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Hi Jack. I haven't tried that tent, no. More and more people (including me) are saying that they wish there was a standard tent test that gave a rating for the maximum wind speed a tent can withstand. I think it would be really helpful. I use either my Osprey Atmos 65 or my Osprey Exos 48. Typically the 48 litre pack is used in warmer weather and the 65 in colder weather.

That's interesting, so the latest version comes with the inner and outer tents connected now, for an all-in-one pitch? Double-zipped doors are a great upgrade, though I don't understand why they'd limit them at the top like that. I'll have to keep an eye out for one the next time I'm in Go Outdoors 👍

@@joinmeoutdoors yeah and the way it attatches seems strong too, they also extended the sleeve the pole fits into and removed 2 of the clips that hook onto the poles (i beleive the older one has 2 clips on each side) the zip is weird at the bottom it has a zip that can move about a foot and a half, so the zips have to meet at the bottom there when the doors are closed, no idea why, great tent though, i had the nyx 200 before that hated that thing, felt good putting it in the bin!

You should have bought ten! 😅 I'm in a similar position with my Soulo. I love an investment that holds its value. They are expensive, but a £600 tent that depreciates by no more than £100 in 5-10 years makes far more sense than a £200 tent that is worth £50 after 3 years - particularly when the Hillebergs are so much stronger than a budget tent. Good to hear from you over there in Tobleroneland! 😁👋 James.

Scroll to 8:50 in the vid where I state that I used a 13 litre dry bag to carry the tent on this camp, though it was a bit snug. I think I waffled on about seam sealing and moisture for long enough in the video, so I won't repeat myself here and send you to sleep 😂 This tent might not be a cheap throwaway budget tent, but I would say it represents very good value for the space, quality and materials. I imagine the disruption to the manufacturing process required to seam seal the tents would have to carry a disproportionately high charge (possibly well in excess of £50), which would probably anger some. Personally I think a couple of dabs of seam sealer in the points I highlighted in my video would be just fine. The seams weren't actively leaking into the tent. The choice is yours though 😊 James.

@@joinmeoutdoors Yes I think in hindsight it is probably better that you seam seal yourself to make sure it's done in the critical areas where it's needed. I am waiting on comments from Nortent as to when they intend to upgrade the run-off from the vestibule hood areas so that water doesn't fall into the vestibule. Other than that I think it may be beneficial to get some extra poles at the outset so you have them if the wind picks up when out and about. Thanks for your comments.

I'd be interested to hear what Nortent say about the updates. I've found them to be really friendly and passionate people, keen to turn out a good product. I hope you end up with what you're looking for 🙌 James.

Adding more poles will increase the weight, yes. An unavoidable fact of physics! The tent should take some pretty substantial wind before it needs extra poles, so unless you're very exposed on a very windy day, the five poles supplied with the tent would do the job for the vast majority of outings for most people. And yes, the footprint remains attached, so you can roll the whole lot out (footprint, inner and outer) in one go, as I did in my follow-up video.

Thanks for chipping in. I'm glad to hear SOMEONE else out there carries more than 10 kg 😄

Hi Darren. Yes you can. I uploaded a video about that here th-cam.com/video/j9TBWFDpfuQ/w-d-xo.html

Thanks Brian. I think I'd be inclined to agree there. The Black Label Hillebergs are extremely tough and well proven. I wish I owned a wind tunnel and every tent on the market so that I could give them all a wind speed score!

Wow that's a good price! Congrats on the new tent, and I'm glad the video helped 👍 Bargain!!

Someone else said this, and I think I agree. I haven't used the Vik 1 since this video but I think I possibly do use the door as you've described. I had to watch my video back just now and can hear how rough I sound. I was coughing endlessly between takes and barely made it to the end of the vid with what was left of my voice 😂 Possibly wasn't thinking as clearly as I could have been 🙂

​​@@joinmeoutdoorsno worries, I wasn't nit picking. I'm just way lazy so I'd have done that from the beginning, slightly bad habit of always looking for shortcuts. You may not have used it much during those two years. Being a frustrated product designer myself and watching tent reviews there seems to be a lot of better ways things could be done, if one can source these sheets cheaply it wouldn't be that hard to make your own tent, though it would certainly be a faff.

No you're right, I haven't used it a huge number of times as I only use it for certain occasions. Looking for shortcuts and efficient ways to do things isn't a bad habit at all 😊 I'm right with you there. "The perfect tent" seems so elusive, yet I'm convinced that a large chunk of us are all looking for quite a similar perfect tent. Someone just needs to make it!

