Where to see Hillegberg tents

Specifically for cycle touring subjects & questions
groberts
Posts: 588
Joined: 27 Apr 2009, 4:15pm
Location: Surrey
Contact:

Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by groberts »

I am considering upgrading from my modest but excellent Vango Banshee 300 to something bigger & better, with a decent porch. Inevitably the Hilleberg Nallo GT3 has caught my eye but before splashing what is, for a small tent, a lot of cash I'd like to see one erected. I live in East Surrey + make trips to Somerset from time to time - does anyone know of a retailer that would have the tent on show in either of these areas or London?

Whilst posting on this subject, can anyone also confirm what the Nallo poles are made of?

Thanks
User avatar
BeeKeeper
Posts: 1265
Joined: 29 Apr 2011, 6:45am
Location: South Devon

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by BeeKeeper »

My Nallo GT2 has aluminium poles.
b1galus
Posts: 79
Joined: 21 May 2009, 10:59pm

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by b1galus »

i have a few Hilleberg tents however if i was to add one i would add the Rogen gt for better venting in the summer i wouldn't buy a Nallo except for full on four season camping . sadly i live in edinburgh
or you could pop in and see a few pitched
rualexander
Posts: 2639
Joined: 2 Jul 2007, 9:47pm
Contact:

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by rualexander »

Any decent stockist should be prepared to let you see the tent pitched I would have thought.
A good source for more photos than most sites show is http://www.moontrail.com/tents/hilleberg_nallo3gt.php
profpointy
Posts: 528
Joined: 9 Jun 2011, 10:34pm

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by profpointy »

groberts wrote:I am considering upgrading from my modest but excellent Vango Banshee 300 to something bigger & better, with a decent porch. Inevitably the Hilleberg Nallo GT3 has caught my eye but before splashing what is, for a small tent, a lot of cash I'd like to see one erected. I live in East Surrey + make trips to Somerset from time to time - does anyone know of a retailer that would have the tent on show in either of these areas or London?

Whilst posting on this subject, can anyone also confirm what the Nallo poles are made of?

Thanks


Taunton leisure stock em - Bristol branch would be on your way, as might Taunton just about.

Unfortunately Hilleberg are worth the money. Superb quality, strength & size versus weight, design excellence - only snag is price
I ended up with 2.

If it's for two of you you don't necessarily need a 3 man as the Nallo 2 is pretty roomy, especially in GT format.
I've got a Nallo 2 (sans G) and a Kaitum 2 GT - the later for car camping or winter/Scotland carry in to a base camp style camping.

In retrospect I'd probably get a Kaitum 2 (sans GT) and use it for both purposes.

Poles are aluminium - and it is possible to break em if (very) careless. The culprit was a bridge engineer so perhaps she wasn't used to lightweight stuff. Easy fix, and there's a spare in the bag and replacements not expensive to be fair.

PS as a 6' tall chap, the nallo does not have a huge amount of foot room - enough but not loads, so you have to make sure your head is right up to the porch end to avoid touching the foot end causing dampness. If you're pretty tall, the dual porched Kaitums might be a better bet, GT or otherwise
User avatar
pjclinch
Posts: 5470
Joined: 29 Oct 2007, 2:32pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Contact:

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by pjclinch »

We have a Kaitum 3 rather than the Nallo GT. Smidge heavier and more expensive but two good porches/entrances, more inner volume and better venting. Fantastic tent, never regretted getting it.

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
groberts
Posts: 588
Joined: 27 Apr 2009, 4:15pm
Location: Surrey
Contact:

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by groberts »

At last I have managed to take a look at some Hilleberg tents at Taunton Leisure, who were kind enough to erect them in the shop for us to see. The two tents were the Anyan 3GT and the Nallo 3GT - I like the Kaitum 3 but not the extra weight.

It goes without saying they are top tents, my observations / queries would be:

Anyan - concerned that the porch and I think the tent has a largish gap at the bottom, perhaps making it vulnerable to wind and splash back? I suspect they've done it for ventilation, which otherwise is not as extensive as the Nallo.

