Good quality tent

[mullinsm]

Well the Terra Nova Voyager arrived today and my first impressions are really good. It's a lot roomier than the Banshee, with plenty of headroom and elbow room too. Lying with my feet at the door end, there's a lot more space between my face and the tent inner and it's a far less claustrophobic experience. You might actually want to spend some time in this tent apart from just sleeping in it. Also, with The Banshee there was always the risk of pushing the inner into the fly with your feet and ending up with a soggy sleeping bag, but with this there's plenty of room at both ends for a six footer.

The only negatives are that it's not noticeably lighter than the Vango and I suspect if you changed the anorexic pegs that are supplied for something that wont bend at the first suggestion of hard ground that they'd be the same. Secondly, the pitching process is slower and more cumbersome than the old tent. Three poles instead of two and pitching the inner first then covering with the fly sheet might make for some serious swearing in windy, wet conditions whereas the Vango would go up in about 2 minute with the inner and outer as one.

On the whole though I'm really pleased with it. It overcomes the problems I had with the Vango and looks like it'll last a good few years if looked after. I wouldn't want to pay £400 for one, but at the price I got it, it's fine. It does however demonstrate what great value the Banshee is.

[Sweep]

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Http://www.blacks.co.uk/activities/1076 ... -tent.html

[PH]

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I doubt there's much wrong with it, even quite budget modern materials are up to the job (Just heavier) The tunnel design is simple and well tried and tested. The sloping roof means you soon loose the headroom, obvious I know but until you get in it you might not realise how much of a difference that makes. It's unclear from the link if the inner is fabric or mesh, I dislike too much but some like it. At £100 it's probably worth it if it ticks your boxes, if it ever sold for the full amount I think it would have been over priced.
The Wild Country Hoolie 2, can be had for a few quid more (Quick Google shows £123) I've seen a few and read a couple of reviews, it would probably be my choice for a tunnel tent around that price point.

http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and-s ... ie-2-tent/

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

Views on this:

Http://www.blacks.co.uk/activities/1076 ... -tent.html

I doubt there's much wrong with it, even quite budget modern materials are up to the job (Just heavier) The tunnel design is simple and well tried and tested. The sloping roof means you soon loose the headroom, obvious I know but until you get in it you might not realise how much of a difference that makes. It's unclear from the link if the inner is fabric or mesh, I dislike too much but some like it. At £100 it's probably worth it if it ticks your boxes, if it ever sold for the full amount I think it would have been over priced.
The Wild Country Hoolie 2, can be had for a few quid more (Quick Google shows £123) I've seen a few and read a couple of reviews, it would probably be my choice for a tunnel tent around that price point.

http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/tents-and-s ... ie-2-tent/

You need to look again at the specs of those two tents?
The specs are very similar but for the fact that the blacks is a foot wider.......................height? I might of missed something.

[PH]

Hi,
You need to look again at the specs of those two tents?
The specs are very similar but for the fact that the blacks is a foot wider.......................height? I might of missed something.

I'm not sure I do need to look again, I didn't say they were identical, usual advice of course is to have a look at and inside them. Different manufacturers may well measure in different ways, I hadn't noticed the obvious width difference, though the Hoolie doesn't seem to have such a tapered end. I'm not expecting anyone to buy a tent on my recommendation, what I'd hope to do is give them a suggestion for one to add to the shortlist. The reviews for the Hoolie do IMO warrant a place on any such list and there's a few of them to look at.

[willem jongman]

The trade off between weight and space imposes tough choices, particularly for solo use. Who has not been tempted by the 1 kg weight of tents like the Laser? But look at the space you get for that, and I at least am no longer so too keen. I am a card carrying advocate of the ultralight creed, but I waver when it comes to tents. The extra comfort that you get from just a bit larger tent is hard to ignore. It begins even with 1 kg tents: the new Hilleberg Enan is undoubtedly the most spacious of its type and compared to the Akto cleverly reallocates volume in favour of a bit more height. Even so, I find it hard to imagine myself holed up in it in bad weather. My camping is mostly in nw Europe, and for me the crucial question is how I could imagine myself getting in and out of it in the rain, and taking off a wet jacket before getting into the safety of the inner tent when the door in the flysheet is still open.
If money is no object, and if you are not camping in extreme conditions, the new Hilleberg Niak or the slightly older Anjan 2 would fit the bill very nicely for spacious solo use. In fact, that is what I am currently also looking for. I have been a Hilleberg user for many years, and have never been disappointed (by the sturdier and heavvier Keron 4gt and Nammatj 3gt). But how often do I go alone, and does that justify the investment? The Helsport Ringstind 2 Light is also very spacious (and excellent if you are tall) for rather less, and the basic (i.e. not 'light') version is even cheaper. Helsport quality is comparable to Hilleberg (we also have a Helsport Rondane 3, but that tent is light because it is too low). If I were a walker I would immediately go for the Enan or a similar 1 person tent. And if budget mattered a lot I would get the Laser 2 in the current TN sale. However, as a cyclist I think the Ringstind 2 light is the perfect spacious solo tent, and certainly for the price.

