Ultralight 1-Person Shelters · 2026 Comparison
Tarptent Notch Li vs Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo
Side-by-side published specs and honest spec-only analysis. No fabricated verdicts.
Quick Answer
The choice comes down to priorities. The Tarptent Notch Li is 173 g lighter on the spec sheet — pick it if minimum carry weight leads. The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo costs $389 less at MSRP — pick it if budget leads. Neither has a full review yet — treat the recommendation as a shortlist starter, not a verdict.
The Specs Side by Side
ShelterTarptent
Tarptent Notch Li
- Price (MSRP)
- $649
- Weight
- 0.57 kg (567 g)
- Ultralight
- Yes
- Our rating
- specs only — no full review yet
Manufacturer description
1-person double-wall DCF trekking-pole tent, ~0.57 kg, two doors/two vestibules, dual-apex.
ShelterSix Moon Designs
Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo
- Price (MSRP)
- $260
- Weight
- 0.74 kg (740 g)
- Ultralight
- Yes
- Our rating
- specs only — no full review yet
Manufacturer description
Trekking-pole-pitched 1-person silpoly (20D), ~0.74 kg, single-wall, ~26 sq ft floor.
What the Numbers Say
- ▸Weight: Tarptent Notch Li is the lighter of the two by 173 g (0.57 kg vs 0.74 kg). For thru-hiking and any pursuit where carry weight compounds across days, that delta matters.
- ▸Price: Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo is cheaper at MSRP by $389 ($260 vs $649). Real-world street prices vary, but the starting MSRP gap is consistent.
- ▸Ultralight classification: both products are classified ultralight in their category — built for weight-conscious backpackers from the start.
- ▸Review coverage: neither has a full review yet. Specifications are taken from current manufacturer product pages.
Detailed Breakdown
Carry weight and packed size
On the published spec sheet, the Tarptent Notch Li comes in at 567 grams against the 740 grams of the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo. That 173-gram gap may sound trivial in isolation but compounds across multi-day trips — at 25 km a day for a week, you're carrying that delta for about 175 km of trail. The Tarptent Notch Li's ultralight classification reflects the deliberate design choices that produce the saving: thinner fabrics, simpler architectures, or fewer secondary features.
Price and total cost of ownership
MSRP gap: $389 (Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo cheaper). For most buyers that's the only price number that matters short-term. Long-term cost depends on durability and warranty handling: a product that lasts seven seasons at $649 costs less per use than a product that lasts three at $260. Without long-term field data on both we won't claim a winner on durability, but it's the lens to apply if you re-sell or replace gear infrequently. Look for current sales on either before assuming MSRP is what you'll pay.
Materials and durability
Material composition for both products comes from the manufacturer product pages and is not always reported in directly comparable units. The Tarptent Notch Li carries the manufacturer's published spec only; the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo carries the manufacturer's published spec only. Without a full review of either, treat material and durability claims as starting points rather than verdicts. Reader reviews on REI or Amazon (filtered to verified purchases) often reveal failure modes that brand copy doesn't.
Features and ergonomics
Manufacturer feature descriptions: the Tarptent Notch Li — 1-person double-wall DCF trekking-pole tent, ~0.57 kg, two doors/two vestibules, dual-apex.. The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo — Trekking-pole-pitched 1-person silpoly (20D), ~0.74 kg, single-wall, ~26 sq ft floor. Pay particular attention to fit, adjustability, and hand-feel — three dimensions that don't show on a spec sheet and that disproportionately determine whether you'll actually reach for the gear after the first trip.
Use-case fit
The ultralight 1-person shelters category covers a wide range of trip styles. For weight-counted thru-hikes, lean toward whichever is lighter on this page — every gram in your pack rides with you for thousands of kilometers. For weekend trips and base-camp days, weight matters less and durability, comfort, and feature count matter more — the heavier of the two on this page often makes more sense in those scenarios. For three-season generalist use, our recommendation: prioritize the product you can handle in a store or borrow from a friend, because neither has a full review on this site yet.
Brand support and availability
Tarptent and Six Moon Designs both produce ultralight 1-person shelters for the North American and EU markets. Availability varies: smaller cottage brands may require direct-from-manufacturer ordering with 2-6 week lead times, while bigger brands stock through REI, Backcountry, and large EU outdoor chains with same-week shipping. Before buying either, check the manufacturer's warranty terms (often 1, 2, or 10 years depending on brand culture) and the brand's reputation for honoring claims on minor failures versus catastrophic ones. Neither product has a full review on this site yet, so check owner reports for warranty experiences before buying.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is lighter, the Tarptent Notch Li or the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo?
On published manufacturer specs, the Tarptent Notch Li is the lighter of the two by 173 grams (0.57 kg vs 0.74 kg). For ultralight backpackers counting grams in the ultralight 1-person shelters category, that's a meaningful difference.
Which costs less, the Tarptent Notch Li or the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo?
At MSRP, the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo costs $389 less than the Tarptent Notch Li ($260 vs $649). Real-world prices fluctuate with sales and seasonal promotions, but the spec-sheet starting price is clear.
Does this site have full reviews of both products?
Not yet. Neither the Tarptent Notch Li nor the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo has a full review on this site yet. This comparison is built from published manufacturer specifications only, clearly labeled. Treat it as a shortlist starting point rather than a verdict.
Is the Tarptent Notch Li ultralight by industry standards?
Yes. The Tarptent Notch Li is classified ultralight in our database (0.57 kg, sub-threshold for its shelter category). Ultralight ultralight 1-person shelters typically means built for thru-hikers and gram counters rather than three-season car-camping use.
Is the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo ultralight by industry standards?
Yes. The Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo is classified ultralight in our database (0.74 kg, sub-threshold for its shelter category). Built for thru-hikers and weight-conscious backpackers.
Is the price difference worth it?
The Tarptent Notch Li costs $389 more than the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo but is 173 g lighter. That's roughly $2.25 per gram saved. Whether that's worth it depends on how often you carry it: a thru-hiker saving grams every day for months will rationalize the premium more easily than a weekend backpacker.
Where can I read the full review?
Neither product has a full review yet. The current page lists manufacturer-published specifications for both. We'll add full research-based reviews as published testing and owner feedback accumulate.
Bottom Line
Winner on weight: the Tarptent Notch Li by 173 g (0.57 kg vs 0.74 kg). If your trip style punishes grams, that's the pick.
Winner on price: the Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo at $260 versus $649 for the Tarptent Notch Li — a $389 gap that may close or widen with current sales.
Our overall lean: we don't have a strong overall lean because neither has a full review yet. Use this page as a shortlist tool, then read independent reviews on the brand sites, REI, and YouTube before deciding.