For the uninitiated, and for those claiming that a $1000 tent shouldn't need seam sealing, heres the reason that a $1000 tent MAY, or may not, require seam sealing. Hilleberg uses a sil nylon fabric they call kerlon. Kerlon is silicone treated with a multi pass treatment on BOTH sides of the fabric. The silicone is actually what gives the nylon its high tear strength. Untreated nylon, even a high ripstop pattern is fairly easy to tear without the silicone treatment. The silicone allows the fabric to stretch, and distribute to tear load over a greater number of threads, giving it a higher tear strength. The problem with silicone treatments is that nothing sticks to silicone, other than silicone, so they can not be seam sealed with anything other than liquid silicone. Hilleberg gets around this somewhat by using a flat felled seam( you will have to google this), and using small needles. This makes it very hard for water to penetrate through the needle holes. However, there are still needle holes, and a hole is a hole. Other manufacturers do not use 100% duel sided silicone treated fabrics for this reason. They mostly use a sil /poly blend. Meaning one side is silicone coated, and the other side is polyurethane coated. This allows the seams to be taped and completely seam sealed. However, the downside to polyurethane coating is the tear strength is greatly reduced. And can even be made worse than an un coated fabric. Hilleberg is making the strongest tents possible , using the best material, and construction methods available. This means a silicone coated fabric for tear strength, and a flat felled seam for seam strength. Given enough hydrostatic pressure, all material, and seams will leak. So the answer is you will have to seam seal the seams if they leak in your conditions. Most people might not ever see the conditions required for the seam to leak (70mph wind driven rain) so they never have a problem. Theres not too many tents that will stand up to these conditions in the first place. These tent are worth what they charge because they can remain standing when most houses wouldn’t. There are also other factors at play regarding hydrostatic pressure, seam construction, thread, needles, etc that other manufacturers severely skimp on, that hilleberg doesn’t. So yes they are worth the money if you really need one. But if you dont want to put some sealer on the seams if your conditions require it, than you probably dont need this tent anyway, and you can buy a north face tent🤷‍♂️

I love how our fair cousins across the pond ask questions like "init it?" Love y'all 🤗.

Thanks for making this video! The hard wind exposes weaknesses in tent designs. Videos like these help making buying decisions. I will stay with traditional geodesic designs of separate inner and outer tents.

Great Video. Enjoyed every bit of it

Thanks for sharing your experience. All fun and games ha ha.

Fascinating, Alistair. Good to know that it can be cured. I had a fine Keron 4 and seam sealed just part of it, but it was never subject to 70mph winds. My previous Nammatj 3GT was awful and I sold it in disgust. Good review.

Desperate. Excellent video, exciting stuff and hard to film. Well done doing this.

You buy Hilleberg to be guaranteed protection against the forces of the weather. I mean these are tents that are used in expeditions. The tent still withstands the wind well but not the rain. Hope Hillberg sees this video. It is clear that they need to rethink the seams and stitches. At the price and the reputation of tents, it must not fail as it does here.

Reminds me of when I was in whitby last year. Relentless wind and rain all night. Well I did pitch on a cliff top.

Very enjoyable video. I love winter camping I have a saitaris with an extra set of pole's not cheap by any means but its what's needed for bad weather camps.

Holy mackerel! I'm thinking pegs, tie downs, gussets.....fair play to you for this great insight video.

I like this extreme video, good to know that water leaks can happen also on Hilleberg in some circumstances.

I have a Tarra. It took 18 inches of wet, heavy snow on a Boy Scout trip with my son several years ago. It is a bomb proof shelter and is my go to if SHTF.

