Six Moon Designs Deschutes Plus

Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
1,180
Location
WA State
Anyone here ever used a SMD Deschutes Plus? What are your pros and cons? Seems like a pretty slick little shelter.
 

Nick-D

FNG
Joined
Jul 28, 2015
Messages
19
I use the regular deshutes. Good little shelter. Spacious enough for 1 and gear and pretty bullet proof in the wind/rain. Use it with a borah bivy for a light bug proof shelter
 

meta_gabbro

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Jun 22, 2020
Messages
232
3 years late but I figure I'll pitch in for anyone else down the line looking at these. These are great little shelters, I've used one for the last 4 years and it's my go-to shelter for most of my overnighters, whether or not I'm hunting. Mine's about a pound and a half in the stuff sack with 8 stakes and 4' guylines for all of the tie outs, and packs down to about a 7"x7"x7" ball.

I'm ~6' ~170lbs, and I can fit with a regular size Nemo Tensor without touching the walls. I can fit myself, my pack (have fit 40L and 65L packs just fine), and my 65lb dog in there without too much hassle. Much more comfortable when it's just me and hunting gear; plenty of room to keep gear inside, room to lay the gun down , and even some room to cook if you're careful.

It's easy to pitch, and I've been able to get away with pole lengths from 140cm down to 115cm, though the sweet spot is around 125 or 130. It can be pitched practically flush to the ground in poor weather, but I generally like a bit of a higher pitch just for the extra headroom and ventilation. I've used it in the Southwest and Rockies and haven't had any issues with condensation, though I could see it being a problem with a low pitch.

Bug skirt is great, haven't had any problems with skeeters or with terrestrial bugs, though it doesn't always make a good seal with the ground if the pitch is particularly taut. It'll tighten up and won't conform to little dips in the ground, though it's easy to weigh down with small rocks or boots/headlamps/spare clothes, or you can use a ground sheet that goes on top of the brim a few inches (which is what I do).

I like that it only needs one pole to erect, since I can set it up and spike out without having to break down the tent every day or without having to leave both poles behind. If you don't use poles, or if you want to spike out and retain both of your poles you can get a pole from SMD or MLD for ~$50 that'll weigh less than 4oz.
 
OP
MuleDeerMike
Joined
Jan 26, 2017
Messages
1,180
Location
WA State
I used it on one trip back in 2019 then switched to the Lunar Solo (same thing but with a floor) and like it much better. I realized there's a lot more ants then I thought where I hunt in Idaho. Lol.

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