Howling Moon Lunar vs Naturnest Orion 1 Plus
The Howling Moon Lunar and the Naturnest Orion 1 Plus are both hardshell tents in the same part of the market, which makes them a genuine head-to-head rather than a comparison across categories. Howling Moon and Naturnest take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.
By the numbers, the Howling Moon Lunar brings 75 kg, 3.12 m² of floor, 105 cm of headroom and sleeps 2. The Naturnest Orion 1 Plus counters with 91 kg, 3.08 m² of floor, 97 cm of headroom and sleeps 2.
The Lunar is 16 kg lighter at 75 kg against 91 kg, which on a factory roof rated for 68 to 75 kg is often the difference between a legal fit and a rack upgrade. Floor area is close to identical at 3.12 m² and 3.08 m², so neither wins on sleeping room. Their list prices are within a few percent of each other, so price is unlikely to decide this one.
They open differently: the Lunar is a clamshell and the Orion 1 Plus a pop-up. That is not cosmetic — it decides whether headroom is even across the tent or tapers towards one end, and how much of the roof the tent occupies when closed. The Lunar uses fibreglass with scratch-resistant coating; the Orion 1 Plus uses ABS hard shell. Canvas differs too: heavy-duty ripstop canvas with YKK zips against 305 g plain Oxford, waterproof (rating grade 3.5).
Howling Moon
Lunar
The Lunar is a clamshell hardshell tent with a fibreglass top and bottom raised by a gas-strut lifting mechanism, fitted with a fully quilted 100 mm high-density foam mattress. Aluminium mounting rails are built into the top of the lid to allow fitting a solar panel or other accessories. It has large screened aperture windows and is available in black, grey or white.
- Thick 100 mm quilted foam mattress
- Fibreglass shell with lid mounting rails for solar/accessories
- Fully published open and packed dimensions
- Ladder is sold separately
Naturnest
Orion 1 Plus
The Orion 1 Plus is Naturnest's boxy ABS pop-up hard-shell tent, rated for two people. It measures about 220.5 x 139.5 cm open with a 97 cm interior peak height, packs to a 33.5 cm closed profile, and has a net weight of 200.6 lbs (91 kg). It uses a three-layer 6.5 cm mattress on a solid oak base, blackout 305 g Oxford fabric, built-in lighting and a climate-control port. Naturnest states setup and pack-down in under a minute.
- Pop-up design deploys in under a minute per the maker
- Three-layer mattress on a solid oak base
- Built-in lighting and a climate-control port
- One-year warranty is short for the price
Which one to pick
Take the Lunar if your roof load limit is the binding constraint. Beyond that the feature rows below — heater port, skylight, annex, cargo rails — are where the remaining difference lies.
Every specification, side by side
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Type | Hardshell | Hardshell |
| Opening style | Clamshell | Pop-up |
| Sleeps | 2 | 2 |
| Season rating | — | — |
| List price | $1,970— best of the tents compared | $1,999— worst of the tents compared |
| Weight and size | ||
| Weight | 165 lb— best of the tents compared | 201 lb— worst of the tents compared |
| Packed length | 7 ft 3 in— best of the tents compared | 7 ft 3 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Packed width | 4 ft 11 in— worst of the tents compared | 4 ft 7 in— best of the tents compared |
| Packed height | 13 in— best of the tents compared | 13.2 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Living space | ||
| Sleeping length | 7 ft 1 in— worst of the tents compared | 7 ft 3 in— best of the tents compared |
| Sleeping width | 4 ft 9 in— best of the tents compared | 4 ft 7 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Floor area | 33.6 sq ft— best of the tents compared | 33.2 sq ft— worst of the tents compared |
| Interior height | 3 ft 5 in— best of the tents compared | 3 ft 2 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Mattress thickness | 3.9 in— best of the tents compared | 2.6 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Setup and build | ||
| Setup timeManufacturer's claim where published; otherwise estimated from tent type. Expect longer in practice. | ~60 secest. | ~60 secest. |
| Shell material | Fibreglass with scratch-resistant coating | ABS hard shell |
| Fabric | Heavy-duty ripstop canvas with YKK zips | 305 g plain Oxford, waterproof (rating grade 3.5) |
| Warranty | — | 1year |
| Features | ||
| Integrated LED lighting | Yes | Yes |
| Heater / HVAC port | — | Yes |
| Roof skylight | — | — |
| Annex available | — | — |
| Solar ready | Yes | — |
| Carries cargo on top | Yes | — |
| Sources | ||
| Last verified | Howling Moon product page | Naturnest product page |
Related comparisons
Or read the full spec sheets for the Howling Moon Lunar and the Naturnest Orion 1 Plus.