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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Mar 17, 2017 - 12:22pm PT
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JACK STEPHENSON OF WARMLITE: RIP FEBRUARY 18, 2017, GUILFORD, NH.
Back in the late 70s Jack Stephenson had already been around for twenty years selling his pioneering “Warmlite” brand tents, packs and sleeping bags. Since the early 1970s, I had been aware of his existence because of his unusual equipment ads in The Last Whole Earth Catalog, which in 1976 had led me to order one of his information-packed gear catalogs. Stephenson was an aerospace engineer, so you had to be quite “techie” to appreciate the vast detail offered in those catalogs. Even I, with a background as Physics major, had questions, which in the late 70s led me to write letters to Jack. He replied in great detail and we had a lively discourse via letters. That led to my purchase of an exotic gold mylar tent called the 3X and one of his signature Warmlite Triple sleeping bags. I still have the gold mylar tent; its super lightweight, super strong design still competes well with the new generation of ultralight tents.
In 1992, Jack was a special guest at the annual Outdoor Retailers show in Reno, the largest event of its kind in the U.S. He was honored as one of the gear industry’s “Pioneers,” along with eleven others, such as the founder of REI, founder of Eddie Bauer, and the founder of LL Bean.
After my two purchases from Jack, fifteen years passed. Now it was 1994, and I’d hatched an improbable plan to write a story about Jack and his pioneering but admittedly radical gear company. I had a vague plan to sell the story to Backpacker Magazine, but I had no “street cred” as a writer to toss at Jack, so I knew the odds were against me. I remember my anxiety over calling Jack, who I’d heard could be rude, but I screwed up my courage and called. Imagine my pleasure when he gushed with welcome, quick with support for my plans to write about him personally, yes, but also stating a strong support for my long-term goal to write about other pioneers of the modern outdoor gear industry. Over the next couple of years, he sent me piles of what journalists fondly call “original source material.” I still have one of his letters helping me with my larger goal: two pages crammed with his small, precise handwriting, listing for me two dozen outdoor industry sources, complete with personal phone numbers and addresses, insider “dope” which launched my history of gear project.
I created a website in late 1997, a couple years before Jack officially retired himself from Warmlite, turning over the business to his son William, who still runs Warmlite today.
Along about 2001, out of the blue, Jack invited me, a total non-sailor, to come along on one of his annual sailing trips to the BVI. Peter Barrett, famed Olympic sailing medal hero was coming along, but I was fairly freaked-out over the possibility of on-board nudity, so I declined. Heck, I sure regret that I didn’t go.
Due to the website, my history of gear project picked up strong momentum, and by 2007 the founder of Frostline Kits of Colorado was urging me to write a book, saying that my documenting of the pioneers was not being done by anyone else. In 2009, I wrote a book about the history of Frostline Kits, and in 2012 I corresponded with Jack to update my Warmlite materials and published a small book about Jack’s many innovations.
Jack Stephenson passed away on February 18, 2017. To me Jack was one of those humans blessed with talent beyond the rest of us. Generous, a free thinker, a pioneer in efforts to live a Life that was all his own. A man with warts like the rest of us, but in the history of outdoor gear in America, standing with the Best of the Best for all Time.
To find Bruce Johnson’s website material about Warmlite use this link: http://www.oregonphotos.com/Warmlite1.html
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Mar 17, 2017 - 02:30pm PT
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Oldgear.... thank you for taking the time to post.
interesting read
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Mar 17, 2017 - 03:39pm PT
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oldgear,
Thank you for this & for the info that you have archived.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Mar 17, 2017 - 04:00pm PT
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Cool, are you looking to do additional research interviews and writing with more modern pack/tent and gear makers?
Some neat advances lately and some tried and true small business manufacturers out there.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Mar 17, 2017 - 04:03pm PT
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hey there say, oldgear... wow, thanks for sharing ... very interesting,
...
it is always good to learn about folks, and the lives that they had...
wow, as to this:
In 1992, Jack was a special guest at the annual Outdoor Retailers show in Reno, the largest event of its kind in the U.S. He was honored as one of the gear industry’s “Pioneers,” along with eleven others, such as the founder of REI, founder of Eddie Bauer, and the founder of LL Bean.
the things we learn here at the ol' supertopo, :)
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Al Barkamps
Social climber
Red Stick
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Mar 18, 2017 - 09:14pm PT
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Before the innerwebs, I'd spent far too much time looking for VBLs for my feet. An old guy in some manky Santa Fe gear shop overheard my complaints and turned me on to Stephenson's gear. Imagine my surprise when I received my order and found waterproof fabric-like VBLs FITTED to my feet! His tents and sleeping systems were likewise crafted with the greatest attention to functionality and design.
