Winter Wild Camp | Snowdonia | wind and rain | Hilleberg Akto - NO THANKS! | Llyn Peninsula | Pooch.

[@deaneager]

Great video, as always James. Glad to see Chezza finally made it over the ladder-stile. Totally get your points about the Akto, I'd feel like I was in a coffin in that thing - way too confined for me 😬

[@thegreatoutsiders]

Thanks mate. A lot of people love the Akto, so it must be doing something right; but it's not for me.

[@deaneager]

@@thegreatoutsiders I've never used a hooped-pole tunnel tent myself. The closest I got was climbing into the demo ones at Go Outdoors, imagining I was soaking wet and trying to keep the inside of the tent a dry haven. Getting in and out of them was bad enough, let alone dealing with (imaginary) wet kit. Definitely not for me. And as you've said, the Akto seems to only suit a really niche set of (hideous) conditions, which many other tents will deal with, whilst being cheaper, or lighter, or more comfortable in the process (or a combination of those). I think of it as a very expensive, very heavy bivvy.

[@jillneal7366]

What a blast!! Tent a bit too wet for me though.. The desolation was magnificent and as always pooch was on form. Keep on keeping on

[@GusliMike]

An arduous scramble indeed, but so grounding watching hiking and camping vids in English. Greetings from Minsk, Belarus! Mike

[@thegreatoutsiders]

Hi Mike - thanks so much for the comment! Amazing to hear from someone from Belarus! Sending kind regards. :-) James

[@DemiGod..]

At 5'8 had no problem sitting up in the Akto. But during a storm, the pole would hit me hard on the head during gusts. You could unclip the inner to get more headroom. Replaced the Akto with an Anjan 2 as same weight, more spacious , better ventillation, more sexy.

[@thegreatoutsiders]

Hi thanks for the comment, some people on this video have commented saying I should be able to sit up in the tent (I'm 6ft), and that I over tensioned the guys? Do you think that's right, or is there always going to be a bit a neck squish in this tent for me? Yeah the Anjan is a gorgeous looking tent!

[@DemiGod..]

@@thegreatoutsiders They are probably right as with an akto i had in the past my head would touch the inner when sitting up, but then I used to pull the side guylines pretty tight, flattening the pole. Now I just tighten them to take the tension from he guylines , not make the tent taught. Incidentally got another akto as the anjan 2 not warm enough for winter and two 10mm poles to double pole it, making it bomproof. I had condensation in the past as would close the end vents. Now that I leave them open , not an issue. All you need to do though if you have condensation is wipe the inner before you sit up or put on a cap/hat, not a big deal. With the end vents open and a top vent, the akto has great ventilation aslong as pitched into the wind.

[@MyCovertNarcissism]

Really enjoyed that, great video :)

[@thegreatoutsiders]

Much appreciated 👍. It was just a leg-it-out the back of a holiday let in wales obviously. But it's amazing the adventure you can find if you just go for it hey?

[@markbirkett3505]

Great video. I have an Akto and don’t struggle to sit up. Was the pole tensioned? If not it would have been lower than designed.

[@thegreatoutsiders]

I've had the same comment but backwards. Someone saying I'd over tensioned them. But either way I definitely think I've done something wrong. Unbelievably, I bought that tent as my mate offered it to me for a good price, so I'm going to have another try and do another video with it I think :-)

[@markbirkett3505]

@@thegreatoutsiders The other comment I saw referred to over tightening the guy lines. I wondered if the pole tensioner had been tightened? It makes quite a difference to the height.

[@thegreatoutsiders]

@@markbirkett3505 Ahhh ok. I'll have to put the tent up again and have a mess with it. It's a very tough tent for 1.7 kg. However the Soulo is 2kg so maybe that extra 300 grams is worth it?

[@markbirkett3505]

@@thegreatoutsiders for the weight of a Soulo I have the Nammatj which provides much more space than the Soulo. I’ve never used a Soulo though.

[@Martycycleman]

The 'Paul Messner', now, there's a thing. The Tent, well, I've used one for years, right from the first iteration. Yes, very small, but It serves a purpose.

