Hilleberg

The label comes before capacity and before shape. It sets the fabric, the pole diameter and how much weather the tent is built to take, and it is the decision that most often gets made wrong.

Warm weather and long trails: Yellow Label

The Enan, Anjan, Rogen, Niak and Anaris. Lightest fabrics, 9mm poles, and an outer that stops short of the ground with large mesh panels in the inner - so air moves through constantly. That is the right trade for a summer walk in Queensland or a long trail where every hundred grams counts, and the wrong one above the treeline, where the same venting makes the tent cold and lets spindrift in.

Year-round, and what most people should buy: Red Label

The Nallo, Kaitum, Allak, Jannu, Akto and Unna. Kerlon 1200 outer that runs all the way to the ground, 9mm poles, and inner doors you can zip closed with fabric or leave as mesh. It handles an Australian or New Zealand winter and it is still light enough to carry for a week. If you are buying one tent and you do not yet know exactly what you will do with it, buy Red.

Winter, exposure and expeditions: Black Label

The Keron, Nammatj, Saivo, Staika, Tarra and the Soulo BL. Kerlon 1800 outer, 10mm poles, heavier zips and pegs, and extra pole crossings for snow load. It is genuinely stronger, and it is more tent than most Australian trips need - heavier to carry, and warmer than you want in February. Buy Black if you camp above the treeline in winter, ski tour, or go somewhere you cannot walk out of in a hurry.

In short: Yellow for warm-weather adventures, Red for year-round use in Australia and in New Zealand, Black for winter and exposure.

The second decision, and it depends less on the weather than on where you actually put the tent down.

Tunnels - Nallo, Kaitum, Nammatj, Keron, Anjan - give you the most room for the weight, and they pitch fast once you know them. They are not freestanding. They need pegs that hold at both ends, and they need to be pitched with one end into the wind. On sand, loose scree or a rock slab that will not take a peg, that is a real limitation.

Domes - Allak, Jannu, Staika, Soulo, Unna, Rogen - stand up on their own or close to it, so you can pitch them on a tent platform, a rock ledge or a hut floor and move them into position afterwards. They take wind from any direction, which matters if you are camping somewhere the wind swings overnight. You pay for it in weight and in a smaller floor for the same packed size.

In short: tunnel if you camp on ground that takes a peg, dome if you don't.

The all-rounder: Akto

The tent that made Hilleberg's name outside Scandinavia, and still the one we recommend most often to solo walkers. Red Label tunnel, single hoop, one vestibule big enough to cook in with the door propped. Light enough for a long trail, strong enough for a Tasmanian winter. It needs four good pegs and it is a little cosy if you sit up.

Lightest: Enan

The Yellow Label version of roughly the same idea - same footprint family, lighter fabric, more mesh, noticeably less weight in the pack. Better in heat, and it shares a footprint with the Akto. Not the one for snow or a fully exposed pitch.

Strongest: Soulo

A freestanding dome with multiple pole crossings, built for snow load and sustained wind. It now comes in two labels - the Soulo BL in Black Label fabric and poles, and the lighter Soulo RL - so check which one you're looking at before you compare weights or prices. The BL is the strongest one-person tent Hilleberg build, and for most Australian trips it is more than you need.

In short: Akto for almost everyone, Enan if weight and heat are the problem, Soulo if the weather is the point.

The busiest part of the range, and the part where the label decision does most of the work.

The default: Nallo 2

The most-asked-about Hilleberg there is, and deservedly. Red Label tunnel, light for the space, one vestibule, and it holds up to far worse weather than its weight suggests. If you are buying a two-person tent to walk with, start here and only move if you have a reason.

More room, same idea: Kaitum 2

The Nallo's larger sibling - longer, with two doors and two vestibules, so two people can get in and out without climbing over each other and each has somewhere to put boots. Heavier than the Nallo. Worth it on trips longer than a few days, and worth it if one of you is tall.

Stronger: Nammatj 2

The Black Label tunnel. Same general shape as the Nallo, built heavier throughout, with a shorter and steeper profile that sheds snow and takes wind better. If you are carrying it up into the Alps in July or taking it to the northern hemisphere for their winter, this is the one. For three-season walking here, it's more tent than the trip asks for and the Nallo is the better buy.

Freestanding for two: Allak, Jannu and Staika

Three domes at three weights. The Allak is the Red Label all-rounder with two doors and two vestibules. The Jannu is lighter and simpler with one door, which suits climbers and anyone counting grams. The Staika is the Black Label one, heavy and very strong, and it is the one to look at for snow camping where you also can't peg out.

