Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Hilleberg Rajd > Curt Peterson > Initial Report

Hilleberg Rajd Shelter

- Initial Report -
September 2006

1)Tester Background and Contact Information

Name: Curt Peterson
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 270 lb (122 kg)
Email address: curt<at>boopants<dot>com
Location: North Bend, Washington, USA

I live in the Cascade foothills, just 20 mi (32 km) from the Pacific Crest Trail via trails leading right from my backyard. My outdoor time in Washington is spent dayhiking, backpacking, climbing, and skiing everywhere from the Olympic coast to rainforests to Cascade volcanoes to dry steppe.  I played football in college and often evaluate products from a big guy perspective. My typical pack load ranges from 11 - 20 lbs (5 - 9 kg) and usually includes plenty of wet weather gear.
 

2) Hilleberg Rajd Specifications

• Rajd Shelter with guylines attached: 1 lb 14.4 oz (862 gm)
• Rajd Stuff Sack: 0.6 oz (18 gm)
• Rajd Stakes (10): 0.3 oz (9-10 gm) each /  3.5 oz (101 gm) Total
• Rajd Stake Sack: 0.2 oz (6 gm)

• Rajd Pole Set (optional): 4.8 oz (137 gm) each / 9.7 oz (275 gm) Total *same as Hilleberg claim
• Rajd Pole Sack: 0.2 oz (8 gm)
• Rajd Footprint (optional): 8.3 oz (236 gm) *1.2 oz (40 gm) less than Hilleberg claim
• Rajd Footprint Sack: 0.4 oz (12 gm)

• Total Minimum Weight (Rajd Shelter + Guylines + Stakes): 2 lbs 2.8 oz (987 gm) *same as Hilleberg claim
• Total Maximum Weight (Rajd Shelter + Guylines + Stakes + Poles + Footprint): 3 lbs 5.6 oz (1520 gm)

• Rajd Dimensions - Hilleberg specs:
•     8 ft 4 in (255 cm) Long *6 ft 7 in (200 cm) Usable Length      
•     3 ft 11 in (120 cm) Wide
•     3 ft 9 in (115 cm) Tall
•     25.8 ft² (2.4 m²) Area

• Manufacturer Website: www.hilleberg.com
• Rajd Shelter MSRP: $285 US
• Rajd Poles MSRP: $19 US each (2 needed)
• Rajd Footprint MSRP: $32 US
  

3) Hilleberg Rajd Initial Report

I believe shelters in the Pacific Northwest are a little different than most parts of the country. I jealously read trip reports of people in the Rockies who pack with no shelter at all or a simple bivy sack. I read about folks backpacking in all parts of the eastern half of the country using just a tarp. Many ultralight options exist for backpackers in California and the Southwest. Here in the Northwest, however, multi-day rain is a possibility any time of year. Sure we have periods of very dry weather and sometimes even predictably nice conditions, but it's tough to invest in an expensive shelter for these relatively few weeks of the year, especially when it's possible that even the drier months of July and August can have week-long rain. Dry ground is another constant problem as rain and melting snowpack conspire to make mud a regular issue to deal with. When it's not raining or muddy, there are likely mosquitoes, so a tarp is a tough choice.

The most common solutions - and the one I've pretty much always used - are tents.  This, of course, entails a significant weight penalty for the Northwest lightweight backpacker. Ever since I started lightening my pack 6 years ago, my shelter has been the heaviest item in my pack. To be honest, I've been pretty happy with my shelters as far as being usable protection from the elements - I just haven't been happy with the weight. My first real backpacking tent in the Northwest was a Eureka Backcountry 2 - a tent with similar dimensions to the Rajd, but it weighed around 6 lbs (3 kg). Another favorite tent I've used is the original REI Half Dome Plus 2, a double door and double vestibule tent that shares many features with the Rajd. This was a fantastic tent for two people: each got their own vestibule to spread out in, nobody had to climb over somebody to get out, and openings for venting could be handled by each individual. This tent was over 5 lbs (2.5 kg), though, which was a full 1/3 of my entire load.  From there I moved to spacious lightweight shelters like the Black Diamond Megalight and the Golite Hex 3. Both of these are excellent shelters, but get a bit heavy when the floor and bug protection are figured in and are completely dependent on the center poles and solid staking. I still use these type shelters for all my backpacking, but a lightweight 2 person tent has been on my wish list for years. I would have happily paid good money for the right tent, however, none have offered the features or weight I was looking for. I cannot stand end-entry shelters. I no longer like crawling around on my hands and knees to get in and out of my tents. The side entry 2 person, 2 door Hilleberg Rajd is a fantastic design in my opinion. Design and performance don't always go hand in hand, however, so a chance to test this shelter would be a great opportunity.

