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@AndyB 521 wrote:
Charlie,
I was pushing for a 3-person Hillberg tunnel tent for our next tent.
Bob O. raved about the Cabela’s expedition tent he used for the first time this summer. It seems a little heavy, but it’s apparently well made, will take a beating, and cheap.
I can’t say enough good things about my Hilliberg Katum tent. This classic tunnel design goes up fast, is incredibly windproof, and at 7.5 honest pounds, is very light. We used this tent on a 10 day trip in Norway above the Arctic Circle, and most recently (June 2014) on the flooded Kopka River (Ontario). It is absolutely bombproof. Note that Hilliberg tents cannot be sold in stores because they are constructed of sil-nylon, which doesn’t meet fireproof regs. But you can buy them on line. They are pricey, and worth it. Cliff Jacobson
Best tundra tents I’ve used have been the old Cannondale Aroostook (long dead) and the briefly made Eureka! Tundraline, which is an improved copy of the Aroostook. The Tundraline is awesome: one person can put it up in 3 minutes flat in a 30 mph wind. There are two huge vestibules and double doors. The bad news is that it’s heavy–about 12 pounds, and bulky. The old Aroostook was much trimmer. The Tundraline is no longer being made but you can still find them for around $300 if you look hard. Piragis NWC may have one. If you can afford the weight and bulk, this tent is it! Otherwise, I’d go with one of the Hilliberg tunnel tents, like the Kaitum 3. We used that tent on the Norwegian/Finnish tundra canoeing last summer and it’s terrific. Much slower to pitch than the Tundraline and the lower height isn’t as nice, but otherwise, the Hilliberg is awesome. Note that none of the American tents can be built from ultralight silicone nylon because it won’t meet fire-spec rules. Europeans don’t care–one reason why they’re tents are better.
Nyah, Royalex canoes are easy to repair. Just sand off the outer vinyl layer–inside and out–then use boat-building epoxy (not hardware store stuff) to fill the crack. If the crack is small this is usually enough. If you’re a belt and suspenders person, epoxy a fiberglass patch over the crack on the inside of the hull. If you’re a security nutso add a second patch to the outside of the hull to cover the crack. When the epoxy is hard, sand the patches baby-bottom smooth–feather the edges–then spray paint them to match the hull. You’ll hardly know they are there. My Royalex canoes have been repaired this way many times–never a failure.
Cliff Jacobson
