Hilleberg Saivo

It's worth every dime you spend. It's sturdy, like a bomb shelter.

I did a lot of research, as a matter of fact a couple of months or more. I bought 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. 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.

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. It turned out that was a really good judgement call.

When I received the Saivo package 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 quality of the material and workmanship. At that moment you could tell you were getting what you paid for. The Saivo 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.

Rolled out the tent, staked out the vestibules on one end, put together the poles, ran them thru the sleeves, placed the poles in its holders, tightened the straps, connected the clips, and I was done. Took all of maybe fifteen minutes.

It is a free standing tent. You should stake out the vestibules 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're going to use the Saivo in really bad weather you have the option to purchase extra poles. You can double pole the setup for more strength.

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

I found when camping up in the mountains, the same, easy to set up. I found the vent system is way above par, great air flow. Got down to 49 degrees, and when we 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 that if you don't mind spending the money—because like I said, the Saivo is not cheap—and you want the real deal, good for three people, even more comfortable for two, the Saivo 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 think this is an outstanding tent. I'm using it for kayaking and when cross-country skiing. It is easy to set up, since both the inner and outer tent are connected. It folds easy.

After checking the instructions, it is really straight-forward to raise the tent. It is totally stable, even in the toughest winds, and if there is no soil, eg when setting up the tent on rocks, there are only two lines that need to be secured with a rock or a tri-cam.

I have never had problems with rain or condensation, thanks to the large ventilation openings in the roof. These openings can easily be adjusted from the inside.

The entrance can handle a lot of gear and still leave room for cooking, and there is a smaller absid in the other end.

Since all poles are the same length it is easy to set up the tent even in the dark.