The Hilleberg Principle:

Constantly Striving For Excellence

Shelter is a basic need. When you’re out in the wilderness, however, “basic” has to include both “shelter from the storm” and “ease of portability.”

That’s why we build tents the way we do. We believe that ours are the highest performing backcountry shelter solutions available, and they are that way because of our fundamental philosophy, which we’ve used since our first tent was sold in 1973.

For us, the ideal tent is a blend of a few, very straightforward principles: reliability – your being able to depend on your tent, no matter what; ease of use – being able to pitch it easily, even in high winds, in the dark, alone, and while wearing heavy gloves; comfort – its livability, including the obvious, such as fully waterproof outer tents and floors, as well as the subtle essentials, like optimal venting and intelligent ergonomic solutions; versatility – its capability for competently handling any and all environmental and weather condition, from the most benign to the most heinous; and durability – its capacity for standing up to use in all of those conditions for a long, long time.

Underlying all of these criteria is one more: low weight. Building a reliable, easy to use, comfortable, versatile and durable tent is difficult, but not outrageously so. Encompassing these elements within a strict weight limit, however, is a unique challenge. Meeting that challenge, creating the best balance of ALL of these standards is at the heart of every Hilleberg tent.

Reliability

Every material, design element, and construction technique we use is chosen to unite in creating the most reliable backcountry shelter possible. Our Kerlon outer tent fabrics are initially so strong that even should some damage occur, they will remain strong enough to keep your shelter intact. We design all our tents to offer optimal aerodynamics, and we strategically place the guy lines to distribute the wind’s forces evenly, rather than onto a few points. We are constantly testing our tents in real world situations, in all weather, and we maintain rigorous quality controls in our manufacturing, all so that your Hilleberg tent will serve you flawlessly in every situation.

Ease of Use

No matter how robust a backcountry shelter is, if it’s difficult to put up by one person in any weather (and in the dark), it’s simply not good enough. Our designs are elegantly simple and functional so that a lone traveler can indeed erect the tent quickly and easily in any condition. Linked inner and outer tents provide one-step pitching; continuous pole sleeves have only one opening and user-friendly pole tensioners; short pole sleeves and clips are placed so that each pole end’s position is obvious and intuitive; tents with different length poles employ uncomplicated color coding; and adjustable peg attachments provide a quick, straightforward way to add precision to pitching.

Versatility

Your backcountry experience is all about environmental variety: one trip might take you to remote, high peaks in the depths of winter, while the next might be to a warm, temperate forest right around the corner. Hilleberg tents are at home at every point on that spectrum, from those high places, to deserts, to polar regions to that balmy wood right out your back door. Our tents’ versatility is reflected in fully adjustable venting systems, the ability to roll away part (or even all) of the vestibules and, of course, our hallmark linked but separate inner and outer tents. All provide unequaled adaptability to your choice of adventure environments.

Durability

Investing in a home includes a certain expectation of return on investment. That same expectation is just as applicable to your tent: it must withstand not only the daily rigors of your trips, but it must also last as long as possible. Expeditions to the most extreme environments and special military units rely on Hilleberg tents, simply because they know that our tents are up to the task, for an indefinite amount of time. In part, Hilleberg tents have such endurance because of their superior materials; in part they are durable because of strict quality control in their manufacture and of uncompromising functionality in their design. But mostly, their resilience and longevity is a direct result of Hilleberg’s over thirty years of only making the highest performing tents available.

Comfort

In the backcountry, your tent is your home, so it must afford real livability. That is why all of our tents are built with bright, spacious interiors, fully adjustable venting solutions that keep air flowing in all weathers, and large, easily accessible vestibules. It is also why all our tents have the small details that turn a mere house into a home: well-placed interior gear pockets; clothes lines; and appropriately placed ring and toggle or clip and loop fasteners for open doors or vents.

Low Weight

Making a hardy, easy-to-pitch tent that is heavy doesn’t meet our standards. But neither does creating a tent that is super light at the expense of any of our other criteria. The key to our low weight principle is that we never consider the weight an end in itself, but as the mortar that binds our other criteria together. When we developed our Ultralight fabric, Kerlon 1200, the process produced a number of choices. We opted for the one we now use because it was the best balance of light weight and strength. We could have chosen a lighter fabric, but it simply would not have met our standards. Our ultimate aim is not to make the lightest tent, but the lightest, strongest, most reliable, versatile, comfortable and durable tent.

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