Nallo 4

Before I got my Nallo, I really agonised over whether to get the GT or not, because that huge vestibule is amazing. In the end, I went for the non-GT version as I’m frequently on solo trips and just didn’t want to deal with the extra weight and bulk. But I do regret it sometimes though, especially on a trip a while back when I was stuck in the tent for two days of sideways Scottish rain on a week long trip on Arran. I do think the vestibule on the standard Nallo is still pretty roomy though, certainly enough for me to get out of my wet full body kayaking drysuit, which is not easy to do in my Allak 🙂

I own a few Hillebergs and swear by them. It’s very reassuring to know your tent is going to keep you safe when the weather gets really rough. I’ve camped all over the UK with them. I’m also a photographer/videographer so am always hauling gear around. My favourite Hillebergs are the Niak and the Nallo. The Niak is technically a three season tent but I’ll handle most British weather all year round. The Nallo is brilliant because it’s very spacious, has a large vestibule and is really quick to pitch. The Niak pitches very quickly too. The Niak is very similar to the Unna, but has a vestibule. The Soulo is amazing but frankly overbuilt for most British weather. I use mine during the winter for mountain camping but only when I’m feeling unsure about the weather, as it’s bulky and heavy for its size, and takes at least ten minutes to pitch. It is very cosy though; I was in some pretty poor weather this past weekend and it shrugs off wind like nothing else. Some drawbacks to Hillebergs, apart from them being relatively heavy (compared to all the ultralight tents out there), is that the silnylon they’re made from sags a bit when wet, and they’re also not as well ventilated as a lot of newer, especially American tents. Even their three season tents lack apex vents and such, so they’re a little more prone to condensation in our humid climate. And of course they’re very expensive. But they’ll last a lifetime if you take care of them. I know people who’ve got 20+ year old Hillebergs that still look great. Not many tents last that long. Oh and yeah, ignore the YouTubers. They’re either getting loads of free tents and giving them positive reviews because they’re the flavour of the month, or they’re giving glowing reviews because they’re trying to get free tents. The only person who does tent reviews that I really trust is Matti on the Jokkmokkguiderna channel.

I have the standard Nallo. I did agonise over whether to get the GT or the standard and in the end I simply chose the lighter option. I do sometimes still wonder if I should have gone for the GT though, especially in very bad weather. But the vestibule on the standard is quite spacious too; it’s overtaken my Allak as my primary choice for sea kayaking trips as the vestibule is actually big enough to get easily changed out of wet gear in. Bonus! And that very quick two pole pitching is brilliant. I’ve never owned an Unna but as mentioned, my Niak is very similar and I absolutely love that tent. Dome tents, like geodesics, are very versatile as you can essentially put them together and then find an optimal place to peg them down. The Unna, unlike the Niak, doesn’t have a vestibule but I know most people just unclip the inner to make one when needed. I can certainly see the attraction of a very storm worthy tent than pitches faster than the Soulo, and I guess that’s the Unna’s strength. I believe the Soulo can comfortably fit people your height. I’m only 5’5” so I find the Soulo quite spacious and generally keep all my gear with me inside the tent, instead of storing any in the vestibule. I’m not sure whether you’ll be able to do that at your height, but the inner does have a slightly triangular shape to it, so there’s a space alongside where your mat goes where you could store camera gear. Your backpack would probably have to go in the vestibule though. I wouldn’t bother getting any of Hilleberg’s Black Label tents for UK camping. Their Red Label tents will handle pretty much all of our weather (their Black Label tents are basically made for arctic expedition use, and I honestly don’t understand why anyone would carry around that kind of weight when they don’t need it!).

There’s definitely a particular kind of (usually middle aged) man who buys Black Label tents and then has totally sedate camps in gentle terrain with them. The whole “hardcore tent” thing is just a weird flex 🫠 Having said that, there is a Black Label tent called the Nammatj which is really nice and looks like it has slightly better ventilation than the Nallo. But yeah I won’t carry that extra weight! I actually know someone who uses the Nallo GT as she camps with a dog, and it works really well for her. It also makes it a great option for campsite camping. I think that, unless you do a lot of summit camping or camping on unforgiving terrain that’s difficult to peg, tunnel tents generally win over geodesics. This is why, as brilliant as the Soulo is at being a tough little mofo of a tent, I prefer the Nallo. You get a better space to weight ratio, and faster pitching. Sure, if the wind changes direction overnight the tent will be a bit flappier, but I think that’s a small price to pay. Interestingly, the Nallo and Soulo are almost the same weight, yet the Nallo has more than twice the space.

