The Helsport Fjellheimen Camp 3.
The Helsport Fjellheimen Camp 3 on a sunny damp morning in Norway in 2008. See below for a few more pictures.
Characteristics:
3 pole tunnel tent with vestibule, not freestanding. Poles of unequal length. One entrance at the side. Lightweight nylon outer tent, inner tent fine fabric. Inner tent door mesh and fabric. Weight approx 3.1kg. Pitch system, outer tent first.Why did we choose this tent?
We bought the Vaude Monolith Ultralight as we wanted a tent with as much space as the Citadel but with lower weight and a small pack volume. When the Vaude tent proved to not be up to the job we quickly decided to choose one of the Helsport range. We'd looked at these a couple of times and found them to have a good weight to accomodation ratio with some nice design details. Plus we reasoned that a tent designed in Norway might well work well in Norway (our preferred holiday destination). More importantly it was possible to pitch the outer tent first and clip in the inner later.
The most interesting models that Zwerfkei had were the Fjellheimen Camp range. The 'Camp' denotes a vestibule with a single side entrance instead of a traditional front entrance. The question was which version did we want. In the end we went for the larger Fjellheimen Camp 3 tent as it was only 300g more than the noticeably smaller two person version. What was really interesting was the very short pole length and pack volume. Not only would the Fjellheimen Camp 3 fit in a rear pannier, it fitted in a front pannier. As we were planning on leaving our rack packs at home in 2008 and using just four panniers, any reduction in the amount of space our gear took up was welcome.
This Helsport tent, like the Monolith Ultralight, is made from lightweight nylon instead of polyester. We discovered that this made the tent react differently to temperature changes and moisture. If you set the tent up tight when it is cold it tightens up as it warms up. This was contrary to our expectations but we quickly learned to set up the tent a bit slack.
There are a number of advantages:
There are a few disadvantages;
Conclusion:
A robust three season tent that is light enough to take cycle touring. For two people there is plenty of space and the tent keep you dry and warm in unpleasant weather. The main advantages over the Macpac Citadel are the tiny pack volume and light weight. It is a little less convenient in use because it only has one door but we managed fine during our Norway 2008 trip. The eyebrow on the side door means you don't need a wing in bad weather. Well thought out details make the high price a bit easier to swallow and the tent easier to put up. We like this tent.
A few pictures of a Helsport Fjellheimen Camp 3 tent. Click on the thumbnails to view the gallery.