Hilleberg Akto - the Best Solo Tent?

Is the Hilleberg Akto the best solo tent available? In this video, I share some perspective.
#HillebergAkto #HillebergTent #HillebergReview #MSRElixir #BestSoloTent #BestOnePersonTent #BestOneManTent

[@GediAstro]

Man, my Akto is the best companion in my photography adventures. Wouldn't trade it for the world! Interesting to see it in winter action!

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Thanks for sharing Gediphoto Art! I really love mine too!

[@aaronmoore3050]

FANTASTIC review! I have a long torso despite being short, so I needed this information, thank you!

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Thank you very much Aaron! I just used this tent a few months ago for a 750 mile bikepacking trip, and I still love the thing.

[@hassnoshib3031]

Excellent video and thanks for sharing. Condensation...cooking in any tent will lead to condensation. specially when the temp is cold (hot/cold differential).

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Thank you very much, Hass. I appreciate the input. The cooking part was just intended as B-Roll footage. I tend to have condensation issues regardless if I cook or not, so I try to make sure to pitch the tenting more open areas that have a but of wind for ventilation.

[@hassnoshib3031]

@@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors ah I see! I've not had bad condensation issues on mine before. Mind you I usually put something over my sleeping bag like my travel towel if its dry, to cath any condensation drops. It's never been too bad for me anyway so far.

[@johanfurre3401]

Great reviews! No bs, straight to the point. Thank you!

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Thanks very much, Johan!

[@ewoksalot]

Nice layout and video format on your part. The Akto sounds like a great tent for some. So far my Durston Xmid-1 has been a great performer... after changing out the pegs that came with it to MSR Groundhogs * shrug *

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Hi Ewoks A Lot. That's an awesome channel name btw. Thanks for sharing your experience. I've heard good things about the Durston Xmid for backpacking.

[@wildmountainman1]

Excellent video with a balanced opinion.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Thank you Wild Man!

[@summittaedae2323]

I just bought the akto after a dodgy wildcamp on top of a Scottish mountain in my elixir1. I intend to give it its first camp this weekend albeit a woodland camp. Thanks for the review and advice 👍🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Hi Summit tae dae, thank you for the comment. No problem at all, and it's funny you should say that. I'm just finishing up a video now on the Elixir 1. lol. I'm curious how you go with the Akto!

[@summittaedae2323]

@@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors it should be a relaxing woodland camp with two of my daughters and my brother. We’re taking my hammock set up my akto, soulo and elixir1. It’ll be nice to see them all set up at once 😂

[@OutdoorsmanDave]

You suit a crown Joshua, great review.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Kind words Ourdoorsman Dave. Thank you very much.

[@andyr4611]

Condensation that originates from the user inside the tent is really inconsequential, I never found it to bother me in the Akto. The end vents and door vent work really well to produce a chimney effect drawing steam out while cooking, but if you want more ventillation just prop the fly above the ground with your boots or whatever. The kind of condensation that is bothersome originates from the relative humidity of the air outside being close to 100% then no amount of ventillation will prevent condensation forming on any surface at dewpoint temperature. Under these weather conditions with no wind condensation will even form on the outside of the tent. The Akto is designed for use in environments where a higher than ground level fly sheet results in cold draughts and rain and snow blowing into the living area. Which is pretty much most of the time where I live.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Hi Andy, thanks for sharing your experience with the Akto. It's always good to have multiple view points. May I ask what part of the world you take the Akto out in?

[@andyr4611]

I have had an Akto since the original design with no hood came out . At first I mostly used it in the UK, all over the Scottish Highlands and Wales, then some Pyrenean trips. Recent years a lot of trips in Scandinavia, Norway and Sweden, but if I don't expect strong winds I bring my Enan, it's just as capable in wet weather .

[@CharlesBergLivet]

Hey man! Have you tried the Fjällräven Abisko Lite 1? I'm torn between the two... The Akto is more robust and stronger, and also a tiiiny bit more space, but the FJ Abisko have mesh in the vents and removable aluminum poles instead of fibreglas... Hard choice to make!

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Hi Charles, I've never tried the Abisko Lite 1, but I had been eyeing up Fjallraven tents before in purchased the Akto. My main reasons for going with the Akto were that the build quality seemed better, and there was one locally available that I could check out in person. I'm in the process of making my own aluminum corner poles for the Akto, which should solve my packing issue, but as you indicated - it would be nice if they were aluminum from the start! Thanks mate.

[@LLiivveeeevviiLL]

Cooking inside a tent is an act of emergency. It will by all means produce condense and it is not wanted and can be avoided. Just place it outside of the actual tent fabric, but inside of the tent perimeter. One does so b opening the zipper from bottom up, below, instead of at the top like creating a chimney as you did. That way all the condense will be on the outside.

