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View Full Version : LightHeart Gear SoLong 6 - First Impressions



Old Hiker
08-02-2012, 09:52
Greetings!

Basic data: I'm 6' 2", 200 pounds, size 13 wide feet. I feel old. I'm ugly. I'm grumpy.

I got my SoLong 6 a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to giving my first impressions.

I used a Clark jungle hammock my first week or so on my 1st AT thru attempt this past summer. Loved it until about 35* temps, blowing rain and 25-30 MPH wind made it hard to get up and out without getting wet. I had the XL rain fly and slept dry, but getting up was a problem.

I switched to an ALPS Zephyr One - 3 pounds 14 oz with stakes and poles, but the tent was great. I never had to look much for a place to pitch it, all the way to Thomas Knob shelter, where my AT thru attempt ended. My only problem was that in a high wind situation, with cold temps, the fly would NOT come down to the ground to stop the wind from blowing through the tent. I actually had FOG blowing through my tent a couple of times. I had to pile leaves up on the upwind side to stop the wind several times. Too much ventilation for my taste. Never had a condensation problem, had to seam seal it again once. I actually bought another one for a backup from Steep and Cheap.

As I had my foot up for 4-6 weeks, healing, I started looking at gear to reduce the weight on my back. I came across several sites, looked into several "cottage" tent/tarp makers and started taking notes. I saw the SoLong 6 and contacted Judy Gross, asking about if the pictured fly on the website could go any lower and she stated she had a prototype that came down to the ground. This tent would be in production this fall. After a day or so of dithering, I decided to buy it.

If you read through the above verbage, NOW is the review!!

I LOVE this tent so far:

It's very large with plenty of space inside for my gear and me, unlike the ALPS. It is easy to set up after the initial learning curve of about 5 minutes. At the Post Office, it weighed in at 2 pounds, 0.5 ounces with the factory seam sealing. That's 1 lb 14 oz off my back so far. It takes 6 stakes, which I did NOT think about including.

The factory seam sealing worked very well, with 2 minor exceptions. I put the tent up expecting the typical FL thunderstorms to test it thoroughly. Naturally, we've been in a dry spell for the last 10 days or so. I did have one storm that dumped .5 inch of rain in 20 minutes, timed and measured. That's when I saw the two small drips after 15 minutes or so, one at a stakeout loop and one at a top vent seam. I followed the directions sent by Ms. Gross for making my own seam sealer and re-sealed all the seams. I haven't had a drop of rain since to test it.

The awning keeps any rain drift and rain splatter out of the tent even when open. It has ample room to cook in if I need to. It also rolls up completely to have an open net tent with the rear fly rolled up as well.

The fly is able to get to the ground to keep any hard winds out, yet can be staked out far enough to provide ample ventilation.

The hard winds and heavy rains from the one t-storm were easily handled. The awning was up the entire time, which may have been dumb, but the wind didn't catch it.

The awning is able to to be folded together and be staked down like the fly to increase weather resistance.

The line locks are awesome! No more trying to tie off taut-line hitches in the cold and rain/sleet/snow.

The reflective cord is awesome. (OK - simple things for simple minds. I like it.) It really shows up at night with a small AAA light.

It packs down to about a third of the size of my ALPS and about the size of my hammock.



MINOR quibbles with this tent: NOTE: this particular tent was a 1st of its kind, production prototype - I had to take what Ms. Gross had made. I had NO input.

I don't really like the body color (Hey, I said they were MINOR quibbles) - if Ms. Gross continues this model, I will buy another before my next AT thru attempt with a forest green body and brown floor.

I'm used to a taut tent - I can't seem to get this one completely taut. It may be the fact it's a production prototype or because I haven't put a lot of time trying.

I could pick my ALPS up and shake it out in the AM. This tent will require some thought to clean out the interior, as it's not free-standing.

The fly vestibule is tiny - rear of tent. I'm not sure what I would use it for. I'm deeply grateful for the awning, which makes a HUGE vestibule. If I didn't have my pack inside with me, it would easily fit inside the awning side.

