new tent from Six Moon Designs

Well, OF COURSE since I just succumbed to my tentaholic urges and bought the Six Moon Designs Refuge (silnylon version) on closeout, the new Haven model is described on the SMD website a day after I get the Refuge in the mail.

SMD Haven

I'm not exactly having buyers' remorse yet, but wondering if I should...

Looks much more like the same kind of thought out design that makes the lunar solo so nice as a solo tent.

Hmmm... I think I'd rather have a Double Rainbow or other TarpTent 2 person single wall tent. Much more storm worthy and W/a vestibule (or two).

Eric

Well, after the weeds get cleared from my backyard today I'll have a place to set up the Refuge, which should tell me if I even like the general setup of a high peak that drops off fairly quickly front and back (the Haven seems to do that more so than the Refuge). I have loved the construction on Henry's tents (we love our old floorless Cloudburst but the lack of sitting-up-room is my major gripe with it, with my long torso). I corresponded with a Refuge-X owner who also has a Double Rainbow, and she loves the DR; doesn't feel the Refuge is really roomy enough for two, and thinks the door opening is awkward (though it may be easier than the Cloudburst, we'll see), and also doesn't feel it's suitable in high winds.

More on the Refuge in a few days...

(edit: it rained all day so no yard work...so no Refuge setup)

After the weeds were cleared, I set up the new Refuge in the backyard this weekend. My major impressions:

1) Nice headroom; it's the first lightweight tent I've had that I could actually sit up and not feel that I have to pull in my head/shoulders/elbows like a turtle. Plenty of room for 2 to sit up and get dressed/pack up stuff at the same time.

2) Though it's a narrower inside than our Cloudburst is at the front, the outside footprint is wider because of the way the sides are constructed.

3) It doesn't seem to pitch very "tight"; though it seems stable enough, I think there will be flapping in the wind.

4) The screen at the bottom looks like it could be a problem as it seems to just lay on the ground, leaving it susceptible to getting wet, muddy, then rolling onto it. I may eventually move it up higher on the side somehow, or at least sew in a fold-back piece of silnylon to cover it if needed.

5) I wish the door zipper had gone all the way up to the peak of the tent; it would make it easier to get into.

6) The sewing done on the tent looks much more basic than that done on our Shires Tarptents - for the most part, seams are not felled or even folded/double stitched in many or most places, just a simple seam with a 1/4 seam allowance (if that). This at first struck me as not a good thing, but it may be to my advantage if I want to alter the tent in any way (which I just might).

All that said, it weighed *24.1 ounces* on my digital scale. That alone is enough to make me decide to keep it. I also like that it looks very simple in design and construction; I think I could copy it fairly easily for myself and alter things that I would like to change in the design.

I won't know about the wind stability until we actually get out on a trip; that is the big question mark for me. I've corresponded with a couple of owners that say it performs OK in moderate winds, and we don't usually get a lot of wind where we camp in the Sierras, so it may be OK.

The BackpackingLight folks that reviewed the Refuge said that the screen around the bottom just lies on the ground, as you described, and therefore the condensation potential is very high in the Refuge.

I take BPL's reviews with several grains of salt (based on my own experience with items they've reviewed), but if the perimeter screen doesn't provide any ventilation, IMHO the tent is probably rather useless.

Are you still within the period in which you can send it back?

Since it's a closeout, technically I can't return it, though Ron seemed flexible if I wish to exchange for another product. I still hope to make this work for me in some way or another, though, either by adding some silnylon flaps to cover that area of mesh (I've corresponded with someone who's done that successfully), or changing the tie-out somehow so that the screen is lifted off the ground. If I want to get even more involved I could reattach the screen higher up on the wall of the silnylon, to be more like the sides of my Cloudburst. I'm intrigued by the prospect of monkeying with it, or making an altered copy of it (I'm about 6 months away from retirement from my day job and looking forward to tinkering with things like that!!!).

thanks for the info

I have already bought it. It is basically a Combination of the True Suspension System and choice of Harness Options, with the pack's sturdy workhorse construction and you've got a strong, light, comfortable pack.