HILLEBERG SOULO BL v SOULO RL | Which One Should You Buy?

[@leightoncooke]

I have a footprint with both my Hilleberg tents. They help to keep the tent clean, and particularly with the Akto, make it much easier to pack. It’s also possible to disconnect the vestibule part of the footprint.

[@phil.clarke]

My take is that my RL Soulo will withstand 99% of what English and Welsh mountain weather can throw at me, 98% of what the Scottish mountain weather can throw. Not tested yet, but I suspect that my BL Soulo will withstand 100% England/Wales and 99% Scottish weather. Of course being green, my Soulos are far stronger than the Sand or Red versions ......

[@HikingWithMartin]

sand is the weakest colour, one day the reds and greens will rise up against the sands and wipe them out if they can find them.

[@WildAstro]

I’d go one further and say BL for 99.999% of what the UK can throw at it. Not sure about the green being stronger but if that’s the case then my green Anjan is practically a Red Label tent! Happy days!

[@WildAstro]

🤣🤣if they can find them! 🤣😂

[@CragScrambler]

You'll never find us Browns, we blend in to well 😋

[@phil.clarke]

@@CragScrambler Sand Hillebergs never blend in, mostly due to the lights you shine in and on them all the time in your pitiful efforts to try and take the perfect insta photo. Which will never happen as they are not green. :-)

[@theknowlodge8294]

It’s about stability for me. I have an Allak 3 and a Staika - ostensibly the same tent, but Allak will move about a bit in strong winds - whilst still being intact, it is a Hilleberg, after all lol, but the BL Staika is basically unmovable. As much as a tent can be. I suspect the we will see the same with the Soulo. Which is why I sold my RL and got the BL. (BTW - I sold it for the same money I paid for the BL, so that’s worth considering if you are a RL owner). It’s not that I think the RL will ever fail, I’ve been in one in insane weather, but the BL will be considerably more stable, I’d wager. And more durable. That alone is worth the upgrade for me. Just got mine today. Cannot WAIT to test it. 💪🏕 Great vid, fella. As ever. 👍

[@WildAstro]

Thanks mate, couldn’t agree more with your points there. Thanks as always for watching and commenting buddy!

[@cedarcanoe]

You can order the footprint with or without the vestibule ground area. Without is called floor yellow label. Misleading name, I know.

[@WildAstro]

Good question. The footprint can only be ordered with the vestibule area covered but if you look up a fantastic lady called Lucy (company name Quintcraft) on Facebook, she will alter it for you.

[@cedarcanoe]

@@WildAstro it was not a question, the footprint CAN be ordered without the vestibule area part directly from Hilleberg

[@WildAstro]

@@cedarcanoe fair enough. I’ll consider myself corrected.

[@EdwardLangeland]

@@cedarcanoeFootprints for Hilleberg Yellow Label tents don’t cover the vestibule with exception of Enan which uses the same footprint as Akto. There is no Yellow Label Soulo and therefore no footprints that is not covering the vestibule available for that model.

[@madcat1007]

Nice video thanks. What is the purpose of the extra piece of material on top of the tent?

[@WildAstro]

It serves 2 purposes. It stops a build up of water on the small horizontal piece at the top of the tent. And it allows the vent at the top of the door to be opened without allowing rain in.

[@Kastellan]

Vielen Dank für das tolle Video! Hat alle meine Fragen beantwortet, besonders bezüglich Gewichtsunterschiede!

[@AidanHoggard]

I'm sure your videos are great but I can't watch them because of the music playing over you talking. What a relief at 3:36 when there's a bit of silence and I can concentrate on your excellent words. I don't mean to be rude. Please take it as constructive.

