Judy and Lightheart Gear

I just wanted to take a moment to say thanks to Judy at Lightheart Gear. Bought a solo tent back in the summer and last week I bought a pair of tent poles from her. After getting the poles, I wanted a sack so that I could store the poles, ridge pole and tent stakes seperate from the tent and I asked Judy if she would make one. Well you know what? A couple days later I received a sack in the mail and when I asked how much for the sack and shipping she said that there was no cost.

That to me is above and beyond good customer service!!

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...29-2011030.jpg

I second the endorsement of Light Heart tents and Judy. I ordered my Solo tent just before Christmas, I have used it twice already in January and it performed as advertised. The weight reduction and additional space I realized from my old Mtn Hdwre tent are noticable on the trail and appreciated in those long cold winter nights. As good as folks have said it would be.

She's good people :)

I third (or we on fourth, now?) an endorsement on LightHeart Gear and Judy's attention to quality and customer service. I bought a LightHeart Gear Solo w/ Awning and and Tyvek pad (the pad is in shipment even as I type this) and both were handled promptly. Judy had a question/recommendation about the zipper arrangement or option I had chosen on the Solo and was kind enough to follow up with me to make sure that was indeed what I wanted (and, after talking to her, I realized that that particular option on the Solo was not necessary, so I scratched that option). It's things like that (follow-up) that are important, as well as the quality of the product (which seems top notch), and the innovation (using your trekking poles for support, rather than traditional tent poles, collapsible or otherwise) that make LightHeart Gear my new favorite company. Thanks, Judy!

Let me be the fifth. I got the Duo for Christmas from my better half, took it out MLK when it was 17 degrees, Love it. She is good people, great design, and quality stuff. I am looking forward to many years of service from her tent and am wanting a solo now as well.

You guys are REALLY lucky... My LightHeart Solo I bought on July 24th, 2011 was made in China :(... Not sewn like all of yours :rolleyes: by Judy in NC :confused:... Found that out when another WB'er called her on it... Not from her website when I ordered it... Guess I shoulda paid the extra $400 to get the Cueben Solo :D...

I emailed Lightheart to ask for some newby tips on seam sealing, and Marc Penansky provided me with a thoughtful, detailed response. I am very happy with my solo purchase, and of the support I got both before and after the sale.

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Originally Posted by ChillyWilly

I emailed Lightheart to ask for some newby tips on seam sealing, and Marc Penansky provided me with a thoughtful, detailed response. I am very happy with my solo purchase, and of the support I got both before and after the sale.

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ouch... 800 posts and ur still a "Newbie"??? Tips for Seam sealing??? REALLY??? In that Thoughtful, Detailed Response did they mention anything about the fact they were sewed in China??? Maybe thats why you need tips on seam sealing... In English... Lucky you...

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Originally Posted by Toli

ouch... 800 posts and ur still a "Newbie"??? Tips for Seam sealing??? REALLY??? In that Thoughtful, Detailed Response did they mention anything about the fact they were sewed in China??? Maybe thats why you need tips on seam sealing... In English... Lucky you...

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Thank you for your nationalist comments...I wonder what the tag says on the shirt you are wearing right now.

I love my Lightheart tent. It is well made; it doesn't matter to me whether it was sewn in China or Asheville.

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Originally Posted by Toli

You guys are REALLY lucky... My LightHeart Solo I bought on July 24th, 2011 was made in China :(... Not sewn like all of yours :rolleyes: by Judy in NC :confused:... Found that out when another WB'er called her on it... Not from her website when I ordered it... Guess I shoulda paid the extra $400 to get the Cueben Solo :D...

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As far as I know (info on her web site) Judy does not hide the fact that some tents are sewn in China, if you want one sewn in the U.S.A. then you must do a custom order, which she clearly defines.

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Originally Posted by Toli

ouch... 800 posts and ur still a "Newbie"??? Tips for Seam sealing??? REALLY??? In that Thoughtful, Detailed Response did they mention anything about the fact they were sewed in China??? Maybe thats why you need tips on seam sealing... In English... Lucky you...

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I was a newby at seam-sealing tents.

As for where they were manufactured, this has been well known and discussed on these pages for quite awhile. The fact that it was not well disclosed on her web site was addressed directly to Judy, and she fixed that. She outlined her reasons for shopping some of her construction out of country, I accepted them, and gave her my business.

And I bought my tent on July 20, 2011 knowing full well that it was made in China. How is it that you didnt know? As its not been a secret that she has had to farm out some of the work?

As far as I understand Lightheart Gear is a two person operation and that Judy is the one that does the design work and manufactures the custom solo tents and now the SoLong tents. Just imagine how much bitching there from folks who were too impatient to wait for a basic solo tent if she were the one sewing every single tent? Farming out some of the work keeps this small business from being overwhelmed. I'm cool with that.

Another point that I also think is important -- as far as I understand it -- is that the fabric used in tents like the solo is not generally manufactured in the US and there are few factories in the US that have the skilled labor that can actually sew that fabric.

Toli, it says right on her website that the normal tents are made in China. The exact quote from the website I've copied below:
"•This tent was made in China. For "Made in America" please see the Custom Solo tents."
Can't get any more straightforward than that. Your missing that is your issue, not hers.

I emailed with Judy a couple weeks ago with some questions I had on the cuben tents, and she got right back to me and was very helpful. I meant to order the tent around then, but my home computer crashed and I've had to replace that first. So, a few more paychecks and then I can get that cuben awning I'm lusting after! :)

Not meaning to speaking for Judy, but we carry her tents - I'm almost positive that she said one of the main reasons she used Chinese manufacturing was because the quality and WP characteristics of the Sil was better in China than anything she could get in the states. I've personally been using a tent that she gave me (made in China) for over a year now and its OUTSTANDING. Dry every night.
She does INCREDIBLE work. She sews all her own wedges in and does as much finish work as possible regardless of where the tent was made and she will stand behind her work like nobody else.

+1 to Tuckahoe64's comments...couldn't have said it any better. :)

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Originally Posted by Toli

You guys are REALLY lucky... My LightHeart Solo I bought on July 24th, 2011 was made in China :(... Not sewn like all of yours :rolleyes: by Judy in NC :confused:... Found that out when another WB'er called her on it... Not from her website when I ordered it... Guess I shoulda paid the extra $400 to get the Cueben Solo :D...

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That was me, Toli. I contacted Judy (I know her through the tent test I did on my own dime - because I think things are handled more honestly that way - from the writer's perspective) about the lack of origin information on the offshore tents and she promptly added it to her site. She's an honest and caring person who makes an outstanding product (when she sews it herself, which she will gladly do, but not at the cost of offshore mass production).
I haven't read any complaints about the quality of manufacture of the offshore products, and now everyone who orders the standard tent has the information regarding the tent's country of origin clearly visible on the website.

The horse is dead - please step away from the horse........... :)


PS: Please stop kicking Toli

My Lightheart Solo review: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...Tent&highlight=

Thanks, Tinker; well said. I hate to see a good business and an honest person maligned.

Judy and Lightheart Gear is everything you could ask in a company to do business with. Quality products and people that clearly care about their customers.

Another satisfied customer of Judy's.

Cuben Solo (awning)

Add me as a very satisfied customer!!!

Judy is a wonderful person to deal with, and my Solo w/ awning is awesome!