Hilleberg Niak: Tent Talk

LINK - LINK - LINK to Hilleberg website information:
hilleberg.com/eng/ (Hilleberg homepage)
• Hilleberg The Tentmake... (Hilleberg History)
hilleberg.com/eng/tent/yellow... (the Niak model)
• Hilleberg Niak pitchin... ("how to pitch" video)
Hilleberg the Tentmaker is a family owned company with 50 years of experience in manufacturing lightweight, all-season tents of the highest quality.
In 1971, Bo Hilleberg, a professional forester, founded his own company, Hilleberg AB. That same year, while on a ski vacation in the Austrian Tyrol, Bo met Renate Neuner. After a couple of years, the two had fallen in love, married, and she had moved with him to Stockholm, Sweden. Their marriage was the final, necessary ingredient in the mix that has become Hilleberg the Tentmaker.
Before Renate, Bo’s fledgling company was primarily a forestry equipment concern, with tent making as a hoped-for sideline. An avid, lifelong outdoorsman, Bo was terminally frustrated with tents that required pitching the inner tent first and then covering it with a loose rain fly that usually displayed the same properties as a kite in the wind. He envisioned a tent that had an outer and inner tent that pitched together, simultaneously - but he didn’t have the necessary sewing skills. With Bo and Renate’s marriage, conjugal and commercial became one: Renate took charge of the sewing while Bo handled design and sales, and with their combined efforts, the company flourished.
Today, family and business are still inextricably linked. Bo is Chairman, and is senior advisor to the product development team; daughter Petra is CEO of the Hilleberg Group, President of both Hilleberg AB in Sweden and Hilleberg Inc in the US; and Bo, Renate, Petra and her brother Rolf make up the governing board of directors - clearly, family synergy continues to beget success.
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"TAKE IT EASY ... TAKE A TRIKE!" - trike hobo
Steve's current recumbent trike is a 2021 HP Velotechnik Scorpion fs26 Enduro, outfitted with Schwalbe Marathon PLUS road tires instead of the stock knobby off-road tires. He has also owned a 2015 ICE Full Fat off-road trike, a 2014 Catrike 700 speed trike, and a 2007 ICE Qnt trike ... not to mention three bikes (Specialized Roll Elite - Motobecane Night Train fat tire - Easy Racers Gold Rush recumbent)
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Other websites by Steve:
trikeasylum.wordpress.com
silentpassage.wordpress.com/
trikegypsies.wordpress.com/
trikephantoms.wordpress.com/
mojavetraverse.wordpress.com/

[@dancurran8977]

Thanks for the videos this year. Happy New Year! 🎉

[@EZSteve]

All the best to you this coming year Dan! Thanks for the good thoughts. steve

[@frederickridall628]

Hi and thanks for this interesting video. I've recently acquired the Niak. Nowadays I have some mobility issues and my future expeditions are going to be rather more modest in scope than previously. I need a tent with a large enterance, ample interior space and enough headroom to comfortably use a trekker chair inside. The Niak just about ticks all my boxes. One thing I would recommend is to carry four extra 2 mm guylines. The increase in weight is negligible and having the option to support the poles from a number of different angles adds tremendously to the stability of the tent in high winds. Fair enough, this tent is not designed to withstand severe conditions, but occasionally nature likes to suprise us by throwing a curved ball and I think the added protection is well worth carrying. Take care and all best.

[@EZSteve]

Hi Frederick, Yes, the Niak entrance is one aspect I really liked because it is so easy to get into and out of compared to my prior tent that required me crawling in through an entrance at one end. I do have those four guy lines that are supplied by Hilleberg, but I have them in a drawer in my bedroom because I do not anticipate camping in any wild wind conditions (mostly just forest around here, with lots of evergreen trees keeping the wind at bay. I may reinstall those lines just in case, as you mention, because they don't add any noticeable weight or bulk. Thanks for your commentary and observations regarding the Niak, a great tent!! steve

[@frederickridall628]

@@EZSteve Hi Steve, thanks for your reply. I meant actually four additional guy lines to add to those already supplied by Hilleberg. Just attached by lightweight karabiners to the same loops they provide really good extra support in the event of the wind changing direction. Best wishes Fred.

[@EZSteve]

@@frederickridall628Yes, if four more are added to the original four, that would make the tent virtually indestructible in extreme winds. I thought about one of the Black Label extreme tents that would handle anything, but they would be too hot for most of my tenting experiences (although I have been in a couple of really tough camps, with extreme 70+ MPH wind gusts and down to sub freezing temps - but those are rare, which is why I ended up choosing the Yellow Label Niak instead. steve

[@frederickridall628]

@@EZSteve Likewise actually. I've owned a Soulo but sold it on. Very heavy (by comparison), too hot in the summer and very cramped. It has it's place undoubtedly, but for me, the Niak, together with the aforementioned modifications is a more practical choice.

[@The-GreenHornet]

Really nice tent, Trike Hobo Steve. 😂😂 The ending was funny.

[@garyseckel295]

Excellent combination of reality experience relating to this tent's construction benefits and advantages! Looked it up. Would be well worth buying this tent with it's advantages to me! (Senior here too. I can no longer camp anymore, but this tent's set-up advantages are very real!)

[@EZSteve]

I love that I never have to deal with a miserable rainfly ever again! steve

[@ianlindridge5378]

No rain fly! I s'pose we are used to a rain fly and don't question why tents use them. I've rarely set up my tent(s) without a rainfly.

[@EZSteve]

I have always despised rainflies, and am very happy to never have to deal with them again! steve

[@Bikepacking]

Tip buy a wireless dji mic or rode wireless mic.. the sound really bad

[@EZSteve]

I looked into this a couple of years ago. My camera does not support any type of external wired or remote microphone unfortunately. So I just do the best I can with the basic setup I have. Yes, the sound is indeed not very good (I hate it as much as you do). steve

[@Ram-pc9ts]

Please invest in a body microphone!

[@EZSteve]

I looked into this a couple of years ago. My camera does not support any type of external wired or remote microphone unfortunately. So I just do the best I can with the basic setup I have. steve

[@Ram-pc9ts]

Okay, as long as you are aware of it. I will continue to follow anyway.

[@EZSteve]

@@Ram-pc9ts The problem on this video was made worse due to the distance from my mouth to the camera microphone, which was necessary to show the entire tent. Usually, when I speak from my trike seat, I have the camera close enough that the echo effect of the empty garage is greatly minimized. steve

[@Hansaman58]

Definitely not inexpensive.

[@EZSteve]

Nope, definitely not inexpensive, but anytime the best in equipment is desired, there is always a much higher price to pay. Over the years, my experience has shown me that spending the extra money is worth it, and now that I'm old 😄, I realize that if I don't start spending my money on something, I won't be taking it with me when I go! Old age is a great thing ... we finally start getting what we want when we want it ... and stop worrying about the almighty dollar. Yippee! steve