Which tent?

[Greenie]

Hi,
After a 16 year break from bushwalking with overnight stays, I am looking a buying a new tent. I am quite interested in the Hilleberg Nallo 2 and the Macpac Minaret.
I will be initially using it north of Sydney and in the Blue Mountains. Particularly in warmer weather will I find either too hot at night to sleep in. Which has the best ventilation?
I then would use it later in Tassie.

My nearest Macpac store is in Sydney so I will go down there to have a look at the Minaret. Is there anywhere I could take look at the Nallo?
From my understanding you need to seal the fly of the Minaret yourself, why? I am sure there is a good reason. Will it stink the room out?

I am open to suggestions for other similar tents
Thanks
Greenie

[ILUVSWTAS]

If your worried about stinking the room out sealing your tent, heres an idea.... Do it outside....

Minarets are a great tent, but ive heard ok things about the other one you speak of..... I only half heartedly sealed mine and have never had it leak or had any problems with ventilation. Most tents suffer from some condensation, Ive not experienced it in the Minaret yet though.

[Drifting]

I have a Nallo GT 4, and other members on the board have various Hilleberg tents. My Nallo is absolutely to die for- I have no complaints about it whatsoever. 3 people sleeping in the Nallo, and no condensation yet, though I haven't tried it in the heart of Winter above the snowline. However, you can't buy them in Oz as far as I know, so you have to order them from the US, which is good with hte currency where it is at the moment.

Folks on here seem to like their minaret too- you won't go wrong either way really.

[Maelgwn]

Both are good tents and would be a good choice. The design is very similar in both and im sure both would get similar condensation in similar conditions. They are ultimately mountain/4 season tents so hot weather performance can be lacking.

Some people think that build quality of the Nallo is slightly better. Made in Germany (i think) vs Taiwan.

The Nallo is also a few hundred grams lighter and a little bit longer. It avoids the funky non triangular corner thing. But Nallo is also a couple hundred dollars more at the moment and is not available locally.

[Ent]

Content removed by poster

[Drifting]

Brett speaks wisely- I'm 6', and my Nallo is big enough, but in really cold weather, my feet would brush the end of the tent and I'd worry about condensation on my bag, so I'd sleep with my feet in a trash bag. No big deal, but a consideration nonetheless. But you could fit in it at 6'4" easily, with the same precaution. And they are sooooooo light for what you get.

[Franco]

The Hilleberg tents are made in Estonia, however the mesh inners are now made in Vietnam.
As far as I know, Macpac tents are now made in Vietnam.

You need to seam seal the new Minaret because silnylon cannot be economically seam sealed nor taped during manufacturing.
The Hillebergs have a PU coating on the underside that takes the tape.

I have seen both tents but not side by side, so I asked on another forum about the respective size. According to a Nallo 2 owner the Minaret is a bit longer, note that one side is longer than the other.

BTW, the two shelters are now of equal weight...

Franco

[Greenie]

Hi,
Thanks for your replies.
For warranty repairs for the Nallo 2 would the tent and/or parts need to go back overseas?
I didn’t know that the funky triangular corner thing on the Minaret was internal. It would be great if there was more detailed photo’s of it on the Macpac site.
Thanks
Greenie

[Franco]

The "triangle" on the Minaret clips to the bottom tip of left corner (looking into the tent) of the vestibule .
The idea is simply that you can un-clip it during the day to have extra vestibule space and connect it again when you go to sleep.
It can be seen clearly on this page
http://www.macpac.com.au/shop/en_au/sho ... naret.html
Franco

[Dutchy]

