Luxe Hexpeak V4A or OneTigris Smokey Hut or ...

[Banzaibrothers]

Hi all,



Wondered if I could seek advice from your collective wisdom.



I'm after a new tent. I would say 'shelter' but I want something completely weather proof and mozzie proof - for me that means a 'tent'. Said tent will be used for canoe camping and walk-in camping both in the wilds and on campsites - so I'd like it to be as light as reasonably possible. Probably for no more than a couple of nights max in any one place. Budget around the £300 absolute max and considerably less preferred. Will mostly be used just by myself but would be nice if I could use with wife or one of the kids occasionally.



I was thinking of a Terra Nova Competition 2. Very light, very weather-proof. Nice small footprint to fit into those small spaces that can be found here and there. But I've discounted the idea as too fragile, not very flexible and small in inclement weather. Would probably need to carry a footprint plus a tarp to cook under etc (maybe).



My top two choices at the moment are:



Luxe Hexpeak V4A and OneTigris Smokey Hut with a cheap AliExpress inner. (OneTigris Nova Tipi too small, Hexpeak F6A offers nothing better than Smokey Hut and costs more). I like the flexible nature of them, door wide open etc, and plenty of space.



But I wonder if the V4A is big enough for me to be comfortable in? I'm 6' and wonder if it might be a squeeze.



I wonder if the Smokey Hut might be so large I can't find anywhere to pitch it? Although there are options to fold it and use as a tarp.



So have people 6' used the Hexpeak V4A? What are your thoughts? Anyone used a Luxe and OneTigris tent? Thoughts on differences between the two?



Any thoughts or recommendations on other options? (Tarp not weather-proof enough, or large enough internally when pitched as tipi tent).



Thanks in advance. Mike

 

[Wandering Fred]

I bought a Luxe V4A a while back & am still undecided about it, want to like it more than I do. Nice tent, light and with a good reputation for shedding wind but the hexagon shape with an inner & centre pole makes you hanker for more room. The inner can also be a pain to set up right. I've ended up selling the inner & just using a ground sheet & light mesh bivy when insects were a problem.

If you are looking at Luxe tents - Have a look at the Minipeak 2, it is a great tent, simple to put up and the only niggle I have had with it, is that the inner only fits one way ie across one of the doors.

The Minipeak XL which is bigger & allows the inner to be set up across the doors. It also has a stove jack. If I was starting again, the XL would be very tempting.

The Luxe website has some good videos and info which show their tents actually being used in the wild as opposed to the the usual sales dross.

 

[Banzaibrothers]

Thanks Wandering Fred,

I've taken a look at the Minipeak XL. It's an interesting proposition. I like that it is polyester as opposed to sil nylon - so no sag. But it is nearly twice the weight of the Hexpeak and the inner seems to be the same length. So maybe not solving the main question - is the inner of the Hexpeak long enough.

 

[Banzaibrothers]

In the end I found the OneTigris Smokey hut for a good price on AliExpress. I decided for the price I'd take a chance and try it.

I'll report back in about 5 weeks time!

 

[Erbswurst]

I own a Silhexpeak V4a in "desert" what is in reality a dark coyote brown, blending perfectly in adult pine woods.
I would call the colour bronze. Of course it's available in green too.

The German seller Florian Homeier speaks fluently English. He changed several points in the construction of this tent and is the closest involved European in the construction and production process.
If you have any questions, just call him or write an e- mail to him. This guy is an outstanding experienced bushcrafter who made a profession out of his patience. He knows his stuff because he uses it and made it. But he is mainly just a bushcrafter like You and me, similar to good bushcraft knife makers.

I know the guy personally. He is an absolutely serious person and he is the single maker of the custom made high quality cotton tents called Tschum. You can see the chinese made Luxe pyramide tents as lightweight versions of his German made cotton tents.

