Hilleberg Tent thread

[Stephen M]

That’s a shame Casey, when I used it in very heavy rain it was OK for me. I can see why you prefer the 4 season tents, I ended up purchasing a Nallo 3gt to replace the Anjan.  Only have used the Nallo once so far but like it better than the Anjan (despite the extra weight), the venting options are better.

I really like the look of the Kaitum 4gt, it would save two pounds over my Keron 4gt. The Keron is a bit heavy for two in winter but fine for 3. Probably a non starter for me as the cost of changing would be too prohibitive since purchasing a camper last month.

[Stuart .]

As much as I wanted to like the Anjan and Rogen, the original design with open pole sleeves on both ends (changing for 2017) and the lack of venting higher up was off-putting to me. And yet the weight of the Anjan 3GT was really appealing. It’s disappointing to hear your comments Casey, but at the same time you’re comparing the 4 season flagship model with their first foray into UL. A 30+ year old design vs a 3 year old design. I would have to say they learned from the early mistakes quite quickly. The Enan is a far superior model than the Akto, and it retained the closed ended pole sleeve design. Now the Anjan and Rogen are moving  to that too.

I’ve seen some say that the Red Label Kerlon 1200 tents are too in between the Black Label K1800 winter and Yellow Label K1000 three season models, jacks of all trades but masters of none. To which I respond, that’s utter nonsense. I have owned a number of Red Label tents and currently own the Soulo and the Allak. They are both incredibly robust. Lighten them and you lose strength and/or usable space. Beef them up and there is a significant weight penalty. (ignoring the fact that there is no one person Black Label tent). Both the Soulo and the Allak have withstood snowstorms dumping 2+ft of wet heavy snow on top of them. So, recall that each series is stated for its intended use. Many, if not most, will find the Red Label more than they will ever need.

[Crow]

Got a “used 15 nights” Nallo 3. Surprise! It’s a pre-2002 model. Easton 9mm poles, Kerlon 1500 fabric, metal cordlocks, dimensions like a Nammatj, and a collection of damages and light coating of mildew or perhaps silicon coating gone to dust discoloring the tent. Biggest problem? The floor leaks like a sieve, which we discovered by setting up camp after a light rain made the ground damp. :(

Hope I can get it workable. Hilleberg says they can replace the floor for $100 and a Nammatj 3 footprint may fit it; my next step is to give it a good wash (it smells quite funky). But hey, trying to look on the bright side – it’s a Hilleberg!

[Stuart .]

I once got a used Nallo 2 that had been packed damp and never aired out. I wasn’t able to shift the discolouration of the flysheet but I did eliminate the funky smell thanks to Mirazyme. It was my first or second transaction on BPL, and the seller never responded to me. The tent was usable but I wrote it off as a bad deal, and eventually sold it (with a truthful description) for a loss. I think you have a much bigger project on your hands, Casey. Do you have any recourse to get your money back?

[Crow]

I let the seller (here on BPL) know I was disappointed, but it’s partly my own fault – I realized it was an early model and discolored prior to purchase, but condition was indicated to be better than it was with only very little use since new, though it appears to have been used more than indicated. The fabric is free of any holes or tears though, just some of the toggles and rings are ripped off and the floor isn’t waterproof. I washed it with some gentle detergent-free soap and will test the waterproofness of the fabrics next. It does look more green now than it did…  No recourse unless the seller chooses to offer something.  I do like the older design fine though and hope the tent will work out better than first experiences suggested!  Hilleberg is going to determine the actual year of manufacture from the serial number for me. :)

[Crow]

Washed the tent and took it camping in the rain. Pitched the Anjan right next to it, in case it failed on us. To get through the night, I attached the Anjan’s footprint to the bottom of the Nallo – didn’t fit exactly but did well enough to keep us dry, and the rain, while considerable in amount, was slow enough to not get between the footprint and floor and seep inside.

