The better backpacking guide
In this four-part series with expert tentmaker Hilleberg, our equipment editor and long-distance walking legend Chris Townsend explains key aspects of backpacking. In this third instalment, he looks at how to approach the balance between weight and other considerations when choosing tents, with added tips from Hilleberg on how this advice relates to their range PART THREE: HOW TO APPROACH TENT WEIGHT
THE LIGHTEST TENT is always best? Not necessarily. A tiny ultralight tent in which you get soaked from condensation before it blows down in a storm is not the best choice. Mountain camping in winter requires a different tent to summer camping in a forest (though if you’ll be doing both you need the mountain tent). Weight is more important on a long-distance walk than on shorter trips, but so are comfort and durability.
Three factors determine the weight of a tent: its size, its design and the materials it’s made from. All three are important and need considering when thinking about weight. To determine the best size, best design and the best fabrics for your needs depends on when, where and for how long you’ll be using it.
Hilleberg adds: Choosing your tent just because it’s the lightest one is rarely a good idea. We build all our tents so that their performance attributes – reliability, adaptability, ease of use, durability and comfort – are optimally balanced at the lowest appropriate weight for the tent’s intended use. For us, ‘comfort’ is the measure of a tent’s overall function. Does it keep you dry and offer the best margin of safety for the worst conditions you will encounter? Does it have the right amount of room for you? Does it offer good venting capability in all the types of weather you will encounter, and is it easy to set up in all the terrain and conditions you go out in? In general, the lighter the tent, the less comfort it will likely offer – and possibly the less security it will give you in adverse conditions.
■ SIZETo take size first. Backpacking tents range from tiny solo tents too low to sit up in to big domes and tunnels that’ll take four people and all their gear. The first is by far the lightest of course, but not everyone is happy with such limited space – especially on multi-night trips (I once met someone on a long-distance walk who’d swapped their ultralight bivvy tent for a much heavier two-person dome). This is especially so
in the long, dark nights of winter.
Small tents, whether solo or for two or three, require more effort to live in. Gear needs to be organised better and care should be taken not to push against the walls and transfer any condensation to your clothing or sleeping bag (and condensation tends to be more copious in small tents). Extra weight means extra room. Which is most important?
Hilleberg adds: Don’t be afraid to size up. Most of our three-person tents weigh relatively little more than their two-person counterparts. For example, our all-season three-person Kaitum 3 weighs just 300g more than the Kaitum 2; and the threeseason, three-person Anjan 3 GT, with its extra spacious extended vestibule, weighs only 600 grams more than the two-person Anjan 2 with a standard-sized vestibule. For a small weight gain you get greater comfort and livability.
■ DESIGNThe lightest tents, often single hoop designs, are excellent for long-distance walks and can be used high in the hills as long as it’s not too stormy. For regular mountain camping, especially in winter, tunnel tents and domes are generally more stable, particularly if made with strong materials. That said, there are some heavier single hoop tents that work well in winter. Tunnels and domes provide more space too, so the extra weight can be worthwhile year-round.
Hilleberg adds: When choosing, consider the number of vestibules. A two-vestibule model gives both occupants their own vestibule, and always keeps one entrance out of the wind. Two-vestibule tunnel tents like our Keron, Kaitum and Helags models have vertical inner tent entrances, which maximise usable interior space. Some dome tents are self-supporting but require the vestibules to be pegged out. Fully freestanding models, like our Staika, Allak and Soulo, have vestibules integrated into their structure and are excellent in tough pitching conditions.
■ MATERIALS
The best tent fabrics are very strong and durable whilst still being lightweight. Silicone nylon is the classic example. This is as strong as much heavier PU-coated nylon and ideal for backpacking tents. Even the heaviest silicone nylon, used for mountaineering tents, is lightweight.
Poles and pegs are important too. Shock-corded alloy poles are strong and durable, as long as care is taken with them when putting the tent up and down. Thicker and heavier alloy is used for mountain tents. Again, this is worth having if you’re planning on much high-level camping. Pegs may be aluminium alloy or titanium (steel I think is too heavy). What matters is that they’re long enough (15cm minimum) and that you have a variety of shapes for different types of ground. I think the weight of a few extra pegs is always worthwhile.
Hilleberg adds: Not all silicone-coated fabrics are created equal. Tear strength is the important metric, as it determines both how strong a fabric is initially and how well it will hold up over time. Both the fabric’s denier, its linear density and the type of coating are crucial. Lighter denier fabrics are not as strong as higher denier ones, and some fabrics, often labelled ‘siliconised’, have a mix of polyurethane and silicone coatings, which is not as strong as all silicone coated ones. Hilleberg Kerlon fabrics range from 20 to 40 denier, are 100% silicone coated, and have tear strengths from 8kg for Yellow Label tents to 18kg for Black Label tents.
■ TARGET WEIGHTS
Given the vast number of tents available, setting target weights is a useful way to whittle down the choices. Here are mine. For solo three-season use 1.8kg is my upper limit for short trips, under 1.5kg for longdistance walks where the weight matters more. In winter I’m prepared to carry 2.5kg for security if the weather looks stormy. For camping with two I double those numbers.
Hilleberg adds: It’s easy to focus so much on a tent’s weight that you miss the big picture. As mentioned above, sizing up adds comfort while it can still keep the weight in the target range. For three-season solo use, our Yellow Label Enan, Niak, Anjan 2 and Anaris models all weigh 1.8 kg or less. The Enan (1.2 kg) is very comfortable and is a true one-person tent, whilst the two-person Niak, Anjan 2 (both 1.8 kg) and Anaris (1.4 kg) all offer palatial digs for the solo hiker.