Like the "other old guys" of yore, Bill Forrest and Paul Ramer, Jack Stephenson definitely makes the list of gear legends.
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 18, 2017 - 09:22pm PT
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To Mungeclimber:
To answer your question, I try to limit myself to what I call "vintage gear," what I also call the "Classical Gear period" roughly 1946 to about 1985. I'm always buried in material even with those limitations. Many of the pioneers of the great gear that got us all out on the trail back then are dying off so I feel some urgency to record their stories. Just since I began this work in 1994, many have passed away. Just in the last 6 or 8 years, several founders that I've had the privilege of interviewing are gone now: Gerry Cunningham, Dale Johnson the founder of Frostline Kits, Jack Stephenson of Warmlite, Penny Cunningham, the very knowledgeable daughter of Gerry Cunningham, to name a few.
I have six books out now, in hard copy or as PDFs, and one as a Kindle book. That just scratches the surface of the material I've accumulated. There are so many more books to write! So trying to become an expert about the tremendous advances in materials and designs of the modern companies is unrealistic for me! -- Bruce
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slabbo
Trad climber
colo south
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Mar 20, 2017 - 06:29am PT
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i first heard about Warmlite around the time I started college(physics) it made sense, but made no sense....
What do you mean i won't sweat ?
Stuff works awesome when you use it right and really bad when you don't
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feralfae
Boulder climber
in the midst of a metaphysical mystery
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Mar 20, 2017 - 06:53am PT
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Doug's favorite tent. He survived some challenging Alaska adventures with his Warmlite. I was never sure if it was the tents, or the advertising, that was the main attraction... :)
Glad to see someone writing on gear and its history from this perspective, thank you.
ff
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Gunkie
Trad climber
Valles Marineris
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Mar 20, 2017 - 08:39am PT
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Makes me warm just looking at it...
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Brian in SLC
Social climber
Salt Lake City, UT
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Mar 20, 2017 - 08:43am PT
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Looking for tent/sleeping bag etc 20+ years ago for a trip...contacted Warmlite and they sent me a catalog...nice folks!
I remember the catalog being slightly risque...
Please assure us that you are over 18 years of age as our catalog contains nudity.
Condolences to friends and family.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Mar 20, 2017 - 09:26am PT
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Stuff works awesome when you use it right and really bad when you don't
I was always leery of the sleeping bag with the vapor barrier. It made no sense.
How would one misuse it?
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Brock Wagstaff
Trad climber
Larkspur
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Mar 20, 2017 - 02:08pm PT
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In the mid 70's we bought a "Stephenson tent" for a trip to Peru. I'm assuming this is the same person that had the Warmlite brand name, and the rather interesting catalogs. It had an integral fly and was much lighter and more "high tech" than any other 2 person tent we owned. The picture was taken on a climb of Chinchey in 1975.
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Bad Climber
Trad climber
The Lawless Border Regions
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Mar 20, 2017 - 07:41pm PT
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That tent looks a lot like the Early Winters tents from back in the late 70's/early 80's. Who was the first to bring it out? I've got a pic of me and my wife on Sargent's Ridge of Mt. Shasta standing next to one of those (Early Winters).
BAd
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 28, 2017 - 03:08pm PT
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Let me answer a few of the questions and concerns brought up about Warmlite gear. I have researched the gear extensively, including interviews with the founder, one of his chief sewers, and many others.
Re: Vapor Barrier: The Vapor Barrier idea in his sleeping bags, his "NO-Sweat" shirt, and VB glove liners, sock liners, etc. I found the VB concept worked very well, unless you got yourself overheated -- under those circumstances being enveloped in warm sweat wasn't pleasant but in truth, the VB prevented anything dire from happening, eg. your insulation itself would not become sweat-soaked. For myself, I especially liked the extra warmth of the VB glove/mitten liners-- ones hands don't sweat much and therefore I never found the VB effect to be uncomfortable.
Re: Jack Stephenson's tent design (technically, "Elliptical Arc") far pre-dated Early Winter's Omnipotent tent. I have pictures (eg. old slides with Kodak date stamps on the cardboard) showing Stephenson already was prototyping the design in 1958, and in his earliest catalogs, he was selling the tents to the public in 1964. That's about 8 years before the Omnipotent came out.
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Mar 28, 2017 - 03:14pm PT
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Sad news. Brilliant man, some of whose better, more functional, ideas have still not been accepted by the mainstream industry, including his curved pole concepts, and venting/material systems for tents.
