Hilleberg Niak?

DCF tents don’t last as long as nylon so if you value durability i wouldn’t choose a DCF tent. If you want something more durable and more storm worthiness the Hilleberg akto would be a better choice. Keep in mind that Hilleberg tents are designed for windy areas. If you want to use it in dry and warm areas as well I would recommend purchasing a mesh inner with it.

What sort of conditions and how many people?  Do you use trekking poles?  I also assume the 3000 is meters (so ~10,oooft)

Hilleberg makes great tents for extreme weather conditions and they are light weight for what they are, and to be honest are built for more extreme conditions than most of us will usually face, which makes them heavier than other options.

For ultralight quality and storm worthiness it’s hard to beat MLD  or HMG single pole mids.  For solo use I really like the MLD Solomid XL or Duomid in either DCF or Silnylon.  If you’re looking for a true two person shelter I ike the MLD Duomid XL, but the HMG Ultamid 2 would be a good option as well.  All are pretty bomber ultralight shelters – not as bomber as a Hilleberg, but good enough for 98% of the 3 season conditions we see in the US (and a lot of winter conditions too).  I know a few people have summited Denali using HMG Mids – I probably wouldn’t recommend that for the average user, but it’s nice to know they will hold up to pretty extreme conditions.

It’s true DCF has a limited lifespan, but that can be mitigated by rolling instead of stuffing, and using a slick sil-nylon stuff sack with it.   Even the most conservative estimates are DCF shelters last about 200 nights, which doesn’t sound like much but that’s more than one thru hike, or for most of us weekend warriors a decade at 20 nights a year  (or 5 years at 40 nights per year).

Brad, 3000ft elevation. I edited the original post.

If you’re interested in the Niak I’d also have a look at the slingfin portal. Little more bomber than the Niak, little bit better thought out, better in bad weather, bit more room inside, while being a touch lighter at the same time.

k

Kevin, I looked at the Portal. I just can’t find it in stock anywhere.

Good comments above. One poster asked if the elevation was above 3,000 feet or above 3,000 meters.  In Washington most everything at 3,000 meters is on a glacier.   More likely the OP meant feet.

The OP and others may not have experience with WA summer weather in the Mtns. also Washington weather above 3,000 feet is not like Colorado or the Rockies.  Some of those differences  could impact tent choices and recommendations.

Among other things, in my experience, compared to CO,  WA Mtns are wetter, milder – not as hot and at night usually less temperature decrease at night from daytime highs,  almost never thunderstorms, based on my experience WA presents less wind (excluding coastal locations).  Bugs can be bad but I’ve never experienced bugs equal to the Midwest or a bad spot in Colorado- but I also try to avoid bugs.

one might quibble with some of the above (for instance, in the summer in Colorado you may always get thunderstorms whereas  in Washington between July 10 and late August during a normal year i.e. “not” 2022, Washington can be bone dry with no afternoon rain at all ). but I’d stand by my observations on a general directional basis.

Hopefully that helps a little.  Also I have a couple of Hilleberg tents but no experience with the one in question.

I live in WA state and go backpacking all year round in the Mtns. For summer/ late spring/early fall use, I personally would not go for the Niak. Too expensive, and too small inside. I prefer to use either Tarptent Stratospire 2 or Durston Xmid2. The SS2 is now using a silPoly rain fly, that’s a plus. Plus, it is roomier inside than the Niak, and the vestibules are larger as well. When the weather turns bad you’ll appreciate the extra interior and vestibule room. Of course, this assumes that you are already using trekking poles. We camp at anywhere between 2000′ in the desert and 3000-7000′ in the Cascades.

Joey,  We are in a climate crisis that is only going to get worse.  So plan for the worst, as you have.  Part of that involved your choice of a self-supporting tent (often called ‘free-standing’, tho it is not).  Since you’ve made that choice, I won’t bore you with the flaws of T-pole supported tents.