Just to track your mind sideways a bit..... ever thought of a Mountain Hardwear or MSR tent? I'm looking at tents myself (large solo/2P tent, 4 season) and the MH Trango 2 or EV 2 and MSR fury look good. Well priced in the US, even better in Canada! Bought a MSR Mutha Hubba HP in Vancouver last year and used it for 2 months while camping in Alaska and Canada. Cold serious mildew in it due to humid conditions in mainly Alaska. Wrote MSR about it and they replaced it (I had followed all instructions to prevent it and still had issues). They would replace the tent here in Oz with the importer here if issues would show up again. The Hillebergs are meant to be the top of everything (although I was very disappointed with some of the ones I saw in the US/Canada) but have never had one (and probably never will). MSR and MH are great too and you should be able to get good custaomer care world wide (unlike Hilleberg). Hope that helps....
Dutchy

[Ent]

Content removed by poster

[chopper]

I have a lot of trouble with condensation in my Minaret, mostly in temperatures less than 5 degree where there is little wind. It seems that the internal material of the inner does not allow the water vapor to escape through to the inside of the fly. Instead it forms droplets which flow down the tent wall and collect in pools on the floor.

[ILUVSWTAS]

Really? wow. My Minaret is the one tent I have NEVER had any trouble with!!
Do you have your vents open at night??

[Nuts]

I wasnt so sure about the Nallo tent at first but the more we use them, the more I like them. They initially seem like a 'jumble' when you first throw them out but it all rarely gets tangled, everything is ready and they are really simple to pitch. They have never leaked (one drop) and the material and fittings are first class (no repairs as yet (some have likely had around 4/5mths continual use). They can pack lighter than the advertised weight. Condensation (at the foot end) can be noticed at times (they are a 'winter tent') but can be controlled with experience. The mesh liner will stop this (and make them a true 'all season' ozzie tent). I have found the company easy to deal with (The managing director actually answering many of our email queries). They arent cheap (though the mesh liner,floor option is a bargain) however, i'd imagine in most cases it would last a typical 'lifetime'.. I cant see why you would really want to go any 'lighter' in a tent. I would choose a bivy/tarp combo for a really lightweight option if so...

Some O/S gear is probably too lightly built for general Oz use but tents probably arent so critical. More locally based manufacturers make solid, quality products from what iv'e seen though they are usually heavier to achieve the same space.

Hope this helps

[Bron]

I have a Hilleberg Nallo 2 which you are welcome to look at. I am near Sydney. I bought mine from Hilleberg in the USA and have never had any problems with it - that said it has not been used the last few years due to lifestyle changes. The things I like about it is it is very quick to pitch - we did pitch it once in the Watagans next to some friends and they timed us putting it up. I dont recall ventilation being a problem and we have camped on Hinchinbrook Island in the wet. The notes say to pitch the fly up at the foot to help with airflow. I did look at the Macpac Minaret and the WE second arrow but I didnt like the asymmetric floor in the Minaret and the WE was stingy in the foot area. They didnt seem suited if 2 people sharing were both on the tall side.
I have not used the Hilleberg in Tassie. However one thing about this tent versus other 2 person tents is the vestibule is very generous (I also have a Sierra Designs flashlight). You can easily fit inside the vestibule to take off your wet weather gear before climbing inside. The inner tent has an upright door which means rain does not drip on it when you open the outer zip.
I have seen a few other Hilleberg tents pitched when hiking overseas. Most single people seemed to use the Hilleberg Atko.

Hope this helps
regards
Bronwyn D

[rwfox]

Have a look at these Helsport tents they seem to have interesting designs and good fabrics. They are meant to be Hilleberg's competition in Scandinavia. I don't know how much they are, but they won't be cheap.
http://www.helsport.com/helsport/EntryPage.aspx?

Roy

[juju]

Does the Hilleberg really have a vestibule 115 cm long? This is quite big especially compared to the Minaret's 50cm.

[climberman]

Greenie - I have a Nallo 2 GT you would be welcome to view - I am in East Corrimal (Wollongong).

[juju]

I had a look at the Hilleberg tents and there's a $80 freight fee to Australia, not having bought anything from America so big, seems a lot, does this amount sound right?

[climberman]

juju - it would depend where you buy it from.

