How much condensation would there actually be in so large a tent, with only 2 or 3 sleepers? It would seem to me that there is enough airspace above and around you to allow quite a bit of the moisture to dissipate (???)
1500USD is about £700 sterling - for that? No groundsheet, no inner tent and what do you do about the wind howling in from underneath? But then you'd be soaked with condensation if it was sealed! Then the prating about in bad weather to pitch, tight pole sleeves, colour coding to sort, lots of pegs - sorry there are much better and cheaper tents than that around. Think this is selling more of a name than a top end tent.
Hi edward charles. An option available with Helsport tents is a factory fitted valance which totally blocks really windy days and is particularly good for Winter camping (especially with wood stove). This could increase condensation but, if the air vents are not coping, the doors on the Valhall can be partially rolled up leaving about a 12 inch gap protected by no-see-um mesh.. The Valhall is a BIG tent and needs well anchoring, as with all large tents, but it pitches easily even with one person as in the video... and it was really windy that day too.
tamarackoutdoors "if the air vents aren't coping" meaning it can't handle the condensation I mentioned, then the doors can rolled up! Great for winter then with the doors rolled up to prevent condensation, let's have an icy wind blowing in instead! Why bother with a valance for windy days that creates condensation, so you need the doors rolled up? And still no mention of an inner tent or groundsheet for that price. Big it might be but I think mainly on price not performance.
edward charles Hi Edward, I have a second hand Valhall bought in Sweden . The former owner had a company doing small polar expeditions ( sledge dogs, boat trips etc) and told me that they wanted a more rugged kind of tent for their base camps- they install their tents up north during winter and let them for several weeks unattended, really putting the tents to the limit. So I guess it's fair to state that this is no high mountain expedition base camp quality tent. I totally agree with you about price, inner tent and snow flaps. For that price, it really SHOULD have standard snow flaps, not as an option. For that price it SHOULD have inner tents included ( one could argue about the ground sheet ). So yes, I think it's too expensive, not so much in terms of quality , but rather in terms of quantity - not enough canvas for your money . On the other side: - I never saw or had a tent of that capacity (and my and my friends have (had) quite some) so compact, at such low weight or pitching more easily. Especially the pitching ease and speed is impressive. - The tent has a very detailed finish. - About ventilation: since I got soaked by condensation in a NF Vector 25 at -15°C on a winter trip in Scotland I lost my belief in ANY claim about good winter ventilation unless you heat a stove inside your tent or sleep with the door open, because your own body heat is not going to do the job for you, nor will the vent holes of ANY lightweight tent. - About price: have you checked Hilleberg etc? Do you think their canvas or design is so much better? Yesterday it was TNF, today it can be Mountain Hardware or Hilleberg, tomorrow it'll be something else. All the top range is +/- identical, depending on their goal, and all the rest is just branding. Conclusion: as a static 3-6 persons 4-season tent for canoeing, fishing, skiing, hunting etc. this tent is expensive but it's also top end ( if you want to save money, cut yourself a ground sheet ). For all other scenarios: choose something else.
edward charles This tent is from helsports "normal" line of tents. (not one of the extreme tents for polar expeditions) Not made for windy days. It can, if pitched correctly withstand quite a lot of wind, and rain. It has two inner tents, with sleeping for 8 people. The ventilation is good enough for 8 people... and you can get a ground sheet (floor)... If you need an expedition tent, look at the helsport patagonia, not one of their "normal" tents.
Great video! Simple and straight to the point review :-) Cheers from norway.
How much condensation would there actually be in so large a tent, with only 2 or 3 sleepers? It would seem to me that there is enough airspace above and around you to allow quite a bit of the moisture to dissipate (???)
Roughly around 1500 USD
1500USD is about £700 sterling - for that? No groundsheet, no inner tent and what do you do about the wind howling in from underneath? But then you'd be soaked with condensation if it was sealed! Then the prating about in bad weather to pitch, tight pole sleeves, colour coding to sort, lots of pegs - sorry there are much better and cheaper tents than that around. Think this is selling more of a name than a top end tent.
Hi edward charles. An option available with Helsport tents is a factory fitted valance which totally blocks really windy days and is particularly good for Winter camping (especially with wood stove). This could increase condensation but, if the air vents are not coping, the doors on the Valhall can be partially rolled up leaving about a 12 inch gap protected by no-see-um mesh.. The Valhall is a BIG tent and needs well anchoring, as with all large tents, but it pitches easily even with one person as in the video... and it was really windy that day too.
tamarackoutdoors "if the air vents aren't coping" meaning it can't handle the condensation I mentioned, then the doors can rolled up! Great for winter then with the doors rolled up to prevent condensation, let's have an icy wind blowing in instead! Why bother with a valance for windy days that creates condensation, so you need the doors rolled up? And still no mention of an inner tent or groundsheet for that price. Big it might be but I think mainly on price not performance.
edward charles Hi Edward, I have a second hand Valhall bought in Sweden . The former owner had a company doing small polar expeditions ( sledge dogs, boat trips etc) and told me that they wanted a more rugged kind of tent for their base camps- they install their tents up north during winter and let them for several weeks unattended, really putting the tents to the limit. So I guess it's fair to state that this is no high mountain expedition base camp quality tent.
I totally agree with you about price, inner tent and snow flaps. For that price, it really SHOULD have standard snow flaps, not as an option. For that price it SHOULD have inner tents included ( one could argue about the ground sheet ). So yes, I think it's too expensive, not so much in terms of quality , but rather in terms of quantity - not enough canvas for your money .
On the other side:
- I never saw or had a tent of that capacity (and my and my friends have (had) quite some) so compact, at such low weight or pitching more easily. Especially the pitching ease and speed is impressive.
- The tent has a very detailed finish.
- About ventilation: since I got soaked by condensation in a NF Vector 25 at -15°C on a winter trip in Scotland I lost my belief in ANY claim about good winter ventilation unless you heat a stove inside your tent or sleep with the door open, because your own body heat is not going to do the job for you, nor will the vent holes of ANY lightweight tent.
- About price: have you checked Hilleberg etc? Do you think their canvas or design is so much better? Yesterday it was TNF, today it can be Mountain Hardware or Hilleberg, tomorrow it'll be something else. All the top range is +/- identical, depending on their goal, and all the rest is just branding.
Conclusion: as a static 3-6 persons 4-season tent for canoeing, fishing, skiing, hunting etc. this tent is expensive but it's also top end ( if you want to save money, cut yourself a ground sheet ). For all other scenarios: choose something else.
Joris Kuyl You need a quality canvas tent with sewn in groundsheet and fly sheet and nothing else will come near it! End of argument!
edward charles This tent is from helsports "normal" line of tents. (not one of the extreme tents for polar expeditions) Not made for windy days. It can, if pitched correctly withstand quite a lot of wind, and rain. It has two inner tents, with sleeping for 8 people. The ventilation is good enough for 8 people... and you can get a ground sheet (floor)... If you need an expedition tent, look at the helsport patagonia, not one of their "normal" tents.