Next come the issues of durability/strength, both over time and in severe weather; price; drypitch; and comfortable space inside.  Hilleberg may make Everest ready tents, but the Niak uses their lightest fabric.  There are other brands with strong and durable light weight fabric.

Next comes comfortable space.  For a basic wedge dome like the 2P Niak, look at the number of sq. feet of the inner floor and the inner height as compared to the same specs for others.

Next comes the price, and the Hillebergs will be substantially more.  If you find another brand that meets the other criteria for much less,  guess it depends on the size of your bank account and your desire for a Hilleberg.

Ability to pitch without getting the inner wet, or ‘dry pitch,’can make a very big difference, possibly even a life or death difference.  Despite glorious weather, it only takes one frightful storm to make the difference.  Like some other dry pitch tents, the Niak appears to have a big fiddle factor.  Check out the pitching videos on the Niak product page and decide for yourself.

So would also suggest a close look at the Big Sky International tents, like the 2P Evolution.  With any of the small companies, obtain a time to delivery estimate in a written email before shelling out for an order.  Please consider that small companies are not going to stock large inventories, though.

It may be too early to weigh your decision on polyester; but would suggest being sure that if you go with polyester, look for a minimum of 20 denier, as Dan Durston has done with his X-mids.  I have had silpoly’s  with less than 20 denier test repeatedly for much lower water resistance, as well as much lower strength.

One last thought; the self-supported tents with one hoop, and short struts to support the hoop as well as the two peaks, are not as stable as those with two hoops that cross overhead, and use one strut to support the peaks; but one or the other design is essential for keeping rain, especially blowing rain, out when getting in or out.  My own modified wedge dome, also uses a couple of carbon struts to stabilize the hoops between the peaks and the ground.

Sam, thanks for mentioning Big Ski International. Never heard of them but they seem right up my ally.

Slingfin portal uses a 15D nylon on the fly while the niak uses a 20D triple coated nylon. Not sure how the portal would be more wind resistant when you have a less resistant fly material.

3,000’ is low. The weather sounds mild. Why do you need a heavy tent? I’m at 6,600’ and use a TT SS. The Durston would probably work. Add a few stakes for the wind.

Joey,
Since commenting here last year, TarpTent has made some of its tents available in polyester. So would look at those also. If you haven’t yet bought a tent, you might look at the TarpTent Silpoly Double Rainbow DW, not quite fully free standing, but half the price and over a pound lighter than the Niak. The Rainbow is a seasoned design, going back to the phreeranger in Europe, and would be my choice for a 2 person tent if readily available from TarpTent,  and a suitable Big Sky tent was not.

Note that along with their durability issues, many of the DCF tents are single wall, and will get wet inside, especially when pinholes develop.

I ended up going with the slingfin portal. Worked very well for my needs.

Joey, I did not mention the Portal because as noted on another thread here, the 10D nylon material did not maintain its shape in severe weather.  Please let us know how the Portal works for you in severe weather.  Am looking for an ultra light weight material for a fly, so far without success.

That’s interesting about the “not maintaining its shape”. The new Slingfin NFT tarp is made of the same material and Ryan really praises the material here (around 7:30 minute mark) https://backpackinglight.com/the-gear-qa-spring-23-edition/?utm_source=drip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the+NFT+that+will+protect+you+in+a+storm.

@ Joey. I think Sam was referring to the testing he has done with 10D material, not testing of the Portal itself.  Like you,  have found my Portal 2 has held up quite well in wet and windy weather.  I do sometimes have to re-stake.

Bruce, that is correct with respect to the testing.  The 10D fabrics were identical, and overnight developed the usual fabric expansion issues associated with nylon.  Roger Caffin, Warmlite and others have developed sil-coated nylon tunnel tents that use tension to keep the fabric taut, especially in a storm.  Some are OK with that; but use of silpoly opens up more design possibilities, including design of self-supporting frameworks that would not work so well if the fabric became misshapen in severe weather.  Admittedly, quality of silpoly used for tents is not consistent; but am making progress with that.  Time will tell.