Two Hilleberg Tents Named Winners of the 2012 AAI Guides' Choice Award

Redmond, WA – Hilleberg the Tentmaker is proud to announce that two of their tents, the new 3-season Anjan tent and the redesigned 3-person Saivo tent, have been awarded the 2012 Guides’ Choice designation by the American Alpine Institute (AAI). In 2006, Hilleberg was awarded Guides’ Choice for the Keron, Nallo and Unna models, and those tents remain on the Award list to this day. The AAI Guides’ Choice Award is based on comparative evaluations by professional climbing guides who put equipment through rigorous field testing around the world during one or several climbing seasons. Eleven new Guides’ Choice Award winners from seven different outdoor equipment manufacturers received the award this year. http://www.guideschoice.com/SitePage.asp?ipage=104.

“Only the items that show the highest quality in design, durability, and performance are elected as our Guides’ Choice winners,” said Dunham Gooding of the American Alpine Institute. In 2006, when AAI presented Hilleberg its first Guides Choice Award, Gooding declared that “[the tents] are perfection in design.” Echoing that statement, Dunham said in 2012, “We continue to be impressed with Hilleberg tents, and the Anjan and Saivo are no exception. The Anjan is one of the lightest, most comfortable double wall 3-season tents on the market. And we’ve been using the Saivo on Denali expeditions for three years now. It’s not only proven to be the best tent for harsh conditions that teams will encounter on the mountain, but we have not had a single failure or complaint about the tent of any kind in those three years.”

The AAI makes comparative and individual evaluations of equipment and clothing used in mountaineering, rock, and expedition climbing through field tests that the Institute conducts in a wide range of environments throughout the world. Evaluations are made throughout the year in desert, cold weather, rain, snow, high wind, and high altitude environments. The constant and demanding use to which the gear is put by Institute guides corresponds to many years of use that a recreational climber would give it. The data and conclusions drawn from the field tests provide manufacturers with critical, independent, and detailed feedback on the durability and effectiveness of their products. The information also assists the Institute in its selection of the world’s best gear for its guiding, instructional programs, and expeditions. And the Guides’ Choice designation awarded by the Institute for the top gear in each product category helps draw the attention of AAI’s clients and customers to the most outstanding clothing, camping gear, and technical equipment to be found in the marketplace.

“We are honored to have not one, but two of our tents named as Guides’ Choice by the prestigious American Alpine Institute this year,” said Petra Hilleberg, President of Hilleberg USA. “For our tents to be recognized in this way helps to further validate our company’s commitment to making the best tents of the highest quality for our consumers.”


About Hilleberg the Tentmaker
Founded in 1971, Sweden-based Hilleberg the Tentmaker is a family-owned company that manufactures lightweight tents of the highest quality for every season. The company is known for setting the standard in making tents by always utilizing the lightest yet strongest material on the market along with double wall construction, and in setting up and inspecting every tent in their own European factory to ensure the ultimate in quality and safety. The company is still very much a family affair: Bo Hilleberg is Chairman of the Board, CEO, and heads up the product development team, while his daughter Petra Hilleberg runs the US office and handles all markets outside of Europe. www.hilleberg.com.