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RF_ace
02-21-2013, 22:51
Would anyone have any experience with hilleberg tents? Just wondering if there are any solid performing 3-4 season tents under 4 pounds

leaftye
02-21-2013, 23:28
Have you looked at the Tarptent Scarpa?

Which aspects of a 4 season tent do you want?

RF_ace
02-21-2013, 23:32
Just to be able to survive a freak snow storm

leaftye
02-21-2013, 23:44
Just to be able to survive a freak snow storm

There are three aspects to that, and not all tents handle them as well.

1. Snow load. Either it will take a lot of snow, or it slides of more easily.

2. Spin drift. This means either sealing up tightly and/or having a solid fabric interior. A tent with a significant amount of netting that can't be covered would suffer from spin drift. Tents with solid interiors will be atrocious in the other three seasons. That's why the Scarpa can be used with separate inner tents that are made from netting or solid fabric.

3. Wind. Being able to stand up to wind is one part of it, but so is keeping the wind out so that the occupants don't suffer from wind chill. There's also the ease of putting it up in the wind. Tunnel tents are superior when pitched appropriately.

leaftye
02-22-2013, 00:02
Also note that some 4 season tents are only single season tents: the 4th season. One example is my Black Diamond Lighthouse.

The Lighthouse is 3.2 pounds, and is great with snow load, wind and spin drift. It's a great 4 season tent. If you don't know what you're doing when you're buying a 4 season tent, you might get this tent or something like it, and be severely disappointed. That's because this tent doesn't handle rain well. It can, and probably will, leak.

Other tents may not have that exact problem, but you're likely to find other things that make them less suitable or completely usable in other seasons.

ChuckBrown
02-22-2013, 03:26
I currently own two hilleberg tents and have used both on the trails. I have the Akto, which is a 2.5, pound, solo tent. Also I have Nallo gt, which is a two/three person tent. Both tents are three season, double walled(inner and outer tent. I have used the Nallo for winter snowshoeing type camping. These tents are by far, in my opinion, the best made tents available. They never leak, never had to seam seal them. On a cold thirty degree morning, you can feel the heat, when you step back in the tent. They retain you body heat very well. I'm only 5'3" tall and I fit in the Akto fine, I don't get that closed in feeling. My only problem is that they are not freestanding, but hilleberg now has the soulo and the allak which are free standing solo and two person tents. So now I am looking at one of those. Price is definitely something to think about, none of these tents are available for under four hundred dollars, unless you can find a used one. I will never use another brand of tents again.

RF_ace
02-22-2013, 07:03
Yes, I have learned my lesson about using sub par equipment in the mountains and have suffered the consequences. I get that some 4 season tents are good for alpine use only, no rain, so I have ruled that type of shelter out.

RF_ace
02-22-2013, 10:07
And I don't really care about self supporting due to I have yet to find a lightweight tent that is truly self supporting

MuddyWaters
02-25-2013, 23:29
#1 problem with free standing tents is the users often dont think they need to use the extra guylines and stakes.

When they dont, they eventually will become "kites"