Hilleberg Niak Tent

Hilleberg is a well known name amongst anyone who knows anything about tents. Famed for their strength and durability, as well as their light weight and packability, they’re equally famed for their extremely high price tags, stoking many a discussion as to whether or not they’re worth the investment.

I’m unashamedly a big Hilleberg fan, owning several of their tents and two of their tarps. Yes, they cost an arm and a leg, but if your budget allows it, they’re worth it, especially if you camp a lot. And I camp most weekends, and most of my holidays involve camping all over the UK too, so I don’t mind spending a lot on gear that I know will last.

As an avid camper and expedition kayaker, I’ve had a lot of use of the Niak over the past few seasons. Why did I choose it? The reputation and strength of Hilleberg tents was very appealing and after owning more tents than I even care to remember, I was curious to try a very high end one, and the Niak’s size, weight and semi freestanding design checked the most boxes for me from Hilleberg’s lineup.

Honestly, I don’t know why we don’t hear more about this tent (Hilleberg’s Soulo and Akto are generally the ones people think of when they hear the brand’s name); it’s lightweight, tough as nails, pitches in one, pitches very quickly, is very silent in the wind… what’s not to love? It’s worth mentioning that, despite being a three season tent, this tent is more than sufficient for most of the UK all year round (except Scottish, and perhaps some Cumbrian mountain areas), so don’t be put off by the Yellow Label rating as many do.

Sure, the vestibule isn’t as big as some others, but this needn’t be an issue (especially as you can always additionally pitch a tarp over the entrance to provide additional space for cooking, if need be; since I have been using the tent solo, I have more than enough space in the tent itself for my gear, leaving the vestibule purely for my shoes and stove.

The dome design means it deals with changeable winds a little better than tunnel tents. While this is billed as a two man tent, it would be a little snug for two adults, although probably not a problem if you’re camping with your significant other if they can tolerate sharing a vestibule/entrance.

So what do I like about this little tent?

Size and Weight

The Niak is perfect solo hikers or couples who prefer to travel light but still want a shelter that will hold up to significant potential conditions. At just under 1.7 kg, it’s reasonably lightweight for its size, and easy to carry; sure, compared to many ultralight tents, especially from the US, the Niak’s weight won’t win it any awards, but crucially, this is an exceptionally strong tent for its weight. The likelihood of the fly tearing in wind is significantly lower than many ultralight offerings, and offers excellent weather protection, that I’ve really put to use in a wide range of conditions across the UK.

The tent packs down neatly, and like all Hilleberg tents, its stuff sack is slightly oversized, which makes it very easy to pack the tent; a particular bonus when the tent is wet and you can’t be bothered wrestling all that wet nylon into an ill-fitting bag. For fellow sea kayakers, this tent fits neatly alongside the skeg box in the rear hatch of my P&H Cetus MV (and fits similarly in a Virgo, Scorpio or Volan).

While the Niak is a compact tent, it’s reasonably spacious. With a length of 220 cm and a width of 120 cm (with an additional 65cm in the vestibule), there’s plenty of room for one person and enough space to accommodate two campers if needed; in fact, this interior space is only marginally smaller, and only on the head side, than Hilleberg’s other two man tents like the Allak 2. The largely vertical walls enhance the usable space, allowing for easy movement inside the tent. All in all, it’s comfortably liveable. I’ve spent up to a week at a time in it without feeling cramped.

Pitching

The Niak pitches simply with two poles which slide into their respective sleeves; the corners where you insert them have tensioners allowing you to tighten things up once you’re pitched. Like all Hilleberg tents, it can be pitched all in one, with the inner attached to the flysheet. This is particularly useful in our frequently wet climate here in the UK.

Even in challenging weather conditions, I found the tent extremely quick to pitch, allowing me to get to that all-important tea/coffee/beer part of camp time quicker. Generally I’ll have it up in less than five minutes.

The tent comes supplied with a spare pole section in case of breakage, and new poles are easily found online should the worst happen. It also comes supplied with ten of Hilleberg’s lightweight aluminium Y-pegs, of which only six are strictly necessary (I find it mostly unnecessary to peg out the floor/footprint).

The tent’s footprint is purchased separately, and can be attached to the rest of the tent for all-in-one pitching. Whilst not strictly necessary, as the tent’s bathtub floor has a 12000 mm hydrostatic head, it does nevertheless protect the floor from abrasion over time. I also had a custom footprint made for the vestibule by Lucy from QuintCraft, to avoid getting muddy knees when crawling in and out during poor weather.

Weather Handling

Hilleberg tents are particularly renowned for their resistance to inclement weather, and I’ve found the Niak a reliable shelter in a variety of conditions. Its dome design offers excellent stability, even in very windy environments (I’ve used it in winds up to 45mph in Scotland and also very gusty conditions in Dartmoor), and the lightweight silnylon fabric used by Hilleberg means that even during very windy nights, you aren’t kept awake by noisy flapping (MSR Elixir, I am looking at you here…).

One minor niggle I’ve had is that the positioning of the door combined with the size of the vestibule can potentially allow water into the inner when opening it during heavy rain, although this can be overcome by not opening the door fully.

The lightweight proprietary Kerlon 1000 fabric used in its construction, as with all Hilleberg Yellow Label tents, provides impressive durability while offering superb protection against rain. Having spent many a windy and rainy night in the Niak, it’s more than proven its weather proofness, while also being reasonably easy to shake dry(ish!) in the morning before being packed away.

One drawback however with Kerlon, which is a silicone coated nylon, is that it has a tendency to sag when wet. This is an issue with all silnylon, so not unique to Hilleberg tents. During rainy weather you may need to occasionally tighten the guylines to prevent the fly from sagging and potentially coming into contact with the inner.

Ventilation

The Niak has reasonably decent ventilation, created by the catenary shaped fly (the arched shape of the flysheet base), and extended by a section at the back of the tent which has a line allowing it to be pegged further out, which promote airflow and reduce condensation.

I’ve never had any significant issues with condensation in this tent; after heavy rain or exceptionally heavy dew without wind, the inside of the fly does have some moisture, but that’s true of absolutely any tent.

I do wonder sometimes however why Hilleberg never use any of those small peaked ventilation features on their tents that many American tents have. Whilst the Niak deals with ventilation reasonably well, it could be a little better if there was increased airflow around the top of the tent.

Long term durability

The Niak, like all Hillebergs, is built to last. A lot of people feel they should automatically go for the Red and Black Label tents, whilst overlooking the excellent offerings in the Yellow Label, as they erroneously believe they’re not particularly tough; this is simply not the case at all.

Whilst the likes of the Niak and other Yellow Label tents are not your best option for camping on the top of mountains in poor weather, or in extremely exposed areas like the Arctic or similar, they’re generally fine for pretty much anywhere else. The lighter weight Kerlon 1000 is still highly tear resistant and waterproof.

Interior features

Like most tents, the Niak has a few pockets and small loops on the inner, providing space to stash small items to hand, or hang a small washing line or items like camping lanterns. I’ve also managed to fit a Big Agnes gearloft into mine.

Conclusion

The Niak is a good choice for solo campers wanting a spacious, strong shelter that’s really built to last. The Akto and Soulo may be the celebrities of Hilleberg’s one person lineup, but the Niak deserves recognition too. It’s still my go-to tent for solo trips from spring to autumn.

Apart from its light weight and small pack size, the Niak’s greatest strength is surely its simplicity; being a basic dome tent, the no-faff pitching is most welcome at the end of a long day. Yes, there’s no getting around the eye-watering price, but a Hilleberg is a tent for life.