner frame made from DAC Featherlite aluminum poles.
The poles set up quickly thanks to a combination of hovering top sleeves, cross hub clips and corner pockets. Their external mounting and specially designed shape, meanwhile, help to increase the steepness of the walls and maximize interior space.
Six Moon also says the frame provides sturdy, storm-worthy protection in wind, rain and snow The hybrid single/double-wall design features plenty of mesh on the doors for anti-condensation ventilation, using roll-back waterproof outer doors to complete full weather protection and create vestibules on either side.
The solo Orbiter offers a 90 x 44-in (229 x 112-cm) sleeping area for a total of 27.5 square feet (2.6 sq m) of floor space, beating out the aforementioned 1.5-person X-Dome's 23 square feet (2.1 sq m), which itself beats out other ultralight backpacking tents we looked at when we covered it in November.
The Orbiter also stands higher at 48 in (122 cm), and despite its single-person design, offers two separate doors and vestibules for added gear protection and ventilation. It also includes a removable interior gear loft and two storage pockets.
On the "cons" side, the 2.8-lb (1.3-kg, fully packed) Lunar Orbiter isn't quite as lightweight as some of the market's lightest freestanding ultralights, which come in near or even under 2 lb (0.9 kg). As always with ultralight tents, there's going to be some give and take.
I have to say, I was looking pretty intently at the Durston X-Dome as a replacement for the aforementioned Seedhouse SL2, which unfortunately got gnawed and clawed by some garage mice, but the Lunar Orbiter has me rethinking and comparing closely.
Ultimately, I'll probably wait to see what the upcoming Durston X-Dome 2 specs look like ... and wouldn't mind comparing those to a Lunar Orbiter 2 that may or may not be in the pipeline. And then I'll have to compare to other freestanding (and maybe semi-freestanding) two-person ultralights, like the very nice selection Garage Grown Gear has on offer. Long story short, it's a good time to be shopping for ultralight backpacking tents, no matter whether near-zero weight, at-camp comfort or the least-compromised combination of both is your target.
As for price, the US$425 Lunar Orbiter is a bit more expensive than the $379 X-Dome but not so much we'd eliminate it from our comparison completely. It launched on Tuesday and is available to order from Six Moon now.
Source: Six Moon Designs