The TENT NO ONE IS TALKING ABOUT? | Sub Zero Wild Camp | KUIU Storm Star | 

Hey all, thanks for all the love on this one. Just a update on this - i wore themal leggings and down pants along two pairs of socks one bieng thermal and one being a thinnner variety. I think it was just me - i got cold and never really recovered even after boiling some water for the sleeping bag. Anyway onto the next one.

Me and Annie pitched up there a good few months back....but you know me, I never named the location. As for the Storm Star, I've been raving about it for going on 3 years now, I was out in mine again last night in bitter cold conditions, my XT Extreme mat failed and that tent kept me safe and fairly snug from the icy strong winds. I've had it out in close to 50mph winds, torrential rain, had it out in -6 up Criffel, humped it up mountains and camped coastal with it. After 50 or so camps it still looks brand new and I've only had to re-proof it the once. A little tip - when you're pitching, those big 4 metal clips need to go on FIRST, then attach all the smaller grey plastic clips. On pull-down take them off LAST, after you've unclipped all the smaller clips. If you do it this way you won't put any undue pressure on the poles and the clips go on easier. This is the way KUIU recommend and it does work. There's a tightening strap under the tent as well, which might fix your problem of one side being slightly out of shape. And lastly - M&S do thermals called 'Heatgen Maximum' - it's a merino wool blend. Beats anything I've ever had from the bigger named outdoor brands. Toasty McRoasty! atb TGW from DVS :)

I think many people overlook that unless there is another alternative heat source then no sleeping bag will warm you up once you’re that cold; it’s all reliant on your body heat. A sleeping bag (or quilt) insulates you and traps your body heat. Once you’re that cold it’s so challenging to get warm again. Obviously that is when trouble is hovering - so you did the sensible thing by bailing. When I’m in that situation - thankfully only ever happened twice - I get out of the tent and literally force my body to generate heat by doing a few dozen star jumps. I also always carry a rigid (plastic) Nalgene water bottle in cold weather which can take boiling water - pop that inside a pair of socks and place between your thighs to warm the femoral arteries. That circulates warm blood speedily and will warm you for hours.

At around the time you were cold is the usual time that your blood sugar can be low. You would have exerted quite a bit of energy over a short distance in the cold conditions [it's also easy to dehydrate in cold weather without realising, leading to low electrolyte levels] You mentioned that you food wasn't particularly apertising + there may have been insufficient calories given the exertion. Try having a meal with calories derived by fat + something sweet like chocolate When I'm in the Pyrenees, even in summer, I usually have some chorizo sausage & some chocolate just before I go to sleep - it works for me!

20 press ups and a few quick laps round the tent should get you warmed up when cold, or as I found out last year go for a dump. It's surprising how warm I got after trying to dig a cat hole in frozen ground and then trying to aim /squat to drop the kids off. Tent looks nice and sturdy.

Thanks for the video mate. It was good to see your thoughts on the tent.👍

Great video mate. Dont blame you for bailing. You are right, you camp to enjoy not endure. Will be good to see the tent out again.

Good to see you down from there safe🍺🍺🍰

Great video and review, as you say we do it for fun, glad you got down ok, there is always other trips, keep up the great videos mate.

Also good to see the Thrudark gear, I've bought loads of stuff from them. Not buying a winter jacket because I already have the Montane Extreme Smock which I bought after watching Ray from RS Outdoors review it. I was in the Ogwen Valley last week, blistering wind, snow and ice on the hills and was toasty with only my Thrudark base layer underneath.

Looks mint that tent mate. Looks solid as .

Ive been cold like that in the tent at night, for me it was due to a too light of a sleeping bag. Managed to get a bit of extra heat by getting in a survival bag. There was a bit of condensation in the survival bag but the increase in temperature was massive.

