Tent Advice

[Mudd Foot]

Can’t go wrong with snt of the following; SO Silex, Durston XMid 1p or 2p, BA Copper Spur 2p.


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[thinhorn_AK]

I’ve got a hilleberg allak which is basically a 2 person soulo but I think one of them stone glacier sky scrapers looks pretty good.

 

[AKDoc]

I’ve got a hilleberg allak which is basically a 2 person soulo but I think one of them stone glacier sky scrapers looks pretty good.

I always think of the Hilleberg Allak as a lighter version of the Staika (by a pound and a half)...looks to be the same design and features, but I could be wrong. Given the OP's questions regarding his intended tent purpose, I didn't mentioned the Staika earlier because it certainly didn't fit his needs...it is way, way too heavy!

However, I'll mention now for others with perhaps similar hunting needs as mine that I have a Hilleberg Staika that I use solo for certain hunts, and my hunting partner has one as well. For sheep hunts and extended remote pack-raft floats I've used and will continue to use a KUIU Mountain-Star or a 4-man SO. That said, while I also really like and utilize my other tents, the Staika is the most bomb-proof tent that I have ever owned, and I suspect the relatively lighter 3-season Allak is somewhat similar.

I'm on year seven with my 4-season Staika, and every year it sees a lot of mixed field time...from a few one-week canoe transport spring bear hunts on the snow slides in southcentral AK, a couple of 10-day Kodiak mountain goat and black-tail hunts, and yearly remote two-week drop moose camps in western AK. Numerous times I have been in absolutely hellacious wind, rain, and snow in that tent in totally remote settings, where I must remain until the wx breaks for my pick-up. Many of us know those moments in the field...laying there in your sleeping bag listening all night to your tent getting continuously slammed by extremely high winds with even greater gusts, and pre-thinking through your actions if it collapses....but my Staika has never failed me in any way...and it vents extremely well, even as a 4-season tent. I will always speak high praise for the Staika because I am convinced it has saved me from a miserable survival experience more than once...and perhaps even saved my life. Despite the really hefty price tag, I am very glad that I bought it for my intended hunting needs.

...just a few Alaska pics with my Staika buddy...



(My apologies to the OP and others if my post is too far off-track...it's a long winter here in Alaska!)

 

[Southern Lights]

I'm going to save you some money because you'll end up here anyway if you spend any time in tents over a length of time: Buy a Hilleberg.

I have seen 3 season tents get destroyed in windstorms. I have seen others leak and fail in many other ways and give the owners miserable night sleeps and leave them wet and cold. The last 3 season tent I ever used had the typical rain fly you put on after you pitch the tent design. It got drenched inside with water when I was putting it up in horrible weather and my sleeping gear stayed wet as it was impossible to dry inside.

After that I switched to Hilleberg which pitches fly first with the internal attached. You can put it up in horrible weather and not get the inside wet. You can do it in bad wind. You can do it with gloves on. You can do it with one hand most likely. They are strong and light for the strength they give. There's a reason why Hilleberg tents are used routinely in places like Antarctica.

Let me digress a bit on tent weight and why I only use four season tents now even in good expected weather.

People always talk about their survival kit and list off knives, fire making, signalling, etc. But your most important pieces of survival gear actually are:

1) Your shelter.
2) Your sleeping bag/insulated clothing/raingear.

This is because weather exposure is what will get you into trouble the fastest. If you get lost, get injured, get caught in a freak storm and you can get out of the weather and stay warm you will be OK. But, if your shelter and insulation fail, you are in bad shape and your Bic lighter and cotton balls aren't going to save you.

I say the above because I think all these lightweight shelters people use are just silly and dangerous. It sounds cool to sit out in the wild with a 8 oz. tarp and dental floss tie downs, but you have no margin of safety if things go wrong. And when things do go wrong, you absolutely need a good shelter to protect you and not be messing around with some half baked designs that are out there.

Even these advertised weights of ultralight shelters are all BS. As soon as the fabrics get into the UV exposure the fabric begins to breakdown and get weaker. The tent may be OK for one season, but after a couple seasons they have lost lots of strength and are ready to cause trouble. Hilleberg doesn't use lighter fabrics because they know the UV issue is serious and again want margin of safety for their users .They don't care if people think their gear is heavier than brand X because they know people who buy their tents expect a level of safety and performance and won't try to compete on weight alone.

With the above said, I have the Akto, Soulo and Kaitum 2 tents and I carry all of them on backpack hunts for single or multi user. They are not that much heavier than many designs and far stronger. I use the Akto tent as my lightweight good weather expected tent (but it is a true 4 season tent). I use the Soulo if I think I'm going to a place that is going to get bad wind or storms (e.g. above timberline or other exposed area/snow). The Kaitum 2 is all season 2 man luxury.

