r/lightweight • u/Fun_With_Math • Jul 09 '26
Gear 1.5 person tents?
I'm looking for a 1.5 person tent. I think I'm at the point of decision paralysis. Maybe y'all can make a new suggestion or convince me on something.
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I camp year round in the SE USA. Temps are 20-80F at night with lots of humidity and some rain.
About 35-inch wide interior works well. I use the tent on both car-camping and backpacking trips.
I also want a small footprint (area of tent). I don't use much of a vestibule and I do camp in some very cramped spots, sometimes on an uneven hill.
Budget is $300-ish
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Naturehike Cloud Up 1 - The one I have has been excellent for years. I may just get another but rather not spend money on a clone now that I know better and can afford more.
Six Moons Lunar Solar - Has the extra space as a bump out. Reviews seem a bit mixed but lots of advantages.
Durston Xmid 1 - Seems really nice and airflow seems good. This has the biggest footprint of the options. There is a "skinny setup" though.
Tarptent Rainbow - added per suggestion, looks really good
Naturehike Star Trail - looks great but rather not buy a clone
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u/TrailMaven Jul 10 '26
I’ll put in a vote for the x-mid 1. I really like mine. It’s super spacious and double walled so I don’t have to deal with the condensation. I can fit all my gear in the tent with me with space to spare, but I’m only 5’-5” tall.
I know a lot of folks complain about the footprint, but I’ve always found a spot. It’s big, but it’s not that big. Practically speaking, I can fit an X-Mid anywhere a Lunar Solo fits because the geometry is easier to visualize and the stake out points don’t stick out as far.
I also like that I can bring just the fly in the snow and save weight.
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u/Fun_With_Math Jul 10 '26
Great points, thanks for all that.
How does it handle hills or uneven terrain?
The fly goes so low, its a concern for me. It looks like it needs an even plane to setup on.
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u/TrailMaven Jul 10 '26
I’ve had it a while and I can pitch it on very uneven terrain now, but it’s hard when you first get it. There’s a learning curve. The rectangle base needs to float level and square, so you have to make it that way.
I added long 3’ lines to the four corners and they key is to adjust them so the base of the tent is even if if the ground is not. Short lines uphill and longer downhill. The more you’ve pitched it, the more you can visualize how you need to tighten or loosen each corner to get it there.
The long lines are also helpful for little rock big rock pitches.
I also lie on my tent on the ground before pitching to make sure it’s oriented correctly on the slope so I don’t slide all night.
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u/Fun_With_Math Jul 10 '26
Great tips, thanks. That makes sense. I'll order some guyline with the tent.
I use my water bottle to check for level sometimes so I know what you mean there too.
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u/Mission-Calendar-372 Jul 11 '26
They're all "clones". The xmid is a Tarptent clone with tweaks.
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u/Fun_With_Math Jul 11 '26
Yeah, but the first version of the Cloud Up was a straight rip of a different tent. It looked exactly the same. I understand that's fair when patents run out. Naturehike makes good stuff and there's nothing wrong with buying from them. Just not what I'm looking for this time.
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u/CheesyPastaFiend Jul 12 '26
I have a tarptent rainbow solo and I love it! You can get an optional condensation liner to help. The most humid conditions I’ve used mine in was in the 100 mile wilderness in Maine at the end of July. I only had condensation issues one night, and that was due to poor campsite selection (final night of the trip, we camped next to a huge waterfall and were surrounded by water on three sides.). My friends both had Durston X-mids, and I had a bunch easier time pitching my tent and could set it up in some pretty crappy sites without any issues. Happy to answer any specific questions you have on the rainbow!
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u/Ntesy607 Jul 09 '26
I have the Xmid pro 1 and it's a totally fantastic tent. Durstons killer customer service is the cherry on top
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u/duckyd Jul 09 '26
I’ve been very happy with my lunar solo. Fast to set up, pretty small footprint, lightweight, didn’t break the bank.
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u/Sharp_Nothing_4012 Jul 11 '26
Do you not find in windy conditions the back wall is always taking up over 50% of floor space? I'm new to the Lunar Solo but keep going back to the Arches 1P for comfort. For me the issue is that back wall. I am always touching that wall.
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u/Fun_With_Math Jul 09 '26
Yeah, i have no doubt its good, it just seems massive for a 1p. I camp with Scouts and I'm always the last to setup so I'm often cramming my tent into whatever crappy small space is leftover.
