Which Tent?

[morrowkarl]

Hi, my first post but have been a frequent observer for some time.
My wife and I have done the OT before in Jan and were blessed with amazing conditions the whole way. Not once did we need waterproofs and ticked off most of the major side trips along the way. We loved it so much so we are heading back again this July. (We do realise how lucky we are).
Obviously a different time of year but we have completed multi day hikes in the VIC alps during winter so would love to see the OT as well and many other friends have said its amazing this time of year.
The reason I am posting this is we have two tents and we would like some advice from your experiences of travelling at this time of year as to what tent you would opt for. Obviosly a subjective topic but I can help with some of the opinions.
1) We are happy to stay in huts.
2) Want to keep the weigt down to a minimum.
3) If the weather is fine and huts are full, we are happy to camp.
4) Tent to choose are Hilleberg Nallo 3GT, or Mont Moondance 2. (Completely different tents).
5) We dont want to comprimise safety? Open to all opinions.
6) Are snow pegs carried on OT this time of year? We do in VIC alps, but have no tent platforms here.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Oh, we are also hoping to do the Western Arthurs at xmas. What tent would you take on that trip if you had the above option?

[cixelsyd]

I've got a Hilleberg Nallo 2 GT. My wife and I slept in it on several occasions doing the WOJ. With 2 people in the "2" there wasnt room for packs but we were able to cover our packs with a ground sheet.

the weight of these 2 together could be similar to the Nallo 3. I haven't used the Mont tent you described but I can say the Hilleberg has been exceptional. I pitched it in 1.5 meters of snow on the back side of Cradle Mountain in the sleet and didn't have too many issues. One negative of the Nallo is that it isn't free standing. Not sure if this is a show stopper but for lite weight 4 season tents Hilleberg are pretty tough to beat. The company is really good to deal with as well. When I first got my Nallo 2 a friend asked me to pitch it in the back yard for an "assessment". While it was pitched one of my cats jumped right on it with open claws. I was in a panic. Anyway I spoke with the owner (wife) and she talked me through how to fix it and even sent a tube of the stuff free.

Another thing to consider about the Nallo's are that if you or your partner are over 6 feet tall your toes could push the inner tent against the outer with wet results. I've done this with 2 people in the tent and it was a minor inconvenience.

My .02

[morrowkarl]

Thanks for the reply

I have absolutly no doubt about the quality of my Nallo 3GT as we have used it loads in winter in VIC Alps. Its an awesome tent with loads of room. (Wife calls it the Hilleberg Hilton) We also have the footprint for it which is an added luxury but gives an unbelievable amount of dry space as it covers the vestible area as well. I am not sure if it would fit on the tent platforms as its quite long in length. Has anyone set the hillebergs up on the platforms and had any trouble. I think the Nallo's are all the same length just different widths depending on model.

On our last trip to the OT we used the Mont Moondance 2 as its really small and lightweight but a great tent nonetheless (From my experiences so far). I havn't used this tent in a variety of conditions yet so am unsure of its capabilities. But it does easily fit on the tent platforms as its small.

As stated we are happy to stay in the huts but want to take a shelter incase we need it.

Has anyone used the Mont Moondance 2 this time of year in Tas or on the OT?

[tasadam]

I am not sure if it would fit on the tent platforms as its quite long in length.

You might like to take a look at THIS TOPIC which discusses the length of tent platforms on the Overland Track.
Cheers!