Pitching the Hilleberg Niak tent!
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- Опубліковано 8 гру 2023
- Time to upgrade to a new tent. I only live once ... money is no object!
LINK to Hilleberg Niak tent (worth every penny in the long run):
hilleberg.com/eng/tent/yellow...
Hilleberg tents do not use a rainfly, which is one of the underlying core tenets behind the designs. Back in 1970, Bo Hilleberg, a Swedish outdoorsman, began tinkering around with designing a more ideal tent because he hated the rainfly of traditional tents (hard to put on in windy conditions, tent gets wet when setting up in rainy conditions before the fly is put over it). His thoughts over 50 years ago mirror how I have always felt about rainflies ... they were a necessary evil that I always dealt with in wind and rain. Bo was the first to invent a tent that can be set up in the wind and rain without the tent getting wet or the rainfly blowing away.
Bo's design idea, in what eventually became his famous Hilleberg tent line, was to eliminate the rainfly to make the tent easier to set up and more practical to use in the field. Hilleberg tents are actually two tents in one: There is an inner tent and an outer tent, and both pitch simultaneously as you saw in this video here. The inner tent is connected to the outer tent, and is a few inches inside the outer tent. The outer tent is 100% waterproof silicone coated material, which is superior to most tents that use polyurethane to waterproof their rainflies. Polyurethane goes bad over the years, begins smelling awful, and flakes off eventually, a real mess, but silicone never has these issues.
So in this video of mine, the green portion of the tent is the outer waterproof tent. The yellow portion you can see is the inner tent, hooked inside the outer tent, and several inches away from the outer tent. The whole thing pitches together, so the inner tent (where you sleep) never gets wet even if set up in the rain. The outer tent's silicone waterproofing is on both sides of the material (called sil/sil), which is better than a small handful of tents nowadays that use silicone on the outside of the material and polyurethane on the inside of the material (called sil/poly). The standard conventional tent, even today, uses polyurethane totally on their rainflies, which is less costly to produce, but will not last.
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"TAKE IT EASY ... TAKE A TRIKE!" - trike hobo
Steve's current recumbent trike is a 2021 HP Velotechnik Scorpion fs26 Enduro, outfitted with Schwalbe Marathon PLUS road tires instead of the stock knobby off-road tires. He has also owned a 2015 ICE Full Fat off-road trike, a 2014 Catrike 700 speed trike, and a 2007 ICE Qnt trike ... not to mention three bikes (Specialized Roll Elite - Motobecane Night Train fat tire - Easy Racers Gold Rush recumbent)
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Other websites by Steve:
trikeasylum.wordpress.com
silentpassage.wordpress.com/
trikegypsies.wordpress.com/
trikephantoms.wordpress.com/
mojavetraverse.wordpress.com/ - Спорт
Got a Hilleberg Anjan 2 for touring next year on my ICE Sprint X 26 Tour. Chose a tunnel due to ease of setup of tunnels and low weight. The porch has plenty of room to put the two Ortileb 36L panniers and 12L top bag.
These Hilleberg tents are well thought and designed. The hardest choice I had to make was not whether to get a Hilleberg, but rather which one to get. The Anjan was one of those in my pool of choices, although I was leaning towards a freestanding model. I spent a lot of time debating the pros and cons of several models, and almost got a Black Label model, but ultimately decided on this Niak because most of my camping these days are in fairer weather, and this tent is cooler than their Black Label tents that can withstand the rigors of Mt. Everest in a storm.
steve
nice and roomy... :). enjoy..
It can hold two people Rob, but would be quite tight. For me and my panniers, it's the ideal size, easy to get into, and it disappears in a wooded setting.
steve
Glad to see Steve back on trikes, and especially a Scorpion like mine. I had stopped following when he went to two wheels.
Fat trikes though…👎💩 I built up a super custom Azub and I hated it. The Scorpion can go 99% of the places a fat trike can go, and weighs about half as much. The first time I tried to climb a hill in the snow and the wheel slipped no matter how low my tire pressure I immediately decided to sell it. Use mountain bike tires if you want, but full fat will stay on my upright bike.
I understand your comparison between fatrikes and the Scorpion! In 2015, I was deciding between an ICE Full Fat and a Scorpion Enduro, ultimately going with the Full Fat. Fat tire trikes are a lot of fun in many ways, but as you mention, they have their drawbacks. Yes, the HP Velotechnik fs26 Enduro will go where the fat tire trikes will go nearly every time, and the Scorpion is more practical and useful overall. I now have the Enduro, and I love it (but I have road tires on it instead of the two-inch knobbies because most of my time is spent on hard surfaces). I found the Full Fat to be superior in loose sandy conditions due to it's huge 26x4.8 knobby rear tire, which provided MUCH more traction, but I don't ride much in the way of sand, so if I encounter it now on my Scorpion, I just get off and walk the trike through it. I did have that Motobecane fat tire mountain bike for a while, lots of fun too, but quite heavy (a standard mountain bike would be better). Regarding pricing, I have just over 7 grand in my Scorpion, whereas with the Full Fat trike, it was just under 10 grand ... wow, I must be nuts, haha.
steve
👍👍😎
I really like that tent. Next year will be my first trike tour and I am getting together all the stuff needed. I am curious on what you pack and how much each loaded bag weighs. Great video
Hi William, I am a friend of Trike Hobo Steve's and I also have been on a few tours, as well as done numerous stealth overnight camping adventures.
I have all the gear that is needed.
This is a very personal issue...only because every single person is different: young, old, top athletic shape, not in top shape, fast pace riding, others who take a slow pace riding, desired miles per day, others don't care how many miles they ride per day.
Why do I mention all that, because the gear and the amount of it taken will be determined upon those criterias.
Number 1 gear equipment is your sleeping gear. You absolutely need to be able to get good sleep. So a good air mattress that isn't cheaply made and is light weight is vitally important (I have a ThermaRest NeoAir Xtherm air mattress, the best!).
A "Enlighten Equipment" goose down quilt 0° rating. It is extremely lightweight
1 1/2 lbs, packs down very small and is just as warm if used properly as a sleeping bag.
Ortlieb back roller classic panniers. 20L each. Catrike Expedition Arkel rear seat tool bags 10L. (Shaped like a triangle to contour the frame).
Radical Design small banana side seat pods 20L each.
Then after all the sleeping gear and panniers, comes all the individual items that a person decides they want.
My channel is Firefly Recumbent Trike Aventures.
Go check it out for ideas and tips.
Where are you going to tour to?
Take your time each day and "enjoy every mile, because it takes a while to do a mile".😂
Hello William,
This is a great tent! Hilleberg tents are the gold standard, but they cost quite a bit of money compared to all the rest out there. Most folks are not willing to spend this much on a tent, which is understandable of course, but once you dedicate a couple of weeks to learning all about what makes these tents so special, you will see why they are the choice of many who demand the best. The company makes three levels: Black Label, Red Label, and Yellow Label. The Black Label tents will stand up to all conditions, the epitome of four-season tents, but they get too hot in warmer weather, which is why I went with a Yellow Label tent because it allows for more air flow and cooling (but it still does well in harsher conditions).
My first trike tour was in 2009, and I way over packed, due to inexperience, and out of fear of not having everything I could conceivably need. I pulled a trailer on that trip, the trailer weighing 36 pounds itself (Burley flatbed trailer with a tough Rubbermaid trunk mounted on top). I had two weeks of food in that trailer, so the weight was enormous! I never used a trailer again, dedicating myself to learning how to pack lighter for more enjoyment. My rolling weight that year was about 375 pounds, a recipe for not enjoying the ride! Rolling weight is everything that you are pedaling down the road, no exceptions (trike, gear, rider, food, water, etc). Keeping rolling weight to an absolute minimum for the trip planned is essential.
