All the things I have read on this site i wouldnt really consider anything below 2000hh. However this would depend on the time of year you are going and how much yyou plan on using the tent. If yoiu are only going in summer months or when good weather conditions are forecast than 1500hh would show no problems. If you are planning many trips in all seasons then i definately wouldnt go for anything less than 2000.
As for the tent you mention above I am as confused as you and can only think we arent understanding it properly. I have looked up the tent on other sites and it says the same thing 1500 pu. Mind you is a pu the same as hh.
After thirty-odd years of lightweight camping I have reached the conclusion that hydrostatic head (HH) measurements are nothing more than a manufacturers marketing gimmick and us campers have fallen for it hook, line and sinker. I have several hikers tents with various HH measurements from 1500mm to 7000mm and not one of them leaks. Two weeks ago, I was out in a severe thunderstorm, accompanied by torrential rain, with a tent with a HH of 1500mm and not a single drop of water got through the flysheet. What is important is the quality of the materials used and the method by which the coating is bonded to the flysheet, not some numbers thrown up by manufacturers which are meaningless.
Most of the top quality mountain tents from the better manufacturers such as Mountain Hardware and Terra Nova have a HH of just 1500mm, but you never hear of them being taken back to the shop because they are leaky.
Base camp tents would more often be pitched on expeditions during mountain climbing. The time that these take place the majority of the weather would be snow and wind.
We have a wild country tent and haven't a clue what HH it has. Hubby says HH figures are a load of rubblish, something to do with how much water pressure the canvas has to be under before it leaks. As we don't camp under water and normally when it rains the water runs off our tent so we would never expose our tent to that much water pressure.
Last year when we were having a load of problems the guy at vango head office said that 3000 HH would leak if the wind were behind the rain!! I rather agree with the " load of rubbish marketing tool" line after that!
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Topic: Confusion over hydrostatic head