Always highly entertaining catalogs, too!
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 28, 2017 - 03:15pm PT
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To Brock Wagstaff: The tent shown in your picture could be one of the Warmlite 3R tents, meaning 3 person, and R meaning Stephenson's standard double-wall design. It weighed something like 4 pounds (I would have to dig out one of his old catalogs to give you an exact figure)....HOWEVER,the tent in your photo, if it's a Warmlite, would be one that was customized and personally sewn, probably by Jack's brother George, who specialized in making expedition models-- thus the two midpoles, and other reinforcements. This expedition model was tested on Mt. Washington in New Hampshire in 100mph+ winds with success. That was back around 1970.
Note: the front end of the tent in the photo doesn't look quite right for the Warmlite 3R, and if I had to wager, I'd say it's an Omnipotent.
In the evolution of tent design, given that Stephenson's design predated Early Winters by over ten years and was the only widely-available such tent, one must wonder how much influence Stephenson's design had on Early Winters. ....
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Brock Wagstaff
Trad climber
Larkspur
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Mar 28, 2017 - 05:47pm PT
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Good call oldgear. I think the tent in the picture is an Omnipotent. We were always looking for something light. Here's another candidate from a trip up Robson in 1979.
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Mar 29, 2017 - 11:01am PT
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That yellow tent is almost certainly a Warmlite 2R, a two-man, double-wall tent of extreme lightweight, around 3 lbs.
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 23, 2018 - 12:10pm PT
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Here's a follow-up to my Warmlite postings that I made as an obituary when Jack Stephenson passed away last year:
One of Jack's relatives (Kim Stephenson, a niece) bought up the company and is in the process of re-establishing it. They will be in Fort Collins, Colorado. This is especially fitting in that the earliest seeds of Jack Stephenson making gear were planted in 1955 in Boulder, Colorado.... That was when Jack and his new wife, soaked and cold from a trip to RMNP with inadequate gear, stopped by the Holubar's "business in a basement" and got the royal treatment from Roy and Alice Holubar. This inspired Jack to believe that he, too, could start an outdoor gear business. In Jack's case, this was a cramped trailer with a wife and four children in Southern California, and later, a ranch-style home.
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Steve Grossman
Trad climber
Seattle, WA
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Jan 25, 2018 - 09:22am PT
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He liked to throw a bit of model nakedness into his catalogs too which certainly was eccentric. Dick Long introduced me to that aspect of his business.
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2018 - 09:06am PT
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Once Jack Stephenson retired from managing things in the late 90s, quality control became more and unreliable. One of Stephenson's daughters sewed my late 70s Model 3X, and the sewing quality is impeccable (I still have the tent). However, she told me that she herself ordered a new 2R a few years ago, and was horrified by the poor sewing and also distressed by how the fabric was not cut quite right, compromising its strength and integrity. So indeed some of the negative recent reviews have been merited.
I am advising the new owners about the importance of quality control, and of the necessity to engage in a normal customer service and returns policy (Jack's longtime stance was awful in these respects).
Regarding claims of wind resistance to 100 mph, I have spoken to some of the original testers, who had the tent on Mt. Washington in the winter. However, and this is a big however, those tents were not the stock 2R or 3R models. They were 3Rs sewn in the 70s by Jack's brother George, the master tent sewer and perfectionist. They were named "ERV" model for "extra rugged". Those tents had an added midpole and interior tensioners, and probably the thicker poles (see below.)
Final note: Warmlite pole fragility: my book has a long section about how the poles are made and why they are made curved. I've never had a problem, but the poles are vulnerable to careless handling, specifically, nicks on their joints by snapping them together really weakens them. And pulling the poles out of their sleeves incautiously can separate the joints while still in the sleeve, leading to not only a hassle, but could lead to a nick in the joint, which as I said, weakens the pole. I always carry a spare pole section, but have never needed it. I wonder about current quality control in the poles: In the old days, Jack and George actually personally oversaw pole production at Easton when Warmlite was still in Southern Calif. and he and George even personally performed some of the final production steps at Easton. They were fanatic about doing it right. Finally, the poles were available in three diameters, the standard, light, and a one with larger diameter and thicker walls.
I hope all this adds to our discussion! -- www.historyofgear.com
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 28, 2018 - 09:44am PT
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Here are a few more thoughts as long as I am here!
Re: complaints about tent size.
I never liked the 2R version because of its sloped back section. And with the liner inner wall (the "R")the slight sagging effect made headroom problematic, even for a 5' 8" person like me.