The Soulo tent for instance was used by someone that did a solo winter climb of Denali. Maybe you're not doing a solo winter climb of Denali, but it feels good to know if are getting smashed with bad weather that you don't have to worry about your tent and can relax.

The above is a long way of saying to just buy a Hilleberg four season and know you'll be OK if things are not going OK. Don't skimp on your shelter, especially if you are expecting to use it in alpine altitudes and conditions.

 

[AK Troutbum]

No reason why you can’t have the best of both worlds, 4 season bomber construction and pretty light wt. I have two of these and although I’ve never experienced the 160mph winds that they’re rated for, I have had one of them in some pretty fierce storms with zero concerns. They also vent very well, so deal well with condensation, and 100% made in USA.

Custom Two-Person Four Season Tent

Two Person Four Season Tent Lightest and most storm resistant tents you can find in the world, featuring an elliptical ARC Shape for wind stability and aerodynamic design. Easy to Use: Fast and easy setup with two permanently curved poles which slip easily into full-length sleeves. Tent ca

www.warmlite.com

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[AKDoc]

No reason why you can’t have the best of both worlds, 4 season bomber construction and pretty light wt. I have two of these and although I’ve never experienced the 160mph winds that they’re rated for, I have had one of them in some pretty fierce storms with zero concerns. They also vent very well, so deal well with condensation, and 100% made in USA.

Custom Two-Person Four Season Tent

Two Person Four Season Tent Lightest and most storm resistant tents you can find in the world, featuring an elliptical ARC Shape for wind stability and aerodynamic design. Easy to Use: Fast and easy setup with two permanently curved poles which slip easily into full-length sleeves. Tent ca

www.warmlite.com

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Thanks AKTb for putting this made in the USA option out there for dedicated oz counters to consider when looking for a 4-season tent, especially those heading to potentially intense wx settings.

I sincerely share in efforts to buy local and made in the USA as much as I can when the product design, quality, etc. fit my intended purposes...and at minimum to do my very best, when possible these days, to not buy products made in a specific country in particular (not bashing here, just stating my personal prefernce...to each their own, respectfully).

It's ultimately all about our own personally prioritized product features and preferences when we buy. The Hilleberg Staika (or likely the somewhat lighter Allak) has well exceeded all my criteria and specific Staika needs for 7 years and many, many trips...which thankfully are still continuing this year for the Staika and me!!

 

[Linetrash]

I was caught in a Nov snowstorm in CO in my supertarp. Never again. The snowloading capability is about zero. Had there been strong winds to accompany the snow, i'd have feared for my safety in a down bag. Not confidence inspiring. Fine for Sept, but never again in Nov, at least for me.

Thats crazy! I’ve been on the fence about getting a super tarp and annex for early season archery and October/November hunts with a stove. What exactly happened?

 

[Ram94]

I was caught in a Nov snowstorm in CO in my supertarp. Never again. The snowloading capability is about zero. Had there been strong winds to accompany the snow, i'd have feared for my safety in a down bag. Not confidence inspiring. Fine for Sept, but never again in Nov, at least for me.

I see this trend a lot on most of these shelter threads. Any old shelter is great and then the weather turns really nasty and a Hilleberg is on the docket. I had that same “never again” moment this past season with a floorless/stove combo in a snowstorm.
Proud new owner of a Nallo 3GT.

 

[shoeshineman]

I see this trend a lot on most of these shelter threads. Any old shelter is great and then the weather turns really nasty and a Hilleberg is on the docket. I had that same “never again” moment this past season with a floorless/stove combo in a snowstorm.
Proud new owner of a Nallo 3GT.

Ha! Same here! This past couple years Ive had the high-speed bivy+tarp and then got a whoopin this past colorado september. Bought a hille off a motorcycle guy a couple months later.

These "pretty good / good enough for me / always worked for me" shelters are great....until you get a good old fashioned ass whoopin.

 

[accuracy]

REI guys are pretty dang knowledgable and I shop there knowing I pay more since they generally go above and beyond for CS, also they seem to be more willing to work with you on stuff that is REI branded, since it costs them a lot less obviously. Ie: stuff like more willing to exchange out and upgrade to something newer/better . or use a coupon that is ineligible for whatever reason.

plus when the rei branded stuff go on clearance in store, its friggin cheap anyways.

 

[Vandy321]

You m

REI guys are pretty dang knowledgable and I shop there knowing I pay more since they generally go above and beyond for CS, also they seem to be more willing to work with you on stuff that is REI branded, since it costs them a lot less obviously. Ie: stuff like more willing to exchange out and upgrade to something newer/better . or use a coupon that is ineligible for whatever reason.

plus when the rei branded stuff go on clearance in store, its friggin cheap anyways.

The same REI that is pro-wolf, anti hunting, anti gun? They dont even try to hide it. That's a hard pass from me.

