Six Moon Designs Haven Backpacking Tent Review
The Six Moon Designs Haven ($375) features a double-wall design that helps keep condensation in check, and its modular layout allows you to adjust the setup based on your needs. It’s a versatile concept, but the execution comes with tradeoffs. Setup can be finicky since you have to pitch both the fly and the inner mesh body, and we have reservations about the relatively small interior space, stitching quality, and the fact that it doesn’t come seam-sealed.
Weight & Packed Size
Space & Livability
Ease of Use
Weather Protection
Durability
Sustainability
Packaged weight
2 lb. 4 oz.
Minimum Weight
2 lb. 2 oz.
Design Type
Trekking-pole shelter
Floor Area
26.9 sq. ft.
Floor dimensions
88 x 44 in.
Peak height
45 in.
Floor Fabric
30D silnylon
Capacities
2P
Pros
Cons
Six Moon Designs Haven
For this season's top models, see our guide to the Best Ultralight Backpacking Tents.
The Six Moon Designs Haven isn’t especially light for an ultralight tent, and once I accounted for everything needed to actually use it, the weight added up quickly. The tent weighs 2 pounds, 2 ounces, but it isn’t seam-sealed, so I applied about two ounces of sealant. Adding in the stakes (sold separately) brought the total up by roughly another three ounces. By the time everything was packed together, it felt heavier than I expected from a brand positioned in the ultralight space.
That extra weight was most noticeable when I compared the Six Moon Designs Haven to other ultralight tents I’ve used. I’ve spent time with the single-wall 3F UL Lanshan 2 Pro, which, despite its tent body weighing just 2 ounces less than the Haven’s, felt noticeably lighter and more compact on the trail. The Haven’s stakes were bulkier than the Lanshan’s, and the full setup felt heavier and less streamlined. Other single-wall tents, like Gossamer Gear’s The Two (1 lb. 8 oz.), also undercut the Haven’s weight, though it’s comparable to double-wall trekking-pole shelters like the Durston X-Mid 2 (2 lb. 2 oz.).
Packed size is a bit unconventional. The Haven comes split into two separate packages, with the inner tent body and rainfly each stored in one-liter Nalgene-sized bags. I combined them into a single 1.5-liter Nalgene-sized stuff sack, which worked well for me. Even when packed together, the Haven doesn’t compress as small as the Lanshan, but it’s still significantly more compact than freestanding tents. For example, I’ve also used The North Face Tadpole SL 2, which was much bulkier and took up roughly half the space in my pack. In that context, the Haven’s packed size felt efficient, even if its weight never fully faded into the background.
The Haven’s interior is compact, even for a two-person trekking-pole tent. There’s 27 square feet of floor space (88 by 44 in.) and a 45-inch peak height. That peak height is among the shortest for trekking-pole tents—lower than my Lanshan (49.2 in.) and other prominent shelters like the X-Mid (48 in.). Floor space is also limited, as most comparable models land closer to 28 square feet or more.
Still, on the trail, the space worked reasonably well for me. The rectangular floor fits two sleeping pads, and my husband and I could also keep our backpacks inside, though it feels about 10 to 15% smaller than my Lanshan. It’s not a tent that feels roomy, but it doesn’t feel overly cramped either. One design choice that helps is the offset peak height. Unlike ultralight backpacking tents such as the Lanshan, Hyperlite Unbound 2, or Zpacks Duplex Pro, which place the peak in the center, the Haven shifts it toward the head end, making it easier to sit upright and helping compensate for the otherwise low ceiling.
Even with its smaller size, storage and access are solid for an ultralight tent. Each side has a door and vestibule with plenty of room for backpacks and shoes. There are also two small mesh pockets near the doors where I often store my headlamp for easy access during middle-of-the-night bathroom runs. By comparison, my Tadpole had a single front entrance, a lower peak height that didn’t allow me to sit upright, and just one small vestibule, which made the Haven feel more livable overall. One design drawback worth noting, though, is the low-running door zipper. I caught my quilt in it and tore the fabric while trying to free it, so you’ll want to be careful keeping anything close to the zipper.
