Cuben Lightheart Solo

[10-K]

So, today my Lightheart Solo in cuben fiber arrived.

The first thing I did was put it on my scale: 1 lb 3.5 oz. Weight included everything but stakes.

Next, took it out in the yard with the instruction sheet to see how difficult it would be to setup. Time from taking out of stuff sack to having it setup in a way that I would feel comfortable sleeping in it: 5 minutes, 50 seconds. Next time I would guess it would take roughly half that, assuming good site selection.

Next, check out the room inside the tent: It's a diamond shape - not quite as much room on the ends as the TT Rainbow but there is very clearly more than enough room for me and my gear with plenty left over. This tent would be an awesome choice for someone over 6'3"... Very important to me is the ability to sit up inside the tent without hitting the roof - no problem there.

Vestibule is not huge but perfect for a pair of boots with room to cook. I got a door on the other side so I could access the vestibule on the other side as well and use that space. I recommend this addition if you order a Solo.

Cons: Nothing jumps out at me as far as design goes. The cuben fiber material feels like it is more fragile than regular silnylon but that may not be true in practice - we'll see. I did get the silynylon floor so I'm not terribly worried about floor punctures based on my previous tent experience (never use a ground sheet, never had a problem).

Overall impression: Pretty darned good - some serious "Wow factor" on the weight - hard to believe I was holding a double walled tent with all that room at less than 20 ozs.

I'm going to hike Devil's Fork Gap to Hot Springs again this weekend (or maybe Iron Mt. Gap back to Erwin...) and do an overnighter in it. There's a good chance of rain this weekend - I'd really love to experience a torrential downpour with high winds while I'm out.... I'll let you know how it goes.

[Buffalo Skipper]

There's a good chance of rain this weekend - I'd really love to experience a torrential downpour with high winds while I'm out.... I'll let you know how it goes.

I'll pray for inclement weather for you.

Keep us appraised.

[royalusa]

Sounds like you have yourself a neat little toy! If you ever get tired of anything in that newly stocked gear closet of yours, just let me know!

In regards to Silnylon vs Cuben Fiber strength, here's a good video from Joe at ZPacks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gfcuCh7h04

[10-K]

Sounds like you have yourself a neat little toy! If you ever get tired of anything in that newly stocked gear closet of yours, just let me know!

In regards to Silnylon vs Cuben Fiber strength, here's a good video from Joe at ZPacks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gfcuCh7h04

I'm ashamed to admit I bought a Gossamer Gear Murmur pack while I was waiting on the Blast 32.... Took it out on my overnight hike last weekend and it was the bomb!

[Singletrack]

So, today my Lightheart Solo in cuben fiber arrived.

The first thing I did was put it on my scale: 1 lb 3.5 oz. Weight included everything but stakes.

Next, took it out in the yard with the instruction sheet to see how difficult it would be to setup. Time from taking out of stuff sack to having it setup in a way that I would feel comfortable sleeping in it: 5 minutes, 50 seconds. Next time I would guess it would take roughly half that, assuming good site selection.

Next, check out the room inside the tent: It's a diamond shape - not quite as much room on the ends as the TT Rainbow but there is very clearly more than enough room for me and my gear with plenty left over. This tent would be an awesome choice for someone over 6'3"... Very important to me is the ability to sit up inside the tent without hitting the roof - no problem there.

Vestibule is not huge but perfect for a pair of boots with room to cook. I got a door on the other side so I could access the vestibule on the other side as well and use that space. I recommend this addition if you order a Solo.

Cons: Nothing jumps out at me as far as design goes. The cuben fiber material feels like it is more fragile than regular silnylon but that may not be true in practice - we'll see. I did get the silynylon floor so I'm not terribly worried about floor punctures based on my previous tent experience (never use a ground sheet, never had a problem).

Overall impression: Pretty darned good - some serious "Wow factor" on the weight - hard to believe I was holding a double walled tent with all that room at less than 20 ozs.

I'm going to hike Devil's Fork Gap to Hot Springs again this weekend (or maybe Iron Mt. Gap back to Erwin...) and do an overnighter in it. There's a good chance of rain this weekend - I'd really love to experience a torrential downpour with high winds while I'm out.... I'll let you know how it goes.

Sounds nice. What color? How many stakes does it take to get a tight pitch? And, after your weekend trip, would be interested how tight a pitch you get with the fly.
I am sure you will enjoy it.

[leaftye]

Did you get a wedge/awning?

[skinewmexico]

I hate it when people say this, but I'm gonna say it anyway......

This thread is worthless without pictures!!!

[Wise Old Owl]

Oh 10k will get to it... might not be his strong suit yet.....


Register and upload with Photobucket... Use direct, erase HTTP if it auto fills and paste.

[maybe clem]

There's a good chance of rain this weekend - I'd really love to experience a torrential downpour with high winds while I'm out.... I'll let you know how it goes.

That's a very low bathtub for a fly that doesn't go all the way down to the ground. Seems like there would be a lot of splash-up on hard ground.

[Joey C]

I'm ashamed to admit I bought a Gossamer Gear Murmur pack while I was waiting on the Blast 32.... Took it out on my overnight hike last weekend and it was the bomb!

