Gear

As a relative newcomer to the UK market Hilleberg seems to be doing quite well. I myself am starting to wonder why!

I bought two Nallo tents (lightweight) for not that long ago. After being out with only a couple of groups i noticed that where the outer tent had been touching the ground there were several holes starting to appear, very worrying indeed. I have sent the tents back!

Hilleberg has over the last few years started to make 'extra lightweight' tents and have taken away many of the metal details and made the outer sheets much lighter. This has lead to a radical loss of quality, especially when you consider the price!

I would recommend that you buy another brand!

Sound like you've been very unlucky Alistair. I have two of the Hilleberg tents with the lighter weight flysheets and after a great deal of use over several years both are in excellent condition.

I don't think there has been any drop in quality with Hilleberg tents and I srill rate them as probably the best lightweight tents available.

I purchased my nallo 3GT last year and it has been the best investment ever...a very reliable tent withstanding all weathers.So spacious, lightweight and so easy to put up..I would highly recommend this tent

I have a lightweight Nallo. It has served me well over the last four years or so, in some terrible weather conditions. The tent no longer looks sparkly new but there is still no sign of real wear on the fabric.

I suspect you have been very unlucky. I'd trust my life to my two Hilleberg tents.

I've not got a Nallo, but I'm surprised to hear of your experiences, Alistair. The Nallo seems to come out top on a very regular basis in informed reviews of 2/3 person tents, and Hilleberg tents generally are very highly regarded.

I'm sure they'll swap them for you if defective materials/construction caused your problems. Please report back in due course.

I think they'll stand by their tents, my akto is top quality.

Kerlon, the fabric used by the Akto and Nallo, is an extraordinarily strong material. And you won't find better stitching anywhere.

So, they are worth their price tag then?

Should I be thinking of it as in "investment"?

I reckon they're worth the price, JD, based on all I've read and heard about them. A good tent like that *is* an investment, I think. Properly cared for, a robust, well made tent should last many years.

(Incidentally, I'm not suggesting yours weren't properly cared for, Alistair: they may be defective and simply have slipped through the net.)

p.s. I meant to say also that Hilleberg tents are not actually newcomers to the UK market. I bought my Akto about 8 years ago in Manchester, around the time when Chris was using one for a continuous round of the Munros and Tops.

Ditto to all of the above - I reckon the only things to survive a nuclear hollocaust will be a few cockroaches and my Nammatj - pitched end on to the blast, naturally.

Hi Alistair about your problem re Hilleberg,sometimes i have had the rear three guyropes and joining tapes rubbing on the ground,mainly because it was not flat.
Three solutions i found ..repitch on a flatter larger site..slacken off rear guys and tension front ones,then tighten up rear guys..if all fails i have put something under the guy or tape..
You also say they were out with groups,i find that they could be very hard on equipment and i always kept a seperate stock of ultra lightweight tents for groups doing events such as the Saunders,Kimm and Lowe mountain marathons..
Finally i have[somewhere] a Hilleberg designed tent made for Caravan in the 1970s,that had the keron fabric or its forerunner and it lasted well.
hope you have more success with your new tents whatever thay are..chris

I have to say! I have mine 10 years and had no complaints! sorry I would spent the money again and again!!

I have a Nallo and an Akto - yep they are expensive but the quality and confidence they give are brilliant

I had heard somewhere that they had moved their manufacturing base? both of mine have 'made in estonia' tags (complete with Estonian seamstress's signature.........

Both my Nallo and Akto were made in Estonia - they seem to be bomb proof!

OK

Hows this then since everyone seem sto think the world of Hilleberg. On the two tents which were bought nearly all of the pegs became bent beyond recognition and reshaped on several occasions. After contacting Hilleberg I was told to buy new pegs for what they called hard ground, there was no discussion about the pegs being replaced or even a hint of a reduced price if I bought new ones. I think its a scandal that Hilleberg have reduced the quality of such an important detail. I paid a lot of money for the tents and to see that Hilleberg had changed the design of the pegs from the old angled ones to what I consider rubbish was a bit of a shock. I myself have older style aluminium pegs made by Hilleberg which just ooze quality. They have never let me down and have kept their form exceptionally well. Is this what is called profit maximiseing by Hilleberg when they lower quality and raise the price? Its high time that new manufacturers come onto the market and compete on quality and service in this branch!

Hi Alistair and hello to everyone reading this as I have just started to post on this forum.

I am sorry to hear of your experience with Hilleberg tents. I own a Nallo2 and wouldn’t buy anything else for back packing (for 2 people) where you don’t know what the weather will do and want toughness with lightweight.

What models of Hilleberg tent where they?. If the holes where caused by a manufacturing defect I would expect Hilleberg to stand by its product, but every tent is hand checked before it leaves the factory in Estonia and the person responsible for it has their name tag stitched into the inner – I understand QC is very high, always possible to get a duffer though. Out of interest did the holes look like wear and tear or a defect?, as previously suggested are these groups taking good care of this equipment?.

The Kerlon material now used in the Nallo and Akto is five-six times stronger than other tent materials and since 2003 the tear strength has increased from 22Ib to 26Ib, this accounts for the name change from Kerlon 1000 to Kerlon 1200 – quite the opposite to a drop in quality.

I understand your frustrations with the pegs, they are not great considering the cost of the tent and not great if they used to be better at the same price. Personally its something I prefer as I like to choose my own pegs based on the terrain I will be using it on – 4 x MSR Groundhogs, 6 titanium needle points and two ultra light tubular pegs covered me. If Hilleberg upped the price to include better pegs I’m sure most of us would still use others simply to cover different situations.

Has Hilleberg raised its prices over and above inflation?, I personally don’t see Hilleberg being able to or wanting to drop the quality of its products, it’s a premium product for a niche market, one that’s willing to pay the money based on amongst other criteria reliability and quality.

It would be much appreciated if you would share with us the outcome of this tent issue.

ATB

Jason

Don't know much about the Nallo but I'm beginning to think my Akto is near indestructible after what it's endured this winter.

im convinced.. akto for me. ..........

2 points....

1) Quality sells.... pure and simple.

2) Lightweight is code for 'flimsy' well to me anyway!