[@jbss7382]

@Wild Astro Thank thank you thank you for mentioning about the pole sequence of fitting! Why? Because I have a Staika. I found out VERY quickly the top apex centre clip would not clip on if the blue pole was in the middle or top position. Why? Because the the moulded rubber that secures that clip is not flexible enough to reach middle or top positions I contacted George Fisher at Keswick. No reply. I contacted Bruce at Nature does Backpacking ( KZbin channel) as he has direct contact with Petra. He agreed with me it being an issue. I never got any sort of reply from Hilleberg. That sadly speaks volumes!! Thank You again for raising this even if it is on a smaller tent. Pole sequence matters. Jonathan

[@WildAstro]

Hey, no problem. Really glad to be of assistance. Thanks for watching and commenting buddy! 👍🏼👌🏼🙏

[@scottedwards1851]

Great review! I own the Red Label Soulo, and it is an absolute beast for any weather I've encountered in over 150 nights of use. I'm a bicycle tourer and have spent nights in the desert, the mountains, the forests, the plains and seashore. This tent owes me nothing! It has exceeded my expectations and has many more years' use ahead of it. Now, the Black Label Soulo is a stronger more durable product presumably, but as you've said, we may not ever experience the difference. Do we really need a Hummer to get to the grocery store, or will the Corolla get the job done? Cheers and thanks!

[@WildAstro]

Who knows, but it’s great to be prepared, and to lie back each night knowing you’re going to sleep well! 👍🏼 Thanks for watching and commenting buddy!

[@bimazivanovic4784]

Hey,how was condensation for you in this span that you have used it? It would mean a lot to me to know.

[@scottedwards1851]

@@bimazivanovic4784 It took me a while to get it figured out, but now it’s not a problem. On the Pacific Coast where the fog rolls in regularly, condensation occurred frequently on the inner surface of the outer tent. This required dismantling the inner from the outer and drying the outer tent while still supported by the poles. (I just rolled it upside down to let it dry out.) The inner tent always stayed dry by following these simple steps: Open the vent panel all the way on the outer tent, open the inner tent door fabric part way at the top to allow the heat to escape from the inner tent. Voila! For increased ventilation, you could also open the outer tent door part way from the bottom to get a chimney effect of sorts. Cheers!

[@rabbani7650]

Not sure if you can, but is it possible to test out Soulo Black Label with double poles. I know its overkill, but I haven't seen anyone else review double poles.

[@WildAstro]

The red label isn’t mine mate so have had to return it and only have the one set of poles for the BL. I can’t imagine ever needing anything stronger than the BL though, double poles would be massive overkill. Let me know if you decide to try it though!

[@simonpemberton6669]

I’ve double poled my RL with 10 and 9’s, for a laugh, it made for a very strong structure. I only use the 10’s in my renamed’BLED Label’😂 FYI if buying new I would go BL but 10mm and Kerlon 1200 is a bomber combo.

[@daleyoutdoors]

Eeeeeesh I felt that at 5:55! 😬 Hope your ‘DAC pole’ is okay 😁 Good to see these two beasts being compared 👍

[@WildAstro]

Yeah, that pole got me right in the left plumb mate 🤣 Felt a bit nervous with so many ££ worth of tent up in my garden!

[@MichaelAndersen_DK]

Have comfort in the fact that made me laugh (and a heartfelt cringe) so hard, the fundragon gave me strange looks.

[@kke]

@@MichaelAndersen_DK I've watched that part more times than I care to admit.

[@jarrahdrum]

I don’t own either at the moment, but if I do buy one it will be the black label, simply because it’s the latest model and the price difference, weight etc is not really much it seems. They are both far more than I’ll ever need, but if I feel the the bl is too heavy or something then it will be easy maybe to change to a rl. I was even thinking about using 9mm poles with the bl,

[@WildAstro]

In my honest opinion, you’d be better doing it the other way around. Get the RL and buy a set of BL poles in case the weather forecast says hurricane! 🤣😂

[@jarrahdrum]

@@WildAstro yes I’ve thought about this also, but for me it’s the tent material and correct me if I’ve misheard or mis read, but is the ground sheet on the bl thicker/and or stronger than on the rl. I like what you said about the foot and having it tailored to just sit under the tent. I think this is a great idea

[@Olan...]

Q...Would a set of black label poles fit a red label tent ??? its only 1mm difference but i am guessing it would beef up the ridgidity ! Thanks for the video.

[@WildAstro]

Yes mate. Lots of people with Red Label Soulo shave been doing this.

[@Northern_Rockhopper]

Is it possible to swap the inner tent for a mesh?