Sure looks a lot better after being washed, and wet from the rain:

I rigged up a guyline for the missing one for the vent as well:

I like the old-school metal cordlocks:

Found one tiny hole in the outer tent – temporarily patched it with a bit of tenacious tape on each side, though this really doesn’t stick well to the Hilleberg fabric.  I’ll patch better with SILnet soon:

Does not bead water as well as the Anjan’s newer fabric, shown below for comparison:

Back corners of inner tents have original straps and toggles ripped off, so I have to use extra stakes.  This worked out well for attaching the Anjan footprint to though:

Interior:

My impressions:

• I like the earlier dimensions a lot better.  The interior feels roomier and more comfortable.  If I were to buy another brand new Hilleberg, I’d have a hard time choosing the Nallo over the Nammatj for this reason.
• The Kerlon 1500 is pretty weighty fabric for the 9mm poles.  The Kerlon 1000 on the Anjan suits them much better.  I expect the current Nallo’s Kerlon 1200 also suits them better.  I would not trust the the tent in a lot of snow without being there to babysit it.  It would need the poles doubled or perhaps simply replaced with 10mm for lower bulk.
• I rather like the earlier metal cordlocks.  The earlier metal rings are not as nice as the newer ones though, or else they were just abused – the ones I have remaining are stretched into non-round shapes.
• I don’t miss the stake tensioners as much as I thought I would.  The earlier pole tensioners are somewhat more awkward to use than the newer ones and require a second hand to tighten up nicely, but they work fine enough.
• I like the single discreet logo on the tent, and lack of any reflective patches.  I removed all the red Hilleberg logos from my other tents, but this older style one doesn’t really bother me.  I might leave it.
• I prefer this tent’s performance in rain and humidity much more than the Anjan, as I hoped.  Even with a single upper vent, I can feel an immediate difference camping in it, as excess humidity rises up through the vent.  Camping in the rain is enjoyable in this tent with the outer tent coming down to the ground, not a constant worry like in the Anjan.  I must admit that I have not camped in any other 3-season double wall tents in a lot of rain, so it’s likely not a problem unique to the Anjan, but I definitely prefer the 4-season design in all conditions, whereas I used to perceive it as something not beneficial outside of winter.
• The inner tent door design is better on the newer tents – on the old ones the bottom is sewn in and the whole top arc is a zipper.  It’s nice to be able to unzip it entirely out of the way to one side on the newer ones.

 

[Crow]

@lotuseater – why do you say the Enan is superior to the Akto?  I’m considering purchasing one or the other soon so would value your input.  I assumed that the Akto would be the safer bet.

I’m not expecting the performance of their flagship tent out of the Anjan – what I expected was solid warmer-weather performance (especially rain handling), without the weight penalty of being prepared for winter conditions, which is what the Anjan promises to deliver, and at it’s pretty significant price, I don’t think it unreasonable to expect it.  I think the better bet would be to make something more like the Nallo, with lighter fabric, thinner guylines and smaller cordlocks, and a simpler door/vestibule for lighter weight, lack of the extra 2 foot end stakes that help with snowloading, etc. for 3-season use.  I don’t see why a 3-season tent couldn’t still have the proven features of a 4-season tent that work, like an upper vent and outer tent that extends to the ground.  I’d personally also prefer that the foot end mesh vent be ditched as I don’t think it really adds value and is a gateway for condensation drops to come into the tent, and I think that the added weight of a zipper and solid fabric panel on the inner tent door is likewise worthwhile.

I do think the 2017 Anjan is an improvement, but it will still be a “hot air balloon” in hot humid conditions without an upper vent option.  I think that getting a GT model is important with the Anjan, so you have the ability to roll up the vestibule end to get decent ventilation even in rain.  This really shouldn’t be necessary – a non-GT tent should be capable of handling hot humid conditions without making it vulnerable to rain.  The Nallo does deliver this, but is heavier in fabric, guylines, and features than 3-season use warrants.

