I am interested in the Jannu for a winter mountaineering tent. There have been several cases where the tent is mentioned in old posts, but few (if any) actual experiences/comments on it.

I am interested in using this tent for 14ers in CO, Rainier, and possibly Denali in a few years. I only want to buy one serious winter tent, would this be a good choice? Other recommendations?

You have not indicated whether you intend to use the Jannu
as a one or two person tent. For winter IMO it is only
usable as a one person tent.

I had a Jannu for about one year.
Used it for winter trips in the alps (both one and two person)
and for alpine and scandinavian treks (two persons).

Though the tent looks good, is well built and lightweight,
I sold it. Mainly two reasons for that:

- the apsis is extremely low, causing several problems:
not-so-easy entry, dangerous cooking, noisy in wind
since not easy to tighten, apsis easily buried by snow,
zipper in apsis runs at a low angle and is a good water
entry point (I had wet shoes due to that, the rest of the
tent is extremely waterproof though);

- for a two-person tent the Jannu is quite small,
even more if you are a tall guy.

BTW: I had similar issues with the low apsis of the Saivo
and sold that as well.

I am now using a Soulo as one person tent (very happy),
Allak for leightwight yet roomy 2-person trips (happy but
probably the Staika is even more robust).

For extended trips I continue to use my Nammatj3GT.
Used one for 8 years, sold it for good money and
replaced it by the even better new version.

Unfortunately there is no 'one does it all' tent.
For expedition use at high altitude the TNF V25,
MH Trango or alikes are definitely better suited
than a Hilleberg ...

Best Regards, Peter

Your question is a bit vague. What are your size, space and apsis requirements?

I slept in one a couple of times and found that the Jannu sleps two tall (185cm-190cm) guys just fine, but that was coming from a tiny Marmot Nutshell I used for 6 months with two 190cm guys in it. The Jannu felt big after that. Mind you, with a lot of gear like on Denali the Jannu would get very crowded.

Overall I think the Jannu is a very good tent (slept in one a couple of times). Personally I use a Kaitum 3 for a team of 3 and really like it. Plenty of room for 3 people and plenty storm proof. The foot print is large, but you can reduce it by not using both apsises.

That said, I would have a look at the Kaitum 2 or the Nammatj 2/3 if space is a concern. It comes down to your size, space and apsis requirements.
If you have stability concerns (for Denali, that is) for the Kaitum or Nammatj, just double the poles (on Denali probably a wise move). However, I think stability in tents is overrated. Setting it up well is what matters more (I used an Akto on 6000-7000m peaks in the Pamirs without thinking twice and would rarely ever consider taking the more stable Nammatj over the Kaitum).

That is why I would not agree with Peter CS. Hillebergs are in my opinion among the finest expedition tents when you know their limitations. I do not know the trango, but I do know the TNF VF25 (too heavy) and Mountain Hardwear EV 3 (nop apsis and cold, like all single-walls). I would take a Jannu over them just about any day, anywhere I go.

For what it is worth, my next 2-person tent WILL most likely be a Jannu.


SM

The warmlite 2R is a good mountaineering tent. Light, strong, and reasonably big inside. Not so cheap though. If you get one I recommend the endliners.

See http://www.terragalleria.com/mountain/info/ice/mk2.html
about someone that bought one on my recommendation, and used it to climb denali.

Also my review at:
http://www.weasel.com/gear_tent.html#jack_tent

Here is the manufacturers site:
http://warmlite.com/tents_In.htm

I have slept in the Jannu a few times. It is a fine 2 person, free-standing mountain tent. Very strong and very breathable. I'm 6'5" and my head and feet touch the walls a bit. But plenty long for most folks. I have a Hilleberg Kaitum myself. Hilleberg makes the best double wall tents I have ever seen.

transientgolf wrote:I am interested in the Jannu for a winter mountaineering tent. There have been several cases where the tent is mentioned in old posts, but few (if any) actual experiences/comments on it.

I am interested in using this tent for 14ers in CO, Rainier, and possibly Denali in a few years. I only want to buy one serious winter tent, would this be a good choice? Other recommendations?

I've got a Jannu but haven't used it much.

The pros are:
- light weight
- easy to set up in bad weather (at least easier than the VE-25)
- possible to unclip part of the inner tent and make the vestibule larger.

The cons are:
- for BC use it's a bit low/narrow and with clumsy door solution, even for one person.
- too small for two guys over several days - and especially if in bad weather conditions.
- the vestibule is too small and it's difficult to get in and out in rainy weather without stuff in the inner tent getting wet.
- I don't think it "sheds" snow very well but instead caves in from the sides. My experience in bad weather was stuck for three days at 5400m on Mercedario. My partners Bibler had no such problems.

Of course the perfect tent doesn't exist.

But it's a good tent for high camp use, in other words a light weight, easy to set up, "safe" tent that one uses only typically for 1-2 days or even just a few hours before en early morning summit attempt. It's also a good enough one person tent no matter where one goes or does.

Chewbacca wrote:But it's a good tent for high camp use, in other words a light weight, easy to set up, "safe" tent that one uses only typically for 1-2 days or even just a few hours before en early morning summit attempt. It's also a good enough one person tent no matter where one goes or does.

Thanks for all of the replies.....the quoted section above basically describes my intention, 1-2 days with two people. On longer trips I would probably use the tent alone.

I own and have used a Jannu extensively on alpine climbs around the cascades and sierras. I have only used it with 2 people, as for 1 person (for me) it is much too heavy.

The weight is okay, but there are lighter tents. The other tents I use are a BD lighthouse and a MSR Hubba Hubba.

The lighthouse is used for 2 man winter trips where weight is tantamount. The lighthouse is not as weather friendly as the Jannu, so if we expect lots of snow or bad weather, then we switch to the Jannu.

The MSR is used for 2 man 3 season trips (anything except winter).

I normally use the Jannu only in the winter when we expect bad weather.

I have used it on a trip of 5 nights with two people and the size was fine, but it is smaller than my other 2 man tents. IMO this is the tradeoff you make for a lightweight 2 man bombproof winter tent. I do not agree that this tent is too small for 2 people.

I would not use it as a BC tent because it is too small, and weight is less of a concern.

I would not use it as a 1 or 2 night winter tent if I could get away with the lighthouse or a tarp or a bivy sack.

I have had a Nallo 3 GT for about 10 years now. I absolutely LOVE it! I use it mostly for two people, but have had three in it many times. The amount of room for the weight is amazing.