[@mysterioanonymous3206]

I remember looking at this the first time a few years ago... 500 bucks. I just checked how much it is now. 799. Man. 300 bucks increase in just a few years. That's a whole lot of "inflation" I have to say.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

That's completely valid Mysterio Anonymous. These tents are absurdly expensive. In my Hilleberg Nammatj video, I went into how expensive they are (and how to justify or not justify that level of expense). Hypothetically, if you bought this tent, how often do you think you would use it?

[@frederickridall628]

Hi, Joshua, new subscriber here. Enjoyable and interesting review. I'd be interested to know what you make of the Hilleberg Enan. I think of it as the Akto's little sister. The footprint is identical to the Akto but it clocks in significantly lighter. It must be admitted however that the materials used make for a less robust tent, although you can partly rectify this by either double poling or perhaps using a black label pole. I've found the same condensation with the Enan as the Akto but on the plus side the inner sags less on the Enan. Despite your review I don't really consider the Akto to be a true four season tent. The angle of the roof is too shallow to shed snow. This is where the Soulo (another condensation magnet) excels. At one time I used an Akto all year round but nowadays I use the Enan for general 3 season camping and the Soulo for summit and winter camps. Still searching for that perfect tent! Perhaps it doesn't exist. Take care.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Hi Frederick, thanks for your comment; I appreciate it very much. I've never used the Enan, but several of my friends have one. As you mentioned, it's not as robust as the Akto, but it's also lighter, so it really just comes down to what sort of trips you want to do and in what kind of conditions. I do like the A-frame style ends of the Enan though. Personally, I don't find that using double poles on a tent like this makes a huge differences because, as you had indicated, the weak point of the Akto is it's large panels of unsupported fabric. Plus, I feel a lot of a tent's strength comes down to how effective the guylines are. For example, I had an Allak, and two of the guylines started to fail around 80kph. My friends Nallo also had guylines tear at about that same windspeed. For me, what qualifies a tent as "4-season" is basically the inner's ability to handle spindrift. Based on your definition though, I wouldn't qualify the Akto as 4-season either. I think the Soulo is a great true 4-season option, and several of my friends have one. I use a tent called a "minaret" by MACPAC quite a lot for harsh alpine conditions. It has more room than the soulo and sets up faster too, assuming you have appropriate ground conditions (it's a tunnel tent). I'm in the process of doing a video on a few tents, including the nammatj 2, the minaret, the MSR elixir 1, and a couple others. I like to make videos in real trip conditions when possible (instead of in the park or my backyard like a lot of videos are) so it just takes me a very long time to gather all the necessary B-Roll. Thanks again!

[@DemiGod..]

@@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors In a storm with a 9mm pole, I would get belted hard on the head if sitting up during a gust. With 2x10mm poles there is a huge difference, the poles barely move being 240% stiffer.

[@compkiler]

@@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors Hi mate, how do you find the Soulo compares to the minaret then? High winds etc>?

[@ryanjennens1481]

thanks for the review, very helpful. im looking to get a Hilleberg for my winter camping in north dakota

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Thanks for the comment, Ryan. Where in North Dakota do you live, may I ask? I live in New Zealand now, but used to do a bit of work outside of Grand Forks.

[@ryanjennens1481]

@@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors greetings! youre living my dream, i hope to get to New Zealand someday in my life to be able to explore. i live in Bismarck now and do alot of dispersed camping around here. so you should know all about those arctic blasts we can get in the winter then having spent time in the GF area. Have a great day friend!

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

@@ryanjennens1481 awesome! Thanks mate! If you ever make it to NZ, please give me a shout. I'd be happy to show you around a bit :)

[@ryanjennens1481]

@@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors yes sir! and you do the same if youre ever back on this side of the globe ✌️

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

@@ryanjennens1481 will do, thank you. :) I'm intending on moving back to Northern Minnesota (where I'm from) in about two years actually.

[@robdunn7584]

Nice mini review Josh👍

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Hi Rob, thanks very much.

[@SteffenRoller]

I’m looking forward to watch your MSR Elixir 1 review. I own that tent and am curious to learn what you think of it.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Thank you very much Steffen. I've been slowing assembling B-Roll video for it, so I'm hoping to have it complete in a few months or so. What have your thoughts been of the Elixir 1, may I ask?

