Hilleberg, a small, unassuming Swedish firm, has been quietly churning out a few 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. This is the reason Hilleberg has one thing of a cult following. Hilleberg tents are additionally very costly, which has at all times left me questioning, “Are they value it?”
To seek out out, I had Hilleberg ship me its iconic four-season, one-person, hoop-style tent—the Akto. With a retail worth of $740 (although you could find it for much less on sale), it is not low cost, however after utilizing it for almost two weeks this fall and into winter, I feel it is completely definitely worth the cash. The Akto is the greatest tent I’ve ever used by a really broad margin. It isn’t excellent, but it surely’s the most effective solo tent you should buy, and I am fairly certain it is the one factor fabricated from nylon which may have a shot at making our Purchase It For Life information.
Assume Totally different
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{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
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 folks of northern Scandinavia.) Again then, virtually nobody was making four-season one-person tents, nobody was utilizing silicone nylon—now the usual cloth for light-weight tents—and nobody was making hoop tents. Quick-forward to at present, and whereas a good portion of the outside business now makes such issues (e.g., Tarptent’s Scarpa 1), the Akto stays roughly 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 perhaps my favourite function.)
Sufficient historical past, let’s get into the tent. Until you have been utilizing cottage business ultralight tents, it is in all probability very totally different than most backpacking tents you have 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 totally different is the material, which is harder and lighter (albeit possibly not ultralight) than most different tents I’ve examined. Extra on that beneath.
The Akto shouldn’t be freestanding. The design consists of a single curved pole in the midst of the tent, like the ring of a lined 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 high quality with the trade-offs. Skipping the freestanding design offers you a lighter tent, with an excellent low-end wind profile, whereas remaining a lot sturdy sufficient ought to the wind shift within the night time. It is also simpler to pitch.
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{Photograph}: Scott Gilbertson
