Hilleberg Allak 3 Tent – New Red Label Tent for 2019
Hilleberg has been making incredible tents for 45 years. The Allak has been a favorite for many adventurers. For 2019, Hilleberg will be adding a 3 person version – Allak 3. I had a chance to test the Red Label tent out for a month of winter camping. True to Hilleberg’s reputation, the Allak 3 over-delivered. From mild weather to snow loading, the Allak tent handled it with ease.
Hilleberg Red Label Tents
The Red Label from Hilleberg is the second strongest tent line they offer. They are capable of year-round use and are a little lighter than the Black Label. They are no slouches when it comes to winter camping though. The Red Label tents can handle snow loading and harsh conditions. Made of Kerlon 1200 fabric that has a tear strength of 26.5 lbs (12kg). I tried to rip the fabric during the Summer Outdoor Retailer Market 2018 (video of that here) and was not successful. That is a good thing! The Kerlon 1200 is also triple coated with silicone. This makes it strong and also protects from UV radiation. Meaning, you can keep your tent pitched for long periods of time without degradation from the sun.
The floor is made of 70D nylon and is 15k waterproof. This means you can stick it directly on snow and not worry about wetting the bottom out. The inner tent (yellow) is 30D ripstop nylon with DWR coating. The doors are mesh-backed so you can ventilate to your heart’s content. This makes it truly a 4 season tent. The poles are all 9mm DAC Featherlite NSL and the same size, so you won’t have to keep track of which pole goes were.
Setting up the Allak 3
One of the things I look for in a 4 season tent, is the ability to set the tent up from the outside. This keeps the inside of the tent dry during storms. The Allak is a breeze to set up. Each pole goes into a color-coded sleeve – blue, red and white. Next, clip the robust polymer pole clips to the poles. Finally, attach the canopy to the toggles. That is it! Very quick to set up and completely free-standing. Being a free-standing tent is helpful when winter camping. Sometimes you want to change the orientation of the tent depending on wind and other factors. The Allak 3 is easy to reposition to find the ideal camp spot. Unlike some other tents like the Fjallraven Abisko.
Using the Allak 3 tent in the winter
Our goal was to push the limits with the Hilleberg tent. I was fortunate to have back to back snowstorms to use the tent in. We had a good snowy December here in Colorado and it made great testing conditions for the review. Most nights, the temps got down to 10 degrees (or colder) and the winds picked up randomly. This made for excellent real-world conditions you might experience in the winter. I was surprised at how well the Allak handled wind. Even during the windiest of nights, the dogs (they always help us test gear) and I slept just fine. Some tents can really move around in the wind and give us a little concern. Not the Allak, it buffered the wind with ease.
One snowstorm delivered several inches of snow – with almost no wind – directly down onto the tent. The Hilleberg shrugged it off with ease. The zippers always worked, never freezing up or catching. The guy lines are the thickest I have seen on a tent. Easy to tension and providing great stability. The dual doors were a bonus for entering and exiting as well as ventilating.
Rooftop ventilation
The roof has two sizable ventilation ports. Most tents have vents, but this one takes the cake. There is a protective canopy over the roof, allowing superb ventilation of the tent – without concern of getting snow or rain inside. This allowed us to vent out the humid air and keep the tent condensation free. Even at 10 degrees, the dogs and I were not cold. I think the combination of adequate ventilation and no breeze coming through the tent is what allowed us to stay so warm and comfortable.
Review of the Hilleberg Allak 3 Tent
The Allak 3 tent really impressed me. From the ease of set up to the bomber materials Hilleberg uses and function of the tent. All of it added up to prove why Hilleberg tents are so well respected. They work, end of story. For the price of $1160, the Allak 3 had better work! You don’t buy a Hilleberg just because. You buy one to handle the weather you might encounter on the worst day possible. You get one to last you decades of adventures. You get one so that you don’t have to look at getting another one in a few years. They are an investment, but if you are the kind of adventurer that gets after it and needs a tent to handle anything mother nature can through at it, then this is for you.
The Allak 3 can easily house 2 adults and 2 dogs, or 3 people. The sizeable vestibules are great to wait out storms in. The doors open with 3 zippers, allowing great access to the tent. The build quality is second to none. It was hard for me to find any issues with this tent. Which is a great problem to have! Aside from the steep price, there is little to keep me from recommending this tent to all year round campers. If you can swing it, get it. You won’t regret it. Grab one here.
Leave a Reply