Another big drawback of the Anjan is the footprint not covering the vestibule, which Hilleberg says is because it will flood too easily with the outer tent not coming to the ground (though, the footprint will also flood on tents that do come to the ground, like the Keron, in a hard rain).  I also have a Big Agnes Scout UL2.  The “Plus” version of this tent adds a vestibule.  It’s just a single wall tent, but interestingly, the “outer tent” (a rain flap around the entire tent except for the vestibule end) does not come near the ground EXCEPT at the vestibule end, where it comes down and does touch the ground, to help keep the vestibule more dry.  So perhaps an Anjan could even do something like that, where there is ventilation all around the bottom of the inner tent, but not at the bottom of the vestibule.  And add an upper vent – even the Scout has one.  Here’s a picture of the Scout Plus to illustrate what I’m talking about:

I think the Anjan would be good for a lot of conditions, but for it’s price, I think it should handle heat and humidity better and needs further improvements.  In fairness, it is a newer market for Hilleberg as you point out, so I expect that this improvement will continue as the years progress.

[Stephen M]

With a heavy heart I have decided to part ways with my Keron 4GT. It served two winter camping seasons with my good buddies Simon and Travis, earlier this year Simon moved to Tennessee and Travis spends every other week working in Texas so it was sitting idle.

That leaves me with my Soulo and Enan for solo trips and Nallo 3gt for trips with my wife.

Farewell to the Keron and I hope it finds a good home, it is by far the best tent I have ever used but as my Mrs has decided she does not want to do winter trips it’s got to go.

 

 

[Doug Smith]

Sorry to hear you’re parting with your Keron 4GT, Stephen!  That tent is on my bucket list, once I start doing more trips with my wife, where I can justify it.

 

I’m excited to say that I’m heading to Hilleberg in Seattle in a couple weeks on a motorcycle ride.  I emailed Shannon, who was kind enough to tell me she’d have a Staika set up for me to check out when I get there, per my request. With my two tents being the Nammatj2 and Tarra, I need another 2-person tent like I need a hole in the head.  But I’ve got to say that recently I’ve become more and more impressed with the idea of tents that don’t require staking for support.

But I’m still torn…I like the idea of a vestibule large enough to change out of wet clothing in, while trapped in a downpour.  That basically leaves a GT vestibule, unless you start talking about large tents.  I think a non-GT vestibule on a Keron 4 would be easily big enough to change in, and possibly even on a Keron 3.  In fact, a Keron 3 would probably be at the top of my list if it weren’t for the fact that it requires a good staking job to give it structural support.  With motorcycle rides, I’m finding that there is just a large percentage of camping spots that are really horrible for staking…pavement, sand, hard rocky ground, etc.  I know there are ways to get good anchors in all those types of environments, but after a long day of riding, in pouring rain for example, that is the last thing I want to be doing before I get warm and dry.

 

So I’m a bit torn.  I’ve got to decide if a changing room vestibule is more important than free-standing, or vice versa.

 

 

[Stuart .]

@lotuseater – why do you say the Enan is superior to the Akto?  I’m considering purchasing one or the other soon so would value your input.  I assumed that the Akto would be the safer bet

Sorry Casey, I missed your question until just now. If you want a solo tent for light four season use, then the Akto might be a little tougher. However the flat ends tend to allow snow to accumulate on them. And the inner tent, while it has the all fabric option, doesn’t lend itself to great ventilation. The semicircular zips allowing the ends of the outer tent to vent have no mesh backing, so during bug season it’s a disincentive to open them. The mesh backed part of the inner is pretty small compared with – say – the Soulo. And there is no easy way to have the inner door tied back part way – its shape means it’s pretty much all open or all closed. Those are my gripes about the Akto. I’ve tried two over the years and they underwhelmed me.

