six moon design skyscraper

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overheadx2
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six moon design skyscraper

Post by overheadx2 »

I bought a Six Moon design sky scraper recently and was pretty excited about the length (I'm pretty tall) and weight. Took it up to Fish gut lake and tried it for the first time. It failed pretty bad. The amount of condensation was unacceptable. I woke up on day one and as I hit the tent it started raining on me. The next two nights I slept with the vestibule open for ventilation. With the vestibule open it was dry, but might be a problem if you get weather.
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tweederjohnson
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Re: six moon design skyscraper

Post by tweederjohnson »

I've had two Six Moon Design tents - the Lunar Duo (for my wife and I) and the Skyscape Trekker for myself. My wife and I weathered a few storms in the Lunar Duo, but we would always be scrambling for ways to keep our down bag dry when the rain hitting the tent knocked the condensation onto our bag. We ended up laying our emergency blanket over the top of the down bag while the storms were at their worst to keep as much condensation/mist off of us as possible.

I've yet to experience a storm in the Skyscape, and when I've used it I keep the sides rolled up so it stays nice and aired out. However, as you mentioned, this won't be of much use in a storm, and I've noticed that some of the stitching holes have stretched and I can see little beads of light poking through...which means beads of water will eventually get through as well.
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Re: six moon design skyscraper

Post by Wandering Daisy »

All single wall tents have condensation problems, some more than others. In spite of the annoying condensation, my Tarptent Moment did not fail in some spectacularly severe storms with wind-driven rain. But I did get "misting". A damp outler layer of your sleeping bag is not a huge problem, if you can dry it out the next day. This is usually the case in the Sierra. With several days of rain, this IS a problem. Each day your bag gets a bit more wet, and you stuff it, the moisture seeps into the down. A more water resistent outer material on the sleeping bag helps, but a lot of UL sleeping bags have pretty flimsy outer material. After I washed my sleeping bag, I realized how hard it actually is to get a non-stuffed bag wet, so worry less now about that. Once stuffed, the bag is much more vulnerable to getting wet. I take a good quality sponge, and sponge off the moisture on the top of the bag before stuffing it.

Some people just deal with the condensation. You have to decide if the weight savings is worth the condensation annoyance. If your tent has enough of an overhang you can keep the vestibule open or partially open in a rain. Sometimes I just zip it down half way and then leave the bottom open. Two doors with two vestibules also helps. Given these condensation problems, I think it is important that a single wall tent be big enough that you do not hit the walls when inside and sitting up. I am short so the Tarptent was fine for me in this respect.

If your style of hiking is to wait for the sunshine to get up, it is quite easy to dry out before packing up. My style is up at dawn and hiking early, which means I end up packing a wet tent and bag. I ended up going back to a double wall tent, but the extra weight carried is also annoying!
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Chris B
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Re: six moon design skyscraper

Post by Chris B »

overheadx2,

I have the cheapest Six Moons Designs tent, I think its called the Scout. It's cheaper because its made out of regular tent fabrics, this makes it a bit heavier at around 2.5lbs inclding poles and stakes but it seems more durable than the sil nylon alternatives . I went for this because it is one of the few lightweight options for 6'4" guys.

I have spent around 20 nights in it so far and not had any significant condensation or leakage issues. The first test was an backyard overnight under the lawn sprinklers, after checking and finding no leaks I was happy to hit the trail. Since then I have camped in the driving rain and mist on the Northern CA coast, high and dry in Yosemite. The only time I have had mild condensation was after being buried in snow even then nothing major. I think you are supposed to seam seal this tent but me being a lazy guy never got round to it and to be honest it doesn't seem to need it.

Regardless of the ridiculously low price this is the best single person shelter I have found. If you get one, its worth buying the poles that only add 3oz because it looks like it would be quite easy to to miss the pole pockets and poke a hole through the roof with a sharp trekking pole. I also recommend you buy the Easton stakes these come in at about 2 oz and include 2 big stakes that hold up very well on the strong winds and can survive a good bashing with a rock.
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Lumbergh21
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Re: six moon design skyscraper

Post by Lumbergh21 »

I have a SMD Skyscape Trekker, and it has been a good tent for me. Yes, I do have occasional problems with condensation, but those have been times when I have camped next to lakes and kept the vestibules closed due to overcast skies. I have also camped in the rain but away from water with no condensation or leaking, which is what I expect from a tent. One thing that I'll do to minimize condensation is find a short stick or a couple of rocks to prop up the two stake-outs at the bottom of the tent, allowing more air flow. Or, on clear nights, I keep both vestibules rolled up for the evening and night sky views.
That said, after 49 nights of use over the past 3 years, I am experiencing some wear. There are some snags in the netting that could allow bugs in. One if the zippers is broke. And the stitching is pulling out on the reinforced areas on the tent floor where you place the trekking pole handles. All fixable and the zipper issue probably has something to do with me never cleaning the zippers. I understand that dust can build up and wreak havoc with zippers. I would certainly buy this tent again based on cost, weight, ease of use, and all of the interior room that allows me to keep all of my gear in the tent with me.
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