[@WildAstro]

Yes, but they’re very hard to get hold of.

[@1985goldie]

Hi mate, I’ve just got my first Hilleberg and I went for the BL. Starting to think it’s a little heavier than i’d like. Would a set of 9mm poles fit the BL? For the odd time when I want to save some space and weight. Thanks, great vid!

[@WildAstro]

Yes mate, the standard Soulo 9mm poles would fit absolutely the same as the 10mm ones. You could also swap out the guy ropes for thinner ones, and I’ve even seen people cut the metal zip pulls off and change them for little pieces of dyneema string to save even more weight. Hope you enjoy the tent mate, it’s a belter!

[@thomasjeffersonlane9902]

@@WildAstro please don’t alter the BL. Just buy a RL. 🤦‍♂️ as for cutting the zip pulls off. 🤦‍♂️ 🤦‍♂️

[@r-e-s-o-n-a-n-t]

Hi there, thanks for this great review. Do you think the red label offers better insulation for a colder pitch, or is this a non-issue and simply about durability and strength?

[@WildAstro]

If anything, the thicker material of the black label should offer slightly more insulation against the cold but in all honesty it is probably negligible. Thanks for the question and for watching.

[@r-e-s-o-n-a-n-t]

@@WildAstro thanks! That makes sense.

[@ROBOLOGY.wildcamping]

Thanks mate great vid helped me make my mind up about witch to get 👍🏻

[@WildAstro]

Great news mate. Glad to have helped.

[@TingBiker]

Hi, when are you getting back on with the vivaro conversion 😁

[@WildAstro]

I keep promising myself it will be soon and then something gets in the way. I’m hoping to get some done as soon as the weather improves a bit. Will try to get some done over the evenings this week after work, but failing that hopefully next saturdayZ

[@jamesdonoghue9358]

Hi there. I have messaged you already a few weeks ago on this tent. So well done again on your review.. I recieved a soulo BL today and i am going to order a footprint tomorrow (before they run out). Im wondering are the original soulo RL footprints the same as the soulo BL footprint.. Im 99% sure they are.

[@WildAstro]

Morning James. Yes, they are the same footprint mate.

[@jamesdonoghue9358]

@@WildAstro thank you

[@Markwildcamp]

Good comparison, and i agree i will not be upgrading, buying new however id go black label. also i use a footprint and have had no problems

[@WildAstro]

Just seems to be a logical way of looking at it mate. I think as a Red Label owner you would only notice minimal improvement in performance. Thanks for watching and commenting buddy! 👍🏼

[@TOMHEANEY100]

Great video and fair play to you getting it up so fast. I gave you a little shout in my comparison which is just up. ATB Tom

[@WildAstro]

Hey! Thanks Tom! I’ve spotted your vid and it’s in my list to watch ASAP mate. Thanks in advance for the shoutout though, very much appreciated and very generous of you pal. Looking forward to watching your film mate, great to hear from you!

[@jamesdonoghue9358]

Great review. Could i ask you where is the new hilleberg soulo BL even available?

[@WildAstro]

Currently hard to say mate as I ordered mine back in January. Try emailing Andrew at Nordic Outdoors and tell him I sent you. He was brilliant with getting mine to me and will sort you out as soon as he physically can. Thanks for watching and commenting buddy!

[@jamesdonoghue9358]

@@WildAstro thank you very much.. i enjoy your uploads. Well done.

[@CSFX1220]

Great video as always Rich. Very jealous of that tent.

[@WildAstro]

Cheers Ben, it’s an absolute beast mate, loving the confidence it gives me to get out in any weather! Thanks as always for watching and commenting pal!

[@AndyMorfett]

Richie superb video pal. A great comparison video for everyone whether or not they are a Hille owner. I think you covered off all the points well in this and certainly make a great argument to have either of these Soulos in the shopping cart soon. Respect ✊ to Jiffy for loan of the tent. What a gent! ATB Andy

[@WildAstro]

Thanks Andy lad! Yep, Jiffy is a true gent. I reckon the Soulo has every right to hold the title of the best one-man in the world right now, and if it’s within budget I think it’s pretty foolish to not consider it if you’re in the market for a one-man tent. Always great to hear from you mate.

