Hilleberg Enan: My Sub-1kg One-Person Tent for a Backpacking Return
Gear · Published 6/5/2023 ·
I’ll start backpacking again, slowly, sticking to spots close to home for now.
My ankle injury is still hanging around, and honestly… I’m starting to wonder if I’ll just have to live with it sitting down for the rest of my life… ㅠㅠ
I’m slowly putting together the backpacking gear I’d once thrown out, sold, or otherwise gotten rid of, piece by piece.
First up, the tent…
Back in the day, people called a one-person tent “super light” if it came in under 2kg, and the general feeling was that nobody really used one-person tents because they were too cramped…
These days, though, plenty of one-person tents weigh under 1kg even fully packed…
I had my eye on the Enan — the lightweight, slimmed-down version of its predecessor, the Akto — but it looks like the local importer doesn’t bring it in anymore, so the only option was to buy from overseas.
After a lot of patient scrolling through the used listings, I managed to bring home a domestic, genuine one in great condition.
This tent is my home now ^^
It looks like the picture above. The peak height is really low, and realistically the inner tent is only big enough to sleep in.
The vestibule on the outer side of the inner is bigger and roomier than I expected, so you can actually cook and eat in there when it’s raining.
The biggest dilemma when I was buying this was whether to go with a freestanding “aggressive” tent or a non-freestanding aggressive one.
Sure enough, two poles add up weight-wise for a solo setup, and I wanted a vestibule that’s separated from the sleeping area. I also don’t bother carrying or pitching a separate tarp — so even though there are plenty of lighter tents out there, I went with the popular Hilleberg brand.
The 93cm peak height definitely isn’t what you’d call generous.
The overall length and width, though, are quite spacious. The structure above really gives you great space in heavy rain or snow, and I absolutely love tents that come out with this kind of layout.
Looking at the cutaway above… you can see there’s zero wasted space. You can put your boots and trekking poles in the vestibule, stuff your pack and all your other gear in the inner, and still go to sleep without anything creeping onto the mattress — and it works in both summer and winter.
I went looking specifically for the green one, and I’d estimate the previous owner used it maybe three times or so.
Whether it’s 3 times or 30, as long as it’s been used cleanly, the materials and construction are such that there’s really nothing to worry about.
The minimum weight is under 1kg.
Packed weight is 1.2kg, and if you skip a few stakes and mix in some squid-style stakes you can get it down to around 1kg… but I use mine with the footprint attached, so I should really count it at the 1.2kg packed weight listed above.
No matter how hard I look, there really aren’t many tents in the 1.2kg range that offer a vestibule and handle rain this well.
I pitched it once at the playground, but sadly I don’t have any photos…
Hilleberg’s tents honestly don’t really fit the ultralight backpacking trend that’s so popular these days. I do think it’s at least a relief that tents like this one came out to replace the old Akto. Hilleberg tents have pretty clear pros and cons.
Pros
A structure and materials that can handle all kinds of weather
Can be pitched and struck with the fly, inner, and footprint all attached
A vestibule on most models
An excellent ventilation system
Cons
Bulky packed size
Heavy packed weight
Some models priced in ways that just don’t make sense
That’s probably why ultralight backpackers tend to prefer other models, but since I need to start with something familiar, my plan is to gradually work toward cutting weight and bulk over time.
Next up, I’ll be posting about the backpack I’m currently hunting for (if I manage to find one) and other gear.
Thank you.
#Hilleberg #Enan #backpacking #bpl #ultralightbackpacking #onepersonlightweighttent #onepersonfourseasontent
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