Hilleberg Akto Review: The Best Solo Tent Leave a comment

Hilleberg, a small, unassuming Swedish firm, has been quietly churning out a number of the sturdiest, hardest, most wind- and weather- resistant, best-made backcountry shelters you should buy for many years. The Akto was first launched in 1995 and has seen just one design change in all these years. Because of this Hilleberg has one thing of a cult following. Hilleberg tents are additionally very costly, which has at all times left me questioning, “Are they price it?”

To seek out out, I had Hilleberg ship me its iconic four-season, one-person, hoop-style tent—the Akto. With a retail value of $740 (although you could find it for much less on sale), it is not low cost, however after utilizing it for practically two weeks this fall and into winter, I believe it is completely definitely worth the cash. The Akto is the very best tent I’ve ever utilized by a really large margin. It is not good, however it’s the very best solo tent you should buy, and I am fairly positive it is the one factor manufactured from nylon that may have a shot at making our Purchase It For Life information.

Assume Completely different

The Akto was a groundbreaking tent when it arrived on the scene in 1995. (For reference, the identify means “alone” within the language of the Sami, the indigenous individuals of northern Scandinavia.) Again then, nearly nobody was making four-season one-person tents, nobody was utilizing silicone nylon—now the usual material for light-weight tents—and nobody was making hoop tents. Quick-forward to in the present day, and whereas a good portion of the outside trade now makes such issues (e.g., Tarptent’s Scarpa 1), the Akto stays kind of the identical tent. When one thing works, do not mess with it. (Though technically, Hilleberg did add the little vent hood over the fly door in some unspecified time in the future, and I am glad they did. It is likely to be my favourite characteristic.)

Sufficient historical past, let’s get into the tent. Until you’ve got been utilizing cottage trade ultralight tents, it is most likely very completely different than most backpacking tents you’ve got used.

There are two issues that set Hilleberg’s Akto aside. The primary is the hoop-style design. The opposite factor that makes this tent completely different is the material, which is more durable and lighter (albeit perhaps not ultralight) than most different tents I’ve examined. Extra on that beneath.

The Akto is just not freestanding. The design consists of a single curved pole in the course of the tent, like the ring of a coated wagon. The ends are then staked out from that curved middle pole, with two stakes at every finish. There are some benefits to a freestanding design, like with the ability to simply transfer the tent after it is arrange. However after spending time with the Akto and different non-freestanding designs, I’ve discovered that I am advantageous with the trade-offs. Skipping the freestanding design provides you a lighter tent, with an ideal low-end wind profile, whereas remaining loads robust sufficient ought to the wind shift within the night time. It is also simpler to pitch.

{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson