The Naturehike Hiby 3 is already a popular tent on the Japanese market, but it’s beginning to get noticed all over the world.
Features like a transparent roof window and large porch are a big hit with its users, but you should be aware of a few things before going ahead with a purchase.
From flimsy guy ropes to concerns about portability, this Hiby 3 tent review will tell you everything you need to know.
Naturehike Hiby 3 Review
Who Is The Hiby 3 For?
The Naturehike Hiby 3 is a three-season tent with a large porch area. I think it is best for a maximum of two adults, as the sleeping compartment is too small for three people to sleep comfortably.
This is an excellent tent for camping in the rain, thanks to a large porch where you can store your things and even cook. It’s a little heavy for thru-hiking, though, so you’d be better off using it for a car camping or bike touring trip.
Design, Material, & Performance
Design
The Naturehike Hiby 3 is not a typical tent. Unlike most tents of this size, it has a third pole, which helps create a spacious porch area outside the waterproof sleeping compartment.
Thanks to two large doors that give you ventilation and an emergency exit, this porch is a safe place to use your camping stove if the weather is bad. You can also store all your kit here, leaving you with more room to spread out inside the tent.
Naturehike claims that the Hiby sleeps three people, but I don’t think it’s spacious enough for more than two adults.
Materials
The Naturehike Hiby is a three-season tent, meaning that it is suitable for most weather conditions. That being said, it would not be the right choice for winter camping.
The tent floor and rainfly are made from 20D nylon coated silicone, resisting 3000mm of rainwater. This is a decent mid-range rainfly, but you should spray your tent all over with an additional silicone coating before use and after each time you camp in heavy rain.
The tent poles are made from 7001 Aluminum, and the inner tent is a combination of B3 Mesh and 20D Breathable Polyester. These are standard materials for a tent of this price and should be sufficient for most weather conditions.
Comfort
The large porch will make camping considerably more comfortable in foul weather. The Hiby is also a brilliant choice for summer camping, as the light colors reflect the sun, and three separate vents provide a refreshing airflow. The ventilation also helps to reduce condensation in the cooler months.
A lovely feature of the Hiby is the transparent roof window, so you can watch the sun rise and set from the comfort of your sleeping bag.
This tent is a reasonable size for two adults sharing, but you will probably feel very cramped if you attempt to use it for three people.
Durability
A tent like the Naturehike Hiby will last you for a good few camping trips, but don’t expect it to last a lifetime.
Its lifespan will be longer if you spray it with a waterproof coating, use a tent footprint, and avoid camping with dogs that can accidentally scratch the tent floor with their claws.
At the time of writing, the Naturehike Hiby comes with a free tent footprint, so you don’t have to worry about sourcing one on your own.
Portability
You will find that many tents inappropriately claim to be suitable for backpacking. Unfortunately, the Hiby is one of them. Just because a tent is small doesn’t mean it is suitable for thru-hiking!
Because the tent weighs over 7 pounds, I do not recommend it for a backpacking trip. You might need a tent that heavy if you were heading into an extreme climate, but the Hiby is too heavy for hiking, considering its quality.
This tent would be more suited to a car camping, motorcycle, or bike touring trip.
What Do Users Think & Say About This Tent?
The Naturehike Hiby is a well-known tent on the Japanese market, though the reviews are somewhat mixed.
More than one user has reported being sent a used tent when they ordered a new one, so make sure you take the tent out of the bag and check its quality before heading out on a camping trip.
Overall, though, the reviews are positive. Users say that the Hiby is easy to set up, and they appreciate all the porch space.
Most users recommend that the tent be used for late spring or summer camping, as heat is easily lost through the breathable mesh.
What I Love About The Hiby 3
For the price, the Naturehike Hiby is a good-quality tent. I love that the rainfly is both waterproof and UV-protected, so it will keep you safe no matter what the weather is.
I also love that you can cook on the porch if the weather is bad, which is something that you should never attempt in a confined space like a tent’s sleeping area.
My favorite thing about this tent is the transparent roof window, so you can enjoy the night sky from the warmth of your sleeping bag.
What I Don’t Like
This tent is too heavy for use in backpacking, so I don’t like that it is advertised as such. I also feel that it is inappropriate for colder weather and big enough for only two people, so describing it as a three-season and three-person tent seems a little inaccurate.
The guy ropes are a little thin and flimsy, and they are black, so it would be easy to trip over them in the dark.
The Hiby is a reasonably priced and decent-quality tent that will meet most people’s needs; it just oversells itself in the product description.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Large porch
- Transparent roof window for star gazing
- Waterproof rainfly
- UV protection
- Freestanding
- Comes with a free footprint (at time of writing)
- Good ventilation
Cons:
- Guy ropes are dark and flimsy
- No mention of heat-sealed seams
- Heavy for backpacking
Alternatives
If you like the idea of the large porch area, the Naturehike Opalus might be the tent you’re looking for. This is a wonderful tent for bike touring because the porch is large enough to store your bikes as well as all your kit. It does well in foul weather, but it’s rather heavy for any long-distance hiking.
For more information, read our Naturehike Opalus 3 tent review
Or if you plan on doing some thru-hiking, the Arches Ultralight Trekking Pole Shelter would be an excellent choice. This tent is extremely lightweight and easy to set up, saving loads of weight by using your trekking poles instead of an aluminum frame.
Trekking pole shelters don’t tend to do as well in the wind and rain, however, so think carefully before using it in any serious weather.
Final Thoughts
The Naturehike Hiby is a nicely sized and well-priced tent for two people who want to camp without all the frills. It would not be the best choice for a thru-hike, but it would serve you well for a bike tour or back-to-basics car camping trip.
The transparent roof window and large porch are lovely touches that will make a rainy day campout far more comfortable. Just be cautious before using this tent in extreme weather conditions.
FAQs
Are Naturehike tents any good?
Yes. Naturehike tents are of good quality for their weight and price. Users react very positively to this brand, and Naturehike often creates low-budget clones of more expensive tents.
Is Naturehike a trustworthy brand?
Overall, the quality of Naturehike tents is very good. Some users report being sent second-hand tents when ordering new ones, so make sure you take the tent out of the bag and inspect it before using it yourself.
Rachel Horne
Rachel is a freelance adventure writer and founder of Highly Sensitive Nomad. When she isn’t writing, she can be found wild camping in the mountains and swimming in the lakes of Europe.