Great spot for a camp. views are spot on👌 the storm star is a cracking shelter ⛺️👍.. DVS has a few, swears by them, very strong, and it’s a looker👌..good one, atb Mick 👍

I was camping out on Wednesday this past week on that night they said was the coldest of the year. Woke up around 2am feeling exactly what you said. Was about to bin it. Couldn’t get warm no matter how many years I had on. Boiled some water which helped warm the tent up and made sure my vents were shut. Eventually got back to sleep but was so close to doing the same and just getting home

Love your videos keep going! Best wishes from the Netherlands.

I've got the storm star and love it . Nice to see another review. Strongest tent ive ever had and that includes the leaking zip hilliebergs 😂

Great video. Well done for making the decision to call it a night and pack up.

Great vid, don’t worry about the bail, always another time bro.

Ah mate its a cold one..... 🥶. Tent looks great seen DVS with one know she loves them. Nice locations mate easy enough to get bacj to the warmth !! 👍👍👍 like u said mate nee point stopping if ur not enjoying it. See ya soon mate

I nearly bought this tent years ago when it 1st arrived on the scene,it cost a fortune then,i see its £675 with postage which isnt bad,i have the allak 2 and my god it doesnt half keep the cold out and the heat in, i was camping in a scarp 1,no snow or wind but it was freezing cold -8c on the campsite,i was freezing m8,winter mat,alpine pro 800 bag and rab down trousers on. i think the triple silicone coating on the hilleberg is the difference,ive never been cold in any of the hillebergs ive owned tbf.Take the allak 👍.

I’ve seen someone on the wild camping groups in this. Looks a cracking tent.

I have a KUIU WPB camouflage rain shell for hunting here in Nevada, USA. it is VERY well built and well designed. KUIU gear is made for mountain weather. The staff are a bunch of goat and mountain sheep hunters! You'll notice the tent goes up INNER TENT ATTACHED TO THE FLY. (Like Tarptent models). No getting the inner stake while putting on the fly!

If that was Monday night mate , I was out and suffered those cold temps too 🥶 DVS swears by that tent , it’s never let her down ⛺️👍 atb Dave

For sure it’s a solid looking tent. Been keeping an eye on it since DVS sung its praises. Must’ve been flipping cold up there 🥶 👍

Hey mate that tent looks good. Imo in those temps minimum 600 grams of down in your bag or you will feel the cold. Down jacket inside bag will just compress and offer little real benefit. 👍

How did sleeping bag get wet and how were your hands they mudt have been frozen but no gloves in tent? I hope you were ok😊

Great job brother. Good review!

Looks like it has potential I would need it in green and make sure it stands up to to stormy torrential conditions before I would consider it, I have a hilli unna and have yet to see anything that matches it for size weight and storm proof.

Hi, I enjoyed watching this video, can you try this for me, with all these new tech materials you weren't warm in tent, try a good thermal top then a nice pure wool jumper on top, the ones they use for golf! I have a cotton tee wedged between but wouldn't use it on walk up as holds moisture! Wool is a great insulation very underrated, a gore- Tex bivi bag would also keep you toastie in tent on extreme conditions. Cheers Mark.

dvs rates it highly you can see its quality. did you try doing some exercises before you hit the sack ?

Foarte bine ai procedat ... intotdeauna este super OK, sa stii cand sa renunti ... 👍💯👍... apropo ... cum de sa udat sacul de dormit ??? ... de la condensul din cort ???

Hi Steven, I hope you’re well mate. Only just watched this film and noted you being cold with plenty of warm kit on. It reminded me of a time, years ago, when I was on exercise in Salisbury Plain. We had all of our warm kit on and were still freezing. The Sergeant Major made us all strip off to our boxer shorts and sprint around a tree that was about 100 yards away. We then had 1 minute to quickly get dressed again. It worked a treat and we didn’t need to put on as many clothes. Another thing that could have added to the cold is not having enough calories. I usually take a block of cheese with me in the colder months, on top of the meal, those extra calories do help because you’ll be burning a lot more energy without even knowing. Nuts are also a good option because they are packed with calories too. Keep safe mate ATB Jiffy 👍

I lived in a tent for 6 months and slept during-8 degrees in a small summer tent with a summer sleeping bag haha, can honestly say I never felt physically better

Own the tent as well, don’t use it enough over here in 🇺🇸 but during my due diligence, landed on DVS videos. Small world.