So I moved to the Model 3 versions, which maintain full headroom all the way to the rear. And with my Model 3X, which is a single wall tent, there is no inner liner to sag (note that exact cutting of the fabrics in assembly is critical to minimize the sag, but as I have noted previously, quality control since the late 90s has been unreliable)....
The Model 3s could all be ordered with a second door, which gave the users a much improved feeling of access for them and their gear. The "drop-front" option further improved the feeling of openness in good weather by dropping the entire front into a huge opening.
Finally, there are a lot of tents on the market, especially in the ultralite market, that have limited headroom. With my 3X, I am okay with it at 5' 8", but if I am sitting on a thick Thermarest and wearing a stocking cap, my head still scrapes a bit. But my sister, at only 5' 4" does fine in the tent. So short people are best!
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Jan 28, 2018 - 01:25pm PT
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Tunnel tents are still probably the best design for extreme conditions. Of course the two stakes at each end to create high tension are critical. But there are very few good products available in this category--everyone wants supposed "freestanding" tents that actually require more stake points due to vestibules, etc. Never got a Stephenson, but my best tent experiences (i.e. least concern for the tent ripping away in the night during a severe Himalayan storm) were in tunnel tents.
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Ain't no flatlander
climber
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Jan 28, 2018 - 04:19pm PT
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Perhaps you should look at a real Warmlite tent before spewing your ignorance. The large diameter, thin wall poles were far stronger than anything used today by any manufacturer. Their weakness was when disassembled, so care was required when packing and assembling (a small kink could be major). There is no question that those tents could hold up to 100 mph winds, even at low altitude, as long as you had good anchors. If he'd had access to some of the modern fabrics, higher wind loads would be easily sustainable.
Beyond that, Jack was far ahead of the curve on sleeping bags and clothing. His concepts worked but only if fully adhered to. Trying to hybridize his system with old school was the failure point for most. Ironically, Buffalo System (and the Patagonia ripoff) was the exact opposite and also was a good concept that failed unless you went all in.
You are welcome to your uninformed opinion. But you aren't welcome to claim BS as fact.
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Ain't no flatlander
climber
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Jan 28, 2018 - 05:04pm PT
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Perhaps you could pull your head out of your ass and bone up on physics. You apparently know diddleysquat about outdoor technology, past or present, or mountaineering...insurance companies sure as hell don't. Weak trolling, poseur.
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2018 - 01:48pm PT
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Jack Stephenson's professional background was as an aerospace engineer at Hughes in Southern California. He was also a pilot credited with some aeronautical engineering advances/innovations. I'd take his thoughts about designing a tent for high winds over those of any insurance industry person.
Hilleberg tents? oh, yes, I've met Petra. Superb tents, best materials. And so incredibly expensive! Jack's tents had been out in the market about eight years when Hilleberg introduced their first tent, which was much like the Stephenson tent.
Moving on: remember my previous posts: Jack Stephenson passed away in early 2017. One of his (younger)relatives bought the company and moved it to Fort Collins, CO. They've been very busy out there building production and warehouse and website, etc. I consult with them. As for tent quality control, I hope to see it back to the high level it had back in the 70s and 80s.
http://www.warmlite.com
This website is much more user-friendly than before! It also has lots of content, and several links to outside reviews and more.
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 29, 2018 - 02:00pm PT
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Re: tent strength in high winds. In high altitude mountaineering, tents all too often get subjected to winds in the 100 mph range. Some survive, some don't. There are many factors that determine the outcome. A big one is whether it is a steady wind from just one direction, vs. a shifting, gusty wind.
But pitching any tent in a city being subjected to a hurricane? Bad idea. Why? Tent fabric is fragile to any slashing attack, especially from flying debris propelled by hurricane winds. Lots of people get injured/killed by flying objects in hurricanes/tornados! So if available, I'd shelter inside a sturdy bldg, and away from all windows.
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nah000
climber
now/here
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Jan 29, 2018 - 09:39pm PT
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sweet stuff... thanks for the thread oldgear...
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Spiny Norman
Social climber
Boring, Oregon
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Jan 30, 2018 - 12:56pm PT
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Expedition tents made by several manufacturers are in fact routinely tested on Mount Washington, and wind speeds there do in fact reach 100 mph during testing (there's a weather station at the summit, which is where the tents are tested).
https://www.outinunder.com/content/martin-zemitis-tent-testing-mt-washington
Zemetis used to design for Sierra Designs and Mountain Hardware and is now a principal at Slingfin.
You can use google and find other Mt. W. tent testing videos if you are so inclined.
