Six Moon Designs Haven Tent Review

Bottom Line

The Haven features a versatile double-wall design that performs well overall but falls short in a few areas to earn a general recommendation. We don’t consider it a bad tent at all; it just may not suit everyone. Certain design features may appeal significantly to specific users. For alternative options and to explore the competition the Haven faces, check our guide to the best ultralight tents.

When testing this tent in the local woods of the Midwest, we found the quality of the Haven reassuring during setup and use. With a solid 20d silnylon rainfly and a 30d silnylon floor, we had no worries about durability; however, we would prefer to see these materials in silpoly to prevent sagging when wet. The design slightly deviates from the classic symmetrical A-frame style, which provides a bit more headroom and more comfortable doors.

Our biggest issue with this tent comes down to attaching the inner to the rainfly. The inner clips in at the four corners and at the two large fabric panels, but not at the peaks. Instead, pockets hold trekking pole tips that are inserted into the peak, meaning this shelter only sets up with the tips up. The lack of any attachment causes the inner net to flop around, requiring you to chase down the pockets each time you set it up. Compared to other trekking pole shelters, this setup is cumbersome and unnecessarily complicated.

Another drawback is the inherent vulnerability to wind resistance found in the offset A-frame design. The large front panel creates a considerable amount of fabric that can flap in the wind. A single panel pull provides some improvement, but it cannot entirely offset such a large surface area. On the positive side, the fly extends close to the ground, which assists in protecting against splashback and drafts.

For the asking price, we believe there are better shelters available, as this one does not excel in any particular aspect apart from its modularity. Additionally, there are more affordable and superior shelters that perform this function slightly better. While we think this tent is a great choice for someone who appreciates an offset A-frame in a modular design, it caters to a very specific niche, especially considering that there are more appealing options at better prices.

Comfort

Like many A-frame style tents, the Haven is decently comfortable for two people, though the limited interior space prevents it from being excellent. With only 27 square feet of interior room, it offers one square foot less than Six Moon Design’s impressive one-person shelter, the Lunar Solo.

The available space is just barely enough for two people under 6 feet tall, but the offset peak design does enhance livability slightly. To improve head and foot room, the inner net tent connects to the rain fly with toggles in the middle of the net, pulling the mesh away from the user. 

Thankfully, the doors are excellent. Large and L-shaped, it’s easy to swing your legs out into the vestibule when they’re unzipped. The peak height of 45 inches also facilitates easy entry and exit, enhancing overall livability. However, it’s still not enough to create a spacious feeling shelter, and it’s not one we’d recommend for taller individuals. When testing on a 2.5-inch pad and 20-degree quilt, we found the length suitable for people up to 6 feet tall, but not much beyond that. The shape of the tarp can accommodate more height, but it’s the net tent that limits it.

However, part of the appeal of the Haven is its modular nature. There are many situations where the full protection of a bug net isn’t necessary, and leaving it at home frees up a significant amount of space for a relatively low weight of 16 ounces for the tarp alone.

Not everyone will be able to benefit from this modularity, and there are many places where leaving bug protection at home is unthinkable. On the other end of the spectrum, being able to set up the bug net without the fly is a luxury for stargazing enthusiasts, and the Haven includes pre-attached guylines on the net tent specifically for this purpose.

Weight

For the tarp and bug net combination, the Haven weighs 33.9 ounces on our scale, placing it on the lighter end of average for this category. Given its slightly smaller dimensions, this weight is typical for a silnylon shelter of this design. Six Moon Designs has not made any design choices that unnecessarily increase the weight here, and overall we are pleased with the weight considering what we have presented.

Adding to the positivity, the absence of any significantly large stiff pieces makes rolling this tent up easy. The silnylon and mesh pack down compactly, which Six Moon Designs rates at 4.5×11 inches for the tarp and 4.5×12 for the net. For those who like to distribute the weight of shared shelters, the separation of the two components simplifies the process.

Since silnylon absorbs water when wet, this tent will weigh significantly more than other tents after inclement weather and will take time to dry out to eliminate all that extra weight. Overall, we don’t think this is a huge issue since most trips (hopefully) shouldn’t be wet all the time, but other materials perform better in this regard.

Ease of Use

While we overall think the Haven is easy to use, there’s one area that is a bit of a dealbreaker for us, making it one of the most frustrating tents we’ve used. To get it out of the way, it’s the way the inner net connects to the rain fly. There are a total of six attachment points between the fly and the net: four at each corner, and two at the head and foot regions of the large mesh panels.

However, the inner net does not connect at the peaks to the fly. Instead, small pockets of durable material are positioned at the peaks of both the fly and the net tent. If you want to use the fly only, you insert a trekking pole tip into this small pocket and extend the pole. If you want to use both the net tent and fly, you insert the trekking pole tip into the pocket on the net tent and place it in the peak of the fly. But there’s no attachment at the peak between the fly and net.