[@AndyWardle]

First time I pitched the BL (in the front room) I put the red pole in first. As I always have done with the RL tent. But. As per hilleberg tell you it looked wrong. So I did it their way. And yep. They’re right. Red pole in last. I’ve no idea why it makes the difference. I still put the red pole in first on the RL tent. Nice of jiffy to GIVE you his tent. Get it on eBay 😂. I tested my BL a bit this morning like. 👍

[@WildAstro]

🤣😂🤣 yeah, told Jiffy I’d drop it back to him next weekend but it’ll be stripped and sold for parts by then 🤣 Get out anywhere nice mate?

[@AndyWardle]

@@WildAstro just over the quiet fells again.

[@WildAstro]

@@AndyWardle sounds good mate. I’ll be off over Snowdonia this weekend for the first time since December!

[@WildCampingWelshman]

😂😂😂

[@ashropshirelad]

Great Video Rich, they are cracking bits of kit, both of those

[@WildAstro]

Agreed mate, and for most folk the Red Label is more than enough for general use!

[@HikingWithMartin]

I have the soulo red label in red, Ive the only weak point on the soulo is the centre pole as it stands alone, user error can make people break it as in the hillegroup on facebook several have broke theirs when tired in bad conditions. Ive upgraded my centre pole the red one i mean to a 10mm pole. I have a staika and an akto as well and im going to put a 10mm pole on that. I dont like the gold poles because it makes my red soulo look like mcdonalds logo :(

[@HikingWithMartin]

agree also on all your conclusions and i want to mod my footprints for my akto and soulo like that as well will probably message lucy, not on my staika though.

[@WildAstro]

Yep, can see why people prefer to put the red pole under the other 2 mate. Makes sense. I can see your point about the McDonald’s logo too 🤣😂🤣 Definitely drop Lucy a line mate, she’s brilliant!

[@thebackingpackinggeordie]

Great video, I think I will go for the black. New subber too.

[@RobsAdventures]

Great comparison vid Rich. Great presenting skills too 👍

[@WildAstro]

Thanks buddy, very kind of you!

[@darrengough4400]

Personally I think the RL Soulo will cope with ANY uk weather. I reckon a peg will pull out in strong wind before any poles break and the peg pull would happen in either model. Back peg the guys and either will cope with any weather this country can throw at it.

[@WildAstro]

I’m sure you’re right mate, but with 30 years of wild camping in front of me who knows where I may take this tent? 👍🏼 Thanks for watching and commenting buddy!

[@darrengough4400]

@@WildAstro enjoy it mate 👍 it will be great to see where you take it 😀 although, don’t think too far ahead. We all know the tent will be improved 10 times in the next 30 years and we will need to own all of them 😂

[@TrevsOutdoorsandWellbeing]

How did you get your hands on the black label there like gold dust

[@WildAstro]

Hi Trev. Ordered it back in January mate.

[@varde6965]

Thank you for this :). Looking to buy a Soulo, was thinking of the red lable. But i will be getting the BL version after watching this video.

[@WildAstro]

No problem at all, really glad it was useful for you! Thanks for watching and commenting buddy!

[@TeaInValhalla]

Get out of my mind Richie! We were just saying last night that once we've put new doors on our house we'll put some money aside for Hilleburgs, this video is ideal👌 You should also do a video titled 'when tents attack!' that pole whack had us wincing😬 Thank you for the excellent tent comparison, have a great time in Snowdonia, take care, Ceri and Kat ❤👍☕🏕

[@WildAstro]

🤣😂 I’m definitely a hardcore Hilleberg fanboy. I’d highly recommend the Anjan 2 or the Nallo 2 for the pair of you. Yeah, that pole really came sharp, there were strong words when I could breathe again! Thanks as always guys! Great to hear from you! 👍🏼👌🏼🙏🥰

[@phil.clarke]

@@WildAstro I'd recommend the Nallo 2 GT for two in a tent.

