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Hilleberg Enan (from New BA tents)


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Home Forums General Forums General Lightweight Backpacking Discussion Hilleberg Enan (from New BA tents)

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  • #3576582
    James Marco
    BPL Member

    @jamesdmarco

    Locale: Finger Lakes

    Monte Masterson wrote:

    In my quest to figure out what’s best, I looked at the gold standard (correct me if I’m wrong) in ultralight double wall tents, the Hilleberg Enan. Weighs 1050 gms.

    Floor description: ’50 denier nylon. Double coated Polyurathane 12000, highly puncture and abrasion resistant.”

    Fly description: “Kelron 1000 20d high tenacity Nylon 66. 3 layers of 100% silicone and treated for UV resistance during dyeing and coating. 3000mm.”

    So I’m curious what you NASA scientists ( I mean that respectfully) think of Hilleberg’s choice of materials and the Enan tent in general?

    #3576584
    Monte Masterson
    BPL Member

    @septimius

    Locale: Southern Indiana

    Sorry James, got a little carried away with the thread drift. Geeked out on materials, forgot the OP.

    #3576593
    James Marco
    BPL Member

    @jamesdmarco

    Locale: Finger Lakes

    Monte, I copied the post from New BA tents to a new thread to prevent further thread drift.

    Anyway, the Fly fabric looks OK, but it is not UL with three layers of silicone. The overall design looks good, but again not UL, it is a full two layers on the body/fly. The floor looks heavy duty, again, not exactly UL. Again, a common base formula for UL travel is the Rule of Ones. That is a 1 pound pack, 1 pound sleeping bag, 1pound in pad, 1 pound sleepwear (socks, long johns,) 1 pound water treatment (water bottles, filter system, water bladder,) 1 pound cook gear, 1 pound in shelter, 1 pound in insulating jacket & rainwear, 1 pound in misc gear (light, knife, bear bag kit,etc,) 1 pound in recreational gear…well you get the idea… Of course mixing within a system is always allowed.  The light weight of the Enan (2pounds 5ooz or 37oz) puts it firmly in the Lightweight category. Not UL or SUL.

    For years I have been camping and living UL almost entirely. A few trips with my daughters have not been. A few trips I carried 4 or 5 times my base weight in tools a few times the past three years so the overall weight of the tent doesn’t really intimidate me. 20 years ago, I could “make do” with a 2pound plus tent and likely hit UL weights…barely.  The old TarpTent original (similar to a Squall) was a light tent first incorporating a floor, fly and netting into a single wall, totally enclosed shelter for close to a pound. GoLite had some light 2P net tents and tarp combinations for less than 2 pounds (or around 14oz per person.) Then cuben was released and the weights plummeted. We could easily find UL tents (<16oz) for two people, but the dollar cost was high.

    Hilleburg concentrated on the European tradition of high durability, rugged, 4 season tents. The Enan is one of those.  If you only needed one tent for all year, this is likely a good tent for you. If you plan on partnering up with someone, it is too small. If you plan on heading out only in three seasons (basically little to no snow and ice) then you don’t really need this much tent. For a family, it is likely you will never use it.  If you have the money you can get both a light weight summer tent (<16oz) and still have this one for winter.

    Durability is another story. I think it will hold up well for around 20 years or so, maybe more. You might find some stretch spots where it connects to the pole, so, you may need to recoat it a couple times. But the silicone coating allows this. Even a well used PU floor can be sealed with a light coating of silicone and mineral spirits over any seams, though it does not stick well to PU.  Generally a good tent. Not UL, but rugged and durable for reasonable carry weight.

     

    #3576602
    Charles Jennings
    Spectator

    @vigilguy

    Locale: Northern Utah

    Disclosure – HILLEBERG RETAILER

    I have been affiliated with Hilleberg tents since they came to the OR Show many years ago, around 2001 or so.  I have always been impressed with the quality of materials, well thought out design, and meticulous construction of their tents.  They don’t scrimp on anything, but you pay for it.  However, if you do a lot of backpacking, a Hilleberg should last you a very long time if you take of it and keep it clean (including zippers). I would not recommend an Enan in snow, it was designed to be a 3 season tent. However, it has been tested in the exposed Scottish Highlands with driving rains, and the occupant stayed dry.  I love the Kerlon fabric.  It is very durable and possesses high strength.  I didn’t comment here to sell tents. I have personally used nearly all of their models over the years.  The Enan is fast and simple to erect.  I think that it is a very good choice if you are changing campsites daily. Keep in mind that you sacrifice room in order to keep the weight down.  I use the Rogan, but then again, I have pack animals to carry my gear.

     

    #3576614
    Brad Rogers
    BPL Member

    @mocs123

    Locale: Southeast Tennessee

    The Enan looks like a nice design to me – I’m not sure if I would say “gold standard” of ultralight double wall tents though.

    BTW: The Tarptent Moment is a VERY similar design that is cheaper and lighter.

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