Lightest for two: Anjan 2, Rogen 2 and Niak

The Yellow Label options. The Anjan 2 is a light tunnel, the Rogen 2 a light dome, and the Niak sits between a roomy solo tent and a tight two. All three vent well and all three are three-season tents - they are the right answer for a summer trail and the wrong one for a winter tops camp.

In short: Nallo 2 unless you want two doors (Kaitum 2), more strength (Nammatj 2), no pegs (Allak) or less weight (Anjan 2).

Once you are past two people the tents get long rather than wide, so think about where you will find a pitch that shape.

The Nallo 3 and Nallo 4 carry the same design up in size and stay surprisingly light - a Nallo 3 shared between three walkers is less weight each than most two-person tents. The Kaitum 3 adds the second door and second vestibule, which is what makes a group tent livable in bad weather. In Black Label, the Nammatj 3 is the strong three, and the Keron 3 and Keron 4 are the expedition tunnels - two doors, two vestibules, built for sustained weather and long stays. The Saivo is the Black Label dome for three, for when you need that strength somewhere a tunnel won't pitch.

In short: Nallo for weight, Kaitum for comfort, Keron if the trip is long and the weather is the risk.

GT means a longer vestibule - the same tent with the front extended, adding a covered space roughly the size of the sleeping area. It is available on the Nallo, Kaitum, Nammatj, Keron and Anjan, and it is one of the most common questions we get.

It is worth it if you ski tour and need somewhere to leave skis and wet gear, if you travel with a dog, if you are bikepacking and want panniers under cover, or if you are somewhere you will be pinned down and cooking under shelter for days. It is not worth it for a fine-weather walker: it adds weight, it adds a good deal of length to the pitch, and a standard Hilleberg vestibule already takes two packs and a stove.

In short: take the GT if you'll live in the vestibule, skip it if you'll only store boots there.

Tents by size: 1 Person Tents, 2 Person Tents, 3 Person Tents, 4-5 Person Tents, 4 Season & Mountain Tents

Other shelter: Tarps & Shelters, Bivy Sacks

Looking after it: Footprints, Tent Accessories, Tent Care

Free shipping Australia-wide, bulky items excluded, and 80 days to return anything, sale items included. Full detail is on our shipping and returns pages. If you'd rather see one pitched before you commit, we have stores at Burleigh Heads and Brisbane and you can click and collect there - details on our store locations page.

Is a Hilleberg 2 person tent big enough for two people?

Yes, and more comfortably than most tents sold as two-person. Hilleberg size to two adults with gear rather than two bodies shoulder to shoulder. The thing to check is not the floor width but the doors: a Nallo 2 has one door and one vestibule, so one of you climbs over the other to get out at night, while a Kaitum 2 or an Allak 2 gives each of you your own. If you are both over about six foot, look at the 3-person version of whichever model you like - the weight penalty is smaller than you'd think.

Which Hilleberg suits Tasmania and the Australian Alps?

Red Label, in almost every case. The outer runs to the ground so wind-driven rain stays out, the inner doors close with fabric when it turns cold, and it is still light enough to walk with for a week. A Nallo 2 or an Akto covers most of it. Go Black Label - a Nammatj or a Soulo BL - if you are camping high in winter or somewhere you cannot retreat from quickly. Yellow Label tents vent constantly by design, which is a gift in a Queensland summer and a problem on an exposed Tasmanian tops camp.

Do I need a footprint?

Not strictly - Hilleberg floors are tougher than most and will handle normal ground without one. It is worth having if you regularly pitch on rock, shell grit or burnt ground, if you want to pitch the outer on its own as a shelter, or if you plan to keep the tent for a decade and want the floor to last that long. Footprints are model-specific, so match it to your tent rather than to the size.

Can I get a Hilleberg repaired in Australia?

Yes. Poles, pole sections, zip sliders and fabric repairs are all serviceable rather than write-offs, which is a large part of why these tents stay in use for so long. Get in touch with us with the model and what's happened and we'll tell you whether it's a spare part, a field repair or a job for the repair service, and sort it out from there.

What warranty do Hilleberg tents have?

Hilleberg guarantee their tents against faults in materials and workmanship. Separately, and regardless of any manufacturer's warranty, everything we sell carries Australian Consumer Law guarantees - a tent has to be of acceptable quality and fit for the purpose it was sold for. Wear from use and accidental damage aren't warranty matters, but they are usually repairable. If something isn't right, contact us and we'll handle it for you.