@@joinmeoutdoors an example of it being a bad habit.. I was living for a bit in a Glasgow slum and people kept trying to steal my 30 year old Toyota. After rebuilding the ignition after a failed theft attempt I started keeping the steering wheel in the flat and bolting it on when going out. Once that was the new normal I then started not bolting it on for short journeys and just applying forward pressure. Inevitably I forgot to keep it up and found myself driving off the road, luckily managed to stop before crashing, and bolted it on, and then sat wondering why I'm such a f*****g idiot.. Can definitely be a bad habit as too easy to stop thinking.. In my experience at least. I bought the mongar 2 waiting for it to arrive. Will likely modify it a bit, dislike the low cut of the bath bit and it needs pockets. The tent I've designed in my head is a ball shape which is around 65% of a sphere. Might get round to making it one day.. You should design your own if you have a passion for it, pretty low bar to entry compared to most products

That would mean that you couldn't separate the flysheet or the inner tent from the poles when you come to pack away, surely? I suppose some people might like that solution? It wouldn't work for the way I pack though. Would make for a very bulky and awkward package I'd have thought.

Hi Brad. My most recent video showed me using the Vern 2 in heavy rain and mild winds. So far that is the only camp I've been on in this tent. As far being hot in summer - I would say that this tent gives lots of ventilation options for a 4 season tent, but the flysheet does come all the way down to the ground, which of course blocks out any cooling draughts. If you didn't need to worry about wind, then you have four outer doors to open up, and mesh inner doors to allow air movement through the tent. I'd have to leave you to make that judgement call though! As for whether or not it's a genuine 2 person tent - the answer is "yes", and I showed my two wide sleep mats side by side in this video you've commented on. I won't be using the tent with a second person, so the sleep mat demonstration is all I can really offer you. In terms of a Terra Nova rival, I guess I'd say the Quasar would be my first thought.

@@joinmeoutdoors Ok great thank you for the additional information.

Thanks Dave. This rucksack still performs well for me, two years on!

Phenomenal weather!! 😍😎

@@joinmeoutdoors love that!

Haha yep, I'm right there with you on that. I get a flash of enjoyment every time I whip out my pump, and never EVER miss using that infernal bag 😂 Bike camping will be great fun, I'm sure!

🫶

The Storm Star 2 has been really popular in the last 6 months or so, and looks like a good tent. Can't say I've ever seen a Scarp with its crossing poles underneath the fly! The new Scarp 1 looks interesting, with their new material. We're all spoilt for choice!

Hi. I tried to explain that in the video to help you to understand, but perhaps I wasn't thorough enough. For a manufacturer to seam seal the tsnt, each and every tent has to be pitched, sealed, and then left for 24 hours to cure. The amount space and extra time required to do this would add a crazy amount to the cost of the tents, and would majorly disrupt the flow of manufacture. They would need more staff, more warehouse space, AND it would slow down their manufacturing process, thus reducing the number of tents they could sell each year. The knock-on effect in cost would be significant, and would have to be passed on to the buyers, so it's not just a case of manufacturers being lazy. The seams that you would be sealing are practically watertight as they are, and applying the seam sealer would only take you an hour or so. If everything about the tent is ticking your boxes, it would be a shame to deny yourself the product just because of this one factor, but I know that some people feel very strongly about this.

I read that in a dragons den voice

The old Duncan Bannatyne "So am oot" 😅

​@@joinmeoutdoors I have to agree, it would take a short amount of time and effort to waterproof the seams yourself.

Cheers Jack! There are a few vids in the catalogue for you to check out now 😁 James.

Thank you for taking the time to comment, Peter. I'm glad my video helped you to get a feel for what this tent is about! I hope the next few weeks pass quickly so you can get out there and enjoy it. All the best 😊 James.

I agree. I think those two things are mutually exclusive!

Ah brilliant, congrats. Interesting that your outer was already attached. It makes good sense to keep it all together like that. I'm sure you'll have some great adventures in it!

As shown in the video, the blue pole is held down with a peg through the yellow Dyneema loop. I don't think my stakes fit through the eyelet in the strap itself, but I use the Dyneema loop to hold the blue pole in. Thanks.

I'm glad it helped! Thanks for letting me know 😊

Thanks Lee! I normally aim to camp on sunny days, but getting out in the elements like this brings it own kind of rewards too 👌

Both of my sleep mats (Thermarest NeoAir XTherm and Exped SynMat UL7) have non-return valves built into the inflation port. So you can blow air in, but it doesn't come out again.

Yes the internet has gone a bit crazy about Vern tents in wind in the last two weeks! I have only used mine on this one camp, so am unable to share any experiences of failures or major issues.

