Backpacking tent

I'm looking for a 3 person, 3 season, tent with large vestibules for storing gear, preferably on the lighter side, with an excellent rain fly. Theres no concern on price.

Thanks for the help!!!

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I would look at the Black Diamond, Marmot and Big Agnes tents to see if something there would suit you; the Golite shelters for 2008 also look VERY interesting. There is just a whack of new products out there for your needs and you do not have to spend a lot of $$$$, either.

IF, you decide that you need a tent capable of withstanding bad weather, buy a 3 person Hilleberg and don't bother with anything else. If, you can afford one, these are the finest tents I have seen/used, so good that I bought two of them in the past year although I had other excellent tents.

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How light is "light" for you, MBArcher?

I would suggest looking at the tents from ALPS Mountaineering.
http://alpsmountaineering.com

I do own a couple of ALPS tents. One is an Outfitter model of the Taurus, though it is a two-person model. Great tent but kind of heavy for backpacking, unless you and your partner divided the tent between yourselves. Simple two-pole wedge dome, full coverage rainfly. Two stake-out vestibules. Never had a problem with weatherproofing. Used it in some very nasty weather. Holds up well to wind. This tent even comes in a three person model.

Just a thought. :)

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I have the Hilleberg Nallo 3GT, and I am wery satisfied with it. For me it is the best I could find. I wanted a tent for all year use. In summer I must carry it myself, therefore weight were of importance. In winter I have a dog who pulls the pulka, and a big westibule where the pulka would go into was necessary.

The weather here in North Norway may be quite severe, and I have tested the tent in 18 m/s wind, no problem at all.

I could have taken a 2 person tent, but the weight difference was so small, and in winter there is always so much gear and stuff so I setteled for the 3 person version.

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I do exactly the same thing in B.C. or other parts of northern Canada, the extra space is a major boost when you are tent bound for a few days due to a blizzard. My Saivo is just a joy as a tent that WILL keep you safe, comfy and happy in the worst conditions.

I am going to get a "pulk" for next winter as I hope to do a lot more winter camping and am tired of heavy loads on my elderly back!

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For those not used to metric, Otto's 18 m/s wind is about 40 mph or 34 knots (for the pilots and sailors).

Otto, I have seen Hilleberg tents used on Denali in winds of 60 to 70 knots (a bit over 30 m/s). Bo makes good tents! I have seen some other, very popular expedition tents come apart in those same conditions.

One thing about Hilleberg tents that differs from a lot of other companies - Bo takes them out himself to test in severe conditions (as does his son, who is taking over more of the management of the company). I see him about once a year, and he always has an album of his latest trip into really horrendous conditions. We have the problem here in Calif that the requirements for "fire-resistance" of tents involves so much expensive testing that a small company like Hilleberg can't afford to do the tests for every individual jurisdiction (even though the tests are basically the same everywhere, except for the requirement of using a Calif-authorized testing lab). Nothing stops you from buying the tent elsewhere and bringing it in personally, but it can't be sold in the state or shipped in by a dealer without that local "authorized" lab doing the testing.

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Thanks everyone, I live in Manitoba Canada, and it can get very cold here. I think the Hilleberg is the winner!

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Do you ever camp at Lake Winnepeg? I'll bet that is an really beautiful place!

That lake is almost the size of Lake Erie!

Enjoy your new tent and post some photos! Hopefully you have an community.webshots.com account.

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Kutenay, a bit off topic, but I made an inexpensive pulk out of a kid's sled I picked up at Sports Authority. I have taken it to Yosemite a couple of times. This year I bought a huge duffel bag to put on it. I also used a Mountainsmith (which I think is the one now sold by Kifaru) once a couple of years ago-nicer than mine, but about 10 times the price and a lot heavier.

I know someone who also has the Hilleberg Saivo and loves it for bad weather.

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kutenay, adding to what Tom said, I have been using kid sleds for many years for backcountry ski and snowshoe tours, and that's what we used on Denali and down in Antarctica. They are cheap (used to be under $10, currently more like $20) and the modifications are easy to make. You can find plans on the web for both the rigid pole type mods and simple rope-towing versions. The rigid pole versions work better on steep downhills, where the rope versions tend to run over you (unless you let them go in front of you). You do need to load them with a low center of gravity, since they tend to turn over if loaded too high (the professionally made ones do this, too)

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