In my personal opinion you can’t review a tent or make a comparison to another after using it for 8hrs? Surely use both shelters for 12 months in all conditions then make your conclusion, I’d then definitely call that a good review as all the positives and negatives would be completely covered. Each to their own though. Glad you got down safe 👍. Atb, Dave

Bought one of these last night! I’m hoping I’ll like it enough for it to replace my Hilleberg Jannu. I wanted the Allak but for proper winter conditions in the Highlands it needs 10mm poles and it’s already heavy, and I love the Jannu but the vestibule is crap. If this Kuiu is decent in the wind (doesn’t have to be as strong as the Jannu - I’m not delusional!) then I recon it will become my go-to tent for the majority of the year. Cheers for the review 👍

Great Video

The pole geometry is the same as the old Vango Chinook 200, 4 node (cross over points) semi geodesic, I'd say design wise, it's better than an Allak or soulo, my Chinook can withstand stupid wind speeds and is extremely stable, but the Chinook has low profile continuous pole sleeves which makes the tent more stable than one with clips, the only downsides are the sleeves make setting the tent up more challenging, and it weighs 3.7kg. good review, thanks for sharing 👍🏻

A great tent! Enjoyed the video.. can I ask is your red jacket a thrudark? If so which style / size? I’m a new subscriber 😊

For any sub-zero camp take a minus 18 rated down bag as standard kit. Just undies and T-shirt or v. thin thermal top is enough. Wearing all that stuff in a sleeping bag works against you.

Nice to see another storm star I've had mine a cpl years now I think it's a great tent id definitely put it against the allak especially with the price even after shipping and import duties.I've had mine in 50mph wind and it handled it no problem. 1 little gripe I have is the door tie backs there a little fiddly.as for the cross pole it can look a bit bent but you get used to how to position it to keep it straight.i got a full footprint from quintcraft for mine adds a little extra weight but it keeps both vestibules covered.

Try some kendal mint cake, does no one day it any more? Get your blood sugar levels up after the bike up the hill then a meal.

Definitely love the tent. As for the cold. I do way better in a better bag but less clothes....just boxers in fact. I get cold wearing my jacket! ..... Good film though 👍🤗

Nice tent, the sleeping bag of yours is rated to -10 comfort not much margin for error for the conditions you experienced. Did you use a thermal bag liner, heat pads or a hot water bottle as well?

in really cold temperatures i tent to follow a few nordic/expedition techniques: high fat food before bed, excercise to get warm, hot water bottle, (plastic) thermal barriers (traps air and stops the down soaking) for feet, hands and sleeping bag and a bivvy bag/synthetic outer so frost settles on the outside of the bivvy (called the dew point) and not the down sleeping bag (note: i leave my pad outside my bivvy to get more sleeping bag loft in the bivvy - hunka xl for me). when i use the sleeping system, i dont have it enclosed over my head (have seprate hats, balaclavas etc) so i never breath in to the sleep system - which can be deadly because most of your bodies mosture coming out is from breathing. I very cold conditions - fat (in food) is your friend!

Alright Stephen. You mentioned that your sleeping bag was wet. Was that from condensation? Once your body temp drops too low it’s hard to get it back up again when you’re out in those conditions. I reckon you probably let yourself get too cold when you were filming the tent n that. The sacrifices we make for our art eh? Looked a decent tent but hate the thought of humping over 2kg of shelter around on my back. However, I appear to be perfectly happy to hump a small kitchen around on my back. 🤣 All the best mate 👍

Dude rockin’ the Thrudark jacket….👍…respect man ✊

Hi liked the video very much. I am thinking about buying one of these tents. How was it to order and what other charges did you have to pay?

