Tent Information

Fabrics and Materials

Superior fabrics - for your safety
In a Hilleberg tent you never have to feel unsafe or exposed to the wrath of the Weather Gods. Due to the careful selection of materials, Hilleberg offers tents with the highest performance. Our fabrics are unrivalled in tear strength so you can be sure of appropriate safety wherever you are.

Kerlon - the ultimate tent fabric
Both our Kerlon fabrics have over the past few years been improved with a 20% increase in tearstrength, because of this we have given them a name-upgrade to reflect their high tearstrength. Kerlon 1200 and Kerlon 1800 are the new names.

This great tear strength matters when your tent gets damaged: in strong wind a tear gets larger if your tent is made of ordinary fabric. A Hilleberg tent made of Kerlon has a much higher safety margin!

Kerlon 1800 is the best and strongest of all light-weight fabrics. The raw fabric is of "high tenacity61" quality, has a double strong coating and a tear strength of approximately 18 kg (40 lbs) and weighs only 65 g/m2 (1.92 oz/yd2)! Its tear strength is 5–6 times higher than with the fabrics of our competitors at approx. 2–3 kg (4–7 lbs). Kerlon 1800 is also being used in hot air balloons thanks to its treatment against the deteriorating effect of UV-rays.

Kerlon 1200, our ultra-light fabric is one of the greatest contributions to the outdoor industry today. It has a tear strength of 12 kg (26 lbs) at a mere weight of 50 g/m2 (1.47 oz/yd2). Our ultra-light tents in Kerlon 1200 are designed with focus on the lowest weight possible today.

One should always attempt to protect a tent from prolonged direct exposure to sunlight, salt water and all exposure to chemicals. These external influences potentially deteriorate all fabrics and will shorten the life span of a tent.

Waterproofness

In order to feel comfortable in your tent is is important that you and your equipment remain dry. In a Hilleberg tent this is the norm, year after year, in all weather.

High quality fabrics deserve a high quality coating that does not deteriorate easily and lasts a long time. Kerlon 1200 and 1800 have specifications that exceed expectations one normally has for waterproof fabrics. Since wear and tear, weather and ordinary use break down the performance of a fabric, it is prudent to start off with high intinial margins to prolong the life of a tent.

A Hilleberg tent does not have any taped seams. This may be surprising since so many much cheaper tents are. Our fabric has a very strong coating to obtain the highest possible tear strength but this coating does not offer any adhesion to tapes. Consequently, fabrics that are tape sealed do not have the same tearstrength we offer. When fabrics have the coating that we use you are really dealing with the most exclusive levels of tearstrength and supreme performance!

We apply a technique when sewing our products that results in waterproof seams. There are several elements in the manufacturing of our tents that contribute to this:

We use a treated polyester thread.
We sew with a flat fell seam - every seam goes through four layers of fabric.
The needles on our machines are cooled, avoiding unnecessary large stich-holes.
The needles are always off the fabric at every stop.

These factors yield a very strong and reliable seam that resists mechanical strain and leakage.

You may wonder why Hilleberg is virtually the only manufacturer using this fabric which is so superior. A lot of people ask us this. The answer to this question is quite simple: too expensive for most! It is simply too expensive to use in tent production in the price bracket in which most manufacturers choose to work. That is, too expensive for those who are not committed enough in their attempt to produce the very best tents possible!

Globally, there are very few fabric mills that are competent enough to be able to offer a fabric corresponding to our standards. Some manufacturers offer so-called siliconised fabrics, maintaining they are as good as what we use. But a statement like that can usually not be backed up by a specification on the tear strength of the fabric - most likely it will be around four-seven pounds.

There are Hilleberg tents still in use that were made 25 years ago without any problems with waterproofness. This is clearly a mark of distinction for the materials we choose.

Groundsheet fabric
The expected performance of a groundsheet is somewhat different from that of an outer tent. Here it is important that it withstands sharp stones and abrasion and that it remains waterproof for a long time. Tearstrength is of secondary importance, since there is rarely this sort of strain on the groundsheet.

The ground sheets of Hilleberg tents have been developed to the highest demands when it comes to resistance against abrasion, sharp objects and humidity. Our multiple PU-coated ground sheet fabric is second to none and performs brilliantly even at low temperatures. It weighs only 120 g/m2 (3.53oz/yd2).

In Hilleberg's truly ultra-light series, Akto, Unna, Nallo, and Nallo GT, the groundsheet fabric is a slightly lighter and thinner version of this fabric at 90 g/m2 (2.65 oz/yd2).

Inner tent fabric

The importance of the right inner tent fabric is undisputed. We have already mentioned the concept of double-walled tents; here, the quality of the inner tent fabric plays a role too. It is necessary to keep a balance between the permeability of air and the water repellence. We are trying to achieve a dry and pleasant environment. This requires sufficient ventilation and the need for the fabric to repel droplets of condensation from the inside of the outer tent.

The fabric also needs to be strong and resilient enough to take abrasion and rough handling. For this reason we chose the same type of fabric as we use for the outer tent but in a lighter version and with a repellent finish instead of a double waterproof coating. This treatment keeps water droplets from penetrating the fibers. The right parity between allowing vapor to pass through the material and repellence is the secret of a successful fabric for this purpose. In our tents, we have the best of both worlds: air can pass through but the proofing is stable enough that you can carry water in it! This sounds a bit like magic, particularly considering that this fabric weighs in at merely 35 g/m2 (1.03 oz/yd2).

Tent poles
When constructing a tent, all components must be in parity with each other when it comes to quality. When constructing a tent that is supposed to be light and strong, your choices are cut down to only a few options. With poles, as it is with other parts, you have to balance the qualities of strength and weight to obtain the best performance possible for a particular purpose.

A pole is possibly the most critical single detail in a tent and difficult to optimize. It has to hold up the tent and stabilize it, has to be flexible and has to endure pressure from wind and sometimes snow. At the same time there needs to be a certain amount of "give" in a pole. It has to bounce back into its original shape when the pressure on it is released. It must also be light and should handle with ease.

Before we choose a pole it has to stand up to various rigorous tests to convince us it will live up to both our, and our customers' high expectations. Very few brands stand up to these expectations today. The pole we currently use is a true high-tech product, DAC Featherlite, made of a seamless extrusion, high quality aluminium. This pole is light and extraordinary tough.

Because of the nature of the manufacturing process of these poles, cracks are less likely to occur and the poles have a higher tolerance towards bending. Naturally, even these poles can break or get damaged. But today we believe that this product meets our demands better than any other, so that is why we chose it.

The sections of a pole may bend slightly when your tent is subjected to very strong winds; this does not necessarily reduce the performance of the pole.

Zippers
Zippers can be a weakness in tents, but they differ in performance. The ones we use have proven to be very reliable. The worst scenario for a zipper is to get clogged with sand under frequent use. The sliders wear and fail to close the coils. This can be helped temporarily by squeezing the sliders with a pair of pliers, but eventually the entire zipper needs to be replaced. Our advice here is to keep the zippers clean by using a small brush every now and then to clean out sand and any other particles from the zippers. This way you can expect a long and trouble free performance from these components.

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