Alpkit Soloist

[richardh1905]

I just had a look at it on the Alpkit site, is it a 'knock off' of the tent that Richard1905 is looking at? I couldn't consider myselfit because I only favour side entrances, it's my age you know! Not so flexible anymore, I need a 'roll in, roll out' door!

Actually, gwm; the Alpkit Soloist is not like any of the other tents that I have been looking at. The Terra Nova Southern Cross and the Wechsel Exogen have an additional pole perpendicular to the main pole that runs along the length of the tent. The Nordisk Svalbard is a different animal altogether - a 2 hoop tunnel tent.

[gunwharfman]

You are right, I obviously didn't look closely enough, I was just influenced by the entrance, the flat slope made them look looked very similar to me.

[richardh1905]

So many designs nowadays. Sometimes I think tent designers come up with a different pole configuration just to make their tents look different.

[AmBodach]

I've found a problem with this tent and having returned one for replacement, found the same problem again and will now ask for my money back - unfortunate as that is a gift token and there is nothing else I want at the moment.

The vent on the front of the flysheet is quite large and is held open by a 'spar' held in place with a piece of velcro.  It's not this that is the problem.  If you look at the photos of this tent on the Alpkit website, you will see that the vent is a perfect circular section, and looks smart.  It is the stiffening round the edge of the vent that is the problem; it is meant to be moldable such that it will take any shape, a bit like many jacket hoods, but unfortunately packing the tent distorts the stiffening and it won't re-shape.  The first one I got was such that rain would have collected and gone down my neck on leaving the tent.  The second isn't so bad but it just looks horrrible, so it's going back too.

This is a shame as the tent is good; the pole system seems remarkably sturdy.  Somewhere along the line Alpkit are going to have to sort this problem out because a sample ot two does indicate that this stiffening is the wrong type for the product or perhaps the vent is unneccessarily large.

[SteamyTea]

Have you tried warming the area up to soften it. Then mould it into the position you want.

[AmBodach]

Alpkit were initailly quite insistant that this vent cover had the same sort of stiffening that a jacket hood has and that it was fully maleable back into shape.  This is clearly not the case, and they are wrong to say so.  I have tried very gentle heat and I have tried molding it over a shape (suitably supported large flower pot!!) for an extended period both without success. 


If you look at the picture of the Solist on their website, the tent that is show is clearly straight off the production line as it is beautifully smooth, and the vent cover is a nice section of a circle - pack that into a bag and send it throught the post and neither of those is retained. I can live without the beautifully smooth but the distorted vent cover just looks awful. To have had two tents in which that cover is badly distorted after packing shows that there is a problem somewhere.


I could try greater warmth, but I am not getting any guidance from Alpkit that that is going to help and the headache is what is that going to do to the DWR, and if too much heat the tent material itself.


My feeling is that the designer saw this door wide vent cover as a nice visual effect and also an easier build in that it is sown into the 2 front corner seams of the flysheet.  The downside is that because it is  ~500mm long it has to be supported by stiffening over that whole length, and as that is not maleable, it is prone to taking a set when the tent is packed and rolled up.  The irony is that the actual vent itself is only 150mm wide so has no need for this lengthy cover.


It does have to be said that this is purely visual and if you are prepared to live with it, then go for this tent.  Unfortunately I am retired Quality Manager so such acceptance is not in my bag.   

[richardh1905]

Thank you for the feedback, Am Bodach. I was steering away from the Soloist in any case, but good to know of problems like this.

ps - welcome to the forum

[jimbob]

Hopefully Dank86 could give us his views on this given he has one and has used it.

[AmBodach]

Thank you for the feedback, Am Bodach. I was steering away from the Soloist in any case, but good to know of problems like this.

ps - welcome to the forum

Hi Richard - thanks for your greetings. 


It was interesting reading through the posts on this thread, and it is perhaps unfortunate that I have found this flaw with the Soloist and Alpkit don't seem to know how to address it.


What I did pick up on is that there are a number of other inexpensive tents out there -  and inexpensive and 2 season is where I am at - but also the comment that perhaps side entry is better on this size of tent.  Now into my late 70's such is attractive as going into the Soloist head first and then trying to turn round was a bit of a struggle.


What other tents are you considering and what seasons?


Rob

[jimbob]

I pm'd two people, who have not only reviewed the soloist on YT but can clearly be seen using it in subsequent videos, re the vent problem.

Dan who is a member of this forum said that he has not had any problems with the vent,

The other user said yep it deforms but nothing that is inconvenient in any way as it is simply put back into the shape you want it to be. When he gets home and if it is badly deformed he just places it under a bit of weight t(large books) to get it perfect for next time.

In other words no worse than the hood shapers you get on many coat hood's nowadays.

So the soloist is going back to the top of my list, and as with all other tents of this nature, feet first entry in exactly the same way as into a zip less bivi.

[richardh1905]

What other tents are you considering and what seasons?

Rob

Hi Rob - I'm after a one person 4 season tent. Nordisk Svalbard SI is top of my list, but I'm probably going to wait until autumn. By 4 season I mean something that can stand up to a winter gale in the British mountains, not something to pitch on South Col! There's been a bit of chat about this tent on the forum lately, and a couple of members have bought one from wiggle for £190. Front entry tunnel rather than side, though. I have also considered the Terra Nova Southern Cross 1, but at £400+ the price puts me off, to say the least!


I currently use a cheapo 2 man tunnel tent for 3 season wild camping, a Stormshield UltraLite purchased from Millets for the princely sum of £59.99. Not a bad tent but let down by poor quality aluminium poles, which broke. Ordered Chinese replacements off ebay - they seem to do the job, but I wouldn't trust it in a gale - and it weighs 2.2kg.

[AmBodach]

Thanks Richard
When I think it all through, my intention is to use this tent only a limited number of times this year to complete my round of the Munros.  In general this will be when the weather is reasonable and I can't get a companion - added to that I can mostly use a bike to get to a base so absolute strength and lack of weight aren't real criteria, and I might even have something in the attic that will do.
The Soloist appealed partly because I'd been given an Aplkit token for Xmas.  I suspect that I am not that desperate that I have to live with what I consider a faulty design and having to address it each time the tent is used.