Howling Moon Lunar vs Ironman 4x4 Ursa 1300
The Howling Moon Lunar and the Ironman 4x4 Ursa 1300 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 Ironman 4x4 take noticeably different approaches to the same problem.
Floor area is close to identical at 3.12 m² and 3.28 m², so neither wins on sleeping room. Headroom separates them further: 133.1 cm in the Ursa 1300 against 105 cm, which is the difference between sitting up to dress and doing it lying down. List prices are within $30 of each other, so price is unlikely to decide this one.
They open differently: the Lunar is a clamshell and the Ursa 1300 a fold-out. 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 Ursa 1300 uses ABS hardshell with aluminium honeycomb base. Canvas differs too: heavy-duty ripstop canvas with YKK zips against 420D polyester Oxford fly; 320gsm ripstop nylon mesh.
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
Ironman 4x4
Ursa 1300
The Ursa 1300 is the smaller of Ironman 4x4's two Ursa hardshell fold-out tents, sized for CUVs, SUVs, wagons and most truck beds. It sleeps two adults and a child on a 2.4-inch high-density foam mattress and deploys via two base latches and assisted gas struts, expanding sideways from a 65 x 48.8 inch packed footprint to a 63 x 80.6 inch open floor. Integrated star-gazing sky windows, LED strip lighting and a heater/AC hose inlet are included.
- Two-latch, gas-strut fold-out deployment the maker rates at under 5 minutes
- Integrated star-gazing sky windows and LED strip lighting
- Heater/AC hose inlet for cold-weather diesel-heater use
- Manufacturer publishes the 160 lb weight in imperial only, with no metric figure
Which one to pick
These two are closely matched on the numbers that usually decide it. Read the feature rows below — heater port, skylight, annex — and let whichever of those you will actually use break the tie.
Every specification, side by side
| Specification | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Type | Hardshell | Hardshell |
| Opening style | Clamshell | Fold-out |
| Sleeps | 2— worst of the tents compared | 3— best of the tents compared |
| Season rating | — | 4-season |
| List price | $3,030— worst of the tents compared | $2,999— best of the tents compared |
| Weight and size | ||
| Weight | 165 lb | — |
| Packed length | 7 ft 3 in— worst of the tents compared | 5 ft 5 in— best of the tents compared |
| Packed width | 4 ft 11 in— worst of the tents compared | 4 ft 1 in— best of the tents compared |
| Packed height | 13 in— worst of the tents compared | 12.6 in— best of the tents compared |
| Living space | ||
| Sleeping length | 7 ft 1 in— best of the tents compared | 5 ft 3 in— worst of the tents compared |
| Sleeping width | 4 ft 9 in— worst of the tents compared | 6 ft 9 in— best of the tents compared |
| Floor area | 33.6 sq ft— worst of the tents compared | 35.3 sq ft— best of the tents compared |
| Interior height | 3 ft 5 in— worst of the tents compared | 4 ft 4 in— best of the tents compared |
| Mattress thickness | 3.9 in— best of the tents compared | 2.4 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 hardshell with aluminium honeycomb base |
| Fabric | Heavy-duty ripstop canvas with YKK zips | 420D polyester Oxford fly; 320gsm ripstop nylon mesh |
| Warranty | — | 3years |
| Features | ||
| Integrated LED lighting | Yes | Yes |
| Heater / HVAC port | — | Yes |
| Roof skylight | — | Yes |
| Annex available | — | — |
| Solar ready | Yes | — |
| Carries cargo on top | Yes | — |
| Sources | ||
| Last verified | Howling Moon product page | Ironman 4x4 product page |
Related comparisons
Or read the full spec sheets for the Howling Moon Lunar and the Ironman 4x4 Ursa 1300.