Hilleberg - Akto

My Hilerberg Akto has withstood storms as bad as any I would want to be out in. Not designed for deep heavy snow but unless your planning on taking up ski touring or snowshoeing somewhere that shouldn't be a consideration because if it snows too heavy for an Akto you won't be walking out in just boots, it has a solid inner which helps to retain body heat which is pretty much the only source of heat you'll have most of the time. At approx 1.5kg weight it's suitable for backpacking . Though not designed for it a modified Akto was used succesfully on a solo expedition to the North Pole, not bad for a backpacking tent. If you really want the option of camping during heavy snowfall then the Scarp 1 with the crossing poles seems on paper to be the most versatile option as you can use it in summer without the extra poles though I have never used one. I've used a Hilleberg Soulo extensively in heavy snow and it performs just great but then If I just had walking boots in that kind of snow getting out would have been a survival situation so I do think it's more of a specialist tent.

For alpine, windy or snowy conditions, nothing beats a Hilleberg. Pricey though. Akto is my favorite one man shelter of all time (tunnel style). Soulo for a freestanding one man, but with a significant weight penalty. The Rogen is a sweet freestanding two man design. Has more airflow than some of their other models, but will handle wind like a champ. Excellent weight/space/weather compromise.

I have a Hilleberg Akto and can sit up cross legged in the middle, I'm 5'11". But I only really sit up if I'm cooking. If I'm not cooking, I'm probably reading laying on my back. And I can and do cook laying on my side, sometimes. I would give it a chance. You can go bigger, but weight will also increase.

Best is very subjective, and there's also different tents that are best for different situations. For instance, my favourite tent for camping solo in extreme weather conditions is my Hilleberg Akto. For camping at lower altitudes in the middle of summer I would choose something with much better ventilation and be less concerned about the tent withstanding heavy winds. Budget is needed as you'll be recommended tents anywhere from £60\~ to £1,000+. If your budget is on the lower end then I rate Robens tents quite highly.

Honestly for heavy weather in the winter i would just say fuck UL tents and go with my trusty Hilleberg Akto. It may not be Ultralight but i can sleep calmly knowing that it can handle any Blizzard the outdoors will throw at me.

That’s why I have a Hilleberg Akto. 15 years old and still going strong. Not a single tear or bad zip. 500g weight penalty

I've used both. I find Hilleberg 1-person tents to be pretty nice size-wise, but there's no denying a 2-person tent feels luxurious. Right now my only tent is a 1-person tent.

People shit on hilleberg prices till they use a hilleberg in less than ideal weather. I’ll tolerate the price for the long life and ability to handle some nasty weather. Most places in the states below tree line don’t need one though.

Hilleberg, TarpTent, SlingFin, Samaya. Real expeditions are more likely to choose Hilleberg. Their strongest tents are not super light, but they are made to withstand serious weather.

I swear by my Hilleberg, but that's a terrible deal, even on a great tent.

Get a Hilleberg! 😂buy once cry once.

Hilleberg is the tent for severe weather. They have different lines depending on how you want to trade weight versus sturdiness. None are "ultralight", but that is not what you are looking for in extreme cold/winds/snow.

I hunt in Alaska we always use a Hilleberg

Hilleberg makes fantastic tents. Not cheap though.

If you really want to buy once cry once, the best tents available are probably from hilleberg. If you want a very decent budget one to start out and see what you like and don’t like, I’d recommend naturehike

Completely disagreeing with this. This is a well known influencer site and list. So, it is merely a sales pitch. Lets check out the list: North Face Stormbreak. 200$ for a polyester tent in 2025! Half of the amazon junk would be more resistant to weather, and weighs half. It is an amazing tent, but only if we are in 2000s. Kelty, is it half covered in mesh, it is horrible in summer and it cannot stand winter. Then there is Hilleberg. Top of the top winter tent. If the list contains a Hilleberg I dont think there would even be a place for MSR in the list. The list then should be dominated by other Hillebergs. Also, where is the Zpacks, or Xmids? Where is mongar, or lanshan? Those are amazing <1 kilo tents .. some of which are on amazon. I agree, Amazon has a lot of junk. But also a lot of very high quality products not paying influencers. There are many better tent makers outside of this list and for many of the items in the list, they are indeed amazing products. However, for many I dont think their brand name justifies their price in 2025 anymore.

Ok let me pitch on the list then: This is an incoherent list: contains tents with different sizes and persons count, so it is creating more confusion than being helpful. Apart from that several of the tents there have well known problems: \- Hilleberg is a winter tent; if you rely on this list and buy it for a summer holiday you will die. \- Elixir does not use seam sealing and instead use a sealing technique mostly seen in cotton fabric tents, and it is known that it leaks. So late autumn it is a dangerous tent. \- North Face Stormbreak is a very old, reliable tent, but uses polyester, so it weighs around 3 kilos. You can easily find a tent with the same specs, much better material for half the price and would weigh around 2 kilos. \- Rei and Nemo tents in the list are all dome tents, which are literally replicas of each other (i would even say knock offs of Big Agnes there with inferior build quality). Many of them are half covered with fabric instead of mesh in their inners, which is terrible for summer. Always go for as much mesh as possible for summer. For early autumn, late spring they are probably good. But definitely master of none. I dont know how they are in a "best" list \- Kelty again is an old reliable tent, but has pole sleeves, so setting it up is a chore. It is covered with fabric again, so not so good for summer, would be good for mountain weather in the summer though. Still, material is outdated and setting it up is much slower than current lines of tents. \- Hillebergs are top of the top, and big agnes clearly earns its place in the list. \- MSR tents there are both very light options, but nothing special there. Personally i would carry 500 grams more instead of paying premium to a tent design that is so common. It is a very good alternative for ultralighters. \- There are other tent types, such as inflatables, such as popup tents, such as summer tents. The list contains none. So, if you are trying to find a tent to buy .. ditch this list and check out other sources. It is incoherent, it misses out a lot of different alternatives and it doesnt factor in criteria such as who? how? where? when? how many people? duration? conditions? It is basically the sunday paper of tent recommendations. A potpourri of cool images.

Hilleberg it is then. Assuming it’s 3 adults… I’ve been backpacking for “a long time”. I’d put up with a 2 person tent. No way am I cramming myself into a 3 person tent. I’ll just bring my own tent in that case. Nobody wants to be the person in the middle.