[BE1]

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Just for you or for sharing? If the later I would be tempted by the Lodge 2 which Blacks have for £89 (and possibly another 10 off if today's discount applied to already reduced stock)

[Mattie]

I like the design of the TN Laser Comp, but found the only weakness is the hot weather capability - if using it in Southern European summers it can get very hot.

So I think I will be getting the similar looking Hilleberg Enan, for that reason. It will not be used in the UK much, so more concerned about hot weather holidays in South of France, with the odd bit of bad weather.

A pity because the Enan is going to be a lot more expensive than the Laser Comp, but for a very similar looking tent !!

[PH]

I like the design of the TN Laser Comp, but found the only weakness is the hot weather capability - if using it in Southern European summers it can get very hot.

So I think I will be getting the similar looking Hilleberg Enan, for that reason. It will not be used in the UK much, so more concerned about hot weather holidays in South of France, with the odd bit of bad weather.

A pity because the Enan is going to be a lot more expensive than the Laser Comp, but for a very similar looking tent !!

What will make the Enan a cooler tent?
If I was looking for something where ventilation was more important than bad weather capability, I'd be looking at US designed tents, it does seem to be a major difference.

[Mattie]

What will make the Enan a cooler tent?
If I was looking for something where ventilation was more important than bad weather capability, I'd be looking at US designed tents, it does seem to be a major difference.

The Hilleberg Enan has a completely mesh inner door. And it has ventilation openings at both ends of the outer tent - that can be opened and closed. This is probably the reason why it is designated a three season tent - better suited to normal seasonal camping than trips into the winter snow. If it gets hot, you could leave the outer open completely, and still be snug, away from bugs, behind your mesh inner door.

The TN Laser Comp has an inner door with a partial mesh panel, probably only to help with condensation. And, the ends of the outer tent do not have any ventilation openings. So when it gets hot, there is not much you can do about it other than leave both inner and outer door open - or take the inner down completely and sleep on that, which is what I had to do in Italy one year !

You are right, the US designs seem to be mostly all mesh inners, which is great for hot weather. But if it gets cold I will need a bigger warmer sleeping bag. So, personally the Enan seems a good compromise. Anyway, that is the plan, and it would not be the first time that I have sold a tent on this forum, after one year of it not working out like I thought it would !!

[PH]

after one year of it not working out like I thought it would !!

It's a shame when that happens and it doesn't matter how much research you do sometimes the only way you'll find out is in use. I had the same with a Golite Hex, loved the idea, knew for a year I'd get one, knew after the first three nights that it wasn't for me...
Better luck with the Hille

[CyclingTerrier]

I haven't seen anything with such big wide doors, the best feature

I like. What model this???!?!

Wide enough for you?

[andrew_s]

I like. What model this???!?!

It's a Hilleberg Kaitum 3
(assuming it was you that asked, after the somewhat mangled quoting)

The photo is from Moontrail, a US retailer who has taken their own particularly comprehensive set of photos for all the models they sell, rather than just re-using the manufacturer's photos as most retailers do. If you go to browse, note that Hilleberg don't allow US sellers to sell to Europe.

[CyclingTerrier]

Cheers pal.
Might come in handy this info as I'm flying to Vancouver to ride America in the summer!

[mullinsm]

I"ve just completed my first tour using the new Terra Nova Voyager and I found it to be a great tent and a marked improvement on the Banshee it replaced. It takes a little longer to erect but still under 5 mins from start to finish and it packs away really easily. Plenty of room for me and all of my kit and lots of room to sit up. My only complaint is the lack of any way of keeping the outer door out of the way completely. It has a fastener for you to use one zip only, but if you want to open both zips and roll the door up to the top, there's no way of holding it there. A minor bug-bear though from an otherwise excellent tent.