 

[accuracy]

You m

The same REI that is pro-wolf, anti hunting, anti gun? They dont even try to hide it. That's a hard pass from me.

Not surprising. However in CA that's essentially every one and every business. haha

 

[Southern Lights]

Ha! Same here! This past couple years Ive had the high-speed bivy+tarp and then got a whoopin this past colorado september. Bought a hille off a motorcycle guy a couple months later.

These "pretty good / good enough for me / always worked for me" shelters are great....until you get a good old fashioned ass whoopin.

The thing is I think a lot of us have heard the siren song of the lightweight shelter. I tried them out after reading Ray Jardine and ultralight hiking.

The issue you get into is you get this tarp and it's 1 lb. and you think that's awesome. Then you need to add 8 ozs. of cordage. Plus a little more just in case you need to do some weird pitch. It has no poles so you have to use hiking poles. Well if you don't normally take poles you now need to carry them. That's 1 lb. at least. What's that? You want to leave your shelter up while you hike in for a hunt and leave all your gear you don't need for a day hunt in the tent? Well you now are taking your poles for hiking so you get this flat tarp and no good way to store your gear dryly.

Next of course you don't want to be sleeping on the dirt and damp so you need some kind of ground sheet. Another 8ozs at least.

Well, it might rain and with the open sides of the shelter you can get your sleep system and clothing wet. You need a bivvy now to keep it dry. Another 1lb.

Those mosquitos are really annoying, I should bring a head net. Wait, I can't change or relax in my shelter without all my clothes on now as I get bitten. Better bring a whole shelter bug net. 1 lbs.

All tucked in a ready to go! Oh no, the condensation on this floorless single wall design is horrible. Every time a drop of rain water hits the outside it shakes condensation droplets all over me and my gear inside. Better get that double wall upgrade. 1lb.

By the time you add it all up you are at least at the weight of the Hilleberg if not more. And there is no way it will be safer in bad weather than a tent engineered for those conditions as one complete unit.

 

[Vandy321]

The thing is I think a lot of us have heard the siren song of the lightweight shelter. I tried them out after reading Ray Jardine and ultralight hiking.

The issue you get into is you get this tarp and it's 1 lb. and you think that's awesome. Then you need to add 8 ozs. of cordage. Plus a little more just in case you need to do some weird pitch. It has no poles so you have to use hiking poles. Well if you don't normally take poles you now need to carry them. That's 1 lb. at least. What's that? You want to leave your shelter up while you hike in for a hunt and leave all your gear you don't need for a day hunt in the tent? Well you now are taking your poles for hiking so you get this flat tarp and no good way to store your gear dryly.

Next of course you don't want to be sleeping on the dirt and damp so you need some kind of ground sheet. Another 8ozs at least.

Well, it might rain and with the open sides of the shelter you can get your sleep system and clothing wet. You need a bivvy now to keep it dry. Another 1lb.

Those mosquitos are really annoying, I should bring a head net. Wait, I can't change or relax in my shelter without all my clothes on now as I get bitten. Better bring a whole shelter bug net. 1 lbs.

All tucked in a ready to go! Oh no, the condensation on this floorless single wall design is horrible. Every time a drop of rain water hits the outside it shakes condensation droplets all over me and my gear inside. Better get that double wall upgrade. 1lb.

By the time you add it all up you are at least at the weight of the Hilleberg if not more. And there is no way it will be safer in bad weather than a tent engineered for those conditions as one complete unit.

You have a point, sir..

Supertarp, annex, 23 groundhog stakes, 15ft guy line each side, 3x8 tyvek ground cloth and black diamond carbon cork = 4lb

Hilleberg Soulo total packed weight 5lb 5oz... Its about 4# total setup for summer if you leave the inner tent at home.

Pretty crazy the quality and safety you get for that extra 20oz.

 

[Southern Lights]

You have a point, sir..

Supertarp, annex, 23 groundhog stakes, 15ft guy line each side, 3x8 tyvek ground cloth and black diamond carbon cork = 4lb

Hilleberg Soulo total packed weight 5lb 5oz... Its about 4# total setup for summer if you leave the inner tent at home.

Pretty crazy the quality and safety you get for that extra 20oz.

My Hilleberg Akto is 3lbs 10ozs. exactly. It's a true four season shelter. Not as strong as the Soulo (mine also about 5.1lbs), but WAY better than any tarp/single wall solo shelter I've seen. I've spent many nights in the Akto and for the weight and strength it's hard to beat. If I'm going into an area with known bad weather, strong winds or above timberline I'd take the Soulo in a second if I was alone or the Kaitum 2 if with a buddy. You couldn't pay me to take an ultralight tarp setup over the Hillebergs. These ultralight setups are not worth the theoretical weight savings.