After dragging our 9 lb, 3 person tent up to Chicken Spring Lake this past weekend, we are ready for something lighter! I have an upcoming overnighter on Mt. Whitney and would like to have the new tent for this trip.
Making a Decision
Based on my own findings and the recommendations of others, I considered tents manufactured by GoLite, Six Moon Designs (SMD), and Tarptent. I also looked at zpacks, but the need for a 2+ person shelter pushed their products out of my price range. After narrowing the choices down to a few models, I came up with a scoring system to help me decide:
My Choice
As you can see, my scoring system led to a tie between the Lunar Duo – Outfitter (SMD) and RainShadow2 (Tarptent). I was set on the RainShadow2 before beginning this process, but after seeing all of the complaints about silnylon, I started looking at other options and other materials.
In the end I decided to go with the Lunar Duo – Outfitter. Here are some key points:
- The slipperiness of the materials used in the Rainshadow2 seem like a minor issue, but the complaints about silnylon ‘misting’ and sagging during storms was troubling.
- I am rough on my gear (I should be more careful). The Oufitter is made out of the most durable material of all the tents considered. It also has the highest waterproof rating.
- The money saved by purchasing the Outfitter $130 can go towards a new pack and sleeping system. My pack and sleeping bag are very heavy (10+ lbs combined).
First Impressions
The Outfitter is my first non-free standing tent, so it took some practice to figure out how to set it up properly. I probably set it up a half dozen times before taking it on my first trip. We used it on Mt. Whitney in early June and it worked well. There was plenty of room for two grown men, as well as our packs.
Here are some details on the tent:
Six Moons Lunar Duo OutfitterFeatures
Specifications
Materials
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