@@joinmeoutdoors I been out twice in mine and a great tent for what I want as I like taking astro photography and also have a camp fire so high winds ain't for me while camping but its good to know what the tent could take just incase

It sounds like the Vern 1 is doing rcabtly/exactly what you need it to do, which is all that matters. Happy camping 🤗

Thanks Toby. This whole country is a washout in 2023 apart from about four days!

Yeah I really like that softened light quality with the lampshade attached. I generally shut my inner tent doors to keep any creepy crawlies out. I may unzip the top portion to help with ventilation, and/or unzip the solid skin on the inner door to reveal the mesh skin for better ventilation. I sometimes take the Soulo because it feels nice and roomy compared to my more compact Terra Nova Southern Cross 1. I'm aware that some people find the Soulo cramped though, so it's down to personal preference really! 😊

Haha someone else messaged me to say something similar actually! I wasn't feeling all that well on this camp, so perhaps my standards were lowered to the point where I enjoyed a meal that others seem to hate? 🤣

Oh lucky you! They must be very enticing...

How dare you voice opinions about tents on TH-cam! You should know that this is simply not allowed now 😂 I feel the same - if a tent is only allowing one or two microdroplets through on strained, unsealed seams in heavy rain, then I think the manufacturer has done a good job. Nortent even send you the seam sealer if you want the seams to be 100% watertight. For some reason, expectations and emotions have been running extremely high since Nortent released the new Vern tents, but it's good to see that most comments on my video have remained fair and balanced. Thank you for contributing to that theme! James.

Yeah that was an eye-opener wasn't it? Poor old Dave! It would appear that he found the limits there, which is really helpful info. I wonder if his findings tie in with Nortent's own testing? I can't see why not.

@@joinmeoutdoors I don’t know how they do their testing. I know some manufacturers use wind tunnels and other similar methods. But getting hit by a storm would put some different types of stress on a tent compared to blowing strong air in one constant direction with the tent facing in its best direction to handle it. If I am not mistaken, there was another pole problem with a Vern 1….cant remember who it was. Cheers !

I know that Nortent take their tents out into the field for testing and proving, but I'd also say that wind tunnel testing probably has its place too. The more testing the better really! I saw the Vern 1 being pushed to failure as well (a guy called Rowan). When Andrew Park released that very first video on TH-cam of the 2024 Vern 1, I did comment on his video to ponder whether the crossover points on the longitudinal poles could potentially cause them to crush each other in strong winds, which would lead to almost immediate failure. I'll have to re-watch the failure vids and see if I can spot if the failures happened at that crossover point. If so, I wonder I'd they might benefit from having a small plastic separator piece that stops the poles from clattering against each other? There seem to be some excessive emotions flying around about Nortent vs Hilleberg at the moment. Social media at its best, hey? 😂

@@joinmeoutdoors Good to hear about their testing protocols. The first time I saw a video about the Vern1 the reviewer was checking out the strength of its pole structure and the side to side strength seemed good but front to back was surprisingly weak. The reviewer made the comment….’ The guy lines will stiffen that up’. At the time my first impression was the crossing points were to low which created a narrow base and a longer run between the crossing points and the crossing pole in the middle of the tent. Other tents of this design that are stronger front to back have the crossing points higher up. And, this does give the tent a more rounded shape. I hope the public discourse doesn’t get too personal….while I can appreciate good gear….I don’t form emotional relationships with any of it….😂🤣

@Sneaky-Sneaky I think the position of those crossing points is going to be really crucial isn't it? Having it low down means that you have nice slim ends to the tent, which makes it aerodynamic...but there are trade-offs elsewhere. Designing a brand new tent must be an absolute minefield!! I think you will go far in life if you don't get emotionally attached to bits of nylon and polyester 😂👍

It was on a fair old slope, plus I later learned that this area is a hot bed for adders, but neither of those things really mattered with such beautiful views from my bivvy bag! It was a special one for sure ❤️

I was using my Osprey Atmos 65 on this camp (65 litres). Bear in mind that I was also carrying some filming gear as well, so you'd be able to get away with something a little bit smaller I'm sure.

@@joinmeoutdoors thank you for the reply just subbed 👍

No problemo, and welcome! 🤗 James.

I think this might be the first comment I've seen where someone has felt that a Vern 1/Vern 2 is overpriced! In comparison to Hillebergs, lots of us who own Vern tents have found them to be an incredibly competitive price. In hand they look and feel similar to Hilleberg products, and many of us had high hopes for comparable performance in strong winds too, so the price difference seemed to be a real slam dunk for Nortent! A couple of recent vids in high winds showed that pole strength (or perhaps pole positioning?) is a differentiating factor between the Vern tents and Hilleberg offerings, with Hilleberg appearing to come out on top in these very early days. This is the first wave of a brand new design though, and Nortent are gathering lots of feedback from people like me (e.g. rain gutters). I hope to see some design updates come through in time, as with the evolution of any brand new product. I think it's a damn good tent for their first go! I'm glad you found the evideo informative 👍 James.

