Hilleberg Tents were to buy

[kurt]

Looking at getting a Nallo 2, is there any Australian retailers or am I better to import? If so could anyone recommend a reliable site to purchase?

[frenchy_84]

i bought mine from moontrail, good service and with there points system i got a "free" exped synmat 7

[DaveNoble]

You can order them from Hilleberg - and they will ship to Australia -

http://www.hilleberg.com

and choose the USA/Australia etc site

Dave

[tasadam]

I bought mine from Moontrail as well.
Same online price as Hilleberg, except that Moontrail give you 55 points, which you can cash on $55 discount at the checkout, see THIS post.
Hope that helps.

[kurt]

I'm looking at getting it from Moontrail the points this is cool, and your getting somthing extra for all that cash!

just trying to work out if the Nallo 3 would be better than 2! grrrr

[Nuts]

Watch for a possible relative bump with the shipping cost when adding extra 'stuff'
The 3 is a lot m ore room for a couple of hundred grams.

[frenchy_84]

The 3 is a lot m ore room for a couple of hundred grams.

but the 2 is spacious enough for 2 people

[Nuts]

Yer, I guess most people would be happy enough with the Nallo2. Bit less weight, more useful for solo and warmer in winter, easier to find a spot to pitch.
How tall are you Frenchy? Adam seems ok with his, im more or less ok with it (at around 180cm)... For the taller timber the 3 seems to stay a bit bigger at the foot end (which can get a bit damp around the feet).

[frenchy_84]

i better start by saying i have only used my nallo on 2 occasions so far and im still mastering the best pitching technique. Im 6 foot 2 and on the first night i didnt get the foot end pitched tight enough so i got dampish feet (i was on anne shelf camp so pitching a non free standing tent isnt ideal). but the other night i didnt have a problem with damp feet

[Nuts]

It does help (a little bit) if you can tie out/up that rear centre tie. It also helps to keep as much ventilation as possible with the standard inner. No worries with a DWR coated sleeping bag (or a bit of angle when solo).

[rucksack]

I'm in agreement with Nuts on this. I have used a Nallo 2 for the past two years and ventilation is often an issue for me. The outer tent comes right down to the ground and there is only one high level vent, which means, of course, it is only ever facing in one direction. You have to think about how you are going to pitch the tent, so as to catch any breeze that might be happening. I have found that unzipping the 'back' end and tieing back the two resulting 'triangular panels'' is almost mandatory if you want to minimise condensation overnight. It's a great tent and I have put it through its paces on some extended winter trips, but I think that the design of its 'back' end (inner & outer) is not the tent's strongest suite (and that is leaving aside the 'damp foot' syndrome mentioned in above posts). Even if you unzip the triangular cover in the back end of the inner tent, so as to reveal the mesh panel, the problem of how to move the air through the tent still exists. The Nallo 2 has had, (and still receives), rave reviews, so obviously users around the world either find a way around the ventilation/condensation issue, or ignore it (or, it doesn't 'happen' for them). I have never had any drips or leaks into the inner of my Nallo 2, but I have in the vestibule. It's a work-in-progress, I think.

rucksack

[tasadam]

How "open" do you keep your front door? Depending on the amount of wind about, ours can remain quite open. Don't really get any significant condensation.

[rucksack]

Tasadam, you mean the outer 'front' door, don't you? Well, if it's decent weather, I often leave it quite open and then the condensation is minimised. In fact, if there is a solid breeze all night, there isn't any condensation. However, if the weather is a little more wayward, well, I zip the front door up enough that rain cannot come into the vestibule. That's the recipe for condensation, of course, especially if it's just rain and not much wind. If you mean the inner 'door' (which I don't think that you do), well, I generally just use the mesh with the fabric tied back, unless the temperature is really plummeting. If I compare my Nallo 2 to my Macpac Olympus (and I have had three of the latter and still use one when I know the snow will be heavy), the high vents at either end of the Olympus outer seem to work better in facilitating a flow through of air - that, and the fact that the outer on the Olympus doesn't reach down to the ground, as it does on the Nallo. I think that this latter design feature of the Nallo 2 means that there is less chance of getting air to easily move through and around the space between the outer and inner tents. This is all very anecdotal of course, but my Nallo 2 just seems to suffer condensation 'issues' on a regular basis. At first, I thought that I might have a leak in the vestibule, but even after some serious seam sealing, the 'problem' persists. This problem, (if I can call it that), only effects the vestibule. The inner has never been an issue in terms of dripping or leaking, but 'outside' in the vestibule, it can get a little wet some nights. I use a Nallo 2 Footprint, so the water just lies around until I do something about it in the morning. As I say, it's a work-in-progress.

rucksack

[ninjapuppet]

hmmm.. interesting.

Rucksack why have you had 3 Macpacs? was it just general wear and tear over the years that prompted you to get new ones??



and to Kurt, As I posted earlier, you can get a great 15% discount on moosejaw's Hilleberg tents by using the code "SPAD15" to get a whole 15% off.
They had a few nallo 2 before but they ran out. They dont have alot of models available, but they're always getting new Hillebergs in so check back frequently.