As a double-wall trekking-pole tent, the Haven’s setup process is fairly involved. You start by staking out the mesh inner at a slight angle, then slide the trekking poles into a sleeve along the ridge and adjust them precisely to match the tent’s height. From there, you tension the corner guylines to square off the pitch and get the angles right. Once the inner is dialed, the rainfly drapes over the mesh body and clips into place using toggles and D-rings. The final step is to stake out the vestibules and remaining guylines, then fine-tune the tension to achieve a clean, even pitch.
I could usually get the inner tent pitched correctly, but I consistently struggled to tension the fly evenly. That surprised me, given how much experience I have pitching my single-wall 3F UL Gear Lanshan 2 Pro without issues, and in general, the Haven took me about twice as long to set up. My husband, who’s an engineer, had a much easier time dialing in the pitch and could get everything tensioned cleanly, so I mostly saved the Haven for trips we took together.
In ideal conditions, like flat ground with firm dirt, the Haven can go up in about five minutes. On uneven, loose, or rocky terrain, setup time easily doubled or even tripled. Compared to my Lanshan, it’s more sensitive to stake placement and guyline tension, which makes it trickier to achieve a perfect pitch, especially when roots, rocks, or trees limit your options. That said, if you’re already familiar with non-freestanding shelters, the process is fairly intuitive once you’ve practiced, and the ability to pitch the fly first in bad weather is a welcome advantage of the double-wall design.
The Six Moon Designs Haven uses a silnylon fly and floor, which means its weather protection doesn’t match what you get from Dyneema shelters, but it held up reasonably well in the backcountry. I used it in light to moderate rain and wind in the Colorado mountains, and when it was properly pitched, the tent performed reliably. It felt fairly sturdy in those conditions and, notably, didn’t sag when wet—something I was happy to see given nylon’s tendency to stretch and droop in the rain.
Unfortunately, the fly doesn’t come factory seam-sealed. Six Moon Designs will do it for an added cost ($35), but I chose to seal mine myself. The job wasn’t pretty, but it was effective—once sealed, not a single drop of rain made it inside, and in that sense, the Haven proved dependable. That said, the lack of factory seam sealing is worth noting. My Lanshan also didn’t come seam-sealed, but many other tents in this category—including the X-Mid—arrive seam-sealed or seam-taped out of the box. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it does add an extra step before the Haven is fully ready for wet-weather use.
On paper, the Haven’s materials are impressive for a non-Dyneema tent. It uses a 20-denier silnylon canopy and a 30-denier silnylon bathtub floor with no-see-um mesh, which is thicker than many nylon or polyester backpacking tents on the market. For comparison, the X-Mid uses 15-denier high-tenacity silpoly, while my Lanshan relies on 20-denier nylon throughout. From a fabrics standpoint alone, the Haven suggests better long-term durability than some of its closest competitors.
In use, that mostly tracks—at least when it comes to the bathtub floor. The rainfly felt comparable to other silnylon tents I’ve tested, like the Lanshan, but true to its denier rating, the floor stood out as noticeably thicker and more substantial. That said, I was less impressed with the overall construction quality. The #3 YKK zippers felt solid and high quality, but the stitching throughout the tent came across as more mid-grade than I expected. Nothing failed or gave me immediate cause for concern, but the build didn’t feel as premium as I would have liked.
One small but telling detail was the included stuff sacks. The Haven comes with two—one for the tent body and one for the fly—but they were easily the lowest-quality bags I’ve used among comparable ultralight backpacking tents. They’re basic mesh sacks that felt bulkier and heavier than necessary, especially compared to the Lanshan’s bag. We ended up ditching them and using our own dry bag instead, which felt more in line with the rest of our kit.
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As a double-wall tent with a mostly mesh interior and peak vents, the Six Moon Designs Haven never developed noticeable condensation or moisture buildup. Most of my testing took place in Colorado’s dry climate, so you might see more condensation in more humid environments, but overall, it handles moisture far better than single-wall tents. Compared to my single-wall Lanshan, the difference was clear—in that tent, I sometimes had to wipe off morning condensation with a towel to protect my gear, which I never needed to do with the Haven.