[@thegreatoutsiders]

It's very popular. Just not for me. Maybe I'm too tall.

[@Martycycleman]

I'm 6' 2"

[@thegreatoutsiders]

@@Martycycleman OK well I'd be interested to hear your reasons for using one vs say a Souther Cross 2 or a Soulo?

[@camperp195]

Nice to see poch in the tent with you,a lot of people have theirs in the porch,which ok in summer,but i dont think its fair in foul weather

[@thegreatoutsiders]

@@camperp195 Yes bless her - quite the travelling companion! She can be hard to keep warm, she stands up in the night and the sleeping bag drops off her!

[@kokopelau6954]

I would imagine if you check out the chapel with the water running you would find that it used to be a sacred spring that the church took over to help convert the practitioners of another religion to its belief system. Very common practice.

[@craig3401]

I gave up on single pole tents years ago the lack of space to sit up and manoeuvre was rubbish I'd rather carry a few hundred grams more and get a 2p tent makes camping so much more enjoyable.as for condensation most tents suffer in the clag but I'm sure all akto owners get it worse lol

[@thegreatoutsiders]

Hey thanks for the comment buddy. And the Akto is not that light! 1700 grams I think

[@dan001427]

@@thegreatoutsiders It's light for the materials that it uses. You could get something like an Msr Freelite 1 which is 1kg lighter than the Akto, but it uses a 15 denier material for both the fly and the floor. It would be ripped to shreds in the sort of winds that the Akto could handle. I have an Akto and imo it has a very specific use, and that is lightweight backpacking in places such as mountain tops where you're more likely to see extreme winds and rain. People who pitch up in a field in fair weather and then complain that the Akto is a rubbish tent- No shit, you could have used a lighter, bigger tent that will perform just as well in fair weather. Pitch that same tent atop a mountain in 50mph winds and it will be a different story, however.

[@thegreatoutsiders]

@@dan001427 Yeah - I love it now TBH, this vid was a first rection. Watch my vid Storm Babet wild camp. I hadn't even set it up properly in this vid, too much tension on the guys made it lower than it shoud have been. Respect for the comment. Thanks :-)

[@dan001427]

@@thegreatoutsiders Yes, I've watched some of your other videos and seen that you are still using. It. I hope you enjoyed Wales. Thanks for the content.

[@markmurphy7356]

The reason you couldn't sit upright at the apex of the tent was due to over tightening the guy lines which causes the pole to bend down.

[@thegreatoutsiders]

So if it's not over tightened you can sit up?? Are you sure?

[@markmurphy7356]

@@thegreatoutsiders Yes, I'm over 6 foot and I've used an Akto for years. The only time I had a problem with headroom was when I once over tightened the guys in anticipation of strong winds. Since then I've made sure to tension them properly (which actually also gives better stability in storms). Try it again, when pitched correctly (including using all 3 vents) it's arguably the best backpacking tent out there.

[@thegreatoutsiders]

@@markmurphy7356 ok thanks for the tip. I feel like a wally now! I will try it again. My mates not had it back off me yet so it's still in me garage :-)

[@markmurphy7356]

@@thegreatoutsiders No worries mate, hope you have a better experience if (when) you use it again. ATB.

[@T5Zplayer]

I'm 5'9 and can sit up ok. Maybe it was the angle of the pitch you were on?

[@thegreatoutsiders]

Yeah and I think I tensioned it up too much!

[@T5Zplayer]

@@thegreatoutsiders I remember in the dark distant pass Hilleberg did a vod on sizing tents by your hieght, dont remember the Akto advised fot 6'0+

[@thegreatoutsiders]

@@T5Zplayer I've since bought that tent off a mate! So I must have like something about it, or maybe I'm just addicted to tents 😉😉

[@thebackingpackinggeordie]

New sub 👍

[@thegreatoutsiders]

Nice one buddy

[@JN-dq7cv]

That's the second of your videos I've watched and been irritated by your behaviour with your poor dog. You wouldn't be laughing if she slipped, fell of those very wet steps, and broke one of her legs. It is not funny !! Help her over. No more.