View Full Version : Lightheart Solo & Wind
mlebwill
04-24-2010, 12:09
I got a LightHeart Solo this week. I'm fairly excited and set it up quickly in the basement for seam sealing. I found the seam sealing a real pain in the butt along the ridge-line. While I could get the ridge-line taunt at the seam where the fly is sewn into the main body / bug netting, the fly had so much extra material that it billowed around the seam. This made it very difficult to seal the seam without gluing the two sides around the seam together. I ended up using grip clips and over tensioning the fabric to expose the seam. I got it done but like I said it was a pain in the butt.
Having said that - I'm a little worried with the wind worthiness of the tent, I think it will be impossible to get a taunt pitch of the fly with this tent. When I used the grip clips to add additional tension it caused the ridge-line to sag a bit. Granted - my experience was in my basement, but I think the fly will be a flapper in the wind.
On a positive note - I ordered the tent last Saturday morning and it was mailed that day and it arrived the following Monday. I even had a few email exchanges with Judy - so the customer service and order processing can't be beat. The weight of the tent came inat 25 oz (1 oz less than the listed weight) with the included guy-line and stuff sack. I have ditched the guy-line for some spectra cord (longer and heavier) and after the seam sealing and adding zipper pulls the weight is 27 oz. Include 4 Ti Sheppard Hooks and 2 MSR GroundHogs and the total weight is 29 oz.
I'll pose my questions about the wind to Judy - but wanted to see if anyone has had any actual field use that spoke to my concerns.
Thanks,
Mike
Ramble~On
04-24-2010, 17:35
I used a Lightheart for the vast majority of my thru hike last year. I took my time seam sealing it and it wasn't all that bad. As for the wind, I had the same thoughts and impressions that you have but never had any problems with the wind. There is some extra material to the fly and if you sew on some pullout points that'll fix any problem flapping. I was able able to pitch mine tight enough that it wasn't an issue. My initial concerns about wind worthiness were laid to rest after several nights using it in high winds and rain. My current job is working in the woods and the Lightheart is my home! Home Sweet Home too! I'm not sure of how many nights I have logged in this tent but it's still going strong and amazes folks who have never seen one before. The size to weight ratio, packablity and ease of setup make this my go to mobile home. By now I've been using it for the better part of a year. No complaints, great tent.
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showthread.php?t=52867&highlight=lightheart+tent
My unbiased opinion of the tent. Pitched properly, with secure stakes in firm soil it withstood 40-ish mph winds one night. I had to extend the poles a bit after the nylon got damp and stretched. I also reset one stake which had loosened up due to the saturation of the ground.
I bought the tent from Judy because I was intrigued by the design, and, if I was not a hammocker, I would not have sold it after the test.
mlebwill
04-24-2010, 23:34
Thanks guys!
The rain in Colorado let up today and I was able to get it pitched outside in heavy wind. My version does have the additional tie out points and they worked well, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I do have to say that I tensioned the guy points quite a bit and the ridge-line changed from a linear line to a catenary curve. Have you done anything like that? Has there been any negative effect from that type of tension?
I have also received an email from Judy - you can't beat the personal touch! I actually bought the tent to use when I'm expecting fair to good weather but I want to make sure it can handle the quickly changing CO weather. And I just want to make sure I'm not damaging the tent because I really like it so far.
Ramble-on, you are dead on about the size to weight ratio. I was laying in the there today watching the wind hit it and my little guy who is 8 climbed in. I'm fairly sure that he and I could fit in there for an over-night'r if we kept our gear outside.
So far so good - I hope to take it out later is coming week.
Mike
To the best of my knowledge I was the first to use the tieouts (I had a friend sew them onto mine, and they link the inner tent to the fly which can then be staked out tautly). I, too, noticed a catenary curve to the ridgeline after staking it using the pullouts. I only used it like this on one windy night, but I'll bet that staking it out tautly will have less of a negative effect on the tent than letting it flap all night in a 40 mph plus wind.
mlebwill
05-02-2010, 21:41
For a quick update I took the tent out earlier this week and I was quite happy. I did have some wind, nothing too severe but it felt good and sturdy. There was so much room that I constantly forgot where I put things. The curvature of the ridgeline will continue to bother me as it really consumes valuable space inside the tent, it really takes headroom away at each end. But I guess that is the price you pay for the other benefits this tent offers.
Mike
HeartFire
05-03-2010, 16:03
To the best of my knowledge I was the first to use the tieouts (I had a friend sew them onto mine, and they link the inner tent to the fly which can then be staked out tautly). I, too, noticed a catenary curve to the ridgeline after staking it using the pullouts. I only used it like this on one windy night, but I'll bet that staking it out tautly will have less of a negative effect on the tent than letting it flap all night in a 40 mph plus wind.
Tinker,
Yes, it was your suggestion that had me add the extra tie outs on the tent. The cantenary curve is there only becasue the extra tie outs flatten out the ridge line a little. This tent is an "A Frame" The ride line needs to be as tight as possible for the stability of the tent. A curve in this line would lengthen the ridge line and give it wobble ( the shortest point between to objects...).
A cantenary curve is found in non rigid (fabric) items that don't have structural support to them. If you drape a piece of fabric it forms folds where it drapes, when these folds are removed in the pattern making of said item, you have the cantenary curve without the extra folds of fabric.
The solos is an A frame, the structure is the ridge-line supported on the cross beam. If you shortened the hiking poles, the ridge line would 'sag' forming said cantenary curve, and the tent would fall over!
This term "cantenary curve" seems to be the latest buzz word in tents, tarps etc. I've had several people ask about it recently. A tent doesnt' have to have one to be a good tent.