Nallo - would be nice to have two entrances but at least the front of the porch opens + as mentioned above, ventilation looks superior to the Anyan. My one concern is the pockets / 'buckets' (I think that's what he called them) that the pole ends fit into rather than the metal rimed hole on Anyan - this would seem to be a weak point in the long run?
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by simonineaston »

groberts wrote:who were kind enough to erect them in the shop for us to see.
not surprised... :wink:
If you think the Nallo is better ventilated than the Anjan, then you had better revisit your understanding of the principles of ventilation. The idea is to promote the movement of air. The Nallo has an outer that reaches the ground all round, so not much air moves in and out of the tent, which makes it very weather-proof - a Plus. On the other hand, low levels of air flow mean the enormous quantities of moisture exhaled by the occupant/s don't get out, and instead, depending on the temperature and humidity, condense on the inside of the (non-beathable) outer - a Minus, in some peoples' opinion.
The makers attempt to compensate for this by adding vents, in the case of the Nallo, at front and to a limited extent at the back. However these vents are nowhere near as good at shifting air than a high cut outer. The Anjan's outer is deliberately cut so that it doesn't reach the ground, especially at the front which means there is much more air flow in and out of the tent than there is in a Nallo, and so it doesn't need the vents. The maker compensates for this, by a) allowing the outer to be tipped to either side by a few inches and b) advising users pitch it rear first into the wind. To compensate of the higher cut of the outer, the Anjan's ground sheet is higher than the Nallo's.
As you will have twigged by now, all tent design is a compromise so what you gain on the swings (air-flow), you lose on the round-a-bout (condensation), and vice versa, thus the Anjan 'suffers' less from condensation than the Nallo... in addition, the Anjan's front and back sections can be rolled right up and out of the way in a way that the Nallo's can't so the Anjan is a very well aired tent! Those pesky Swedes think of everything!!
I have used both, so do feel free to ask questions. :-)
Regarding the 'buckets', I wouldn't worry about their vulnerability; they're made from very-tough-stuff-indeed and make the Nallo slightly easier to use in terms of the popping in of the poles - the Nallo poles can be slid in from one side, whereas the Anjan poles need you (or someone) to be 'round the other side' to seat the pole in the opposite eyelet...
In summary I'd choose an Anjan if most of my trips were between April and Oct., and a Nallo if I did lots of winter trips.
BTW the recent trip to Brittany revealed a hitherto unsuspected feature of the high-cut outer, when I awoke at two to find my snuggly-buggly sleeping bag was shared between me and a squirrel - I think his snoring woke me up... serves me right for not doing up the inner! :roll:
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
groberts
Posts: 588
Joined: 27 Apr 2009, 4:15pm
Location: Surrey
Contact:

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by groberts »

Thanks Simon. The obvious question is - which do you prefer?

From my wife's perspective, for squirrel read rats or thieves! Notwithstanding, and assuming you have pitched end-on to the wind (which of course can change) does the raised /high cut outer tent have any other disadvantages you've experienced?

I believe I'm right in saying the Anjan has only one outer entrance? I like the idea of two entrances with the Kaitum but not the extra weight.
User avatar
honesty
Posts: 2658
Joined: 16 Mar 2012, 3:33pm
Location: Somerset
Contact:

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by honesty »

Missed this the first time or I would have pointed out that Taunton Leisure have a full tent display at Puxton park at the moment just outside Weston. Good of them to set it up in the shop though!
phil parker
Posts: 1033
Joined: 31 Dec 2009, 5:09pm
Location: Hants/Wilts

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by phil parker »

simonineaston wrote: not surprised... :wink:
If you think the Nallo is better ventilated than the Anjan, then you had better revisit your understanding of the principles of ventilation. The idea is to promote the movement of air. The Nallo has an outer that reaches the ground all round, so not much air moves in and out of the tent, which makes it very weather-proof - a Plus. On the other hand, low levels of air flow mean the enormous quantities of moisture exhaled by the occupant/s don't get out, and instead, depending on the temperature and humidity, condense on the inside of the (non-beathable) outer - a Minus, in some peoples'.......


An excellent [full] appraisal!

I own a few tents including a Nallo 2 GT and a Soulo from Hilleberg as well as other quality mountaineering tents. A good friend of mine has an Anjan 3 (not the GT) and I'm very impressed with it. If I was only cycling in UK, I would buy one and maybe the GT as it is so light for the space. Be aware that the footprint does not cover the porch area, which is somewhat surprising and a debatable notion?

