Hilleberg Tent thread

“I believe they have since upgraded all their red label tents to match their black labeled tent in terms of guyout webbings and zippers. Just if anyone ran across this thread and was considering between the two.”

You’re right and it’s depressing.  I recently had to upgrade to a new Keron 3 and noticed the once beefy guyout webbing tabs are the same as on my buddy’s Kaitum red label tent.  And as mentioned the zippers are more flimsy.  AND YET . . .

When I got my first Keron many years ago it was listed at 8 lbs 10 ozs—even with the heavier tabs and zips.  Now the same tent comes in at 9 lbs even.  So much for using lighter materials.

Tipi,
I read Garrett’s comment to mean the Red label tents now use the heavier bits, not the other way around.

Franco, you read my comment correctly. Im glad Tipi was able to shed more light on the subject.

When I called Hilleberg they said they now use the same guyout tabs and zippers for their red and black label tents. I just assumed it would be for the better… I guess they felt the beefier tab and zippers weren’t needed. At least I hope that was their reasoning.

I can understand Hilleberg’s reasoning about the lighter tabs (gros-grain vs webbing). Suppose the lighter tab will only hold 100 kgf: will the tent withstand 100 kgf tension on a pole? (No way is the correct answer here.)

What matters more is how well the tab is sewn in place. If you can rip the tab out of the seam, that is probably NOT a fault of the tab but of the sewing.

One could also argue that the lighter gros-grain material is a better structural match to the pole sleeve material compared to heavier webbing. This also matters.

Zippers are a slightly different matter. If you are careful with them, #3 plastic coil-coil zips are quite able to withstand any conditions. I will cite my tents as proof of that.) But Hilleberg has to allow for novices and careless teenagers who do not take care, so they have to go up in strength.

I remember asking a local mfr why he was using #8 zippers in his sleeping bags (when I was using #3). His answer was a single word: ‘returns’. People trash gear and expect the mfr to repair at no charge.

Cheers

Garrett,

I have a Soulo and am just over 6’1″.  It isn’t palatial by any stretch but it works.  It is also the defacto strongest tent I have ever used.  Have fun.

Bumping an older thread here.

I recently bought a Hilleberg Saivo because it wast the closest, available tent to a Keron 3, an expedition tent that I would use on Denali in a couple years.  It’s a tent I would use for 2 person multi-day trips and multi-week trips.  After camping out in the Saivo a couple times, it seems like it’s a bit overkill for most SoCal winter trips.  We would have to purposely plan to chase gale winds or camping on exposed summits to put the tent to the real test.

I’m considering swapping it out for a Kaitum 3 when they become available.  I think red label would be more than enough for 2-5 day trips and picking our campsites carefully.  Or keep the Saivo and take the weight penalty and be covered IF something unpredictable were to happen.  What do y’all think?

Dear Friends,
Thank you for this great thread!

By now, I have read everything I can find online about the Kaitum 2/3 tents, although I have not watched all the YouTube videos.
I am thinking about getting a Kaitum 2 for solo use, the most important feature being the vertical walls.
My use would be in state parks and on maintained trails.
However, there are a few points that I haven’t found addressed in most of the posts and reviews I’ve read:
1. How much trouble have Kaitum users had finding sites large enough to accommodate the tent? I’m thinking especially of trails like the AT, CDT, PCT. Here in Minnesota, we have the SHT with its tent pads, most of which would not accommodate a 14-ft tent. And it’s been so long since I was on the AT or even the Western trails, and with much smaller tents, that I just can’t recall the sites. Of course, this would only apply in cases where campers were asked/required to camp only in designated areas, which might not afford enough space for a long tent.
2. It seems that some people have had trouble with water coming through the stitching. Anecdotally, this does not seem like a lot of people — maybe 1 out of 5 or 7? — but even that is enough to raise concern.
One solution that some users have offered is to seal the urethane-coated floor seams with McNett (now Gear Aid?) Seam Grip and the outer tent seams with Gear Aid’s Sil-Net.
Also, I went on line and it looks like HB has not changed their claim that “you do not need to seam seal our tents.”
So, I guess I’m just wondering how widespread this problem really is. It seems like most of the reviews that I’ve read describe uses in snow where water leakage might not be such a problem.
3. Another complaint that I have seen is that rainwater can pool on the top of the Kaitum and cause it to sag. The same might also apply to the Keron.
Have any of you had problems with this? I suppose that the stretching of the nylon when wet would cause this problem, so maybe it’s difficult to control for it apart from re-guying the lines after or even during a rainstorm.
4. Related to (3) is the complaint I have read that snow does not slide off the top and so needs to be cleared regularly, for instance, during an overnight snowstorm. This surprised me, since the Kaitum seems to be a lightweight version of the Keron which seems to be the HB flagship tent and is made for extreme snow conditions where presumably it would not always be possible to get out of the tent to clear snow. Also, the Kaitum roof seems to be sloped compared to the Keron, which looks more like a straight barrel.
In any case, what has been your experience with the snow load issue in those tents?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Bill