Lukec wrote:]...]I also have a less used mont Moondance solo, more cramped and 700g heavier, but it has been tested in cold, rainy and super windy Iceland this time last year. Can’t decide which one to take. [...]
The
Moondance 1 would be an excellent choice, and Iceland's a bugger-all in terms of its often-bleak, wet and cold weather: on my visit last year over 3 weeks, the sun was shining on only 3 days, and only in Reykjavík!!
Meanwhile in Oz, October is a highly variable month in terms of weather and so far this October in SE Australia all manner of seasons have come and gone, with snow still falling on and off in Victorian and NSW alpine regions! My Moondance 1 was bought on speculation in 2009, yet easily withstood a terrible blizzard at Mount Feathertop camp, a flood in Bright not long after, torrrential storms and horizontally-driven rain at Wilsons Prom, and an unfortunate experience of being frozen in minus-6 degrees at Mount Clear in 2010! All up, it didn't flinch and kept me warm, dry and comfortable every time. I would not sacrifice a few grams of weight when you have no idea what the weather will be doing (certainly not a tarp tent), not just now, but into November (which can also see very bad alpine conditions). The AAWT is not a place to experiment with risk. The protection afforded by a more substantial tent (the M1) cannot be denied.
The fly of the Moondance was never a hindrance or hassle in my long experience, even when it is raining. The newer models have worthwhile improvements to securing the outer fly, but it has always been a simple, quick and fuss-free attachment, so I don't know, among many users of this tent, what the problem is. I sold my Moondance 1 to an New Zealand expat, because I found it being so small now that I had to get out of it just to change my mind...