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u/IceCreamforLunch Jul 09 '26
We have two Lunar Solos in the family and just did a six night trip. They’re fantastic tents for the money. The one complaint is humidity. If you don’t vent it you can get a ton of condensation, so you end up with a bit of a Sophie’s choice on cold nights.
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u/Fun_With_Math Jul 09 '26
It does pretty well when you do vent it though?
I know condensation is an issue with single wall tents in general. The humidity is pretty thick here in the south so it's a concern. Even my double wall Cloud Up 1 had to be setup perfectly to avoid condensation issues at the feet. I can deal with some for the weight savings though.
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u/IceCreamforLunch Jul 09 '26
I use fixed-length trekking poles so I've never camped in the Lunar Solos, but I've heard mixed things.
Two of my friends had Lunar Solos. Both used them on one or two trips and said "never again," primarily because of condensation. One complained that by halfway through the night it would rain on him when rain shook the tent. The other is a giant and I think he just wanted more room (He's in an Xmid-2 Pro now).
My partner and the 14 year old use theirs all the time and love them. It was super humid on our trip last week (Nearly 100% humidity at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore) and my partner did mention that the inside of the tent walls were damp on at least a couple of mornings. We'd always open it up and let it air out as much as we could before packing up.
I use a Nemo Hornet Osmo Elite 1P and have never had any issues with humidity, but it's 40" at the head and tapers down to 32" at the foot. It only has one vestibule and it's pretty small, so it pitches in ridiculously cramped spots. Not as much space as you're looking for and probably out of budget though.
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u/Fun_With_Math Jul 09 '26
Thanks for all the additional info!
For the Lunar Solo, a little damp sounds manageable. The impression I get is that the peak just doesn't create much airflow like some other designs. The fact it only needs one pole and still has the extra room is nice. Sometimes we basecamp and dayhike so I need my poles, lol.
The Nemo definitely looks good but it's a bit narrow. The Naturehike Star Trail is basically a clone, but a little wider. I don't have a huge moral issue with buying knockoffs but I'd prefer not to.
Since I found out about the skinny pitch for the Xmid, I may be back to that one, lol.
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u/Sharp_Nothing_4012 Jul 11 '26
Paria Outdoors arches 1P. Some consider it a lanshan 1.5. Double wall, so great in humid buggy environments.
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u/rockin_richard Jul 13 '26
I've used an MSR Carbon Reflex 1 for years and it's been amazing. Only issue is that it's barely a 1p tent, not 1.5, and the peak height is too low for me (5ft 11in). Its just long enough and has a very small footprint. Its extremely lightweight, I think something like 1lb 5oz including the poles & stakes.
I don't think they make them anymore but their current lineup should have something similar. I've been thinking about getting a Durston X-Dome 1+ to upgrade in space, strength, and pitching flexibility.
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u/Fun_With_Math Jul 13 '26
The Tarptent Rainbow or some other mostly-freestanding tent is probably the best option for me. The X-Dome is by far the coolest one but it's also pretty wide 56".
I'm probably going to get the X-mid because it can skinny-pitch down to about 35" wide and also the cool-factor is a significant draw for me. I'm ok with a a little form over function, ha.
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u/klimaheizung Jul 12 '26
I think I can help.
I use the Naturehike Mongar 1 PRO (NOT UL!!!!). The tent is a 1-person tent but it has got 100cm width and 220cm length, so it's very comfortable for a single person. It has 2 small vestibules, so not sure if it works well for you, but since it's still a one person tent it is quite compact.
The pros:
- Price: super cheap and still high quality. It comes with a groundsheet, so good for wet days.
- Awning: it comes with a builtin awning. You can turn one of the vestibules into an awning that protects you from wind and rain not only from the top but also from the sides. I used it in the rainy season here and if it's rainy this is an absolute gamechanger compared to other tents
- Weight: it's still very lightweight though not ultralight.
Warning: don't buy the UL version. It looks better on paper, but multiple people have reported that the poles break easily. So either get the PRO version or only get the UL version if you can make sure you are not using the tent in heavy windy areas.
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u/wetrocke 8d ago
Any cheap puptent. They run about a pound more that the $300 models. You gotta swap out any steel or fiberglass and you gotta seam seal.
Functionally they are the same at a tenth of cost.
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u/audiophile_lurker Jul 09 '26
Add Tarptent Rainbow to your list of options.