[Ent]

Content removed by poster

[geoffmallo]

I got rid of my minaret because it was both too hot and too heavy. It's a winter tent in my opinion, and not designed for the conditions you mention.

Tarptent scarp 2 is what I would look at getting.

[dancier]

I had a look at the Hilleberg tents and there's a $80 freight fee to Australia, not having bought anything from America so big, seems a lot, does this amount sound right?

I bought a bike stand weighing less than a kilo, a few days ago from the states and it cost $40 to ship but anything from the US cost a fortune, I normally buy all my bike stuff from Wiggle but this is a very special stand and very very hard to obtain, something Wiggle does not have, unfortunately.

Lots of pics here of the Hilleberg tent range. http://www.fliegfix.com/webshop/index.p ... 02-001-000

[north-north-west]

I wasnt so sure about the Nallo tent at first ...

I'm still not sure about the new Nallo 2 I have. True, I've only used it twice so far, but I do find it fiddlier to pitch than the Salewa, and a lot harder to clean out onsite. No doubt I'll get used to it in time. The yellow inside is nice and cheery. And the footprint does keep a bit of the mess out of the tent and make me happier about leaving things out in the vestibule. I just wish it packed up smaller - it's the same weight as the Salewa, but noticeably larger when packed into its not-so-little bag.
But, given the exchange rate when I got it, it's a good deal. Service is terrific. Build quality seems great. I even know the name of the person who made it in far-off Gerbrovia . . . errr, I mean Latvia.

[Greenie]

Too many choices! Thanks Bron and Climberman, I might take you up on that offer.

Regarding the Tarptent Scarp 2 it doesn’t appear to have much of a vestibule. Have you cook in it?
I like it's weight compare to the other two. But will that come at a price.
Is its floor as tough as that say of the Macpac or the Hilleberg?


The Minaret must be popular, there are none in the country until the 15th of March.

[Franco]

Scarp 2
This has two vestibules, that allows you to chose the side to cook under. If you need more space you can partially unclip the inner and push it back , see my pic of the Scarp 1 .
If the floor is not strong enough for you, you can always give it a coat using a silicone /mineral turp of about 3:1. That will add about 50-100g depending on how thick you want it.
Jim Wood was the first to publish this but not exactly the first to do it...
http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/Silnylon1/index.html
Franco



Ignore the trekking pole..
I did that to show how to shorten a side guyline. The pole should be shorter than this anyway.

[photohiker]

http://jwbasecamp.com/Articles/Silnylon1/index.html

Thanks for the link Franco, hadn't seen it before.

Was at Bunnings this afternoon, surprised to see that they have low odour Turps in stock. Should get this done in the next week - I'll probably just coat the inside though, I think that will keep the issues at bay for me. I haven't noticed the tent floor sliding across the surface of the ground at all, but I have noticed my sleeping mat sliding across the floor of the tent if the pitch is not on perfectly flat ground.

No mention in the article of neutral cure or acid cure silicone, I've a tube of neutral - I'm sure that silnylon can stand a bit of acid, but better to be safe than sorry.

[Greenie]

Thanks Franco for the advice. Do you use the crossing pole set much?

Does it come with mesh interior and the solid wall interior? If it doesn’t which one did you purchase?

Thanks
Greenie

[Franco]

Photohiker
Apparently acid or not it does not make any difference.
If all you want is to stop things sliding, try dotting (Aboriginal Art style*) the floor. Much easier to sweep the dirt out that way
* I was just looking at some news about Ngumpan (WA) where the locals burnt down the Art Gallery that my wife helped to "create" last year. Two dead.

Greenie.
I have the fabric inner. The Scarp is only for winter use for me as I have several tents. So far it has only been in my backyard.
The poles are really only for snow loads. No need for them otherwise. (well, apart from the inner only set up)
I would suggest the fabric inner because it still has mesh on top and gives better sun protection if you want to have an afternoon nap.

Franco