New Cuben Shelter

I hinted at it in an earlier blog about Trail Days 2011 and now I'm happy to report that after 5 months I'm the proud owner of a cuben fiber tent.

Over the last 10 years with a greater focus in the last few, cuben fiber has taken the lightweight backpacking industry by storm. It is essentially a sandwich of mylar (plastic film often used by drafters and others) with Dyneema threads running through it. Dyneema is similar to Kevlar (fibers used in bullet-proof vests) in that both are ultra high molecular-weight polyethylene which have extremely long chains at the molecular level. The longer the chain, the better the load transfer within the fabric. The result is an extremely tough and lightweight material. It is waterproof, low-stretch, and comes in a variety of colors. The one downside - it is extremely costly.

I had been on the lookout for a full cuben fiber shelter to supplement my two other favorite shelters: Gossamer Gear SpinnTwinn Tarp (for non-buggy seasons) and the Z-Packs Hexamid Twin Shelter (for buggy seasons). Both are under 10 ounces and are amazingly spacious. I wanted something a little more robust, something that would be more versatile in bad weather, and something I could likely use year round (including minimal snow situations).

Comparing the few cuben shelters on the market was fairly easy as there weren't many. Options included tarp-like shelters with clip in net inserts and some kind of vestibule which I thought was too finicky and I didn't like crawling on my belly to get in and out. Terra Nova had an interesting option in the Laser Ultra 1, but it was a little too small for my big body and it just wasn't worth being uncomfortable for the money. Six Moon Designs came out with a cuben shelter called the Skyscape X which I mentioned in my Trail Days 2011 blog entry. I personally was not thrilled with the robustness of the roof support, lack of defined bathtub floor, or the fact that the ceiling seemed to dip on my shoes and face despite it being fairly long. As I understand it, there have also been delays with delivery and additional tweaks to the design, specifically reinforcing the seams.

So what did I end up with? Well for me the choice was fairly straightforward as the it was the only option that met all or most of my criteria - the Lightheart Gear SoLong 6 (http://www.lightheartgear.com/). As far as I know, I'm the first owner of the cuben version of this tent.

I wasn't in a huge rush for my tent, so Judy (owner of Lightheart Gear) and I had numerous discussions over the last several months to hammer out details I wanted to change. In fact, customizing the tent exactly as I wanted it was likely one of the most critical factors in who built me a cuben tent. Judy was willing to do just about anything within her skill-set and resources which was tremendously helpful. As a result, custom ridge vents were added. Micro-adjusters were added to the carbon pole corner struts (similar to Tarp Tent). The struts themselves were installed in a more robust manner and different weights of cuben were used. Toggle hardware which holds doors and windows open was improved and made smaller and lighter. The non-entrance side of the tent was given a second zipper to open the whole other side for views and ventilation if needed. Loops were attached to the top of the peak and the interior pole support was velcroed in place to enable me to hang the tent from a tree and retain structure shape if I break a trekking pole or decide not to bring them. I wanted the floor to be white so I could more easily spot things without an abundance of light. I wanted the canopy to be green or some kind of stealth color so I could blend in despite the fact that I like bright colors to help lighten the mood (more and more studies are claiming that bears are attracted to bright colors...consider this fact in your apparel choices). It was also important to me that the seams be taped and I liked the flexibility of using different weights for the canopy and floor.  I've learned to roll the tent in such a way that it is a little bigger than the bag for my SpinnTwinn tarp and smaller than my Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo.

On my scales without a stuff sack or stakes, the tent weighed 21 oz. This is slightly heavier than some of the other cuben shelters I mentioned herein, but this is far bigger, with many more functional frills, and it is sturdy and stable enough for me to feel plenty confident that it will weather a good storm. Most of the weight comes from the cuben floor which wraps up around the corners to form an 8" (!!!) bathtub floor. I have never seen any similar tent offering such great protection from ground water. The exterior canopy hangs over the floor with a significant gap, so ventilation is vastly improved from other designs as air has no choice but to circulate. Consequently, it also came in green...which is exactly what I wanted and especially important if your trail name happens to be Jolly GREEN Giant. A full coverage tent enables me to leave certain things at home, whether it is a bivy or netting, etc. In short, it allows me to leave some gear behind and come out very close to the same weights I'd get if I used a tarp (within 3-5 ounces depending).  This tent is extremely roomy which can't be understated.  I'm 6'5" and I can sit up or lay down and not come close to touching the canopy or sides.  I can easily change my clothes and do just about anything I want which in the past I've reserved for bigger shelters.  It is, by far, the most roomy single-person fully enclosed shelter I've ever been in and pictures don't do the interior space justice.  The space of this tent is a luxury, not something that needs to be squeezed in to conform to some lightweight mantra.

In the end, I got exactly what I wanted - a lightweight shelter with plenty of space and very stable. The more I play with it, the more I like it and the more I appreciate the quality and function. It has quickly become my favorite tent. Now don't get me wrong, it was extremely expensive, more expensive than any shelter I've ever purchased. Fortunately selling off several unused pieces of gear made this purchase possible.

If you're in the market, and especially if you're a bigger than the average person or just want a 1+ shelter option, definitely give the Lightheart Gear SoLong 6 a look. In silnylon, this shelter is an affordable 26 ounces at $275.