The obvious choice is Hilleberg. The Nallo is a great tent; just pitch it so the vestibule faces into the wind and it’ll take pretty much any conditions that are actually hikeable in the UK. And I see that, with tedious inevitability, people are being downvoted for recommending expensive tents, despite the OP asking specifically about them.

What you've described is a Hilleberg. I don't think any other tent beats a Hilleberg in terms of strength to weight. I went with the Nammatj over the Nallo, mainly because I prefer the ventilation on the Nammatj and I prefer the door placement, but it is heavier than the Nallo. You won't be disappointed with the Nallo, or any Hilleberg for that matter, they are awesome.

Pretty much all of the Hilleberg red and black label. Nallo and Soulo are classics. Nallo has more space for its weight and the GT has a wonderful vestibule. Soulo is the strongest 1 person and if you want to go overboard with the strength and camp in 70mph regularly then you can get black label version. Tarra if you want insane strength but will be heavy for one person. Unna is another good one, nice space, not as strong as a Nallo or Soulo but hardly weak, but it does like a vestibule (many unclip one corner). Terra Nova Quasar is another very strong tent, 7 crossing points in its geodesic shape so can cope with snow loading unbelievably well. But it is an inner pitch first which in rain isn't ideal. Slingfin make some good 4 season tents, the crossbow for example, contrary to common belief it isn't necessarily an inner pitch first but it is a bit of a hassle to set up the fly and then put the inner inside. But they use internal guylines as well so are stronger than the shape would suggest resulting in a spacious, relatively low weight tent. I personally have the Nordisk Seiland, more or less a Nallo GT. Slightly bigger and with better ventilation but slightly thinner fly fabric. I've had it in pretty high winds, but have seen a wind tunnel test up to 80mph with single poles. Have also used with friends a couple times and works well, lots of space in the vestibule. Tarptent Scarp is another UK classic, very strong for its weight, sorts out the space issues facing the Hilleberg Akto, just slightly bigger but makes a big difference in long nights, and the crossing poles allow it to cope with high snow loading. Also the Arcdome, very similar to the Unna, but has a vestibule, cheaper as well and comes with a 2p version. We'll see over the coming years, but looking at the design it might actually be slightly stronger than an Unna. Nortent does have strong tents, but they are a bit heavy on the marketing. The Vern is a bit well known for having some strength issues when it first came out, though looking at the Varde I can't see those in the same way (but the double door does mean that regardless of which way the wind is blowing one of the storm flaps will be in the wrong orientation). Almost anything by Samaya, but they make Hilleberg look cheap so there is that. They specialise in breathable single wall tents, and are the only manufacturer that is generally agreed to have manufacturing quality above Hilleberg. And lastly, possibly good fit, possibly not, the MLD Trailstar. When lots of people say four season here they just mean they want it strong for wind, in which case this is a large, very lightweight tent capable of performing in over 60mph. But it's design doesn't lend well to snow loading so if you will be doing lots of winter camps where it may snow heavily overnight it won't be a good option. But if all you care about is wind performance then you won't find anything as good for nearly the same weight. Tom Heaney on YouTube has some fantastic reviews of tents, buys all his tents or borrows from friends, no sponsorships. He's also the only YouTuber I have seen that holds the wind speed measure in the right place instead of walking off a few paces towards the ridge which results in higher wind speeds than what the tent faces. He has a wonderful video "the best two-person four season tent" comparing the Tarra, Quasar and Staika. And he personally loves Samaya. Really, there's lots of tents so I'd recommend choosing a type of tent, tunnel, geodesic, dome based on what you most value, be it strength, space, strength per weight. Then after choosing what type, choose the exact tent.

The trekking pole hilleberg tent suprised me as to how much wind it can take..! but a safer option would be the Nallo series, the worlds best tent hands down

Actually, the Nallo is classified by Hilleberg as a "Red Label" tent which is their all-season category (not their Black Label which is expedition/winter), so you're right about it not being ideal for heavy snow loading.

Hilleberg is solid but damn those prices hurt. If you're not doing serious mountaineering the MSR Hubba series is way more reasonable and still built like a tank

People shit on hilleberg prices till they use a hilleberg in less than ideal weather. I’ll tolerate the price for the long life and ability to handle some nasty weather. Most places in the states below tree line don’t need one though.