There is only one opening for this tent - the awning side. My next one will have an opening on the fly side as well. With an opening on the fly side, I could reach the smaller vestibule for whatever without having to exit the tent, walk around and unzip the fly. I could also unroll the fly in case of rain during the night without having to get out of bed, out of the tent and over to that side.

I'm using a pair of Wal-Mart trekking poles to hold it up. I don't like trekking poles - I have a hoe handle and a natural stick I use for hiking, so I need to find or make a pair of light-weight poles for the tent. LightHeart Gear sells 2 adjustable poles at 8.5 ounces. I may have some old poles I could cut down to use. The Wally poles are about a pound per pair.

The overhead vents are pretty small, but with the fly able to come out fairly far for ventilation, it may not be an issue.

I keep catching my size 13 wide feet on the edge of the bathtub floor getting out. I need to learn!

The zipper pulls are small - I'm going to find more reflective cord and attach small loops to the zipper pulls.



Worries with this tent:

The Sil-Nylon material seems thin and fragile to me after years of more robust tent materials. However, it will just cause me to take a little extra care.

The ends of my ALPS tent were where I had leakage. I'm hoping the ends of this tent will stay waterproof.

I'll get used to the color and lack of rear vestibule access before my next AT attempt.



OVERALL: 4.97 Stars out of 5.0. My next one will have two openings, 1 awning, 1 fly, forest green body, brown floor. I'll seam seal it myself.





http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/asset.php?fid=16299&uid=23230&d=1343911789
Front shot of the awning.


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/asset.php?fid=16300&uid=23230&d=1343911791
Front shot of the awning. Pole is a 2 piece Al pole I had from an old Voyager tent that rotted.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/asset.php?fid=16301&uid=23230&d=1343911792
Rear shot - fly zipped shut and staked out.


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/asset.php?fid=16302&uid=23230&d=1343911793
Rear shot of the fly - half rolled up. Dog not included.

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/asset.php?fid=16308&uid=23230&d=1343911800
Rear shot of the fly - fully rolled up.


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/asset.php?fid=16304&uid=23230&d=1343911795
Front view - half of the awning rolled up.


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/asset.php?fid=16305&uid=23230&d=1343911797
Rear shot with fly fully rolled up. Dog butt not included. Clumsy hiker not included. I'm 6'2" - my 12 inch bare feet are sticking straight up and just brushing the tent above them. My arms are fully extended and NOT touching the tent wall. I'm on a Thermarest Ridgerest pad.


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/asset.php?fid=16306&uid=23230&d=1343911798
Rear shot with fly fully rolled up. I'm 6'2" - my 12 inch feet are sticking straight up and just brushing the tent above them. My arms are fully extended and NOT touching the tent wall. Note the space to either side.


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/asset.php?fid=16307&uid=23230&d=1343911799
Sitting up inside - lots of space above me and around me.


http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/asset.php?fid=16308&uid=23230&d=1343911800
Sitting up inside - lots of space above me and around me.

joedperk
08-02-2012, 20:13
Will be doing the Georgia section of the BMT 1st week of September... I also purchased the SoLong 6 ... just for the extra room... nice and lite also... just like your except I have 2 doors... set mine up in yard to test it also.. went through about 15 inches of rain ... without any water on inside... will do a review when I get back... Ohhh by the way... im just 5'6" so the room inside is awesome... us short folk can just about stand up in it... lol

Persistent
08-03-2012, 13:35
The key to getting a tight pitch on this tent is the corner tie-outs. When you stake out the corners, only use the bottom (fixed length loop) tie outs, make sure the floor of the tent is "squared up", and then set the stakes so that the floor is flat. Then take the upper set of corner tie-outs and put them over the same corner stakes and tighten them somewhat using the line-locs. Then insert the poles into the Ridge Pole per the instructions and then return the upper set of corner tie-outs and tighten further through the line-locs. Stake out the awning and back fly per the instructions. To check that everything is right, the tent panels should be taught but the key test is make sure the floor is flat but not taught with no major wrinkles and the end walls should be essentially 90 degrees to the ground. If there are wrinkles, the tent floor is not staked out square or the poles are not pulled out to the sides enough. It does take a little practice but it will become second nature after a few set-ups.
Marc Penansky
LightHeart Gear

Old Hiker
08-03-2012, 20:19
Thanks, Mr. Penansky! I'll be setting up and taking down the tent this weekend, as we have a 50%+ chance for heavy t-storms and I need some practice in the rain. I'm waiting for this fall and cooler night temps to use it for real.

