LBO questions

[RPJR]

Is the LBO still available in Cuben? I can't seem to find an option or a price for this on the website. I think it used to be there though.

Cuben or Sil? How does the Cuben do with Snow? I'm guessing the Sil is more slippery so the snow probably slides off it better, but is the Cuben ok? Love the weight of Cuben and how it does not absorb water.

I like how the sod skirt seals the bottom. Are you able to unzip the doors of the 3 piece vestibule from the top to create a vent? If so I would like to see a picture of this.

Thanks!

[Log9mm]

Well I don't want to answer for Kevin as to the why, but after inquiring about the same thing very recently I can tell you they are not making cuben LBO's currently, and don't have any immediate intention to make them. It would make my life a lot easier if they did though

[kevin_t]

Yes you can unzip doors from top . Venting is very good

Cuben ? Are you fine with long lead times like 8 weeks ?

[Log9mm]

I for one would be absolutely fine with 8 week lead time. The biggest determining factors for me are price and the end weight.

Pretty please

[RPJR]

I think a lot of people who are considering a shelter for a thru-hike are used to 8 week wait times, unfortunately. They generally will want cuben for the weight savings though, (and would probably not want a stove jack, although I don't want to presume that I speak for everyone on this point though).

Some cottage manufacturers are quicker, but MLD for example is usually around 8 weeks for one of their shelters in peak season. And I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that I waited about a year for an Oookworks Inner for my Duomid.

The more I look at the LBO, the cooler I think it would be for a thru hike shelter in Cuben.

For example, I'm thinking about doing the John Muir Traill next summer. I can envision myself just using the base most of the time. I would love to have the three piece vestibule attached but rolled up at the top of the shelter…don't know if that can be done though. ….if it starts to rain (rare on the JMT) just unroll and stake the vestibule and get back inside.

The ability to have the vestibule down with both doors open is an excellent feature for ventilation. But the ability to have it tight to the ground all around and unzip the vestibule from the top to create a big top vent just seems so versatile. AND it's long enough for taller hikers!

Adding a nest with a cuben floor would save even more weight….

A cuben floor is not as durable, but a lot of thru hikers doing one of the longer thru hikes (such as the PCT, the CT or the AT) are looking for their shelter or floor to last for the hike…If they get more out of it that's gravy.

Of course, I realize thru-hikers are not your target market; however, the LBO just seems so versatile and a cuben version would appeal to that market (if they could clearly understand how it can be used)…and it's all about expanding your market if there is an easy way to do it!

[Log9mm]

I agree with the above post. I have yet to thru hike anything substantial, but I do shorter 20 mile a day type hikes for a few days at a time. I'm always very conscious of my pack weight, and at some point do want to get into thru hiking some of the more popular trails. I just got my silnylon LBO base and love it just like I thought I would. I have been eyeing some cuben tarps/shelters for those fast and light trips, but after hanging out inside my LBO for a bit, I would really much prefer to have one in cuben instead of something like the hexamid from zpacks.

With that said if the pitch is too finicky in cuben or there are other problems that haven't been discussed, I understand the SO team not being excited about cuben.

[kevin_t]

Ok Done. We will be doing LBO parts in Cuben again, but lead times will be long. They are on our site. We will also be adding BT2 in Cuben, and probably a small tarp ... same deal with lead times.

[Log9mm]

Awesome! I for one appreciate you doing that on our account. I do have two questions if you don't mind.

1. I don't see any Base only options on the site. Will you be offering them at some point?

2. Via email we had discussed mating a silnylon base with a cuben base. You said it isn't ideal but it can be done. Could you clarify some of the short falls of mating the two? I suspect it will make pitching a bit tricky, but it would be a configuration I would use sporadically enough that I may be willing to deal with that.

Thanks!

[kevin_t]

THe pitfall is the base will have stretch while the vestibule will not. If it we all sol, you could just raise the pole to account if stretch were a problem, however you will need to reset stakes because the vestibule will not have stretch.

The stretch of the sil is also better on non level ground.

I'll likely get a base only option on soon.