Hilleberg Keron 4GT

What are the words that describe this tent..? Strength, stability, roominess, ease of use, comfort, durability...? The list just goes on.

Why did we choose this tent?

Well, we spent a lot of time researching tents prior to beginning our trip. Yes, that does sound a little ‘nerdy’, but what we needed from ‘our’ tent, seemed impossible to find. Sure we were (and still are) demanding. We need sturdy yet relatively light in weight, a tent that can accommodate any terrain, and back at the start of our adventure we were looking for a tent that could handle around 18 months (how long we thought we’d be travelling) of continual use and abuse. Way back in 2002 this exercise was like looking for the Holy grail. We were trying to find the perfect tent to fit all scenarios. Did it even exist?

The Flagship

We then read about the Keron 4GT from Hilleberg The tent maker, it’s their flagship tent and had been around in one form or the other for about 30 or 40 years. On paper the Hilleberg blurb boasted that the Keron 4GT had great strength to weight and space to weight ratios, as well as two-door/two vestibule configuration, and is a 4-season tent. All of this translated in my mind to a surely tried and tested design and sounded like the perfect tent for us. A drum-roll ‘Dah-da- dahhhh’ moment!

We bought our first Hilleberg tent in the UK in 2002 at full R.R.P. (a sizable investment!) but for us it was worth it...it still is.

From raw experience we can confirm that all the Hilleberg claims are true. After consistent use through 78 countries, across 6 continents, we’ve yet to find any terrain or weather condition the Keron 4GT can’t handle, great news for us!. For long term, demanding, all season use in the harshest conditions you need high quality equipment. All of your equipment should potentially reduce the risk of problems, especially in remote areas where repair opportunities are few and far between.

What does it say on the label? Well I can list it all out here or you can go and have a look at the Hilleberg website www.Hilleberg.com as I’m sure they list the specs much better than I can!

However, here are few important facts about the Hilleberg tents and a few of the reasons as to why we chosen to continually use the Keron 4GT tent:

• The material they use for the outer tent, the Kerlon 1800 fabric, which has an 18 kg/40 lb tear strength.
• Heavier duty zippers.
• Outer tent goes all the way to the ground for all season protection
• Multiple vents high up offer ventilation even if the tent is dug down into (God forbid!) snow.
• The tents are hand made and the maker sews a tag with their name into each tent. I just like that.

 

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Spacious

Simon is 6’4” (well he was. He’s lost an inch after his neck surgery) but that’s still tall and in the Keron 4GT he is able to lie flat without his feet touching the inner tent. Even if he does touch the end, there is a bathtub floor, which comes up higher at the end insulating his feet from moisture. You are only touching the inner tent anyway and not the fly, which means you still wont get wet feet.

Weather Proof

Cleverly, the entire tent erects and packs away as 'one piece' in just a few minutes including the inner and the footprint. This is not just a convenience but a crucial design boost, which ensures that even when erecting the Keron 4GT in the very worst weather, the inner tent remains, clean, dry and comfortable.

I also like the fact that you can remove (reduce) the mesh insert to one end in order to make one large weatherproof room. Handy if you have to hunker down during the day due to severe weather but don’t intend to remain or set-up camp.

We have survived nights of -15 °C (5°F) and winds of 60 kmph and gusting to 90 kmph.

After a long and grueling days ride you need to be able to set up camp fast. The Keron 4GT set up remarkably easily. I (Lisa) have been able to set ours up in less than 5 minutes on my own in the dark with the wind and rain pounding me. Not something I wanted to do, but had to do! The great thing is that the inner tent remains completely dry during this process as the fly remains attached. When done, there’s enough room in the front vestibule to plonk all of your wet kit and then climb into a dry and spacious mozzie-proof mesh sleeping area with a sigh of relief ?

PROS		CONS
▲ Incredibly fast set up		▼ The Kerons length needs to be considered when picking a pitch
▲ Protected in the rain when setting up		▼ The long tunnel can trap condensation
▲ Fantastic strong floor		▼ It is at the higher end of the price market
▲ Large entrances front and back with fine mesh built in
▲ Dual pockets at the entrances
▲ Exeptional build quality
▲ Dual vestibules. Large enough for both of us to sit and cook in
▲ Good weight-to-size ratio
▲ Designed specifically for large capacity Adventure Bikes
▲ Wind and storm assessment – able to take a battering!
▲ Sealed weather-proof ploe holders

 

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