Highlights from the Manufacturer Description:

Hilleberg makes it clear that the Rajd is NOT a tent.  They also offer a number of ways it is better than a tarp or bivy bag.  Rather than comparing it directly with either, they appear to focus on an in-between category, naming it a "shelter" as opposed to a "tent".

Selected Hilleberg comments from the Rajd literature:

"A hybrid shelter that blends tarp and tent qualities into a simple, versatile ultralight package."

"More than a tarp yet not quite a true tent, the new Rajd (pronounced “ride”) is the perfect shelter for those who favor a tarp’s gossamer weight, but don’t want to sacrifice the comfort of walls and a floor. The Rajd’s 2.4 m²/25.8 ft² interior is comfortably big enough for two, and is a veritable palace for the solo traveler – especially one used to the confines of many solo shelter solutions. And it weighs less than many tarps and bivy bags!"

"The Rajd is a great choice when going super light is the highest priority. Bear in mind, however, that the Rajd is not a tent, and so does not offer the same comfort or strength, especially in variable to poor weather conditions."

"The Rajd is highly weatherproof and very durable, but it is a shelter – not a tent – and so puts only a single layer of fabric between you and the elements."

Fabric:  The fabric on the Rajd feels like a slightly heavier sil-nylon to me: not as wispy as the ultralight sil-nylons available for home projects, but certainly not as heavy and beefy as traditional polyurethane coated nylon tent materials.  Based on my use of other tents with a bit beefier sil-nylon (GoLite products), I believe it is an excellent choice in tent materials, balancing weight and durability very well.  While not as heavy as traditional tent materials, Hilleberg claims it is every bit as tough - if not tougher: "Its Kerlon 1200, with its 12 kilo tear strength, is stronger than most so-called “heavy duty” tent and tarp fabrics, and so will stand up quite well to demanding conditions."

Other Materials: The sacks for the stakes, tent, and poles are made from the same material as the tent itself.  This makes them very light and easy to take along - only adding adding 1 oz (32 gm) for the convenience and organization they offer.  The stakes are square profile hooked peg stakes.  While aluminum, they come close to the weight of titanium stakes and the square profile makes them very rigid.  In my initial setup, they seemed very strong and up to task despite their small size and weight.  The poles are typical shock-corded collapsing aluminum poles.  A non-standard feature, they replace trekking poles for those that don't use them.  The guylines are particularly interesting.  A red and white reflective cord, they come pre-attached and cut to length, as well as include a friction cam slider on each line for simple tension adjustments.  I know that there are knots that accomplish this, and that I should know and use these knots effectively, but these cams are so simple and so effective that I'll likely remain ignorant to the knots and spoil myself with these neat replacements.

Design: The design of the Rajd is actually quite simple.  It's essentially an A-frame tarp with fabric walls attached all around it.  The high pitched points are the sides of the Rajd, with doors and awnings making up the walls.  The awnings can be pitched for full coverage, half coverage, or fully rolled up.  The floor is made out of the same light fabric as the rest of the tent, so Hilleberg makes a point of suggesting extra ground protection.  Another neat design feature is the lifted ends.  Instead of a flat floor that comes to a point at the head and foot where the roof meets the floor, the Rajd lifts at each end, creating more usable space and lifting the roof off ground a bit.  This does make the floor look a bit like a sling or hammock - flat bottomed with ends swept up - but the floor is plenty long so it doesn't interfere with interior use.  One thing I'll keep an eye on is how this affects water pooling.  With heavy condensation much more likely in this tent, it would seem to me that at it runs down the interior of the roof it would then slid down the end "ramps" and direct right to the camper inside.  I'll definitely report on whether this is a real concern in my Field Report.  The Rajd has plenty of headroom for someone my height - especially at the center.  It feels very roomy - especially opened up on each side.  I'm a big fan of double-doors, and the Rajd fully opened seems truly massive.  The doors are about 2/3 waterproof fabric and 1/3 mesh.  There is no additional fabric closure behind the mesh, so a low lateral breeze will surely find its way into the tent.  The lower part of the tent door has no mesh option, so on extra hot nights the only ventilation is the top 1/3 mesh.  Adjustment of interior temperature is something else I will really zero in on during Field Testing.

