Lightheart Gear Solong 6 tent

I got a nice present from some friends who visited Lightheart Gear at the Friedrichshafen Outdoor Fair this summer. It was a Solong 6 tent from American company Lightheart Gear, seeking representation in Europe. This particular tent is especially designed for big people. Me, I am a tall guy, so it seemed a good pick. I could not resist putting the tent up in my garden and taking some photos. I have not used it yet, so my impressions are just impressions, probably  sprinkled with equal shares of experience and prejudice.

By Jörgen Johansson

The 940 gram Solong 6 in nice weather mode. Note the front canopy supported by a strut. Should mean good ventilation.

When the weather is not so nice this big front canopy is minimised using some loops and a light carabiner. The strut is removed and you have a foretent that goes all the way down to the ground. You can see the folded fabric, which likely will flap a bit in high winds. Still, I think this is a tent that would do well above timberline and not only in the forest.

This is a single skin tent with mesh walls towards the big front foretent and the small rear foretent. Wind and waterproof bathtub floor is good for keeping a supine hiker out of the wind. IMHO these non-mesh walls could have been even higher to deflect wind.

This photo shows the big front canopy (right) and the smaller rear canopy (left). It also shows the ridgeline, which is a pretty neat construction.

The ridgline is made up of the white plastic pipe connecting the tips of my walking poles. There is reputedly a patent pending for this white pipe. If the tips of the poles are too wide for the pipe (mine were) you simply heat the pipe a bit over your campstove. The pipe turns malleable very quickly and then you press the pole tips into the pipe and let it cool. Worked very well for me. 

Another detail are the carbon fiber struts inside the ventilators at the top of the tent. This one is in bad weather mode, the ventilator kept closed with the velcro.

This crappy photo shows the strut holding the ventilator open in nice weather mode.

Struts in the four corners keep these ship shape. However, the seam where the purple roof meets the grey bathtub wall seems like it could be a weak spot. Usually I am not that religious about seam sealing, many tents I have slept in have managed without that. However, before taking this tent on serious hike I would make sure that this seam is sealed with utmost care.

This tent is plenty long, even for a tall guy. It is 2,54 meters and has corner struts that ensure that most of that is in fact usable.