As you can see, they are pretty similar:

Sil Hexpeak V4a

Sil Hexpeak V4a

luxeoutdoor.de

Tschum 4P Leicht KATUN - Trekkingzelt aus leichter Baumwolle

Tschum 4P Leicht KATUN

tschum.de

I don't own the inner tent, just the outer Hexpeak V4a.
I use it in hot dry conditions together with the Defcon 5 poncho as ground sheet and in colder conditions together with Snugpak Special Forces 1 sleeping bag and Special Forces Bivvy bag.

I am 185 cm tall and it works well for me.

But with a really thick winter sleeping bag like Snugpack Special Forces complete system or Carinthia Defence 6 I would be afraid to touch with the feet the wall and always would use in colder conditions a bivvy bag.

The Snugpack SF bivvy bag adds only 340g, the Defcon 5 poncho only 350 g to the pack weight. I always have both with me, that's my standard equipment, and sometimes additional the Luxe Outdoor Silhexpeak V4a (740g outer tent without pole and pegs) at the sea or at planed camping ground visits if carrying my stuff on the back.

If the tent was closed I got a lot of condensation in Brittany and Normandy. But if it isn't too windy it's no problem to keep the entrance open and like that the condensation isn't so much.

(I do that with every plastic fabric tent in most conditions, by the way, because they all get condensation at the inside of the outer tent if they are closed and that happens nearly always and everywhere.)

The construction allows the user to put the outer tent as high as you like, with longer 2.5 mm lines you could use it as a sun umbrella over a field bed.
If you pitch it high that lowers wind protection like condensation problems of course.

Florian Homeier is a few centimetres taller than me, and he uses down sleeping bags without bivvy bag. If you are in doubt which size of the Luxe pyramide tents would be the right choice for you just ask him!

The Silhexpeak V4a is large, it covers a large surface. Designed for 1 person you can sleep in the outer tent without any problems with 2 persons plus luggage if you keep the entrance closed, but the diameter is relatively short. That's why Luxe Outdoor offers larger versions too.

But going alone you can put in the tent all what people usually have in the Canadian canoe as additional stuff for lake tours, like 2 or more paddles, water canister, large pots, 30 litres screw closure food container, Golden Retriever hound, whatever, it's very very roomy...

Becoming old and stiff, the middle mast disturbs me a bit. I don't reach my sleeping bag behind the mast really comfortably, 10 years ago I would have laughed about it.

The point where the mast touches the tip of the tent is heavily reinforced. It's made to use a roughly carved natural stick as tent pole.

(The Decathlon carbone fibre trekking /walking stick fits as a pole if you use it with the plastic tip protector, without it's too short. If the tent becomes whet I put a little stone or piece of wood under the pole.
But that walking stick is a bit long in the segments. I will buy the offered aluminium pole for my next tour on camping grounds, because it fits better in the rucksack.)

In the woods you can hang this tent under a branch or under a washing line, because it has a strong loop outside at the tip.
That inventions are missing at all similar constructions I know.

I absolutely prefer that way, because like that I get rid of the middle mast and of course that is far lighter. Like that the Silhexpeak V4a becomes very comfortable!
I use the orange Edelrid multicord 2,5 mm which is very strong but ultra light.
I use it for the peg lines too.

Edelrid cordage is made in Germany and you can feel it! For trekking in my opinion thousand times better than that fashionable paracord stuff.

Multicord SP 2,5mm | Reepschnüre | Edelrid

Kletterausrüstung. Reepschnüre. Die robusten Alleskönner MULTICORD SP mit 2,5 mm Durchmesser finden vielseitig Verwendung | Edelrid

www.edelrid.de

The tent has an additional moskito net in the window, so the midgets stay outside if I close my outer tent.
I usually open and close the entrance at the upper end of the zipper, because that is more comfortable.

If needed it is possible to reduce the covered surface and pitch the tent on a smaller ground. You can fold two corners in to use it as a mountain tent. As you see the construction is very well thought through. In my opinion currently the best constructed pyramide tent on the world market.

It has a reflective fabric at the bow of the airing window which reflects even low amount of light very bright. That fabric one can carefully cut off with nail scissors.