When it comes to sleeping bag systems....... here's my take - for better or worse. I use a Down bag (the discontinued mountain warehouse Everest bag) rated down to between -10C and -20C ; it';s been produced with various ratings but I swear by it. on top of a thermo rest rated 7 I think and all inside an army bivvy bag. It's based on a system recommended by Ray Mears from bushcraft book about 20 years ago.... and isn't far different from what military do. I don't wear much inside the bag.... just a synthetic rab top and long johns with wool bridgedale explorer socks. Why does it work? well if you wear too many clothes the heat from your body doesn't transfer into the sleeping bag and loft it properly and the bivi bag also helps add about another 1-2C boost to any existing equipment. I make sure the bag is fully zipped up to the face and hood bit on for full mummification! the goretex bivvy bag also helps keep the sleeping bag dry.

Great to see the kuiu out and about. You know my take on it.......nothing comparable when everything is factored in! You did the right thing if cold too. Nothing worse than not veing able to warm up. Handy that you could blast to the car in no time 😊 Take care mate, Adge

Hi there. I have the hilleburg akto and was going to go with the hilleburg soulo. Do you really think this is the better tent. I'd appreciate your advice. Thanks dave.

Staying warm in winter is a challenge.

Spotted this brand on line couple weeks back and there gear looked really good i was thinking here we go £800nfor a top but no good prices stuff looked quality...ill probably order something a shell maybe .....

Bit cold for my liking that, tent looks class though!

If you sit around doing nowt you'll get cold. More movement and more calories.

Hi mate are you still liking the tent? I need one for tge Laugervegur trail for me and the mrs.. i dont want to spend over 700 quid and there aint much bombproof looking options o can fond at that price range. Also did u order from america, im going in july

I was out in my Nammatj last week and my mate was in his new Kuiu and it got blustery enough to see the effects on the Nammatj but i was very very impressed with how solid that Kuiu looked because it really didn't budge at all. In my opinion it's better than the Soulo and the Allak especially when you factor in all that extra room and the amount of pockets plus that loft hammock thing. I have had 2 Soulos , Nallos and the Jannu and now the Nammatj but non of them stand up in the wind like these Kuiu tents. When i get one i will be putting bungee cord on those panels and then the guy lines , thats the only area that looks like it could be vulnerable to wear and tear . Time will tell if they are a Hilleberg beater . The bath tubs are not as thick as the Hillys but everything else looks as good if not stronger on some of the sections . I see you have got the Zpack arc haul too IMO definitely better than anything else out there and i also have the 70litre and its only 600gms plus its waterproof and has taped seams...whats not to like.

A Geordie? Cold? With all those coats! Times they are a changing

Looks a great tent , did you have any hot food ? A stove ? Light the candle , maybe a hot water bottle next time , warm the water in your drink bottle

Great tent. I've had mine a while now. Got one after selling the Tarptent Scarp as I just couldn't get on with it.. Good video again :-)

Your neck of the woods is known to be bitterly cold so you must have a better tolerance than most, so it must have been really cold for you to bail. Grizzly Gaz said he was cold too in his kuiu so maybe they just let the cold in more than others? Always best option to leave if it's too cold or you'd be ruined on the way back to the car!

Lush looking tent that. Been envying DVS’s for while 🏕️

Definately your sleep system is too light, forget sleeping bag ratings, they are nonsense, for that temperature I'd be using a quality bag with a minimum of 800grams of 700 or higher fill down and a proper sleep mat, neoair xtherm or warmer. If you do get cold, always take a nalgene bottle that you can fill with hot water and wrap to make a hot water bottle !!! Or put your stove on for a bit with plenty ventilation that uco candle should have been able to provide some heat.