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deuce4
climber
Hobart, Australia
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Jan 30, 2018 - 05:13pm PT
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Jack Stephenson has passed away.
Jeez, give him a little credit. He created a bad ass tent design that never hit the mainstream, and most if not all of his customers were way happy with his excellent lightweight solution to surviving extreme winter conditions. So what about the numbers.
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 6, 2018 - 11:21am PT
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Okay, as for Warmlite tents and their wind resistance. I'm the guy who wrote the book on Warmlite. Jack Stephenson was an aerospace engineer and highly aware of aerodynamics.
That 160 mph claim is absurd. It's embedded in some ancient ad copy left over from back in the 1970s catalogs. Warmlite under its new owners has taken pains to post a number of tent reviews by outside parties, eg. Outdoor Gearlab and Trailspace. The new owners are taking great care to fairly describe their products. I've contacted them about this piece of old copy that they evidently missed when recycling the old Warmlite website.
Based on my own ownership of a Warmlite model 3X tent, and experiences in winds up to about 60mph, the tent is awesome, but there are some "if, ands and buts." Anchors must be rock-solid because there are only 4 of them. Tent must be pitched very smooth and taut, and readjusted if rain or humidity causes sagging. The internal stabilizers do help, especially in gusty winds... Also, tent is at its best when pointed into a steady wind. It takes big side winds less well than a good geodesic dome design.
Trailspace review said: "It stood up to winds on winter climbs of MT. Hood that exceeded 50mph. When others where out trying to secure their flapping tents we were snug inside the Warmlite with almost no movement of the walls." (3R)
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Feb 6, 2018 - 11:32am PT
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One other response I have. The Warmlite design was perfected between 1958 and 1964, and became a catalog item in 1964. There were further refinements over the many years.
What I want to point out is that the Warmlite tent design was not a mere "niche" product-- its design and concept have been one of the most widely-copied and ripped-off in the history of tents. I could name several classic tents of similar design,that came along 8-15 years after the 1964 catalog, and those tents were virtual copies of the 2R and 3R. Jack in fact told me a story back in the 90s that one customer back in the 70s had ordered a 2R, then had the audacity to return it in pieces, demanding a refund. It was obvious that the customer had disassembled it to make a pattern. Jack was a weird guy in terms of patents; he was aware that many of his products were being ripped off, but only took legal action once or twice.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
The Ocean
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Having spent time in a similarly designed Kelty hoop tent in well over 100 mile per hour winds off and on for three days I can tell you for damn sure it's easily possible. Some of my Fondest Memories are 3 of us getting picked up in the tent lifted off the ground yet the tent remained structurally sound and did not fly away.
Stephenson's, Ramer, Gary... A5 (wink) there are some designers from the 60s 70s and 80s that to this day certain aspects of their gear have not been equaled or surpassed. And even if they have been surpassed it's not by that much
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climbski2
Mountain climber
The Ocean
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Let's see here...your picture martini glass...my picture skis at 20k feet...yep f*#k off dipshit with poor hypothesis skilz and severe lack of real world experiencE regarding this topic
Thank you Stephenson for a few chats on the phone and a unique life and some very good products that could not be sold in California.
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 27, 2018 - 09:09am PT
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Warmlite is now producing again, based now in Fort Collins, Colorado under the ownership of Jack Stephenson's niece Kim Cunningham. Recently, longtime gear tester Larry Amkraut had them make him a ruggedized version of their classic 2R tent; his custom tent incorporates a mid-pole. The huge side windows are a standard Warmlite tent option and resolve the issue of ventilation in summer weather. Here's a picture. Larry is well-pleased with the tent.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
The Ocean
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Jun 28, 2018 - 10:55am PT
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Are you aware that you are damaging a pretty cool website? Do you care?
I like this place..maybe I am a bit proud of a few things I've done..but then again I like hearing storie's from other folks who seem to feel that same way about cool stuff they did.
I know first hand that hoop tents can handle 100mph plus winds above 14k. And stay solidly intact.
Again..I have for years thought Stephenson is really on to something worthwhile regarding their strong lightweight materials and design...looking forward to next gen.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Jun 28, 2018 - 02:08pm PT
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In this video, Martin Zemitis (mentioned upthread) talks about designing a tent for Babu Chiri Sherpa to sleep on the summit of Everest and stand up to 140mph winds:
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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oldgear
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 2, 2018 - 12:09pm PT
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To Mr. Another Nickname:
You need to respect the serious users of this website. Please go away. Do not attempt to respond back and generate an argument. Just go away.
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