Survey Part 2: Luxury Digs

The following is not a review of any particular brand or model per se but rather of Korean (backcountry) camping gear culture. On my trip to Jangbong-Do on 3 July 2010, I conducted a survey to determine which gear brands were the most popular among the 21 members of Backcountry Camping (BC) who were present. The responses were limited to the gear actually packed for the trip. Because individual BC members tend to have various models of any particular type of item, often from different manufacturers, which they'll alternate depending on the season or whim, the results below are neither definitive nor comprehensive for this particular gathering or Korean campers overall. However, based on my observations from past trips, the results appear to be generally indicative of trends within the community.

The tent: the most popular brand was Hilleberg (see photo right, Hilleberg Alook) with 4, followed by Black Diamond with 3.

Other than clothing and footwear, the tent is the piece of gear that is most likely to be rotated in use among several different models owned by a given Korean camper for any given trip. I offer two reasons for this: weather and vanity.

The summer months in Korea necessitate tents that offer ventilation for the heat and humidity, water resistance for the monsoon rains, and protection from insects. As such, the majority of summer tents are dome structures (see photo above) with front and rear lateral entrances, often with mesh fabric. Typical set-ups are further supplemented with a small tarp (see photos bottom) that not only provides rain cover but also shields sunlight, the Korean camper's most dreaded element of all.

For the winter, wind resistance and heat retention are factors to consider, but the primary concern is ventilation to reduce condensation build-up, which either freezes along the inner walls (to turn the tent into a virtual refrigerator) or drips down like icy rain on the camper during the night (and then freezes to turn the sleeping bag into a virtual refrigerator). While all agree that condensation is the villain, everyone has a different theory on how best to combat the problem, some believing that double-walled tents (i.e., main body plus rain fly) most efficiently ventilate the steam that causes condensation, others

arguing that single-walled tents are preferable because condensation collects between the layers of a double-wall construction, a hardy few foregoing tents and the very possibility of condensation altogether by spending the night in a bivy sack, and many opting to pitch teepee-style alpine tents that in theory reduce condensation by creating a ceiling of warm air when heated from the inside. Indeed, some of these alpine tents have been retrofitted to accommodate the chimney of a portable wood-burning furnace (see photo above). Hey, whatever works.

But seriously, the main reason that Korean campers alternate their tents is the fact that they can, that they have so many tents to choose from. And the reason that they have so many tents is that they're constantly buying new tents, better tents, more expensive tents that one-up or at least keep-up with the camper next door. The Hilleberg Alook model (see photo top), apparently quite the thing among my fellow Korean backcountry campers, retails here for about $1200. $1200. For a tent. One of several. The Black Diamonds aren't much cheaper. They're like premium sports cars that feature superior materials (maybe), superior engineering (maybe), superior performance (maybe), and superior design esthetics (maybe maybe). Really, does anyone need any of that superiority, especially at such cost, except perhaps to compensate for an inferiority complex?

A side-bar on my own tents: on solo camping trips, I've used either the Sierra Designs Light Year 1 (see photo right) or the Kovea Alpine Nasca 2 (see photo below). I bought the Sierra Designs tent (about $130 in the US) primarily because of its weight of 1.51 kg (not including pegs), which seemed extremely light to the naive beginner that I was one year ago. However, after several uses, I've decided to dump it for several reasons: (i) its quasi-bivy-style design, which even tapers towards the feet, restricts movement to the point of feeling like I'm in a coffin; (ii) it's too short for my 183-cm height, (iii) the forward-entry door forces me to scrabble on my hands and knees like the mangy cur that I am crawling in and out of my doghouse; (iv) the non-free-standing frame that requires pegs can be inconvenient at times, particularly where

decks are involved--and yes, I'm aware that this is supposed to be about backcountry camping; (v) its ultralight-weight mesh construction, which is fine for summer, is wholly inadequate beyond the month of July, and (vi) I've since realized that I can get a dome-style, two-person, 2-meter-plus long, lateral entry, free-standing, 4-season tent that weighs less than 1.51 kg (e.g., the MSR Carbon Reflex 2 or the TarpTent Double Rainbow, both of which are under serious consideration for purchase). As for the Kovea (about $300 domestically), I absolutely love it for all the reasons I now detest the Sierra Designs: it's a dome-style, two-person, 2-meter-plus long, lateral entry, free-standing, 4-season tent; unfortunately, it weighs in at a whopping 3.02 kg (not including pegs). Still, I plan on using it whenever possible, whenever I won't be required to schlep it on my back to the campsite.