In comparison, the Enan doesn’t pretend to be a four season tent, but despite that it can handle light snow thanks to the inverted V ends which don’t allow the snow to accumulate the way the Akto does. The fabric covers on the ends can be deployed to keep strong winds, rain or spindrift out. The mesh on the ends is always there for bug season. The inner tent door being mesh allows excellent ventilation and the inner never feels caustrophobic. And the door shape means that open or closed, it’s closer to 50% of the inner tent area as opposed to ~90% of the Akto’s. On the flip side, one might say that you can’t seal out the elements, but in colder temps I almost always kept the door of my Nammatj 3/4 open… Finally the packed size of the Enan is tiny. I put it in the side pocket of my MLD Prophet backpack on my last trip. Who’d have thought Hilleberg and MLD would be compatible?

 

[Stuart .]

Welcome back, Doug. It’s been a while. You’re no stranger to the GT vestibule on the Nammatj 3GT you used to own. Just think a bit taller and a lot wider, and you have the Keron 4GT space. You can’t stand up in it, but you don’t have to perform contortions in it either.

I wound up going with an Allak to replace my Nammatj 2. I didn’t expect that to be my outcome, but like you, I realised there are times when freestanding is helpful. The Allak is smaller than the Staika, and I’d categorise it as a couple’s tent. You get quite friendly in there. I could never change in a vestibule, but it’s plenty big enough for all the gear I want. It was a real hit with my son when we toured the national and state parks in Utah earlier in the year. And I loved not having to find a long site with good anchoring options at either end of a tunnel tent. The downside is the weight, but you have the Tarra so you already know how heavy a 2P Hillie can be :-)  Good luck with your decision and enjoy the ride to and fro.

[Stephen M]

Hi Doug,

I ended up keeping the Keron :-)

[Tipi Walter]

Stephen M—Good decision.  I have alot of experience in several Hilleberg tents:  The Nammatj 3, the Staika, the Keron and the Akto.

The Keron is my go-to solo backpacking tent as it offers everything I need for my long winter trips—and summer trips too.

When you really live inside a Staika or an Allak you’ll find how very small these tents are despite their outside fly shape.  The Staika is not a dome tent but a rectangular wedge and small inside.  After you wet your sleeping bag foot a hundred times with canopy condensation you’ll understand.  Why?  Because the yellow canopy end walls are angled enough to touch your bag.

The Keron never wets my sleeping bag foot box because it has vertical head and foot walls.  This is why it’s my favorite tent, along with the ginormous vestibules.

The Akto is absurdly small and never worked for me.  Place a nice -15F down bag inside and let it fluff up and dangit nearly all parts of it rub up against the Akto’s inner tent walls, tent walls which frequently get wet with inside condensation.  Not good.

My Rule?  No part of your sleeping bag should touch your tent walls, period.

[Doug Smith]

Hi Stuart and Stephen!  Good hearing from you guys as well.  And Stephen, I’m glad you still have the Keron 4GT…I like living through you vicariously.

Walter, I appreciate your insight as to the Staika sloping wall issue.  I can also see that being a concern with my much loved Nammatj as well.  The Tarra has the same verticle doors, which I agree, makes for a much larger feeling tent inside.  A Keron 3 would be a palace for one, and easily carried on a motorcycle.  I also agree with the thought that 3 poles seems to be a magic number for tunnel tents.  I actually just came across a review you wrote on the Staika on another site last night during my research.  I’m only 5’10” tall, and don’t see myself motorcycling in -15* weather, but anything is possible.  I’m actually much more concerned with rain than snow for this next tent purchase.  Snow is cold, but manageable.  Rain can simply be miserable if you don’t have enough space to get dry.