The Haven’s standout feature is its modular design, which allows the rainfly and inner mesh body to be pitched separately. That opens up several setup options: You can pitch just the fly to save weight and use it like a tarp, set up only the mesh inner for stargazing, or combine both for a full tent. This also allows you to pitch the fly first—or pack it up last—in bad weather, helping keep the interior dry.
That flexibility didn’t end up being especially useful for me. Mosquitoes tend to love me, so I never felt comfortable leaving the mesh behind, and Colorado’s unpredictable weather made me hesitant to go without the fly. While the modular setup didn’t add much value to my own use, it could make sense for someone who’s more selective about what they bring or who camps in more predictable conditions. Beyond that, the Haven keeps its features simple. There are two small mesh pockets located low on the wall near the doors, which I found handy for storing small items like a headlamp within easy reach.
Durston X-Mid 2 ($319): A Superior Tent for Less Cash
We won’t beat around the bush—the X-Mid 2 is the clear choice here. For $56 less, you get a tent with 3 more inches of peak height, an extra 6.3 square feet of floor space, and two additional mesh pockets, all at the same 2-pound, 2-ounce weight. It’s also easier to pitch, has a lower minimum stake requirement, and comes seam-taped. Like the Haven, the X-Mid’s tent body and fly can be set up independently, giving you several configuration options depending on the situation. The only real advantage the Haven offers is its thicker fabrics, though that’s tempered by our lackluster impressions of its stitching. Do yourself a favor and go with the X-Mid.
3F UL Lanshan 2 Pro ($190): A Single-Wall Value Pick
For what you pay for the Haven, you could early buy two 3F UL Lanshan 2 Pro tents. But is it twice as good? The Haven’s double-wall construction greatly mitigates condensation compared to the Lanshan’s single-wall design and offers more flexibility when pitching. Its floor is also 10D thicker, better for handling twigs, rocks, and other potentially damaging trail debris. That said, the Lanshan wins in several key areas. It’s 2.2 ounces lighter while offering significantly more internal space, with 2.8 additional square feet of floor area and a ceiling that’s 4.2 inches taller. We were also underwhelmed by the Haven’s build quality, with stitching that felt mediocre compared to the Lanshan. In terms of value, the Lanshan is the clear winner—and the tent most people should choose, unless condensation is a real pain point for you. For more, read our review of the Lanshan 2 Pro.
The Haven’s double-wall design helps keep moisture at bay and can be reconfigured to meet your specific needs, and it falls on the category’s more affordable side. Setup can be tricky, though, and we have some qualms about its build quality, livability, and weight for a trekking-pole shelter.
Weight & Packed Size
Space & Livability
Ease of Use
Weather Protection
Durability
Sustainability
Durston is one of the buzziest players in the ultralight space right now, and the X-Mid shows why. While its weight and packed size won’t turn heads, this tent’s distinct layout, comprehensive feature set, and thru-hike-ready construction turn heads at a price that undercuts many of the big names in the category.
Weight & Packed Size
Space & Livability
Ease of Use
Weather Protection
Durability
Sustainability
The Lanshan 2 Pro’s standout trait is its affordability—its price is basically unheard of for a “standard” performance-oriented backpacking tent, let alone an ultralight shelter. It’s also surprisingly durable and roomy, but at the same time quite heavy for its condensation-prone, single-wall design.
Weight & Packed Size
Space & Livability
Ease of Use
Weather Protection
Durability
Sustainability
Is the Haven for You?
If you want flexibility in your tent layout and prefer a modular design, the Six Moon Designs Haven is a solid option. It won’t wow ultralight enthusiasts, but it’s still reasonably lightweight. The 30-denier floor is very durable, which comes in handy when camping on rocky terrain or in areas where soft, clear spots are hard to find. It’s not ideal if you want lots of space to spread out—the peak height and floor area are modest—but its double-wall design helps reduce condensation, which can make a noticeable difference in humid conditions.
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