👍👍👍

Was that the Decathlon backpack? Looked like it

Can't understand how's it's possible to be cold with all those layers on. You look like you're camping in the Arctic with that kit, not mild weather England. Are you using an uninsulated sleeping pad or what ?

Fellmandave reviewed this tent last year

Not a fan of red anything’s. I love the elixir1 despite it having a red inner. I hope you get better trip next time no out. You’ve probably got a wee bug hanging on you as the reason you’re struggling to stay warm. Happy camping

You don’t need the Lid for your Toaks pot . Just use your foldable S2S Cup and use this as a Lid, it stays tight and will hold all what’s inside while hiking .

how did you manage to smash the screen of that ultra watch ?

What did you think to it then? Im still in two minds about mine... Theres a few things that niggled me with it

What's the best place for parking for this hike?

Hows the Thrudark jacket

I've watched 2 of your wild camping vids now and both times you have shit out. I think you should go into Glamping with the other girls.

The tent fabric is not up to the level of Hilleberg red label. Kuiu tent fabric: 15D SILICONE/PU COATED MICRO RIPSTOP NYLON (1200MM WP RATING), FULLY TAPED SEAMS. That’s why it’s cheaper

Why do all those so called survival type sleep fully clothed in a sleeping bag? A sleeping bag will work best when you have minimal clothing on. I slept in a down sleeping bag in minus 13 C on a meter of snow with only my boxershort. Half way rhe night I had to open my sleeping bag as I was getting to warm.

Have the Hilleebrg Soulo BL. The structure of you tent looks strong but. the weakpoints though in comaprison to the soulo are : 1) The attachments from the fly to the poles look alot weaker than the Soulo 2) The attachment of guylines to the fabric is a potential failure point 3) Alot less ventilation on the roof as air only only enters the cover from one side, the Soulo it enters cover from all sides 4) The Soulo has 2 guylines per pole 5) Guylines atatched to fabric. 4) Inner entrance more restrictive than Soulo which has t-zips 5) The Soulo fabric will have much greater tear strength

Grizzly Gaz reviewed this last week and didn’t like it

Big mistake to keep that many layers on yourself and still be inside of a sleeping bag. Sleeping bag doesn't generate any heat just keeping what your body is making. With all those layers nothing is coming out to preheat a cold air inside of your sleeping bag and you just sitting in a cold container. I never had a situation where was to cold. First what I'm doing is to get off most layers like jacket etc. I sleept on a top of Ben Nevis 25 December with -17 and was warm.

I’ve friends that have tested thru dark gear and don’t rate it saying doesn’t perform for the money , but can’t get my head round you saying it’s great and warm but you jacked because you were cold , fail to prepare, prepare to fail . Were your hands not cold I notice you didn’t have gloves on in the tent ? .but each to their you live and learn mate .

Awesome tent I have one in grey , what jacket is that

Never rated that make its a usa hunting make costs alot but its nothing clever I found with pack and few clothes I got cheap sent over mate got in sales

Tent “uwu” ? I looked at this … But bought a hilleberg. But looks a great tent. 👍

You and good bloke outdoors think your in Arctic conditions going up the fells in lakes I've seen 80 year old men up and down them alday in mid winter hunting footpack of hounds pair fell boots barbour n flat cap there doing campaign your 3rd this week reviewing kiui 😂freebie spose beats the ebike vids everybody got a freebie atb

Comparing the strength and quality of fabric between Hilleberg and Kuiu is not even fair. You're showing your lack of experience.

You know I don't know what it is, but almost every video I have watched by the Brits; they almost always camp right on top of a foothill were the wind and weather is going to be the strongest and coldest. I get it for testing, but it is almost every video.... why? why torture yourselves constantly? England has forests and lowlands.

No thanks. My Allak is bomber if set-up correctly. It is made by someone who was paid a fair wage who works for a company that works under European environmental laws. Hilleberg tents are not too expensive. Chinese tents are just too cheap.