Hilleberg Anjan 2 GT Review

This tent excels at keeping out the elements and providing ample storage for all your gear in its extended vestibule. That said, what you get in weather protection and durability, you pay for in weight. It comes with the territory, though. If you want an all-star storm chaser, this is for you.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

For as much as we like this tent, its interior sleeping area is not the most comfortable. The tunnel design creates a decent amount of space for its weight, but the 39-inch peak height of the inner tent is a tight fit for a 6-foot camper, and it slopes down steeply from the head to the foot. The interior floor is 51 inches wide at the front door, 43 inches at the foot, and 86 inches long. This contender is not as spacious as tents with two side doors, but it is no doubt meant to feel cozy, and it does. The low ceiling keeps heat close to the sleepers.

The massive 27-square-foot vestibule takes up more than a third of the total footprint of this tent. While living out of the tent in campgrounds, our testers managed to fit two 60-liter backpacks, two 30-liter backpacks, and shoes inside the vestibule. In nice weather, a third person could sleep in the Anjan. This tent also comes with an adjustable clothesline inside, which we found useful for socks and hats. The two side pockets are not huge but are convenient for keeping small items like gloves or a watch close at hand, so you know where to find them in the middle of the night.

Weather Resistance

The Anjan receives top honors for its weather resistance because it offers superb protection from all of the elements. We have spent many hours sitting out storms — this tent even made it through a pelting hailstorm with ice balls the size of nickels! It's advertised as a three-season tent with many features found on four-season models. The extended vestibule allows backpackers the opportunity to hunker down and spread out while waiting out a storm.

Key points like the reinforced vestibule zippers and the bathtub floor protect from splashback and spindrift. In fact, we found the floor to be just about waterproof on its own without a ground cloth. Similarly, the inner tent is made primarily of a solid nylon fabric that blocks blowing sand and snow and sheds condensation that drips from the roof — a significant advantage over most backpacking tents that have mesh inner tent walls.

In terms of ventilation, this model is a mixed bag. Because of the shorter dimensions of the interior, you may have your sleeping bag touch the end of the tent and get damp from condensation. However, there is a fairly substantial swatch of mesh at the foot end and at the mesh door vents into the vestibule, which lets moisture disperse.

Space to Weight Ratio

Measuring just over 30 square feet, this is one of the more spacious tents in the test. But its 4.75-pound pack weight means that you only get 6.3 square feet per pound. You're trading space for weather resistance and durability. That said, we think the higher weight is well worth the extra security if you will be in an early or late-season snowstorm.

This model isn't blowing anyone away with its packability. If you are looking for faster and lighter, there are plenty of other options out there, but they come with the tradeoff of reduced protection.

Ease of Use

The Anjan 2 GT features a tunnel design that differs significantly from a traditional freestanding design. Consequently, it takes a few times to get used to it and quite a bit of time to set up. The concept is simple enough –- three poles slide through sleeves on the exterior of the tent, and tension from guylines holds the body upright.

This outside first approach keeps the inner tent drier if you are forced to pitch during a storm. It requires a lot of dexterity, though, which can be especially difficult in cold weather. The guylines come pre-attached, which is a big plus, but there is still a lot of cord to manage.

Construction Quality

The Anjan is one of the most durable tents we tested. By most standards, the tent is overbuilt for three-season conditions. It uses metal rings on the four corner guy points to reduce wear on its already burly webbing loops. It has strong plastic and metal hardware for friction adjustments, and the zippers are robust. The floor fabric is significantly more durable than the fly. All in all, this is a tent that is built to last.

Hilleberg uses Kerlon 1000 for the waterproof rain fly. This fabric is a silicone-impregnated ripstop nylon that's impressively strong for a three-season tent. Our only word of caution in terms of durability is due to the nature of the hoop-style pitch; it is important to 'push' the poles out of their sleeves on the outside of the tent rather than pull — otherwise, you run the risk of tearing the fabric or breaking the elastic pole cord.

The stakes included with the Anjan 2 GT are oddly ultra-lightweight. Normally, we would say this is an advantage, but they somehow don't match the gravitas of the rest of the tent. We found them to be serviceable, but since this tent requires stakes and a good pitch to stand upright, if you have already invested in this tent not-cheap tent, you may as well pick up some stakes that you know you can trust to hold in the snowpack.

Should You Buy the Hilleberg Anjan 2 GT?

We think the Anjan 2 GT will be overkill for most folks, but this tent is a good value for users requiring exceptional durability and weather resistance. It is one of the most expensive options in our review and is ideal for backpackers who plan on spending time in inclement weather, want the extended vestibule, or want the best of the best for durability and weather resistance. If we were to recommend just one tent to friends and family who want to stretch their tent to the limits of the seasons (and the price was not a factor), this would be the one.

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