Hi everyone,

I finally received my Warmlite 2R tent today. I really have some mixed feeling about its quality now. See the photos.

The connections between pole sections are not precise. None of them are prefectly seated. One of them has a pretty big gap. The seams are not really straight. Overall, I feel this is really like a home-made product. As a $500+ tent, should I expect the manufacture quality better? Can Hilleberg owners tell me what your tents look like?

I own gears from MSR, North Face, Arcteryx, OR, REI, etc. I expect this tent to be in better or at least same standard sets by those manufactures. But it looks like even my cheap REI tent has better quality than Warmlite.

But... the weight of Warmlite beats other tents...

FWIW, both of my Hillebergs are absolutely flawless in craftsmanship. I would be VERY upset if I paid that price for a product that looked like that. Warmlite has been in business for decades; you should be able to expect better from them.

The poles are supposed to be curved, I imagine at least part of the gap problem is that you just don't have the curvature correct. Try turning each piece until it's seated properly, you should end up with a 'hooped' pole, not a straight one.

I agree with S Long.

I own a BD Eldorado and a 10 year Wild Country Quasar for 4-season use and they are absolutely flawless also. IMO, when one is using a tent in true 4-seasons conditions the last thing you want to be doing is "turning each piece until it is seated correctly"-- it already should be seated correctly! If I had to fiddle with my tent at 20K after a long approach with an incoming storm then it wouldn't be on my next trip, period.

As for the stitching, that is appalling. I would be contacting Warmlite ASAP-- with the reputation that they have, you should expect a better quality product. No excuses.

Douglas,

Turning the pieces was the first thing I did, but the only way to reduce that gap is to transfer the poles into this shape. I guess I have to return this tent and get a Hilleberg Nallo 2.

Mine did NOT look like that. I have a 2xsw. Yes, there are some condensation issues with it and two people in cooler weather. It is light. But I would not tolerate that degree of just plain sloppiness. My poles do NOT have those gaps. Properly twisted, I can place my thumbnail between a couple places. But, they do not catch. The seams are all tight and well sewn. Even though I would have expected a flat seam, it works well enough. Running off and on a cord is again, just sloppy workmanship. Maybe I am wrong, but it looks like the stitch length is a hair longer, too. But I might be mis-remembering. My wike has been out of action for several years, that was the last time I used it.

Anyway, call them and register a complaint. Soon, before anything can influence your decision. They were good to work with 5-6 years ago. I do not think things have changed that much.

If a tent is that poorly made, I would only buy it if it were extremely cheap and the flaws don't hinder the performance too much (which they do here). In this case I would return it.

I've owned several Hillebergs and I've seen more and I can honestly tell you that they are the best made tents I've ever seen. My tent from Marmot is about equally well made btw. Tents from The North Face, Mountain Hardwear, Helsport and Vaude are not as good as Hilleberg or Marmot in my experience, but they are still very good.

Sadly, I have to report that all the Warmlite articles I have tested have been rather similar. Sad.

Cheers

That looks like crap. I'd send it back. I just got a Hilleberg. Flawless.
I just got a Stephenon's catalog. Looked like a manifesto. Troubling.
It is the son who is running the show.

My Hillebergs are all flawless. Best tents I've ever used.

Thanks guys for all the information.

I contacted Warmlite. They said there was nothing wrong with the pole... Anyway, it is on the way back now.

If I liked the tent ( I mean the design) I would have kept it.
I could fix the pole in 2 minutes (and it scares me that nobody has mentioned that...) and seen much worse stitching on a raved on by many shelter in this site (about the same price...)
After all the Warmlites are a genuine cottage item, not made in China nor in a factory.
Franco

Edited by Franco on 01/15/2012 01:23:15 MST.

If the Warmilte tent has indeed degraded that far, soo far that it *looks* like home made stuff after the years they have been in business, I would return it, too. This is the ONLY way you have of protesting a bad product. If, as Roger says, all their gear is getting shodily put together, they need to know about it and, make changes. They have not changed their catalog in MANY years. They have good light stuff. Shody workmanship can easily destroy that reputation. They charge a lot, you have the right to expect a lot in return. If they do not deliver on that, this is a problem with the company, not with your actions. Reliance on past performance does nothing to fix a leak, or help you repair a torn out seam in high winds. They NEED TO KNOW. It is hurting their business to produce less than high quality gear.

That said, I agree with Franco. If I really liked a piece of gear, I would have remilled the poles, Added some stitching to compensate for the loss of strengh, and kept it. As I say, mine did NOT look like that, soo, they CAN do good work, sometimes. The design for that tent is good, except for the wet entrance and exit.

But you should feel comfortable with your decision. Basically, you are doing everyone a favor, the manufacturer, yourself and the rest of us. Thank you!

I've seen a few reports of their quality slowly deteriorating since junior picked up the reins.
If this is generally true, I'd go so far as to say that maybe the best thing that can happen at this point is that they go under and someone who cares more about their products than they do picks up the designs and produces them better.
Haven't really seen any real innovation going on over there in a long time, either.

I have been looking for a lightweight DAM. Tried getting hold of KookaBay several time with no luck. Next option was Stephenson's DAM, but now with everyone talking about how poorly constructed they are I may have to give my money to Exped.

I have the same concern as Christopher about the Warmlite DAM. Does anybody have experience with the quality of this mattress? From the BPL review it is quite warm.

IMHO The Warmlite equipment did not deteriorate since the son took over. This is the way their equipment has always looked. I've been using their stuff for ages and the imperfect stitching has never affected how the products worked in real life. Same with the poles not aligning. I think they just curve them manually. There is no expensive robot machine behind their manufacture. I think one could just appreciate the lightweight and the functionality but for more precise manufacturing prowess and more pounds in your backpack you can go to Hilleberg (Nallo 2 packed weight is 5lbs)