I love extreme weather wild camps. Pity about the leaks but it does happen from time to time across all brands, at least the tent stood up where others may have folded. A couple of quid for a tube of sealant and you will be reet. I was going to buy a hilleberg soulo for my winter bad weather wild camping (and still might especially now the black label model has been released) adventures but was offered an mint unused Crux Storm X2 for an absolute steal, too good to turn down. I must admit in bad weather outings I always take a waterproof bivvi to protect my down bag just in case the wet creeps inside through leaks or me being a div, it's super light and I don't notice it in my pack. My Crux is bomber and so far never let a drop of wet in but it's an inner pitch first so I need to get it up sharpish in bad weather even though the inner has a DWR coating and dries rapid. It is drum tight when pitched so not quite as noisey inside in the wind as some single pitch tents can be. I do try get a sheltered spot if possible when it's wild, even though the tent might handle it my nerves might not lol. Swings and rounderbouts I guess, as you know every tent is a compromise of sorts. Epic video bud. Stick with the hilly, seam seal it, double pole it if your going out in storms and make sure you buddy up your pegs for belt and braces and you will be ok. Again great video and good to note you kept calm and jolly considering the situation 👍

Best wild camping channel on KZfaq, keep them coming and thank you for sharing.👏

Well done for braving the elements and videoing it for us to enjoy. Not great though that the rain got through your Tarra in places. Driving wind and rain will do that though. Keep up the good work. ⛺️💨👍🏼

If I paid over a grand for a tent and that happened it would be getting sent back. They get tested to winds well over 70mph. Send it back and get it fixed or replaced.

awesome !..

Jeez, nasty situation to find yourself in. Everything wet. :/ Interesting real-life video.

I definitely think that these weather conditions merit the use of double poles and possibly double pegging. I like this tent for its strength and internal space and would like to use my titanium tent stove in it during the winter. I wouldn't intentionally be going out in those conditions as cycling wouldn't be too much fun in that wind, though I do have guyline attachments for my stovepipe in case it did get windy. I also have an e-Vent bivvy bag to protect my sleeping bag if driving rain did make its was inside. I've never seen a tent pitched in such an exposed location in such high winds and driving rain, you certainly like a challenge!

I had a quasar for years never let a drop in in extreme weather, no excuses for this surely

This tent should be sent back, I've got a tent under two hundred pounds that doesn't leak like this!!

Thanks for this video. Honest question, as the front and rear poles are not supported, like in the Quasar, do you think double poling would be the answer? Regarding the leak, disappointing to see as I’m thinking about this tent, but would probably seam seal it anyway as a precaution. It’s all good, until it fails.

Did they replace the tent

Used to have a hillerberg jannu and I ended up seam sealing mine which stopped all leakage!. They say it doesnt need it because of tightness/technique of the stitching and thats probaly true 99.8% of the time but harsh wind driven rain and puddles of water pressing up against the inner tent corner stitching defintly let water through in mine. Amazing tents though, I only sold mine because it was just to heavy

Brutal

Been to Yorkshire camping many times , its always like that , no i lie its mostly wetter .

Very disappointing to see the seams fail on a Hilleberg. You deserve better for the money you paid. I have a Roben's Starlight 2 which has been in winds of around 80mph with driving rain and no water penetrated.

Some test for that tent.

I’ve just bought a Tara today the leaking was a little disheartening, have you tried anything to stop the leaking or have you contacted hilleberg about it at all?

The pegs deserves the credits Btw which one are used ? Nice vid

The akto is the same would never noticed if it wasn’t for the water dripping from the zip onto the footprint

Lol my kind of camping. Wild Camping Pembrokeshire, my mates channel look it up. We love camping in that weather lol

Doesn't sound great for a top end tent. Great video

If that was me before my next trip I’d have all them leakage points sealed up, I’m sure that could be sorted with seam sealant especially now you know were the leakage is. I’ve been in conditions like this.

Chuffing hell...

All that water and you spent HOW MUCH on the tent? Lol

I love es🤗🌬🌬🌬🏕😍

Me tent is full of wuh-uh!

The unsupported front poles on this design are a definite design weakness as compared to the pole structure of a Quasar were the poles support each other ,especially in a tent designed to take the main wind load front /rear .

Also I don't use my foot print.

That tent is supposed to be Bomb proof.

And all that money ttt hillerberg

Fuck using a tent ha ha ha. Good quality waterproof bivi very low profile can deal with the wind much better.

Why are you out of breath? You're sitting still in a tent.

About the only person in the entire world that has a problem with a hilleberg leaking. I owned the tarra actually let me rephrase that, I lived in My tarra and never had one single issue. In weather just as bad as this. Makes me think you work for north face or something....