In fairness, my Tarra is not doing anything wrong as far as a motorcycling solo tent is concerned, and I really have no driving reason to replace it.  But variety is the spice of life of course.  The two things I wish changed about my Tarra are, one; the color.  I love the bronze colored “sand”, it’s much cheerier than my green Tarra, and two, I wish for bigger vestibules for getting out of wet gear.  A Tarra with a GT vestibule from the Nammatj 2, ala a smaller Saitaris, would be a VERY cool tent.  ;-)

Edited to add:

I’ve been using my Nammatj 2 at recent camping trips while I’ve been loaning my buddy my Tarra.  The Tarra has been airing out in the garage for a couple weeks and I just set it up to pack away again…I’m going to have to be very impressed by the Staika to consider switching.  I’d forgotten how much I love my Tarra.  The vestibules are actually large enough to change in if I do so while seated.  It is a bomb-proof palace for 1, and even if the stakes come out, at least you maintain your structural integrity to some degree.  And with the vertical doors, there is no worry of sloping walls getting the foot of my bag wet.  The Staika is going to have to knock my socks off when I see it in a couple weeks if it wants to bump the Tarra out of my motorcycle trip rotation.  Now the big trick is going to be convincing my wife that we “need” a Tarra in sand color.  Mwuahahaha (evil laugh).

 

 

[Michael F]

After an insane amount of research and waiting over a year, I finally took the plunge and bought a Tarra which came earlier this week (pics coming soon). I’m super excited to use it in a few weeks but in the meantime I set it up in the front yard just to check it out.

Just a few questions…and all about footprint which seems to have no information either included with it or online about how to attach it – I had to guess that it’s attached via the little toggles…how many of you are using a footprint with your Hilleberg? Is it me, or does it seem that the bottom of the tent and footprint are very slick and the fabrics slide against each other a lot? Do you keep your footprint attached to your tent or unhook it when drying out the tent or storing it in the bag?

Thanks – Michael

[Ken Thompson]

Took an Enan out last weekend with lots of rain and some gusts of wind. Performed very well. Closed one foot end to cut out the breeze. Since my other shelter is a sil Solomid XL (2014, original model), and I use a dedicated pole with it. If I also take my sil inner tent that setup is within 3 oz of the Enan, and just as expensive. Got a bigger vestibule with the Enan. It’s plenty long enough for my 6’3″ self and my Exped UL7LW pad fit great. A bit short on headroom, as most tents are for me so I ‘m not taking points off for that. But I can sit up.  Easy setup, small packed size. All in all, I like it.

[Ken Thompson]

No footprint for me Michael. They do attach with the toggles. You do have it attached shiny side up don’t you?

[Stuart .]

Good to hear you’re getting on well with the Enan, Ken. The sticker shock was high when I bought mine, but it has outlasted every other 1P tent and tarp I’ve owned since I got onto this blasted site and started searching for the magic bullet.

Michael, the inner tent and footprint should be taut. If you’re experiencing slippage then your overall pitch may be wrong. Does the inner tent move when you pitch the Tarra without the floor? I have noticed that the ground straps that cross underneath the tent floor may need adjusting for the optimal pitch. I did that on my Kaitum 3, but it’s not been necessary for my other Hillies.

Toggles go into the same ground level o-rings as the inner tent attaches to, and out to the end of each vestibule. I tend to thread mine through outside the inner tent toggles. It doesn’t make any real difference whether you thread them in the same direction, or from the opposite side of the o-rings. Shiny side up, Hilleberg label at the doors.

[Michael F]

Stuart, thanks for the info! I did figure out when I first pitched the tent with the footprint that I had the footprint upside down so once I unpegged the tent, I rolled the entire tent over on it’s side and flipped the footprint over. After doing so though, I didn’t re-peg the tent to see if it solved the issue. I was kind of hoping that one side of the footprint is less slippery that the other. I’ll see when I go camping the week after next.

I’m not sure what you’re referring to when you mention “ground straps.” I did notice when I climbed into the tent that at the foot of the door there was a line strung from corner to corner but I’m not sure what it’s for.

[Stuart .]

Ground straps are the glorified way of referring to the pieces of string that run across the underside of the floor. They help keep the shape of the flysheet when pitched if you remove the inner tent, and they also alleviate stress on the elastic that attaches the inner to the fly.