[@SteffenRoller]

@@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoorsShort answer: It worked very well for me. Longer answer: because of Covid I had to stay within the province of Ontario the last two Summers. I paddled the Rideau Canal (220 km) and the Trent-Severn-Waterway (387 km) solo. Both waterways are in populated areas. I camped at the locks, so no wilderness camping here. I was looking for an affordable tent with doesn't take too much space in the hatch of my kayak. Weight is less of a concern. After I used an Eureka Solitaire for the six days on the Rideau I needed something more liveable for the longer trip last year. I had experience with the Elixir 2 (borrowed from a friend) in Greenland and wilderness camping in Ontario. The Elixir 1 is spacious enough for me, comes with many pockets and was on sale :-).

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

@@SteffenRoller wow! It sounds like you have done a lot of adventuring! Nice work!! I've used the Eureka Solitaire as well, and really like it for trips where weight and pitching space is more important that comfort. Mine is the American version with fiberglass poles (unlike the Canadian version with aluminum). I had the fiberglass poles replaced with Aluminum. I'm actually from Northern Minnesota, which borders Ontario (Quetico). Small world. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Hi Steffen, I've finally managed to assemble a video on the MSR Elixir 1 (which I just published now). I remembered your comment, so I hope you find the video helpful. Thank you.

[@themunrobagger]

Great review. Best tent ever 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏕

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Thank you very much Mr Munro Bagger.

[@northernswedenstories1028]

Bro. How did you get your ridgerest to fold like that? Did you apply heat and pressure?

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

HI NorthernSwedenStories, I just folded it into the sections i wanted, and put some weight on it for a few days. The pad will start to permanently crease at that point. I take it you intend to pack the pad in your pack as well? I made another video on sleeping pads that gives a bit more information to all this. Best of luck!

[@northernswedenstories1028]

@@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors smart. I hate roll mats as they never sit flat and ways want to roll back up again... This is a good solution.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

@@northernswedenstories1028 thanks. May I ask what sort of trips you do in Northern Sweden?

[@northernswedenstories1028]

@@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors in winter it is mostly ski touring with pulk. I do this in the fjälls of jämtland and Härjedalen. These areas are pretty popular destinations as you can get here in maybe 7 hours or so from Stockholm. I try to avoid staying overnight in the fjällstations (run by STF) whenever possible.

[@stigfloberghagenphotography]

Nice 🙂👌

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Thanks very much, Stig.

[@stevec-b6214]

i am tired of condensation comments, if you cook inside in cold conditions, it is inevitable, its a tent, no insulation, thats it.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Thanks for sharing your perspective, Steve.

[@Martycycleman]

Two of your negatives are non starters. Condensation: All tents have condensation, especially if you are .cooking in them. Pitching: You can always find something to secure the gyes, rocks, branches, etc. So these two aren't an issue solely to the Akto.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Hi Marty Ja, thanks for sharing your opinion. In my experience, some tents have less condensation issues than others, and you can't always find something to secure to (eg - featureless bedrock with no stones or vegetation around). What sort of environments do you use your Akto in most often? Cheers friend.

[@Martycycleman]

I've used my Akto in nearly every environment. Norway, Iraq, Falklands, and Yorkshire.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

@@Martycycleman wow, that's quite a range!

[@puschmannn]

4:30 "tataaaa" 😉

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

lol Thanks Mr Markus.

[@joostdemoor138]

Their use of YKK zippers? You realize YKK owns 80% of the zipper market, right? 😅

[@catdaddy666]

You'd be surprised how little of that market YKK has penetrated.

[@broddireyrhansen1297]

I'm 192 cm is the Akto to small ?

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Hi Broddi Reyr Hansen, it kind of depends on what you are comfortable with. Do you mind if your head and toes touch the ends of the tent inside?

[@broddireyrhansen1297]

@@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors I must find one and do a test, but I thought this outward pointing end sides did the trick for tall people ; )

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

@@broddireyrhansen1297 I'm about 175 cm, and when I use a thicker sleeping pad and winter sleeping bag (which has more loft), my toes tend to be very close to touching the sides / top of the tent. Good luck in your search! :)

[@Spyyyder1]

The best thing about the Akto is Hillebergs amazing support. Objectively , the Fjällräven Abisko 1 is a far better tent. But their support isn't that great

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Yeah that's a fair point to make toast4242. Thank you for watching.

[@mrnobodieswildcampingadventure]

I have never had to use Fjallraven support for my Abisko Lite 1, but I can say it is an easy and amazing tent for low profile wild camping.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

@@mrnobodieswildcampingadventure thanks for sharing that info.

[@outdooroutpost6061]

What makes the fjallraven better ?

[@mrnobodieswildcampingadventure]

@@outdooroutpost6061 Ventilation is oh so much better!

[@artfisher1235]

Come on, brother, without real ventilation, the Akto is simply not a factor. Also unacceptable heavy weight.

[@JoshuaJohnsonOutdoors]

Hi Art, thanks for sharing your perspective. What's your preferred tent?