There are three issues with this design. First, it leaves the net tent loose and flopping about during setup or teardown since both peaks are unsecured. Second, it raises our concern that the friction between the net tent and fly wouldn’t be sufficient to keep them connected during a storm, potentially leading to the poles slipping sideways in high winds. Third, it forces the setup to use trekking poles with tips up, limiting users who prefer using rubber covers on the tips, as they won’t fit in the pocket.

We overall think that tips down is a better approach for most situations, as it secures better to the ground, is less prone to damaging the tent since the sharp tips are kept away from the fabric, keeps handles clean, and prevents animals from nibbling at the salt-rich padding on the handles (thank you, trekking pole manufacturers, for selling replacement sections so we don’t have to buy entirely new poles). Many tents support either orientation, allowing users to decide, so the Haven only supporting one style is disappointing.

Our complaints about this setup shouldn’t overshadow the fact that, for many people, this design choice will be a non-issue. For those individuals, we don’t want to discourage an overall straightforward experience. The A-frame design sets up easily, and the adjustment cords on the corners are long for ample adjustment. If you wish to set up just the rainfly, the design accommodates either tip-up or tip-down configurations.

Weather Resistance

With a time-tested design, the Haven should withstand storms reasonably well. The large panels at the head and foot ends are its biggest drawbacks, but they provide panel pulls to help stabilize the fabric during gusts. However, it wouldn’t be our first choice for storm conditions. The exterior zippers are covered with a rain flap, which isn’t our preferred design compared to a water-resistant zipper, but it helps keep costs down with a simpler design. 

Silnylon is a material that absorbs water and gradually stretches when wet, so after some time in a storm, it will begin to sag, requiring re-tensioning. This can be easily done from inside the tent by adjusting the trekking poles upward, but it’s important to note that other materials won’t experience this same issue.

Durability

The 20d and 30d silnylon used in the rainfly and floor create an excellent combination of lightweight strength and durability. These materials are proven, and Six Moon Designs has a history of using high-quality fabrics in their shelters, which gives us confidence that this product will last a long time with proper care.

While we haven’t taken the Haven on a thru-hike of a long trail, these same materials and construction techniques have been used in other shelters, where we have firsthand experience on longer trails. There’s a reason Six Moon Design shelters frequently appear on lists of the most popular long-distance shelters- they are solid and withstand use effectively.

Should You Buy the Six Moon Designs Haven Tent?

While most of this review has been generally positive, the discussion of value and the intended audience for this product complicates the picture a bit. Frankly, the cost is somewhat high for the level of livability offered here. Other shelters provide a much more comfortable interior at a lower price. To its credit, the Haven’s weight remains competitive and surpasses that of its peers.

However, for just a few ounces more, you can acquire a better price and enhanced livability, a tradeoff that we believe will suit most people considering this category of product. For those who don’t want to compromise on those extra ounces and are willing to pay a higher price, it offers good value, but we don’t think many individuals fall into that category.

This places the Haven in a narrow middle ground. It’s not broadly appealing enough to be recommended for everyone, yet it’s not specialized enough to fit into a defined niche. If we had to categorize the Haven’s ideal user, it would be someone in a low bug area who frequently uses just a tarp, is slightly shorter than 6 feet or doesn’t prioritize livability much, values open stargazing options, and doesn’t mind the trekking pole tip-up approach. For that type of person, we suggest placing your order now; we think the Haven combo is great! However, for most others, there are different options we’d recommend.

What Other Ultralight Tents Should You Consider?

If the Six Moon Designs Haven isn’t the perfect fit, our best ultralight tents guide has many other options.

3FUL Lanshan 2 Pro Review: If the overall design of the Haven is appealing but the modularity isn’t necessary, we believe the Lanshan 2 Pro will impress you. Lighter than the Haven and significantly cheaper, the Lanshan offers incredible value in the budget tent market and is a better choice for most backpackers than the Haven. Although the single-wall design has some trade-offs, the increased floor space of up to 29 square feet feels much more livable due to a higher peak height.

Tarptent Double Rainbow Review: For better livability and easier setup, the Double Rainbow is a classic that is sure to please. The arched pole design offers ample headroom when lying down, and while sitting up there isn’t a lot of side-to-side headroom, it remains comfortable enough, making it worth the tradeoff for the more spacious interior.

Durston X-Mid 2p: It’s worth mentioning that the silpoly version of the X-Mid 2p is significantly cheaper than the Haven while offering superior advantages that make it compelling. For just one more ounce, you receive a far more livable interior, enhanced zippers, a more stormworthy design, improved fabrics, all while maintaining a modular double wall design that allows for trekking pole use in either direction.