But such a reflective surface you find directly painted on the original fabric tape also at every loop where you can attach additional storm lines, round about knee high. Of course you could cut off that loops as well, but that wouldn't be a good idea. Perhaps you will need that loops.
I tried to cover it with Edding, but that doesn't stay where it should. Who feels disturbed by that reflective stuff should stich a bit fabric tape over it, what is easily done by hand.

This loops are handy if you want to dry a towel between tip and storm line loops or if you for example want to put there a bit camouflage fabric to break the shape.

It's a very nice tent in my opinion for those who want to carry it in the rucksack and hang it in between two trees at a washing line in the woods.

You can use it in the mountains or on camping grounds too, but for mainly using a tent in areas without trees a tunnel tent like the Hilleberg Nallo 2 or Akto is the better idea.

Nallo 2 • 2 person tent • Hilleberg

The single vestibule Nallo 2 is a superb all-around, all-season, and lightweight 2-person tent.

hilleberg.com

Akto • 1 person tent • Hilleberg

The Akto is a spacious and amazingly light solo tent with true all season function.

hilleberg.com

 

[Banzaibrothers]

Hi Erbswurst,

Thank you for your extremely informative and helpful answer. If the Smokey Hut doesn't work out I'll take another look at the Hexpeak V4A.

Many thanks,

Mike.

 

[Erbswurst]

With pleasure!
If You should have any questions just ask!
There are videos on the German homepage made by Florian Homeier himself. There you can see for example a better working way how to pitch it.

It is easier than with the storm line fabric stripes as construction tool.

That tent works better if you understood it completely. It's lighter but not so self explaining like a usual cross bow igloo. It's needed to play at first a bit with it in the garden to understand totally how it works.

 

[Tiley]

Ebswurst, those Tschum tents and shelters look great. Not the cheapest or lightest, they look very well made and thought out. Do you have any further experience of them? I am looking at the 1 person Leicht model and am struggling not to press the 'add to cart' button! Any further information would be gratefully received.

 

[Erbswurst]

I wrote about the larger versions here:

TSCHUM

Does anyone have any experience of a Tschum 2 person tent? It’s vastly more expensive than a Polish lavvu https://tschum.de/product_info.php?info=p5_tschum-2p-soswa.html Does anyone have a good site for available Polish lavvu?

bushcraftuk.com

And here:

Quality traditional tents

I will say it dries pretty well if you keep it pitched rather than hang it up to dry. I also sleep with head to door as the walls are not very high. Or I sleep across it near the door. As I use it solo it doesn't realy matter which way I sleep. I do use a large double blow up matress. I guess if...

bushcraftuk.com

And here:

Polish lavvu video manual.

Hi guys. Sorry for my broken English but maybe it will help someone.

bushcraftuk.com

I was sitting in the workshop in Tschum 1P and 2P but sleeping only for one night in the 4P. I spend the whole evening there in speaking with the maker. Outside round about 0*C, inside pretty comfortable.

The 1P protects you better than a lean to shelter of similar size but it isn't constructed to sleep next to a fire.
If you want to sleep directly at the fire the normal lean to is the better option, because the Tshum 1P could trap smoky air in its upper part.

That stuff is made in Germany by only one and the same maker. If you have special wishes it's usually possible to do wat you like. For the materials are exclusively the best selected which can be bought.
The fabric comes from Switzerland or Holland, Rings are made in Germany, as far I remember right he uses YKK zippers in 2P and 4P.

Did my links answer your questions?

 

[Tiley]

Yes, they do. Many thanks. I have a sneaking feeling that I might just be a little poorer by the end of this morning!

 

[Erbswurst]

Ask Florian Homeier what he thinks when he is able to deliver it. Half a year ago he told me he would slowly become crazy because a lot of people discovered his tents via the videos of Rune Malte Bertram Nielsen. Suddenly everybody wanted such a tent...

Tents

Tents

tschum.de