High Sierra Topix

In another post I wrote about doing some trail crew work in the Sierra foothills this week. We were repaired erosion damage and burning up piles and piles of brush and dead wood left over from the massive Ferguson Fire of two years ago. It was a lot of work, and we got at least some of it done.

But while we were burning off those piles of brush, the sparks were occasionally flying, and one ember managed to land right on the ridge of our favorite Tarptent. Nuts. Or words to that effect.

So today, on a Saturday, I went on-line to Henry Shires' Tarptent website to get some advice on how to fix the problem. There was a phone number to call, and an email system as well. But as I debated which to use, a chat window opened and someone named Henry offered to help me.

Yep. Henry Shires, the CEO of the company, was there on a Saturday morning manning the help line. And the problem was quickly resolved. He's going to send me a little kit to fix the small hole...and in the meantime, gave me some advice on the tent as well. That is customer service as I dream it to be.

Oh yeah...and if you needed one more reason not to have a campfire in the Sierra...or at least to keep your campfire tiny, this is it. Happily, we were burning downed wood that was so wet from condensation that we had to use an accelerant to get those fires started. So fire danger was somewhere between low and non-existent. But it won't be that way in the summer when you are backpacking...

I'm happy to hear you got the tent fixed. Awesome.

I've been on Tarptent's website many times to browse tents. It seems like every time I visit the site, the chat window pops up and Henry offers to chat. So, either Henry lives at the office, which might in fact be possible (haha), or they have their chat window programmed with the name Henry regardless of who is actually working at the time. I suppose either way it doesn't really matter... the customer service is very good!

There are some very good tapes that are useful for a repair like this. Depending on the exact tent fabric, you can choose a tape that is just very sticky with adhesive, or maybe a tape that has to be ironed on, and the heat sets the bond to the fabric.

Given that the man who designed and made my tent is giving me specific advice and free materials to repair it, I think I'll take those...

I have two Tarptents. A Contrail and a Moment Double Wall. I purchased both directly from Henry over the years and picked them up at his place of business in Nevada City. I live about an hour away. He runs his business out of a building adjacent to his home. Both times Henry took me outside and showed me how to set them up and how to seam seal them. He's passionate about his product and provides fantastic customer service!