[@TeaInValhalla]

@@WildAstro ahhh, thank you guys for the recommendations, we have just started our search, funnily enough we watched a video on the Anjan with breakfast 😄

[@ThatCampingLad]

Red label seems enough, perhaps just get a second set of poles for more extreme camps

[@WildAstro]

Which is fine, I f you already own a red label. But I didn’t. So for the extra £40 I chose to go black 👍🏼

[@thomasf.9869]

The Black Label makes sense for heavy snow loading. Otherwise the Red Label should be fine.

[@WildAstro]

It would have to be a massive dumping of snow to require the BL over the RL. The real reason for the BL is wind resistance. It is literally rock solid in wind, I mean ZERO movement in the pole structure! Thanks for watching and commenting buddy!

[@jasonmaddison6148]

a would like any of them .😂

[@wozwandering4255]

Great review Richie I'm now wondering if I hold out to get a red label at a slightly reduced price 😟 cutting the footprint up would be know good for my OCD 🤣🤣 Hope your well ,looking forward to your snowdonia camp 💪💪👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@WildAstro]

🤣😂 That’s why I had Lucy do it pal, she’s a pro! Snowdonia next weekend mate, can’t wait!

[@wozwandering4255]

@@WildAstro 👍👍👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@anthonypayne1]

Great comparison video Richie, hmmm decisions, decisions..... I'll take them both! Lol!👍👍👍

[@WildAstro]

🤣😂 blimey Anthony! You feeling flush! 🤑

[@behdadshambayati3988]

The video is great, thank you, but the background music is not necessary and distracting.

[@WildAstro]

Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated.

[@kayasper6081]

Two sweet little candy's, nice vid. However, I am a bit surprised by the popularity of the Soulo; it makes the Hilleberg Unna tent overlooked. And that is defenitely another serious tent to consider, I would say.

[@WildAstro]

No experience of the Unna but I know it has a hardcore following. Would you say it has any direct advantages over the Soulo?

[@kayasper6081]

@@WildAstro To begin with, of course the Soulo is certainly a remarkable tent with its unique features. I don't claim the Unna is better. But it has an overlap on some points and is special in it own way. Some of its pros are: 10 cm longer inner tent, slightly lighter package, a bit faster to set up, huge entrance (which can be left open entirely if you have the mesh inner), very spacious inside. The lack of a real vestibule seems like a con, but in reality it isn't a problem at all.

[@Fellmandave1]

Great tents no doubt. But 3 kilo for a 1 person tent with footprint? Ps. Please use your footprint, thistles and other spiky plants dont care about D of nylon.

[@WildAstro]

Did you catch what I said about the altered footprint I now have?

[@Fellmandave1]

@@WildAstro whyaye

[@pshearduk]

Short pole before the two longer poles imo

[@WildAstro]

Nope. Hilleberg have clearly said that with the BL the short pole goes last.

[@adamtoutdoors6390]

Great video mate as always. Hope your well and safe? ATB Adam 🤜💙🤛

[@WildAstro]

All good here thanks mate, thanks for the kind words, always good to hear from you!

[@campingwhippetosborne4172]

Nice vid mate.but to be fair I would just buy 10mm poles.🤔

[@AndyWardle]

How much are a set of 10mm poles? The BL is only £40 more than the RL tent. So a first time buyer would be better getting the BL… the 10mm poles are £55 each btw.

[@campingwhippetosborne4172]

@@AndyWardle yer your right for first time buyers.but if you got a rl just upgrade to 10mm.

[@AndyWardle]

@@campingwhippetosborne4172 also depends on the condition of your RL. I’m hoping to get £700+ for mine. So it will be worth the upgrade 🤞 👍

[@campingwhippetosborne4172]

I've got a red label and it's in really good condition.but I would never sell it just upgrade the poles.it would be hrad pushed for the 1200 to fall in the wind I think if you buy the black label tent your not rally getting a hole lot foe your money

[@campingwhippetosborne4172]

To be fair hilleberg have just ran out of ideas they didn't need to Reinvent the wheel.

