Hilleberg - Soulo (Red Label)

Whilst a proper four season tent (eg Hilleberg, Terra Nova, Fjallraven) will have a temperature inside that’s a few degrees warmer than outside (my Soulo/Allak tents are usually around 3-5°C warmer than outside), you shouldn’t be relying primarily on your tent to keep you warm; that’s what your clothing and sleep system are for. So you really need to be focusing on getting a sleeping bag and mat that are rated for very cold temperatures.

Personally I’d say the Nammatj is actually overkill for the UK, with the Nallo being more appropriate. The Nammatj, as well as their other Black Label tents, is literally designed for high altitude expeditions and Arctic/Antarctic environments. It’s a great tent, obviously, but there’s no real need to be carrying that weight around in the UK when a Red Label tent is more than sufficient :) I’ve camped with my RL Soulo and Allak all over the UK, throughout the year, on mountains and along exposed coast on sea kayaking trips, and they’ve always been fine. Hell, even my Yellow Label Niak was fine in 40mph winds in Scotland last year.

Thanks. Good to know that it's an option. I've heard good things about their trekking packs. Right now the family's got a Hilly 3p red label with extended vestibule. Great tent but damned expensive. Still leaning towards a free standing because of ease of pitching. I've been able to pitch the Hilly without any stakes with some dyneema cord stake-out and guy-line extenders, looping the cord around a small rock and anchoring it with big rocks (can do the same with sticks / stakes in snow). Takes some time, and in northern Sweden, there's lots of rocky ground - hence the idea of free-standing for 2nd tent. Thanks for the reply and sounds like a good price performance ratio for Tatonka.

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.

There are not many designs that fit those criteria. My inclination would be to prioritize safety, even if I had to take a weight and cost penalty. I might spring for the Hilleberg Soulo, which can be put up in gale force winds. The fabric also goes all the way to the ground, minimizing wind vulnerabilities, it has features for extreme conditions (a “locking” door, 12 guylines), and it can be used with double poles in the most extreme conditions. Downsides: $$ and 4-ish pound weight.

Budget not an issue as per your post, then Hilleberg are outstanding, and their customer service/aftercare is second to none. How big is your dog is the key question and how big are you? Also is weight an issue? as in what are you looking to carry depends on fitness, then equally ground etc. Do you plan to be in mountains and super exposed/remote? Ok so planning that you want something to take the worst conditions and your dog is small and your not massive either then hard to beat the Soulo ( but its a one man tent so as i said wont take a large dog on the inside of the inner, well not without being very cramped - get the groundsheet on any of these makes a big difference in condensation also not jsut for keeping tent protected). Same parameters but keeping a bit lower and want something super lightweight but really high strenght to weight ratio then the Enan is really good, can use a 10mm Nammatj pole on it also and well id challenenge anyone to find a better setup for the weight to strenght and features, also great in summer. Its touted as 3 season's but it far exceeds its performance design envelope ive had it in some hellish conditions (granted i alwasy separte the side guys to 4 on all the hilleberg range). For vs conditions hard to overlook the Nammatj at circa 2.5kg. This is what i have used alot with both a Belgian Malinois and also a Dutch Shepard to give you an idea of size wise (its a 2 man tent). You will get a lot people saying lanshans and everything else, and there is alot of "haters" lol for Hilleberg, but there is a reason why we use them on expeditions. They deliver in spades and having used all different brands over the years, and had failures, they are pretty much the only brand that not had an issue with, except Carinthia bivy tents etc but they are not suitable for your dog. But yea Hilleberg are my go too, the Kerlon material is exceptional.

The Portal 1 with the 10 mm poles is 2 lb, 14.1 oz (minimum weight, not including stakes). That’s amazing for what you get. I would be very concerned about taking a sub-2 pound tent; the Dientes Circuit is commonly recognized as the southernmost hike in the world and is only hiked by approximately 2k people each year. It’s remote, rocky, and very windy at times, and is definitely a place where gear failure can threaten your safety if you’re not with a group. If it were me, I’d either test my Portal setup in 25 mps winds (55 mph) before I’d decide on taking it (because you need to practice and evaluate the entire process of setting up and taking down the tent in high winds), or, if I didn’t have a chance to test it and get my setup dialed in, I would take a Hilleberg Soulo with double poles (or possibly custom poles), because it’s more forgiving of less than stellar setups. I’ve seen ultralight tents collapse in much weaker winds, and when you combine wind with campsites where it’s difficult to get bomber anchors, you’re just asking for trouble with them in my view. This is southern hemisphere tundra, and it needs the right gear for the conditions.

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.

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 got rid of the Abisko for a Soulo. I’m 6’2”. I’ve got an Allak and it’s great but it weighs about a ton and a half.