I would agree that for most seasons in UK and under most conditions, the Anjan would be better for weight, ease and ventilation. I also use my tents in harsher conditions, which is why I have to compromise with the additional weight for a more robust tent on my cycling trips!
User avatar
simonineaston
Posts: 8003
Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
Location: ...at a cricket ground

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by simonineaston »

groberts wrote:Thanks Simon. The obvious question is - which do you prefer?

From my wife's perspective, for squirrel read rats or thieves! Notwithstanding, and assuming you have pitched end-on to the wind (which of course can change) does the raised /high cut outer tent have any other disadvantages you've experienced?

I believe I'm right in saying the Anjan has only one outer entrance? I like the idea of two entrances with the Kaitum but not the extra weight.

The Anjan & Nallo share identical layouts; both are single vestibule/entrance. If you want two, you should potter back to Taunton Leisure and ask them to put up a Kaitum for you. If I travelled regularly with the partner, that's what we'd use.
As for your question about preference, it's more about horses for courses - the Nallo's more weather-proof, the Anjan's more airy.
Some tents find favour with person A in circumstance X, the same tent will be reviled by person B in circumstance X. Which comment doesn't help much, I guess.
However, I can add that I do prefer tents with lots of air-flow, hence liking the Anjan. In the past I have used tents with similar attributes, for example the original Tadpole, from The North Face. I used one happily for a few years in spite of the fact that its high-cut fly, coupled with an inner with lots of mesh and a low groundsheet, meant I got splashed by driving rain on more than one occasion. Swings and Roundabouts again - I prefer the good airflow to the occasional little bit of rain coming in. I haven't used the Anjan in driving rain yet... I think it'll be OK, though. Interesting to note that those 2 weaknesses in the Tadpole - too much mesh and low groundsheet walls - have been specifically avoided in the Anjan.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
RonK
Posts: 190
Joined: 17 Sep 2011, 1:56pm

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by RonK »

If considering Hilleberg, then do yourself a favour and look also at the freestanding models - Allak and Staika. Excellent stability and cross-ventilation and a better fit on small tent pads.
The theory is simple: a) cycling is inherently fun, and b) the less weight you carry, the more fun it is.

Tour Journals, Articles and Blog: Whispering Wheels
User avatar
pjclinch
Posts: 5470
Joined: 29 Oct 2007, 2:32pm
Location: Dundee, Scotland
Contact:

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by pjclinch »

The trick with the free-standing ones is you are paying extra weight for the volume. The Allak weighs about the same as a Kaitum 3, which gives you far, far more inner space (which is why we have a Kaitum 3, and not an Allak!).

There are times and places where freestanding works better, but typically not when cycling IME. We have a Tarra we use for sea kayaking and canoeing as I was worried about limiting pitches, but cycle touring doesn't usually involve that sort of game (I'm sure there will be exceptions!). I think a lot of the demand for freestanding tents is about misplaced assumptions that other tents are considerably more limited for pitching.

Here's our Kaitum pitched on an inch of turf. I can't remember if we got as many as two pegs doing anything useful, for the most part it's pitched using rocks as anchors. In fact it's the sort of thing I used to think I'd need a free-standing tent for!

Image

Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...
leftpoole
Posts: 1492
Joined: 12 Feb 2007, 9:31am
Location: Account closing 31st July '22

Re: Where to see Hillegberg tents

Post by leftpoole »

:D http://www.pbase.com/leftpoole/tents
I owned a Hilleberg Akto which was brilliant. Due to age/health it was deemed to small. I tried various other tents and found fault with all! I had an Anjan and it is in my opinion a great tent as weight is low size is large and it does what it is supposed to do. It is very airy. I sold it and now have a Nallo 2 as I fear the rain and wind of less than Summer time would precail.
I at present have a Nallo 2, a Force Ten Nitro Lite 200 and a Force Ten Helium 2. All three are very very good tents.
The OP really needs to determine what he/she wants from a tent as in my fairly experienced life camping have found most tents do as required, but some are too small or too heavy.
Two doors are not a necessity and the most important thing is porch size for cooking and storage.
Regards,
John
Post Reply