@@joinmeoutdoorsI love how easy you can pitch this tent and I will be happy to buy this tent for max 300£.

Okay that's interesting. I own a Naturehike Cloud Peak 2, which is a budget 2 person tent. Those cost around £160 and are not particularly strong. The materials feel okay, but you can tell that it is a budget tent. The Nortent Vern 2 is barely comparable to the Cloud Peak 2, so I don't think we can realistically expect to buy a tent like this for only twice the price of a Cloud Peak 2, personally. It would be great if we could though!

You need to apply for a job on Nortent's marketing team! 😂

I rarely take beers on camps, and if I do, it's generally just one small can. It sounds like you've got your winter pack weight down to a good level though. As you say - it's hard to be light, compact and warm with budget gear, but there's no need to go too crazy for most of us. I went for a camp a few nights ago and left all my filming gear at home. Pack was sub-15 kg I believe, and that's with a Soulo and footprint. Amazing how much weight all the filming gear adds. Maybe it's time to stop 🙂

@joinmeoutdoors If I may comment, I believed wild camping was a passion. However, the lure of money has turned yet another pleasure of God's creation into a money earner. TH-cam is the disease. I tent to watch mostly new channels that haven't had access to monetising yet. It's a great video all the same, Sir. Polite and eloquent.

I'm quite comfortable in the fact that I'm a YouTubing wild camper, rather than a TH-camr who goes wild camping. I don't make videos for TH-cam to get rich, and this channel will never pay me a salary I can live off. I chose seriously unwisely if I wanted to start a channel that would allow me to give up my day job! 🤣 I decline almost all offers of free kit that come my way, because I usually have no interest in them, and see no point in accepting free stuff just because I can. Youll notice that equipment I DO receive free of charge is the kind of equipment I use anyway, or have a genuine interest in. There is a difference between benefitting from some of the perks that my efforts have earned, and cashing in to chuck out junk content that might get a few likes. That's my side of this story anyway, but I accept that many people will hold many different views of the way I do things. Such is life 😊 I hope the video was of use to you nevertheless 👍 James.

This seriously needs looking into 😂 I'll have to try to remember your question when I next use this tent. I can't really think of a reason it couldn't, now that you ask! 🤔🤦🏻

Those peaks would certainly give bigger views than Dartmoor's 600 metre elevation! 😅

@@joinmeoutdoors you just visit there feel the amazing sound of nature.When you guys want to come, be sure to get in touch. And make sure to enjoy this sound. The complete update about the journey and route of this mountain is fully written in the description of my video. You can watch it right there on my channel۔

Personally I rarely camp in heavy rain, but that missing gutter immediately makes itself known whenever you're near the open door way! Nice easy fix which hopefully Nortent can incorporate into a design update 👍 Lovely and sturdy and quiet though, unlike my Soulo tonight! 😬 Thanks for tuning in matey, good to hear from you. Take care. James.

I can see some similarities, but they're minimal. Two big differences are that the Vern 2 has a whopping 3 additional poles and 2 additional doors for starters!

Copied from my Underpants

😂👍

Ah come onnn, a 47 minute video where I'm wearing a mic next to my mouth and you pick up in a 1 second segment where you can hear me breathe 😂 I have now used this tent in fairly heavy rain and moderate winds (20-25 mph, see the video here th-cam.com/video/sa8WCUkTqYg/w-d-xo.html) and it showed promising potential for taking higher winds really well. James.

Good to see, thanks. That looks to work well, and an inverted canister is SO much faster and cleaner than liquid fuel!

@@joinmeoutdoors You're welcome, here's a link to the spider support from Flat Cat th-cam.com/video/av8l0M3GspE/w-d-xo.html You do a good job on your videos.

Thanks a lot Mike 🙏🏻 ATB, James.

This is exactly the approach I've been taking. I do find it interesting that I seem to carry so much more than the majority of people are willing to carry, and that I need so much more gear to keep me warm than most other people! If I couldn't carry it, I wouldn't go camping, and if I didn't go camping, I suppose I wouldn't need to carry it. Maybe I should keep ramping the weight up until I can move to Nepal! Those guys really are built from something else 😲

Thanks Andi. If only all the thought resulted in a nice light pack for me to swing onto my back! 😅 I did manage to lighten this pack by 5 kg for my latest camp...but then I decided to take a 5 kg tent with me!