Ive never owned a proper tunnel tent, but I am eyeing that kaitum 2 or 3. I hear it doesnt suffer as much from condensation due to the vents at both the ends.

[ILUVSWTAS]

hmmm.. interesting.

Rucksack why have you had 3 Macpacs? was it just general wear and tear over the years that prompted you to get new ones??




Ive never owned a proper tunnel tent, but I am eyeing that kaitum 2 or 3. I hear it doesnt suffer as much from condensation due to the vents at both the ends.

I believe he is somewhat of a gear freak.

And not sure about other tunnel tents, but my Minaret is the only tent i've owned that never used to suffer any condensaiton.

I also have a Hilleberg Akto and also a Terra Nove Photon Elite and they both get some.

[rucksack]

Ain't that the truth ILUVSWTAS! Recovering gear tragic. Ninjapuppet, as to the 3 Macpac Olympus tents, I wore the first one completely out; it had a huge amount of use and was finally destroyed by sunlight degrading the nylon and the stitching of the outer. It lasted seven years though, so I couldn't complain because, at that time, it was the only tent that I owned, so it went literally everywhere. My second Olympus, which is quite elderly now, is actually still alive, but nylon again and the outer fabric stretched so much over time that it is now impossible to get a taught pitch. In winter, when it is wet, the inner and outer tents touch over quite an extensive area. My third Olympus has a polyester outer and it is still going strong. It has been repaired a few times (was blown off the Western Arthurs once necessitating a very interesting retrieval), but it is fine and a favourite. I think that having the vents high up at both ends of the outer tent is a factor in mitigating condensation. On that reasoning, you might find the Kaitum has less condensation issues, but that is only an opinion. My first Olympus was single vestibule-single door and much less versatile; the second & third were/are double vestibule-double door tunnel tents and condensation has never been a real problem.

rucksack

[Nuts]

The condensation is never bad enough to be an issue with the Nallo inner tent. Its more being too long and pressing the foot against the outer. I probably wouldnt choose a heavier model just from that.... from what ive seen, the mesh inner tends to let air flow through better for the 9/12ths of the year is warm enough (here). This to the point where iv'e never really noticed excess condensation actually dripping from the fly.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Deleted.

[rucksack]

Very nice Phillipsart. Very nice. I am taking my Nallo 2 for a little walk up Daming Shan this weekend. (No need to look that up .. it's a bit of a hill in the north east of Zhejiang Province about 5 hours drive from Shanghai and quite close to the East China Sea.) Your Nammatj 2GT has high vents at either end of the outer, as does the Kaitum. I am starting to think this is somewhat of an advantage as compared with the Nallo. As I say, mine is still a work-in-progress and I might yet find a 'solution' this weekend, but I do like the red colour of your Nammatj and no condensation is always good.

rucksack

[Orion]

I am starting to think this is somewhat of an advantage as compared with the Nallo.

I wish they made a version of the Nammatj with the lighter material and poles. I'd have bought that instead of a Nallo even though it would have weighed a little more. It's not just the ventilation, the Nammatj also doesn't have the sloping roof. It even has a smaller footprint as it is a little bit shorter.

But Hilleberg already makes so many tents.

[tasadam]

If you mean the inner 'door' (which I don't think that you do), well, I generally just use the mesh with the fabric tied back,

I was actually talking about the inner door.
It surprises me that you would have condensation issues with just the mesh on the inner door.

Re the outer door, we generally move both zips up to the top, and undo each enough for the flap to hang down, meaning the little hood with the wire in it covers up any vertically falling rain just in case. As you do by the sound of it

I zip the front door up enough that rain cannot come into the vestibule

If it's warm or guaranteed fine, we can leave that outer door undone further and watch the stars.
Normally the back of the tent is opened fully - that is, the triangle window fully open, the zip flaps on the outer at the back are opened and tied, and the rear guy is tied tight.
Only exception was at Moonlight Ridge and Pigsty Ponds where the wind was (and always seems to be) exceptional.

[tasadam]

Wow, look at all that vestibule space, cool!

[Nuts]

ent had a katium he might part with? It is looonggg though They All get condensation given the right conditions. They are a true four season tent, that's the trade-off. It doesnt matter that much though does it?

[luke_vic]

btw - where is Ent???? I can't imagine him selling the Kaitum though??!!

[rucksack]

