Six Moon Designs, a leader in affordable ultralight gear, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Started by Ron Moak in 2002, Six Moon Designs has been revolutionary in the way the outdoor industry thinks about hiking and backpacking gear in terms of weight, durability and affordability.
After his first thru-hike in the late 70s, Moak went on to spend the next 40 years hiking around the U.S. and abroad. He was a DIYer who sought out much lighter weight gear than what was available at the time, and after a bout of cancer he found it difficult to carry traditional gear for more than a couple hours without severe back pain.
In 2002, Moak introduced his first product, the Europa Tent, a 33oz. single wall sil-nylon shelter which was much lighter than any other tent at the time. And soon after his Starlite Pack, a pioneering frameless pack with a large carrying capacity, helped set the bar for ultralight gear that the backpacking community quickly embraced.
“At Six Moon Designs we make gear, but our primary focus is on our customers’ backcountry experience,” says Ron Moak, Founder/President of Six Moon Designs. “We make our gear lighter so the walking becomes more pleasurable. We make our gear durable so you don’t need to be concerned about failure far from home. We make our gear affordable so you can devote more of your hard earned money on making memories not buying gear.”
Six Moon Designs continues to see double-digit percentage revenue growth year after year. They have over 60 retailers in the U.S. and internationally, and are careful to balance meeting customers’ needs with managing production and supply chain issues that have hampered the industry over the past few years.
“Six Moon Designs has been able to grow our multiple channels of sales in the past few years thanks to our strong marketing efforts and by providing a high-value proposition to retailers and consumers, said Whitney LaRuffa, VP of Sales and Marketing. “We strive to provide high quality, lightweight products at affordable prices, helping everyone access the outdoors.”
Over the years Six Moon Designs has received numerous awards for its revolutionary ultralight gear, including the 2019 Outstanding Outdoor Award from OutDoor by ISPO for the Gatewood Cape and Lunar Solo and the 2019 Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award for the Lunar Solo.
The company is looking forward to the next 20 years of taking ultralight to the next level and will always be ahead of the curve when it comes to implementing forward thinking design and using innovative materials to continue making the best affordable lightweight shelters, packs and accessories.