Thanks for a great product!

gunner76
08-04-2012, 19:32
If I ever buy tent again it will be a Lightheart.

WingedMonkey
08-04-2012, 20:09
It's a great review when you can point out what few things you are concerned about and still give a tent 4.97 Stars out of 5.0.

And a great home-grown company to help with those concerns.

And I know about those half inch rains in 20 mins, we had one yesterday. Cool that the leaks were minor before you re-sealed.

Oh...and you can send me your old Zephyr One, I can never find a tent with too much ventilation for Florida summers.

:sun

Old Hiker
08-05-2012, 09:32
[QUOTE=WingedMonkey;1320120]It's a great review when you can point out what few things you are concerned about and still give a tent 4.97 Stars out of 5.0.

Nothing's perfect - when LightHeart comes out with a 1 ounce perfectly waterproof, perfectly breathable, stakeless yet immoveable, free-standing tent that's so energy efficient I don't need a sleeping bag regardless of how cold it is outside, and maintains an internal temp of 74* regardless of how hot it is outside, I MAY give it 4.99 stars. Depends on the color. Price won't be a problem.

And a great home-grown company to help with those concerns.

Ms. Gross and I had several e-mails about my concerns and their products. If I'm any indication of the types of customers she gets, I truly sympathize with her and her company. They seam-sealed it before shipping and she even held off shipping it until after I returned from a Texas trip, as I had no neighbor to pick up any boxes left at the door. Plus Mr. Penansky monitoring the thread to address my tautness concern.

And I know about those half inch rains in 20 mins, we had one yesterday. Cool that the leaks were minor before you re-sealed.

Very small and only after the first 10-15 minutes of hard rain. Of course, the 50% chance this weekend has been 0.00% so far. I've seen rain to the north, south, east and west of me with NO rain at my house.

Oh...and you can send me your old Zephyr One, I can never find a tent with too much ventilation for Florida summers.

Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! You funny, G.I. Not a chance. I'm keeping those for loaners for my Scouts on their AT section hikes every year. I think this tent will have GREAT ventilation here in FL even in the rain we get. With the flies and awning rolled up, it's pretty much screening. In the meantime, for a GREAT selection of products with good ventilation:

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=screen+shelters&tag=googhydr-20&index=sporting&hvadid=1694695421&hvpos=1t3&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=19120153691405490846&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&ref=pd_sl_5w0e229yrr_e

xNateX
08-20-2012, 21:01
Old Hiker,

Thanks for the review. It probably sealed the deal for me.

I've been doing more car camping than backpacking and using a 3p MSR Mutha Hubba for solo use, simply because I preferred something spacious enough to sit up in and was lacking the experience to go light. I'm making the transition to more and more backpacking, and lugging a 6-7lb tent is foolish. All the more so since I'm partial to the High Sierra, in spite of its brutal passes.

I now know what tent I'll be purchasing next. Thank you.

dornstar
11-12-2012, 06:00
Thanks for the review. I have the Solo with awning and zip entries on both sides and absolutely love it. Judy was amazing answering all my questions.

Also, I went with the Zpack 52" carbon tent poles and just trimmed an inch off. Worked out perfectly and weighs around 3 ounces for both. The stock 52" should be perfect for your SoLong.

http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/tent_pole.shtml

maybe clem
11-12-2012, 06:10
This is a great review. I'm still trying to decide whether or not to buy another tent and appreciate the info (I'm 6' so I love hearing about tents from other tall hikers).

Maddog
11-12-2012, 06:14
If I ever buy tent again it will be a Lightheart.

+1 Me too! Maddog:D