The Opalus 3 A Tent For All Seasons
The Naturehike Lightweight Opalus 3 Person Tent is the perfect all year round Tent!
When it comes to Wild Camping and Backpacking can you afford to cut corners when buying tents? Well in a country where I live (The UK) there is room because our weather has a mild climate compared with many other places. I have desperately been trying to camp out in snow for some time now but fat chance that's going to happen unless I travel over 250 Miles to bonnie Scotland and at the time of writing this were battling a Pandemic not the weather and I can't see The Beast From The East returning to the peak district anytime soon.
Why would I recommend this tent for both Summer & Winter
Out of all the tents I have bought over the years I think the Naturehike Opalus 3 Person Tent would be the tent I would choose. Read on to find out Why...
Simply put before I even tried it my self I trusted the video reviews I've seen by people I deeply respect.
I have seen this used in 70 mile an hour winds in a (sheltered position) in the Peak District, in torrential rain and also snow at the bottom of MT Hood in New Zealand.
It's light enough and small enough to carry, It has fantastic ventilation for year round use the rear end outer tent can be folded out of the way to let more air in when it's not raining in the summer. Plus enough ventilation to keep condensation down in the winter and one of the best features of this tent is, if it's raining you can cook in the vestibule or porch and most of all it's affordable.
When it comes to winter tenting some top of the range 4-season tents can cost anything from £300 to well over £1000 but no way would I get away with spending that much on a tent I would use possibly once a Month. So I would have to go with a copy of the reality so to speak. So the Opalus 3 is an affordable tent that fits backpacking requirements. It actually resembles one of the Hilleberg 3-person tents and would cost you £1,030.00 or the Abisco 3-person tent at around £950.00.
The Opalus 3 I purchased cost me just £160 and as yet all I have managed to do is pitch it in the back garden BUT what I have found is.... It's affordable, It's easy to pitch, It will sleep 3 people (Men), it's lightweight and when packed down is the same size as my Vango Banshee 3, and they are around the same weight too with the Opalus 3 being 2.98 kg and the Banshee Pro at 2.96 kg.
There is usually a rule of thumb when it comes to buying tents that goes like this, if you want a one man tent buy a 2 man, If you want a 2 man tent buy a 3 man. But because of the porch or vestibule, this tent will house 3 men and their gear no problem.
In Summery...
The Opalus 3 By Naturehike is designed to be a lightweight tent for everyone to enjoy backpacking, be it a family Summer camp near the beach or a Winter backpacking camp. It is designed to be lightweight, but also tough. Therefore, the rain fly and floor of the tent is constructed with strong fabric, with added rip-stop for durability, it creates an ultralight and ultra-strong exterior for the shell and floor of the tent. Hike Farther with this Lightweight, Summit any mountain or camp by the summer sea with these compact tent that comfortably sleeps 3 people the Opalus 3.
Ian Stewart