Hilldeberg Tent & other items

[Keeled Over]

On my recent trip to the Thelon I wanted to check out some gear I had wondered about.

Huge Eureka dry bag - too big for me and the thing had some leaks. I wasn't alone with the leaks and I get these are used commercially, but there were not that many miles on this pack.

Peregrine sleeping pad. Had not heard of them. VERY nice pad - no sleeping issues at all.

Helleberg Red Label tent. Amazing. Huge wind and rain. I set this one piece tent (always hated the concept) on wet tundra and it never leaked a drop, and I was looking with a flashlight. I am not in the market for a new tent, and yes, $1500 is a lot, but if I were younger and in the market I would do it without a second thought.

EMS down jacket. I was getting a bit frustrated with the gear thing. Packing for a range of 95 degrees to freezing was a new one. I know now I could have gone with my typical fall kit for the ADK's, with the addition of this coat and some OR over-mitts. Was told this item was the one that people don't bring, and I am glad I did. I would have been fine without it, but is was very nice to have. (This was in the first part of August and it is getting cooler, but I was fine with a 30 degree rectangular bag). First light and I was very cozy for coffee. Not so for everyone.

Please go see the Arctic if you can. As others on here already knew, It is an amazing place. You will not regret it.

 

[Boreal Birch]

I took a trip to see Alaska after a stint in the military and then college on the GI Bill. Liked what I saw, so I stayed. I have taken a month long vacations to other areas mostly in late September & October to visit family & friends. I do not plan on leaving, I have watched friends, co-workers and acquaintances leave and have been sad for them. The far North has lived up to my childhood expectations. I love all eight seasons here, couldn’t feel this good living anywhere else.
I have a Hilleberg Nallo 4 tent that had never let a drop of moisture into it. It sleeps three comfortably, but is light enough that I use it solo. Shoulder season a Whelan Lean-to is better than perfect for me at for many reasons. For base or cold weather camping I think nothing is better than canvas wall tent with a stove.

 

[scoutergriz]

after hundreds of trips with kids, I agree on your assessment of those dry packs- over the years I've seen over a dozen develop serious leaks (usually where the suspension attaches), that's the main reason i replaced all of them with modern, fabric (usually polyester) canoe packs with hiker-style internal frame suspensions with regular drybags inside- it's a lot easier and cheaper to replace a torn drybag, they're generally well protected from abrasion, and allow you to color code and segregate items- no more having to carry trash bags for wet tents and flys.
I've never used a Hillburg, but have other, less expensive single skin tents that work well, but my biggest concern is that they were designed for alpine use, not deep woods and are more prone to abrasion issues caused by branches and sticks.
There are a ton of newer pads on the market that are very high quality for less than the old fallback Kelty or Thermarests with more durable fabrics and valves, and more innovative usage of different foams or fills, I still use a Kelty pad on many trips, but for tougher, more ultralight trips I now use a Pine Ridge one that inflates to 2 1/2" but compresses down enough to fit in a standard Nalgene bottle and has TWO valves, allowing it to inflate and deflate quicker as well as the option to only use one if the other fails.
I tend to shy away from down as I sweat too much in my bag, and it's really sucks if it gets wet- my typical cold, wet weather gear is wool, but I do carry a down vest which is perfect for cold, dry, windy days and makes a fantastic pillow
My best new purchase is a tiny, 2000btu BUTANE parabolic heater that takes the standard MSR style canisters and sips fuel, I used it last week when it went down to freezing each night, with 3 days of near continuous heavy rain and even a little snow- the first 3 nights it was used to warm things up and drive out the dampness for 1/4 to 1/2 hour morning and night, and ran all night the last night, and still used less than 1/2 of a 700ml canister. It was a real game changer for these old, beat up bones...

 

[Keeled Over]

after hundreds of trips with kids, I agree on your assessment of those dry packs- over the years I've seen over a dozen develop serious leaks (usually where the suspension attaches), that's the main reason i replaced all of them with modern, fabric (usually polyester) canoe packs with hiker-style internal frame suspensions with regular drybags inside- it's a lot easier and cheaper to replace a torn drybag, they're generally well protected from abrasion, and allow you to color code and segregate items- no more having to carry trash bags for wet tents and flys.
I've never used a Hillburg, but have other, less expensive single skin tents that work well, but my biggest concern is that they were designed for alpine use, not deep woods and are more prone to abrasion issues caused by branches and sticks.
There are a ton of newer pads on the market that are very high quality for less than the old fallback Kelty or Thermarests with more durable fabrics and valves, and more innovative usage of different foams or fills, I still use a Kelty pad on many trips, but for tougher, more ultralight trips I now use a Pine Ridge one that inflates to 2 1/2" but compresses down enough to fit in a standard Nalgene bottle and has TWO valves, allowing it to inflate and deflate quicker as well as the option to only use one if the other fails.
I tend to shy away from down as I sweat too much in my bag, and it's really sucks if it gets wet- my typical cold, wet weather gear is wool, but I do carry a down vest which is perfect for cold, dry, windy days and makes a fantastic pillow
My best new purchase is a tiny, 2000btu BUTANE parabolic heater that takes the standard MSR style canisters and sips fuel, I used it last week when it went down to freezing each night, with 3 days of near continuous heavy rain and even a little snow- the first 3 nights it was used to warm things up and drive out the dampness for 1/4 to 1/2 hour morning and night, and ran all night the last night, and still used less than 1/2 of a 700ml canister. It was a real game changer for these old, beat up bones...

Gonna check out the gear you mentioned. The pad sounds great, and that heater could have multiple uses - like winter steelhead fishing. Thank you!

 

[scoutergriz]

Gonna check out the gear you mentioned. The pad sounds great, and that heater could have multiple uses - like winter steelhead fishing. Thank you!

I think the wife got it on Amazon, you have to be careful though, msr type cylinders have a "lindal" valve, while some european types can use the "GPL" or bayonet valve, the two are not interchangeable (though you can buy adapters), plus not all have the UL or CSA rating, making them illegal for use in the US or Canada.