Comfort: The most comfortable tents have roomy interiors with vertical walls and ample head and shoulder room. It's not necessarily essential, but the ability to sit up and move around without touching the inner is desirable. Lower profile tents will have aggressively tapered walls, which can feel cramped and claustrophobic. The inner tent door opening could be a bit wider, it’s necessary to be really careful not to catch the opening when trying to get out. There’s extra storage space under the rear flysheet which can be accessed from a small door in the inner. MATERIALS Outer 15D silicone nylon ripstop, hydrostatic head 3,000mm Groundsheet 20D polyurethane nylon rip-stop, hydrostatic head 3,000mm Poles Air and alloy micro pole Pegs Alloy Y pegs Materials Outer 40D ripstop Nylon Xtreme Shield PU/silicone, 1500mm Inner 15D Nylon micromesh Groundsheet 70D taffeta Nylon Xtreme Shield PU/DWR, 3000mm Poles 7000 series aluminium Pegs 8 anodised alloy

MATERIALS Outer Stormex P4000, hydrostatic head 4,000mm Groundsheet Aqua Stop P5000, hydrostatic head 7,000mm Poles 8.5mm Superflex alloy Pegs 10 alloy V angle Putting the Helm up is straightforward, with the flysheet and inner pitching together. The alloy poles slide into sleeves to create a dome shape. And as it’s freestanding you can shift the tent easily to get it into exactly the right position, before pegging it down and guying out. The only gripe we had was that the pole sleeves had a slight tendency to snag on the pre-curved pole, if you didn’t get your angles quite right. But that’s splitting hairs. Ultimately it’s a very simple set-up process, aided significantly by the all-in-one pitching and the combined pegging points which stretch out the flysheet and inner together. These moves halve the time it takes to do certain chores – and that’s always a welcome bonus when you’re tired after a long day of adventuring. Weather Resistance The tent is a three season model best suited to sheltered pitches, but you could certainly extend its range somewhat with a small handful of alternative pegs for better grip in the ground. The porch runs the side of the tent, and while the storage space beyond the doorway at the head of the tent isn’t huge, in the context of the other lightweight gear you’d be using, it’s adequate.We were really impressed by the amount of internal space – it’s wide enough for two campers to share the space and having doors on both sides makes access easier. The inner tent’s steep walls means there is plenty of room to sit up inside. Materials Outer HydroTex Core 75D polyester 185T, 3,000mm Inner 68D breathable polyester 190T Groundsheet 75D polyester Taffeta 185T, 6,000mm Poles Anodised alloy #6061, T6, 8.5 mm Pegs 10 square section alloy I found it very straightforward to erect with no issues. It was a little 'flappy' in a couple of places so maybe a small adjustment to the pegging will solve this issue. Also, I didn't bother using the guylines so they will no doubt make a difference too.

As is the way with most tents that originate in the USA, the inner has a lot of mesh, which is great for ventilation in hot weather, but not so good on a blustery night in the Highlands. So, while it should be sturdy enough to cope with fairly unpleasant weather, bear in mind that the design might make it more suitable for spring and summer camping only.Another Europe-specific design feature is the green ‘earth-tone’ flysheet, chosen to blend in with the countryside for wild camping. We know that purchasing a tent is a big investment, that’s why we have such a wide range of options to suit different activities, weather conditions and people, allowing you to choose the perfect one for you. Taking care of your brand new tent can be the difference between heading out for an adventure in the mountains, or having to fork out for a hefty repair bill, or even worse, another replacement tent. Below are our best tips to care for your tent. Other key updates include a new orientation of ventilation panels on the front and rear inner doors, improved yellow reflective guylines with cleat-style runners, and a lighter green shade on the flysheet. It all adds up to a very positive revamp of an already successful design. We tested out the new Helm Compact 3 in the Lake District and this is what we learnt: The Aurora is also fitted with clips for Nemo’s Pawprint liner – a neat optional extra that means you can take your dog with you without worrying that he’ll damage the tent floor with his claws. Speaking of protecting the tent floor, the Aurora comes with a footprint to form a barrier with the ground below the tent. MATERIALS Outer 68D poly taffeta, hydrostatic head 3,000mm Groundsheet 68D poly taffeta, hydrostatic head 3,000mm Poles DAC Pressfit Aluminum Pegs 10