[@ArielleViking]

Great comparison of these two tents and interesting information. 💯❤👍

[@WildCampingWelshman]

You didn’t hang around making this film Rich. At least it was dry when it got to you. If we had have camped that night, it would have drenched mate 👍🏻

[@WildAstro]

🤣😂 I heard mate, would’ve been drenched in beer and wine by all account 🤣😂🤣 Bine dry now anyway pal and ready to come back to you. Could do with k owing your address so I can drop it off to you! Thanks again for the loan!

[@WildCampingWelshman]

@@WildAstro 👍🏻 no problem at all mate.

[@trevorthorn5011]

Nice review i

[@WildAstro]

Many thanks Trev, glad you enjoyed it.

[@HikingWithMartin]

5:55 HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA sorry HSHAHAHAHAHAHA :D

[@HikingWithMartin]

ill write a proper comment in a minute hahahahhaa

[@WildAstro]

Yeah, that hurt like hell 🤣😂🤣😂

[@steveharrison1765]

I suppose red label owners could always upgrade to the 10 mm poles instead of getting the BL version. Great upload.

[@WildAstro]

Absolutely mate, would be a really good option!

[@Paul-eu9jp]

Definitely mate that’s what I’m going to do

[@BSmith244]

Each to their own but when you’ve spend hundreds, possibly thousands buying lighter weight gear to get your pack weight down why would you then buy a heavier tent? The red label is more than ok for anything the UK has to throw at it.

[@WildAstro]

Have you seen Tom Heaney’s comparison film? Makes an excellent point about sacrifice vs benefit of this tent. The additional weight can easily be offset in other areas, and the additional £40 is well worth it for the additional strength in my opinion. The way I see it, I could camp anywhere in the world in the next 30 years or so, so why not make sure I’m prepared.

[@WildAstro]

@@38201270298 well, you can live in comfort that you’ll never have to watch my films again. Bye 👋

[@jasonmaddison6148]

either way , we shall never really test them ..

[@thomasjeffersonlane9902]

I watched a video recently of a BL soulo in 60-70 mph (and it looked it). The thing wasn’t moving I also watched a RL getting beat up by wind. Stood up to it but it wasn’t as rigid as that BL. I really want one.

[@northernswedenstories1028]

5.52 it was at this moment I knew this guy has never used either of these tents. Classic hilleberg owners in UK

[@WildAstro]

Can you at least refer to me in the first person rather than “this guy” please? Do enlighten me; what tells you that I haven’t used either of these tents? (Which I have) But if you mean the simple fact that I misjudged how much stiffer the new poles were and was caught out by it then I’m gonna say you’re just looking to criticise.

[@jasonmaddison6148]

we all would like a hilleberg, lot of jealous people if u can afford the best why not.to me it dont matter were u use them .. how many sports cars is on the roads, which never see a track..its all about being out so everyone stay safe merry Christmas

[@thomasjeffersonlane9902]

I’ve seen plenty people in the uk testing these tents out. Where other tents may have failed the hilles took it all well. Especially the BL soulo.

[@mikefletcher9296]

I owm a fyallraven abisko 1 lite, and pound for pound, far better tent zero condensation

[@WildAstro]

I don’t agree, and have never had any condensation in the Soulo, but thanks for watching and commenting 👍🏼

[@mikefletcher9296]

@@WildAstro it's my opinion and experience only

[@WildAstro]

@@mikefletcher9296 mine too mate! 👍🏼

[@Hiker1958]

@@WildAstro Hi Rich! Do you still have the Anjan and , if so, will this be your first choice for good weather camping? BTW how do you dry out your Anjan after a wet camp? TIA

[@WildAstro]

@@Hiker1958 hi Alan Yep, still got the Anjan and will definitely be my first choice for good weather especially if Elliott comes with me. To dry it, I have a covered and locked alleyway at the side of my house where I hang it to dry.

[@MrMarkas3]

There just a rip off now , can’t leave them anywhere as there more than likely to get stolen when you get up early to go on that adventure, after having several hillebergs one nicked ! I’ve got myself a north face 25 blows the tarra out of the water it’s so much better stronger and thought out

[@WildAstro]

Why would you leave it anywhere??

[@jeffbowers1686]

Stop the music. Can’t understand you.

[@trevorthorn5011]

Ninc