Setup: Setting up the Rajd is simple, but completely stake dependent.  Four stakes secure the Rajd to the ground, and six more keep it standing.  The four ground stakes are at each corner, with the six guyline stakes being at 45 degree angles from each corner and at the midpoints of the A-frame peak.  It's hard to imagine getting away with anything less than 10 stakes.  Any one of them not being used significantly impacts the shape of the tent and the pitch tautness.  The peak guylines can be tied off to trees instead of staked to the ground, but the reality is that each point needs to be secured if the Rajd is to be pitched securely.  The pre-measured guylines - and especially the ridiculously easy to adjust cam sliders - make getting a nice pitch and adjusting along the way very simple.  For as many stakes as are needed to get this shelter up, Hilleberg has made it very straightforward to do it right. 

Interior view of door

Guyline cam slider

4) Hilleberg Rajd Test Plan

Final Notes

Unfortunately I won't be driving any reindeer down the trail during the test period (the meaning of the term Rajd), but I will be on typical trips for the late summer and early fall ranging from 1500 feet (460 meters) on valley trails to around 8,000 feet (2400 meters). Temperatures will likely range from the mid 20sF (-5C) to the mid 80sF (30C) over the test period. I only work 3 days a week until late September, so there should be plenty of time for getting out early in the test period!

I will definitely use it in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness of the Cascades as I continue to explore the less-often-used trails and high lakes from my 12 year old "I gotta go there" list. Other areas will include the Goat Rocks Wilderness near Mount Rainier and possibly a trip to the Pasaytan Wilderness near the Canadian border. In addition to overnights, the test period will be interspersed many days of dayhikes and day climbs. I will test the Hilleberg Rajd as a solo shelter, with my 4 year old son and myself, possibly with my wife and myself, and definitely with my 2 regular backpacking buddies and myself. Both are over 6 ft (1.8 m) tall and over 200 lbs (90 kg) - one is 6 ft 5 in (2 m) and about 275 lbs(125 kg) - so we'd surely be pushing the limits of a 2 person tent. Also, based on the manufacturer's statement, I will use a ground sheet. I will test the Rajd in various conditions and report on performance for:

The "Big Four" Questions that will always be kept in mind on all of my tests:

1) Is this a suitable shelter for the Pacific Northwest in summer and early fall?

2) Is this a well-made and durable shelter than can stand up to the conditions encountered while backpacking in Wilderness Areas?

3) Is this shelter waterproof?

4) Is the on-trail use of this shelter practical for the backcountry?

Specific Questions will include:

1) Fit – How well does the shelter fit? At my height, am I pressing up against the ends of the tent? Can I sit up in it? Can it handle two big men? The specs from the Hilleberg website - and my initial setup - suggest that it's actually quite roomy. Does it 'feel' roomy in real world usage?

2) Pitching - Does it pitch equally well with the trekking poles and guylines or is one method superior to the other? I'm always happy to see shelters integrate trekking poles both for their weight savings and their strength. Are the awnings too fussy to use or are these integrated into the design well?

3) Water Resistance – Does water bead up on the surface or does it wet out and create a soggy mess to pack?

4) Temperature effect - Does the shelter offer warmth during especially cold nights, or is so open and breezy that it is similar to an open tarp?

5) Active Use – How does the Rajd perform in real-world use? Is it easy to set up? Can it easily be packed and unpacked?

6) Venting – Are there ways to aid ventilation? Can it be completely opened up for significant airflow? How is venting when it's sealed up during a storm? The door have large openings for air intake and high air outflow. Does this battle condensation?

7) Bugs - Does the Rajd offer complete bug proofing? Can a good night's sleep be had even with nightmare mosquito conditions for creepy crawlies?

8) Finally, Hilleberg indicates that this is a tarp/tent hybrid.  In the end, is it more of a tent or a tarp? What feel does it have?

Initial Likes:

1.  The weight!  For the same load as a full bottle of water, this is an entire 2 person shelter!

2. Attention to detail: smart inclusions like pre-cut guylines with sliders and thorough instructions (and a personal note from the president of Hilleberg) show they care about their products.

3.  Multi-position awnings to take advantage of good weather or provide views, but the ability to seal up when the weather turns nasty.

Thanks to BackpackGearTest.org and Hilleberg for the opportunity to test the Rajd!

Reviews > Shelters > Tarps and Bivys > Hilleberg Rajd > Curt Peterson > Initial Report