Hilleberg - Soulo

I'm 5'4" and own several 1P tents - Hilleberg Enan, Hilleberg Soulo and Durston X-Mid 1. I find them all more than spacious enough for most trips. Not sure what to recommend for your price range though; maybe something from Wild Country or Vango, or maybe the Sierra Designs High Side. If you use walking poles, then look for an older X-Mid on eBay, as they come up fairly regularly around that price.

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've had nice nights in Norway, Sweden and the northernmost part of Finland in Hilleberg tents (Soulo, Akto and Nammatji GT) and a Fjällräven tent (discontinued Skule R / S 2). It makes sense those tents were developed by people who hike in these very areas. I don't have any doubt thre are many tents that do the job well at half the price or less, but when a storm strikes, you'll feel safe in a quality tent.

I prioritize things pretty much like this: 1) safety (strong structure/suitable for the terrain and climate), 2) comfort, 3) weight. As an example, I somewhat regret selling the Soulo and choosing the Akto instead. There's nothing wrong with the Akto, but the Soulo was just simply such a safe-feeling bastion that I had a great time with it.

Hilleberg always gets props for being a robust tent, but what a lot of people don't realise is that they're pretty lightweight for what they are! Using their classic freestanding Soulo tent as an example - I'm not sure it's possible for it to be any lighter than it already is whilst maintaining that level of robustness. So it follows, then, that wanting something with equal robustness as the Soulo but at half the weight is just unrealistic. The X-Dome has a similar strength:weight ratio as the Soulo in my opinion - but it's 40% the weight of a Soulo! Both tents achieve their relatively low weights due to excellent design and wise material choice. Most other tents that are as strong as a Soulo weigh more than a Soulo, and most tents as strong as an X-Dome weigh more than an X-Dome. And it is sad that the YouTubers have discouraged some would-be buyers. I have a lot of respect for the British wildcamping YouTubers... But I wonder why they can't imagine the unintended impact of their videos. Even though they sometimes put effort into detailing what was their fault, they must know the overall message getting through to viewers is a fear mongering one - "the tubes will break". That's unfortunate. Another thing y'all Americans should note about the British wildcamping videos is that the climate in the UK is really something else!!! Conditions change rapidly, and to extremes, in a way that perhaps doesn't occur where you live. This unpredictable weather means that a 3-season tent will sometimes leave you on the side of a mountain with your tent in pieces... Happens all the time.

I’ve used either a Hilleberg Soulo or Wilderness Equipment Second Arrow for all my Norwegian and Swedish walking. Both are excellent. The Second Arrow copped 100kmh+ near Abisko and managed fine.

Most people use tents that cant handle the same winds as the x-dome. Hell, alot of people rarely use a tent or tarp at all for the most of the trail. I saw so many x-mids on trail this year, but I didnt see problem with the mid not being ‘bombproof!. What was your disappointment? If you really want something bombproof, get a black label Hilleberg Soulo or a Nortent Vern, but it really is overkill for the PCT imo.

Hilleberg Suolo has been my choice. Fantastic tent extremely solid. Quite heavy and that’s to be expected in a winter tent.

I would normally suggest the Hilleberg Soulo, but you are probably too tall for it. The Hilleberg Unna is another solid option, with much more space. It looks like it has no vestibule, but you can unclip the inner in one corner to create one. Sticking with Norwegian tents the Nortent Vern 1 is a good option, or Varde 1 though it is quite heavy. As a bit of a wild card look at the new TFS Saga tent. It hasn’t been released yet, but there are several teaser videos on the TFS YouTube channel. It is aimed at the UK/European market. Suitable for taller European users, high winds and damp conditions. I think it will be available at the end of the year. I’m not sure any of these tents are truly ultralight, but realistically a 4-season tent that can handle high winds is going to be 2kg+. Checkout novice wild camper on YouTube, he is 6’5”, and does a lot of 4 season tent reviews from a British perspective; high winds and wet conditions. https://youtube.com/@novicewildcamper

Hilleberg is solid but damn those prices hurt. If you're not doing serious mountaineering the MSR Hubba series is way more reasonable and still built like a tank