You're going to have to build an addition to your house to put all this extra gear you acquire.

[Skidsteer]

You're going to have to build an addition to your house to put all this extra gear you acquire.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[WingedMonkey]

Sounds like you have yourself a neat little toy! If you ever get tired of anything in that newly stocked gear closet of yours, just let me know!

Yeah...I'm looking for that sale also...will it be before or after the wife throws you out?

[10-K]

I'll take the camera with me tomorrow and get some pictures in the field - much better than my back yard.

Did not get the awning version - I got the regular solo, the only mod I added was to add a zipper to the window opposite the door so I could access the area under the vestibule on that side.

As for color - you know, I'm not 100% sure - I think it's a greenish color. It wasn't day glow orange or pastel - I'm sure of that.

The low floor shouldn't be a problem the way the sides of the tent cover it - have a look here - http://www.lightheartgear.com/LightH...ear/Cuben.html.

p.s. Seriously, there is not a single piece of gear I've denied myself since February. I mentioned before that we finally sold our house in Wilmington (moved to Erwin in July). My wife and I both kept a couple of grand for "mad money" as a treat to ourselves. I just chose to spend mine on gear.

[leaftye]

As for color - you know, I'm not 100% sure - I think it's a greenish color. It wasn't day glow orange or pastel - I'm sure of that.

It's breen.

[STICK]

Congrats dude! Very cool purchases lately. So, you got a gear list? What are you down to now as far as base weight? 5-6 pounds?

[Del Q]

The difference between men & boys is the price of their toys!

Backpacking is CHEAP compared to most hobbies, lighter is SO MUCH better, nice 10K

If I have to work harder to buy newer, cooler, lighter gear, so be it!

[RayBan]

I once heard a NOLS instructor says that shedding pack pounds is easy and cheap whereas shedding pack ounces is difficult and expensive.

Speaking of expensive, I understand that there are plans in the works for a cuben sleeping pad with weight somewhere in the sub-6 oz. range for 1.5 strength. No pricing info available.

[10-K]

Just got back from an overnighter with the cuben solo. I hiked 20 miles to Allen's Gap yesterday, went to Hemlock Hollow and had some coffee, and turned around and came back finishing this morning around 8:00...

I camped about 50' from the Shelton Graves, just north of Devil's Fork Gap. It was a great night to test the tent. There was a stiff wind - not over the top - probably in the 20-30 mph range and from 11:00 PM until dawn there was rain mixed with sleet. The ground was white when I started hiking this morning.

Bottom line is that the tent held up well in the wind and no water came in.

You can pitch it with 4 stakes but I would suggest always carrying 8.

Imagine a diamond... Minimum pitch requires a stake at each point on the diamond. This would work in even rough weather but to get a tight pitch you need to add 4 more stakes. There is an additional tieout on each long side of the diamond. I only had 6 stakes so one side had a very tight pitch and the other side was ok but not nearly as taut as the side with 4 stakes. I'm going to use 4 MSR Groundhogs for the required stakes and carry 4 shepherd hook stakes for the optional tieouts.

Cool thing about cuben fiber is that it doesn't gain weight when it get wet. I was able to shake off most of the sleet and while the tent was still damp it wasn't nearly as heavy as a silnylon tent would have been after a night of rain and sleet.

There is only one niggle I have about the design and that's the little plastic piece that provides roof support. It's loose so it's something else to keep up with (there are velcro straps but they don't hold it very well). And, I'm really paranoid about punching a hole in the roof trying to position my hiking poles into place. I use Black Diamond trekking poles and the tips are not a good fit for the provided cross support piece. I have an idea on how to address that and am going to see if I can pick up an extra or 2 to play with in my garage.

In cuben it's a very cool piece of gear and I'm glad to have it. Judy does excellent work - the stitching is good and the tent appears to be a high quality production. A+ on the LH Solo in cuben.

Oh, and I got some pics to upload as soon as I rest up and get the energy to jump through hoops between my Dell and Macbook.

[BrianLe]

Thanks for this, 10-K. I too have a new hybrid Lightheart solo --- cuben upper, silnylon floor, though I did get the awning on one side, and dual side doors. 19.7 oz on my scale, without stakes. I'm glad to get your report on how it held up --- in both rain and wind --- as I likely can't do my first shakedown trip with it until sometime in May.

I plan to carry 8 stakes too, for just the same reason. For me, that boils down to five (MSR needle) stakes dedicated to the tent, two light shepherd hook type stakes that are part of my stove setup, and one sand/snow stake that's also my cathole digger. So not too bad a weight hit there.

I understand your concern about the cross support piece; I read elsewhere that the velcro for that is a recent addition due to at least one report of issues with how it handled in wind. I think my pole tips are a decent fit, but the plastic piece doesn't seem super strong, and if anything happened to that, one would be pretty screwed ...
(yes, we paranoids do sometimes have enemies, if only that fellow named Murphy!).

[trailangelbronco]

I have the Solo and was paranoid about the plastic truss on the roof as well, but then after a while I noticed that the thing doesnt have to sit perfectly up there.

I have my set up time down to three minutes.