denalidevo Posted February 27, 2011 Share Posted February 27, 2011 I'm comparing the following 2 person - four season tents, the Hilleberg Janu and the Sierra Designs Convert 2, for use on Liberty Ridge and similar terrain. Anyone have any experience with either of these? I tend to prefer double wall tents, but the Convert gets high marks for a single wall. Pros & Cons? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastCoastBastard Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I have a Convert 2 - great tent, nice design, easy to use. Pretty light and has a zip-off vestibule. I've used mine all over the world - from Peru, to NZ, to Colorado, and it's done quite well. It does come with quite a few "extras" like some hanging pockets (very nice) and 4 "Jakes's Corner's" corner supports which I have used, but never felt like I actually needed. Not surprisingly, sitting in the rain in NZ, or on extremely humid nights I did get condensation developing, but that's going to be true with any single wall. Nice happy colour too. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSky Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 ECB gave you better info for the Convert than I can give you for the Jannu. I do have a couple of Hilleberg tents and have set up and been in nearly all of them, Jannu included. It is definitely more cold weather oriented compared to many 4-season tents...built stout, but doesn't have the ventilation options of the Nallo's, Allak, or BA String Ridge for example. It is put together pretty tightly (read: temp. boost). For what it's worth, Hilleberg's have consistently been the best made (attention to detail, quality, etc.) double wall tents that I've ever seen. Up to you to decide what fits your needs, but I decided the Jannu was more cold weather inclined than I need. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denalidevo Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 Thanks for the info gentlemen! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wfinley Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I'm in the market for a new tent so I went to the store the other day and set up the Jannu. It's a nice sized tent - definitely more than livable for 2 people on a glacier - however my thoughts were: - they say the light fabric is bomber, but I still don't trust it. I tend to be hard on my gear and do things like rip hole in tents when shoveling snow off because I'm too lazy to brush it off first. I felt like the Jannu wouldn't handle my abuse and I'd have to be real careful with it. - the 3 pole design makes for a bomber tent but I thought it was a pain to set up (in comparison to my Integral Designs). A lot is to be said for the Biblers / Integral Design tents where all you do is crawl inside and you're done. - I don't like the flap that is over the top vents. Seems to me it would get in the way and flag like mad in heavy wind. After setting it up I've shied away from it and am considering the Nammatj instead. I have friends that swear by the Nammatj and considering I'm looking for a glacier / expedition tent I don't mind the hoop design / extra room. (Note that the Nammatj is a heavier fabric but the tent is the same weight due to the hoop design.) However - like I said - I'm looking for more of an expedition tent. If I was just doing 2-3 day climbs then I'd go with either an Integral Designs or a Firstlight. I've had my Integral Designs MK1XL for about 8 years now and it's an awesome tent that has held up to lots of abuse all over the place. The Firstlight is a nice option as well - people swear by it. In case you're interested, tent data is below... Tent / Length (in) / Width (in) / Height (in) / Weight (inc. vestibule) / Cost Integral Designs MK3 / 88 / 54 / 45 / 7 lbs / $700 Integral Designs MK1XL / 86 / 46 / 39 / 6lbs 1oz / $650 Bibler I-Tent / 82 / 48 / 42 / 6lbs 4oz / $700 Bibler Eldo / 87 / 51 / 43 / 7lbs 7oz / $700 Bibler Fitzroy / 93 / 60 /40 / 8lbs 7oz / $800 Hilleberg Nallo3 / 87 / 64 /42 / 5lbs / $580 Hilleberg Nammatj2 / 87 / 52 / 38 / 5lbs 5oz / $575 Hilleberg Nammatj3 / 87 / 64 / 42 / 6lbs 5oz / $615 Hilleberg Jannu / 93 / 57 / 40 / 6lbs / $735 Marmot Alpinist / 88 / 52 / 40 / 5 lbs 4 oz / $495 Sierra Designs Covert2 / 85 / 54 / 45 / 6lbs 10oz / $450 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denalidevo Posted March 3, 2011 Author Share Posted March 3, 2011 (edited) Went to FF today and checked out the Jannu. I think it's the nicest, lightest freestanding 4-season tent I've seen. It's very roomy - more than most other 2-mans tents. I checked out the Nallo 2 (lighter version of the Nammatj) as well, but prefer the freestanding Jannu for it's smaller overall footprint when pitched on a narrow ledge. - they say the light fabric is bomber, but I still don't trust it. I tend to be hard on my gear and do things like rip hole in tents when shoveling snow off because I'm too lazy to brush it off first. I felt like the Jannu wouldn't handle my abuse and I'd have to be real careful with it. I hear ya. I'm very good on my gear, so the fabric doesn't worry me so much. - the 3 pole design makes for a bomber tent but I thought it was a pain to set up (in comparison to my Integral Designs). A lot is to be said for the Biblers / Integral Design tents where all you do is crawl inside and you're done. The Jannu pole setup is very similar to the MH Trango setup I used the past several years on Rainier and doesn't seem that tricky. I've set up some Bibler tents and remember having a difficult time seating the two poles inside the tent. Sounds like the ID tents are easier. Also, I haven't tested it in the field, but the fact that you could tear down the Jannu's inner tent while remaining sheltered from bad weather under the fly (and vice versa) is very tempting. - I don't like the flap that is over the top vents. Seems to me it would get in the way and flag like mad in heavy wind. I can see your point, not sure myself w/o field testing it. It could also complicate setting the tent up in high winds if it tangled up with the rest of the tent. The one thing I noticed was the vestibule was rather long and low, although it had three different ways of exiting - which could help. Definitely would need to be dug out to increase storage/cooking space. If I could afford a quiver of tents I'd probably have a Firstlight, a Jannu, and a Convert 2 single wall, but as my only 4-season tent to be used primarily in the PNW, the Jannu seems like a pretty sweet setup. Edited March 3, 2011 by denalidevo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSky Posted March 3, 2011 Share Posted March 3, 2011 I don't really have a problem trusting Kerlon 1200, though for an expedition tent I can't fault a guy for wanting 1800. ID's tents do go together much more easily than Bibler and Rab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeroforhire Posted March 7, 2011 Share Posted March 7, 2011 A good alternative to the Jannu is the Big Agnes String Ridge 2. It might not be quite the same quality as the Hillie, but it is a nice tent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denalidevo Posted March 8, 2011 Author Share Posted March 8, 2011 Yeah, I've researched the String Ridge online - know where I could see one in real life? I like the weight, the vestibule and the pockets. Def. cheaper than a Hille. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeroforhire Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 ^ A friend of mine has one... he is out of the country. Let email him and see if I can dig it out for you. I'll PM you if I can get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigSky Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I had a String Ridge for a while. It was much nicer than I expected it to be--one of the few tents I'd consider owning again outside of a Hille. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Figger_Eight Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I - they say the light fabric is bomber, but I still don't trust it. FF usually gets a stock of "tear sheets" comparing the Kerlon fabrics with normal ripstop nylon (uncoated). Squares of the 3 fabrics are on the same sheet of paper with a small cut started on the bottom and the idea is to try to tear the sheets in half. Ripstop nylon is pretty easy to split with two hands. The Kerlon is damn near impossible to pull apart with two people. The great thing about Hilleberg is that their North American HQ is right over in Bellevue where Petra Hilleberg works. You can get any tent in their lineup within 24 hours, and if you have any doubt about their fabric strength I'm sure they'd send you a fabric sample. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ASmith Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I tried and even when cut two of us could not tear the fabric. Love my Katium 3GT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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