Good luck with figuring out the best setup for you. Enjoy your Hillie!

[Crow]

No offense, but in a year of research you didn’t notice how the footprint attaches? That was a big selling point for me since everything can go up and down together.

I usually leave everything together. If I take down during rain (rare), then I’ll pack up the dry inner tent by itself first then pack the wet/muddy footprint still attached to the wet outer. Or partially disconnect the inner to dry condensation before packing. I sometimes unclip and roll up the vestibule portion of the footprint to cook there, and take everything apart to wash and/or thoroughly dry for storage.

Hope you love your tent! They really shine during winter camping!!

[Crow]

Agree about adjusting the ground straps! Also I prefer the footprint to go under the straps rather than above them. This keeps the straps out of the way when pitching and taking down.

The strap at the door serves a similar function and should likewise be adjusted for optimal effect. Hilleberg used to use the same flat straps with adjustment buckle under the tent as well (hence why they are called straps), but Hilleberg switched to thinner cords a decade or so ago to cut weight. When I picked up my pre-2003 Nallo 3 from Hilleberg in Seattle after repairs, they had replaced the original ground straps with the newer style cords.

[Keith L]

I am looking to upgrade my two person tent soon and have my eyes on either the Rogan or the Anjan 2. I use my tents for 3-season backpacking and really like the space, weight and two door-two vestibule design of my old tent (REI Quarter Dome T2) when backpacking with my significant other. I don’t plan on using it for solo trips since I like to keep the weight down and will bring my TarpTent Rainbow for that but 4ish pounds split between two people is just fine even for light-weight backpacking. The Rogan looks like my tent but its $100 more and weighs almost a pound more. Is Anjan 2 a better bet for the weight even though it isn’t side entry or have as much vestibule space? Let me know your thoughts, Hilleberg owners!

[Crow]

Hi Keith,

I’ve not used the Rogen, and you have to decide if freestanding is important to you. I would guess the Anjan to have more room inside.  To me, tunnel tents define Hilleberg and I’ve grown to really love them. I rarely camp on cement or bare rock so don’t care if a tent is freestanding.

I have an Anjan 3 GT, and if you like a lot of vestibule space this takes the cake over dual smaller vestibules…the GT option does not add too much weight and you get a lot for it. That said, I’ve found it too excessive for us.

Even for 3-season use, I highly recommend considering the Nallo 2 as well, as it manages condensation better. Check my earlier posts on this thread for details.  I greatly prefer our Nallo 3 over the Anjan. If you really want the Anjan, I’d wait for the improved 2017 version (the Rogen is also being updated).

Careful comparing weights. The full weight includes stakes, guy lines, and stuff sacks – easily changed/reduced items. Comparing minimum weights is more meaningful. And when comparing to the Half Dome, remember that Hilleberg has solid inner tents instead of mesh, which weighs more but functions better and lasts longer.

[Keith L]

Casey and Gina,

I am looking for a tent that is as light as I can get from Hilleberg without sacrificing much function in space and vestibule. The Nallo really wasn’t a consideration for me personally due to the fact that the Anjan or Rogan offer something similar but with reduced weight for 3 season use. We need enough space for two backpacks and  boots but I wouldn’t want too much more than that as I would rather conserve weight. The 2017 Rogan and Anjan will definitely be on my radar. I don’t mind either free standing or tunnel as most places I camp have good staking ground. I do prefer side entry and the separate doors and vestibules for convenience of getting in and out at night. I have owned a couple front entry tents and when camping with two I prefer the side entry for reasons I listed but am willing to sacrifice a bit of comfort if it saves on weight and a better design (tunnel > dome style) and it seems Hilleberg designers and owners as well as outdoor gear lab prefer tunnel design over dome. We like the dome so we can sit up in the tent when weather gets bad and we want to play cards or something. I am 6′ and am maybe worried that the Anjan wouldn’t really allow for comfortable sitting like my previous tunnel tents did…

[Author]

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