Tasadam ... yes, it is a slightly puzzling problem. Whenever it rains, there is persistent leaking into the vestibule. The water runs down (and drips off) the two internal black elastic loops that are sewn inside either side of the outer front door. (These loops help hold back the unzipped front door of the outer.) This leaking has been going on since I bought the tent in April 2009. The complication is that I cannot decide whether it is rain or condensation, because on each occasion that I can recollect, the humidity was high, or the air was very still .. i.e. 'perfect' conditions for condensation. It wouldn't be such a problem save for the fact that the amounts of water are not insignificant. On the Wilmot Range last month, I ended up with over 500ml of water in two trangia pots that I placed beneath those loops when it started to rain. That was 500ml after just one hour of steady but light rain in admittedly very still conditions. I have spoken with Hilleberg a couple of times and seam sealed the whole front door zip and the stitching on the various ties and Velcro around inside and outside of the front door, but the problem persists. Hilleberg think that it is likely to be condensation and the two loops are interrupting the condensation running down the inside of the outer on its 'gravitational journey' to the ground. They may be right, but half a litre an hour (when it is sustained), means that the vestibule gets very wet and the water does pool on my Footprint. Not much fun. I am using the tent this coming weekend on a climb of Daming Shan (Daming Mountain) near the east coast of Zhejiang Province, close by to the East China Sea. I will be up over 2,000 metres and there is no rain forecast, nor any wind .. the sort of conditions that are obviously conducive to condensation in 4 season tents like the Nallo 2. It's basically a process of elimination, I think, but it it strange that I only ever get this leaking when it is raining. I am sure that I will eventually sort it all out. I have 5 tents (yes tragic), so I am not overly stressed, but I quite like the Nallo 2. Save for this leaking issue, the tent is very well made, light, easy to put up and has shrugged off some very sustained and fierce winds without any problems. Three of my five tents are 4 season, so I am quite familar with the waterproofness vs condensation compromises of such tents and I am more or less relaxed about that, but there is quite a bit of leaking into the vestibule when it rains and I would like to fix that. When I got back to Shanghai after last month's walk, I did a very thorough (and complete) seam seal of the front zip and anything that was sewn into or through the outer around the door and especially around the area of those two elastic loops. It's a process of elimination, I think. I will see how it goes this weekend.

As to the rear of the tent, yes it is always unzipped unless the weather is being overly difficult. And yes, the vestibule leaks when the back is completely unzipped .. and when the solid inner door is unzipped and tied back too, leaving just a full mesh door to the inner. It's a puzzle. I may, of course, just have purchased a 'Friday afternoon' tent. Lucky me.

rucksack

[tasadam]

Based on the quantity of water and the fact that you have the back open all the time, I would not be discounting the possibility of it being a leak moreso than condensation.
At least for your journey, the forecast is good so you can leave your main door (outer) fairly open.
At those altitudes, does it still get that humid? Not familiar with conditions over there.
I know the elastic loops you speak of, and use them often. I will keep an eye on them the next time I am in the tent in the rain and report back.

[rucksack]

Thanks tasadam. The weekend forecast is for clear weather, no rain and low humidity, but I will keep an eye on the levels. I have had exactly the same thought all along, but Hilleberg is more inclined to think that it is condensation. As I said, I have completely seam sealed the front door now, so I am working on the theory that I have at least two more 'tests' to go; one is this weekend when (hopefully) there will be no rain. If there is no condensation and no leaking, then the thesis that it is a normal, everyday, ordinary leak will certainly loom large. Then, I will wait for a wet day and put the tent up and watch. If the leaking starts again (and through the same locations), I think that it will be fairly conclusive proof that I am not dealing with condensation, or more correctly, not only dealing with condensation. Then again, having done a such a serious seam sealing job this time, even if there is no leaking this weekend and no leaking when it rains next time, I may never know the truth of it all! I may well be on a long journey.

rucksack

[ULWalkingPhil]

Over the past week while hiking The Great Walk at Fraser Island, I stored most of my gear in the large Vestibule including camera's, all remained dry, Very strange your getting so much water in your vestibule rucksack.

First two nights was very warm with high humidity no wind. I had my Hilliberg setup with the two vents open but with the fly screen still attached, the large door on the outer fly zipped closed, incase it rained and the rear window and front main door on inner tent open with just the fly screen zipped up, there was lot's of march flies and mosies, I woke up dry. Packed the inner tent away separately as the forecast was for heavy rains, which came through on the 3rd day, and did it bucket down.

Nothing like walking in rain forrest when it rains. Arrived to camp, setup outer tent fly, with the hilleberg groundsheet attached, The outer tent packed under the lid of my Canvas pack for easy access, after erecting the outer fly, sat in vestibule area with all my gear and took out my dry inner tent and hooked onto outer fly

[Nuts]

btw - where is Ent???? I can't imagine him selling the Kaitum though??!!

No, he wont, he has a nallo for one but informs me that his Katium is being kept for 2. (He still lurks )

Rucksac, maybe, given its the last place for warm moist air to leave your finding that its dripping from the material surrounding the vent (ie not quite making it). Ive seen them with a lot of condensation up there and the odd drip (not relly steep enough in that area to run it down the inside sides). Could also be blowing back from rain into the vent have you tried bending the vent down to a beak shape rather than the full stretch (as in phils photo)...

[Earthling]

Phillipsart those big trees on Fraser Island certainly have a tendency to snap off limbs and trunks. We bailed to a Sandbowl rather than camp at Valley of the Giants on a very windy afternoon, branches were coming down. One campsite a huge crack and a tree trunk snapped halfway up about 30m away from tent.
I wonder how many people die/hurt in Australia each year by trees landing on their tents?

Re: Nallo 3 tents (not GT). Is the vestibul big enough to cook in without fear of burning down the house? I mainly use a butane/propane gas stove.
I was thinking for the extra 200grams I might as well upsize from 2 to 3.