Undecided on 2 tents

[Uliano Guerrini]

Hello everybody!
Greetings from Italy!

I'm sorry I can only write in English, I read this forum with the (sometimes comic) help of Google Translator because it is full of information about "nordic" tents not so easily found elsewhere, In particular about Helsport or Fjellraven (Hilleberg is much more common even at lower latitudes).

I'm about to buy my first 4 season tent and I'm full of doubts and very undecided. Therefore any suggestion from people more used to camp in the cold is very welcome.

I should go with my wife usually one (seldom two) night in the alps during autumn, winter and spring; in summer we are using a MSR Hubba Hubba NX. We are going over the tree altitude up to 2500, max 3000m possibly when there is no severe storm (but who knows, sometimes forecast is not so spot on). We climb, take some pictures, see the sunset, spend the night eating some warm food, see the sunrise, have breakfast and then walk (or, in winter, ski) down. This is the 4th season use.

I'm also thinking of another (and completely different) use for the new tent, that is summer cycletouring. At the moment for this we are using an Exped Venus DLX III which is really huge and allowed the three of us (also my son is cycle touring) to cook and have dinners under heavy rain, comfortably seated around a small table or in the large vestibule or, more comfortably by removing the innertent. This Exped tent has seen years of use and is quite worn out so I should consider a replacement. I won't buy it again for the low quality of the materials and because it is really too huge and not so stable in the wind. The idea is to use the winter tent without the innertent for the same pourpose. To be able to do so, I already replaced all furniture with much lower helinox ground chairs and helinox zero table. I'm about 178 and wen I'm sit on the new chair my head is just above 100 cm from ground.

I've considered many tents but, at the moment, the two candidates are Hilleberg kaitum 4 (yes 4! I love the space and I feel that the 3 is too low especially considering the idea of having dinner inside) and Helsport Reinsfjell Pro 3. In the following I write my considerations which are too theoretic (I have no experience of either and I can't see them on a shop) to be trusted for a final decision in the hope of finding advice.

Price: Reinsfjell wins by large costing a bit more than half Kaitum.

Weight: Kaitum wins by 250 g (not so much on 4 kg)

Height: Reinsfjell wins by 10 cm which is good for the secondary use (having dinner inside) but maybe not for the primary use (going on the mountain in winter)

Vents: Both have 2, Reinsfjell has one low and one high which should be good for chimney effect but maybe the lower is easily covered by snow (I really have no experience!!)

Structure: Tunnel is maybe easier to set up in wind but dome can maybe carry more easily the weight of the snow (again no experience at all with non freestanding tents).

Space: Kaitum wins by large except in height (which is nice for having dinner inside). To counterbalance the lack of height on Kaitum maybe it should be possible to remove only half of the innertent leaving sleeping bags and mats inflated in the other half. On the other hand less volume in the Reinsfjell could mean it is warmer in winter? (again no experience at all)

I have considered also other tents and I here give my (possibly wrong!!) explanation for their rejection. Nallo4: posterior vent very low (easily covered by snow?) and, in common with Fjellheimen Pro4 and Lofoten Pro 4, the "dreaded" wet foot problem (even if I'm only 178, I'm afraid that over 2 cm closed cell+6cm air + my feet the huge fluffy winter bag can get wet by touching the innertent; but again: no experience at all, and I cant see the tents in a shop). Also for these 3 tents: I really like 2 entrances from opposite sides! Spitsbergen Pro 3: a little heavy but also too long and narrow for my secondary use. Fjellraven Abisko Endurance 4 too huuuge (mainly in length)

any consideration, criticism, suggestion or help in general is warmly welcome.