The length of a trip and the route have everything to do with what to pack. Short overnight adventures require far less in the way of supplies than a month's trip through desolate territory. Trips along a route that has abundant markets require far less food carried in panniers than trips through the middle of nowhere, which is because markets allow daily resupply of food.
I have written quite a bit about what to pack and how to pack it on trike tours, both in my trike adventuring books and on my Trike Asylum website. I will put some links below to get your thinking started. There is much to consider for sure, and only through experience will you fine tune your packing. Also to be considered is your choice of pannier systems. There are many out there, but a few stand out over time as leaders in the field: Arkel, Ortlieb, Lone Peak, Radical Design are all companies that make great products.
Here is a book I wrote that may be of assistance:
trikeasylum.wordpress.com/trike-tour/how-to-trike-tour-book/
That book was updated in 2017 from the original 2011 book, but the original smaller book is still available if you want it. I did a video about these books:
ua-cam.com/video/VxPZzeSZrRk/v-deo.html
Here are a couple of links on my Trike Asylum website that discuss what I call "fast and light" packing, which is SUPER light and minimal, probably too much so for longer trips in the boondocks:
trikeasylum.wordpress.com/trike-tour/fast-n-light-packing/
trikeasylum.wordpress.com/trike-tour/touring-on-a-catrike-700/
I have a video coming out this Saturday morning (December 16th) that shows what I have in my current pannier setup, which is a compromise between really long trips in remote territory and trips with plenty of markets and supplies along the way.
Regarding bag weight, remember that the bags themselves have weight, something that is easy to overlook when figuring your total rolling weight on tour. My Arkel 54 liter bags were just over twice the weight of my current Lone Peak 54 liter bags, weighing in at 7.3 pounds for the pair compared to my new setup, which is 3.5 pounds per pair. Panniers do add up, so figure that too into your planning.
I would say a good rule of thumb for most trips is to cap the weight of your bags and all included gear at 50 pounds if possible. With trike touring, lighter is always better, but of course, not at the expense of personal safety and not having what you need if it's important. So basically, if you don't include the trike itself and you (the rider), what you are left with is 50 pounds of maximum load in panniers.
After even one trip on a trike that is at least two days with one night camping, you will have a pretty good idea whether what you packed makes sense for you. In fact, I would seriously suggest that your first trip be ONLY two days long, with one overnight, because it is a relatively safe way to solidify your trike touring ideas before you get many days and miles from home! Long remote trips are very challenging in many ways, not the least of which is the psychological aspects.
All the best to you!
steve
Steve. thank you for all the advice and the links for additional information. I did look up your tent online yesterday. It sounds like a fantastic tent. Oddly, I had never heard of that brand before.
As far as the weight goes, I do have the same trike as you, and the same weight limits. I do, however have two side bars with the Ortlieb 6-liter handlebar bags. I think each side bag weight limit is 10 pounds including the bag itself. Also, I have the Ortlieb 20L back roller bags made with Polyurethane-coated polyester. These are the high visibility panniers. But their weight is 1 pound 13 oz each. So, I am saving some weight on that part. That is sound advice on doing a short trip prior to taking on a longer tour. I will follow that advice. Thanks for all the information. I will be looking forward to your video on Saturday as well.
I agree about @@EZSteve
@@williamhoward5541 You're welcome my friend. These Hilleberg tents first got their start in 1970, when Bo Hilleberg, a Swedish adventurer, wanted to improve upon several aspects of traditional tents, like having to deal with a rainfly in wind (ugh), and having the tent get wet during the hassle of putting on the rainfly (ugh again), and having a rainfly start smelling bad over the course of 8 years as the polyurethane coating begins flaking off (which is a real hassle to repair). There is so much behind Bo's dedication to great tent making that it requires a lot of time studying the website. My tent is essentially a three season model because I don't need those Everest-capable models for what I do with my trike anymore. My model breathes well and is cooler in warmer weather, and if the outer tent door is left open, the air flows during the night right through the mesh of the inner tent door. I added some explanatory info about Hilleberg tents in my video description box above if you have not already read it.
steve
Just wish it had 2 doors
Well, you are in luck! The Rogen is essentially the same thing, with a D door on each side, and two crossing poles, self standing, and less than a pound more in weight than the NIak!
