Hilleberg - Soulo BL (Black Label)

~~Winter camping can mean many things. The Nallo isn't a 4 season tent. Specifically, it isn't adapted to snow. Those cat curves on the lower perimeter of the fly are practically impossible to bury and the spindrift will flood the interior. You will regret using the Nallo in full on winter conditions (blown snow).~~ If you have a very limited budget and need one shelter to do it all, your best bet would be a mid with as many sides as you can get/are willing to carry (i.e., a rectangular pyramid -> a hexagonal mid -> an octagonal mid). Edit: My comments about the cat cut on the fly is due to confusion with the Anjan! My apologies for the confusion! FWIW, I've personally used and owned at different points 3 of what are now called the Black Label tents and 6 of the Red Label tents.

Mountain 25 is a good tent used worldwide. If price is no concern then I would definitely suggest going with a Hilleberg black or red label or Mountain Hardwear Trango 2. Any of the three will definitely last a lifetime. I wouldn’t rush though, order a free hilleberg catalog online. They have some amazing tents. I’ve personally camped in a double-poled (yea you can use two poles where one goes on hilleberg) Tarra and saw winds of 80mph. Fabric whipped a bit but sleeping at that level we always bring ear plugs.

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.

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

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.