jasper110

thank you for your comments. these are exactly the points i'm looking for and you don't find in the catalogues! little things like the way the door opens and closes and easier threading poles may not seem much, but they all add up. for example; if my existing tent was 10cm larger in each direction, had a larger vestibule and pitched inner first, then i wouldn't be looking to replace it. i wouldn't want to spend a lot on a tent only to wish that the poles were easier to insert and remove every time i used it! it may seem fussy but i've been told that the next tent i buy will be the last one (for quite some time) so i want to get it right.

thanks you for your reply. my current tent is a Marmot Asgard 3p it weighs nearly 6kg and is a 3 person geodesic. we can just squeese 4 of us in it. it pitches inner first so is often soaking with puddles of water on the floor before we manage to throw the flysheet over. the porch area is a little too small for rucksacs, wet clothing and cooking. because of the shape of the inner, it 'rains' into the inner tent when camping in the winter and the heat from the stove melts the frost on the inside of the fly. we have been using this tent for 3 years and have outgrown it. the tents i am looking at offer more space, quicker pitching and less weight than my current tent. remember that we are 4 people, a 6kg tent is only 1.5 kg each (in theory) i don't consider this too much for a tent that will give shelter in all conditions and be totally reliable for many a year.

Firstly, please excuse my use of English. i live in the UK and enjoy reading this forum with the help of google translate. i am at the point where i am looking to buy a new tent and have shortlisted the two above. here in the U.K. plenty of people have Hillleberg tents but there are few with Helsport. looking at the manufactures web-sites there seems to be little difference between the 2 models apart from the storm mats. the cost over here is also about the same for each. i cannot find any reviews on the Spitsbergen camp. most for the Keron are positive (although one owner had repeated pole breakages). does anybody have experiences of either tent that you could share? good or bad? i would be using this tent all year round in Scotland and the weather is mostly wet and windy (all year round) we also have a bad insect problem in the warmer months (the midge) which can force you inside the tent behind the mosquito nets. ps. for around the same price as the Spitsberen camp i can get the Svalbard high camp 5 and for £ 150 more the Svalbard 6 camp. should i consider these? weight isn't too much of an issue with about 1kg difference between them all. many thanks for your help.

can anyone help? i have limited availability for flights from where i live and need to book soon if conditions are good. thanks.

Hi, please excuse the use of english but i am (actually scottish)! i am planning a familly holiday to the lillehammer area in the middle of april and hope to do lots of cross country ski-ing. however i am concerned that this late on in the year there may not be suficient snow. could someone tell me if the conditions are normally good around this time? also the best areas to ski for beginners and young children. i am also looking for accommodation in the area; if anyone has a cabin to rent that sleeps 4 and is near the trails then please let me know. many thanks from a 10deg C and raining Scotland.