Check it out at this link:
hilleberg.com/eng/tent/yellow-label-tents/rogen/
steve
I sure hope you go out again and again and use this top of the line expensive tent.
Time for more mini overnight stealth camping trips.
What does it look like with the rain fly?
The rainfly is on. You Mount inner and outer same time
Hilleberg tents do not use a rainfly, which is one of the underlying core tenets behind the designs. Back in 1970, Bo Hilleberg, a Swedish outdoorsman, began tinkering around with designing a more ideal tent because he hated the rainfly of traditional tents (hard to put on in windy conditions, tent gets wet when setting up in rainy conditions before the fly is put over it). His thoughts over 50 years ago mirror how I have always felt about rainflies ... they were a necessary evil that I always dealt with in wind and rain. Bo was the first to invent a tent that can be set up in the wind and rain without the tent getting wet or the rainfly blowing away.
Bo's design idea, in what eventually became his famous Hilleberg tent line, was to eliminate the rainfly to make the tent easier to set up and more practical to use in the field. Hilleberg tents are actually two tents in one: There is an inner tent and an outer tent, and both pitch simultaneously as you saw in this video here. The inner tent is connected to the outer tent, and is a few inches inside the outer tent. The outer tent is 100% waterproof silicone coated material, which is superior to most tents that use polyurethane to waterproof their rainflies. Polyurethane goes bad over the years, begins smelling awful, and flakes off eventually, a real mess, but silicone never has these issues.
So in this video of mine, the green portion of the tent is the outer waterproof tent. The yellow portion you can see is the inner tent, hooked inside the outer tent, and several inches away from the outer tent. The whole thing pitches together, so the inner tent (where you sleep) never gets wet even if set up in the rain. The outer tent's silicone waterproofing is on both sides of the material (called sil/sil), which is better than a small handful of tents nowadays that use silicone on the outside of the material and polyurethane on the inside of the material (called sil/poly). The standard conventional tent, even today, uses polyurethane totally on their rainflies, which is less costly to produce, but will not last.
steve
Where were you located Steve?
Oregon, haha.
OKay, that's the short answer, and I thought about leaving it, but figured that would frustrate you, so I will elaborate a little. Southeast of town there is road 24, a great ride, and perfect for an overnighter. But recently, after riding the route, it experienced a big landslide that destroyed part of it, so it can no longer be used, even by mountain bikers or motorcyclists (even on foot, it would be dangerous to try to get across the washed out portion ... it's short, but totally devastated, a very steep section). I doubt the government will have the funds to get in there and fix it anytime soon, too remote and used by few people, just a shortcut over the mountain ridge for locals and Jeep adventurers. Oh, by the way, that Forest Road 668 I told you about turned out to be bad news: it is gated shut by the Forest Service, and has been for a long time because the gate has moss all over it, and the road itself is so overgrown that riding a trike up it seems not worth the effort!
steve
@@EZSteve
On to the next spot I guess.
I am not real satisfied with my latest stealth camping trip video clips.
Not sure if I will edit and post it.
I might but it won't be as long as I hoped for.
@@The-GreenHornet I have a bunch of photo stuff ready to assemble into a video, probably will be a slideshow format to music, which I enjoy doing, and requires less time (as opposed to shooting video of everything) while out adventuring to capture with the cameras. Setting up the tripod and camera to shoot video all the time really impinges upon the fun of trike riding after a while. I have not assembled my media into any format yet because I am currently reading a 600 page book, but will get around to it eventually. I usually use the material I capture somehow, thinking since I spent the time, I should at least do something with it. Even short stuff is better than nothing in my opinion. Edit and post what you have, keeping it simple. Have fun and do what you enjoy in any event!
@@EZSteve Agreed with what you said.