Hilleberg Jannu

If you want the absolute best and don’t mind spending the money. Best quality, best of everything, this is the tent for you.

I made a review of the Hilleberg three-person Saivo tent a while back.

Because I have already done all the research, when I was looking for a second tent I went right to Hilleberg without hesitation. I chose the Jannu, and as in the past I made the right choice.

To recap:

I did a lot of research into the choice of tents, as a matter of fact a couple of months or more.

At that time I had purchased a couple of tents and returned them. Didn't like the setup of tent, then rain fly thing,  somehow it just didn't get it. 

If you get caught in a storm, set up the outer tent, then crawl in and set up the inner while it was raining. Some tents don't even give you that option. 

Sorry, that's not for me.

Spent $400 / $500 just didn't feel I was getting my money's worth. You could tell they were cheaply made. Very poor quality.

I came to the conclusion that after trial and error the doubled wall tent construction from Hilleberg the Tent Maker was the best way to go. A tent that erected with the inner tent connected to the outer tent, that all went up at the same time when setting the tent up was the best way to go, which the Jannu does with ease. It turned out that was a really good judgement call.

Again, as before with the Saivo, when I received the package with the Jannu and took the tent out of its pack to set up in the backyard for a trial run, the first thing I noticed was the same quality of the material and workmanship. Held true for the Jannu, which has proved to me the consistency of the product and you could tell you were getting the highest quality, and getting what you paid for. You will not be disappointed whatsoever.

The Jannu is not a cheap tent.

I do recommend getting the footprint. That too is a little costly compared to other footprints, but again it is of good quality, and will save wear and tear on the bottom of your tent.

Rolled out the tent, staked out the vestibule on one end, put together the poles, placed the poles in its holders, clipped the tent to the poles, tightened the straps, and I was done.

Maybe all of fifteen minutes if that.

The Jannu is a free-standing tent. You should stake out the vestibule just to keep the footprint part in place. The tent already had guy lines attached with good quality guy line runners.

Do tie down if windy, if not they still provide a little more stability.

If you think you’re going to use the Jannu in really bad weather you do have the option to purchase extra poles, which I did. You can double pole the setup for more strength and stability.

Should mention, you do have the option of setting the inner tent up separately from the outer tent, if gets a little warm, and not going to rain. Just detach it from the outer tent and run the poles through the loops. You will need to purchase the pole cups, think there's four pole cups.

Went camping up in the mountains of Northern Arizona. Got caught in a little rain and wind. I did find the same, easy setup. The vent system worked really well, great airflow.

Got down to 38 degrees this time out, and when I got up in the morning all the condensation was on the outer tent, zero moisture on the inside of the tent, all because of the double walled construction design. Air movement was in the space between the inter and outer tent, plus it was dry inside and warm.

The conclusion here is same, that if you don't mind spending the money—because like I said, the Jannu is not a cheap tent—and you want the real deal, good for two people, even more comfortable by yourself, the Jannu is without a doubt the tent. If you take care of it, it will last a long, long time. You got to love it. I now own two Hilleberg tents, glad I spent the money.

Background

Used it camping, completely satisfied, would recommend the Hilleberg tent company and all their products to anyone. Spend the money, be satisfied.

Perfect two-person winter tent. It is very lightweight for a "bomb proof" full protection winter tent with no compromises.

Setup of the Jannu is very easy since the fly and inner-tent are preattached. I have also left the footprint attached so that the entire tent is a single unit. The three poles are inserted into reinforced foot sleeves and then the hooks attached the tent to the poles.

I found that using four stakes, two in back and two at the front end of the vestibule, the tent can be set up taut in a few minutes. The best part is that only the top of the fly is exposed to the elements during setup. I know of no other brand that offers this pre-attached design.

Stability is very good with just the four stakes mentioned above. With all guy-lines staked out I can't imagine a more stable tent. The guylines are designed to wrap around the poles so that they are supporting the frame and not the fabric of the tent.

I haven't had the chance to test it in the extremes but imagine the design lends itself to provide optimal wind protection. The fly comes completly to the ground on all sides to provide warmth and added protection against weather.

The extremely large roof vent can be left open in severe weather since it has a seperate cover. But without a second door or any window (other than the vent) this tent is not ideal for warmer conditions.

I used it two nights in humid conditions on the beach on Catalina and found condensation to be minimal with the vent open and the door partially opened. The footprint covers the vesibule area reducing condensation from ground moisture.

Space inside the tent is more than adequate for two full sized adults and the large vestibule can handle as much gear as two people can carry. There is plenty of head room for sitting up and pockets for storage of small items.

The tent is easy to pack although the stuff sack is a bit tight when leaving the footprint attached. 

A really nice feature is that the inner tent can be detached and packed without taking down the outer fly enabling you to pack it dry even if the fly is wet. This design also lets you set up the outer fly only and use it as a light weight shelter to wait out a storm. If your inner tent is already attached this might not be so practical.

The biggest drawback is that even at 6.8 lbs (8.4 including the full sized footprint) this tent is too heavy for me in most climates. I find myself bringing a tarp or bivy on most trips or if I want to bring a tent I take my 4.5lb MSR Hubba Hubba instead of the Jannu.

But I can't wait until winter when I will surely be looking for opportunities to put the Jannu to the test. Whitney in March anyone?