Unless you have spent any time in northern Scandinavia, you are probably not familiar with the word Akto, which means “alone” in the native language of Sami. In 1995, Hilleberg released their Akto tent which is a lightweight four-season tunnel design solo shelter. Since hitting the market in 1995, the Akto has become one of Hilleberg’s best-selling tents and has won many awards over the years.
We doesn’t give out awards, but if we did, the Akto would be one of the first products to receive an award. The Akto has been my “go-to” backcountry solo shelter for the past decade. The only time I leave it home is when I am doing an ultralight scouting trip and I am counting every ounce. All other times, the Akto is my shelter of choice, especially when the forecast calls for bad weather. It has been on more hunting trips with me than any other tent which speaks volume on how much I trust this tent and love its functionality when hunting high country mule deer.
I have seen many different weather conditions while using the Akto. Everything from sunny and 70 degrees to temperatures well below freezing. I have pitched it on top of the tallest peaks where it has withstood forceful winds, toad strangling downpours, as well as several feet of snow. I have literally spent numerous days in this shelter waiting out storms. Simply put, I have got to know the Akto extremely well!
According to Hilleberg’s website, the packaged weight of the Akto is 3 lbs 12 oz, but this includes all packaging, etc. I can get the weight down to 3 lbs 9 oz once I take out tent documentation and swap the stock stuff sacks out with cuben fiber stuff sacks made by Hyperlite Mountain Gear. (https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/sacks.html) That’s not a bad weight for a double wall four season shelter.
The single pole design not only cuts down on weight, it also gives me a full 36” of headroom which allows me to fully sit up while getting dressed. This is truly a luxury considering some of the confined one-man shelters I have used in the past. In some of those shelters, I have to admit, I felt kind of like Houdini trying to get out of a straitjacket when trying to get dressed in them.
Another feature that I feel really sets the Akto apart from other tents is the fact that the rain fly and tent canopy are linked by small Velcro straps and set up in unison. This makes for very fast setup which is especially nice when pitching during a downpour. In addition, during inclement weather, the 8.6 sq ft vestibule that runs the full length of the tent has more than enough space to keep all of my gear dry and at arm’s length.
Perhaps what has impressed me the most over the years has been the Akto’s ventilation system. There are vents located at both ends, as well as on top of the door which do a superior job on minimizing any condensation on the inside of the tent. I sleep with all three vents open at all times. Condensation from lack of proper ventilation is something that most other tents I have used struggle with. The Akto gets extremely high marks in this critical category.
The bottom line: after using the Akto on countless scouting and hunting trips over the past decade, I can tell you it is one of the best built, best thought out, single person shelters I have used. Hilleberg hit a homerun with this one.
For more information on the Akto, you can check it out on Hilleberg’s website at http://us.hilleberg.com/products/red-label/akto/Akto.php
We've added our backcountry gear shop to provide you with products that we have field tested and trust on our hunts. The Hilleberg Akto and lightweight Enan are our top choices for lightwieght solo tent shelters for hunting! Buy from us!
[products ids=2981,2752]
I have seen many different weather conditions while using the Akto. Everything from sunny and 70 degrees to temperatures well below freezing. I have pitched it on top of the tallest peaks where it has withstood forceful winds, toad strangling downpours, as well as several feet of snow. I have literally spent numerous days in this shelter waiting out storms. Simply put, I have got to know the Akto extremely well!
According to Hilleberg’s website, the packaged weight of the Akto is 3 lbs 12 oz, but this includes all packaging, etc. I can get the weight down to 3 lbs 9 oz once I take out tent documentation and swap the stock stuff sacks out with cuben fiber stuff sacks made by Hyperlite Mountain Gear. (https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/sacks.html) That’s not a bad weight for a double wall four season shelter.
The single pole design not only cuts down on weight, it also gives me a full 36” of headroom which allows me to fully sit up while getting dressed. This is truly a luxury considering some of the confined one-man shelters I have used in the past. In some of those shelters, I have to admit, I felt kind of like Houdini trying to get out of a straitjacket when trying to get dressed in them.
Another feature that I feel really sets the Akto apart from other tents is the fact that the rain fly and tent canopy are linked by small Velcro straps and set up in unison. This makes for very fast setup which is especially nice when pitching during a downpour. In addition, during inclement weather, the 8.6 sq ft vestibule that runs the full length of the tent has more than enough space to keep all of my gear dry and at arm’s length.
Perhaps what has impressed me the most over the years has been the Akto’s ventilation system. There are vents located at both ends, as well as on top of the door which do a superior job on minimizing any condensation on the inside of the tent. I sleep with all three vents open at all times. Condensation from lack of proper ventilation is something that most other tents I have used struggle with. The Akto gets extremely high marks in this critical category.
The bottom line: after using the Akto on countless scouting and hunting trips over the past decade, I can tell you it is one of the best built, best thought out, single person shelters I have used. Hilleberg hit a homerun with this one.
For more information on the Akto, you can check it out on Hilleberg’s website at http://us.hilleberg.com/products/red-label/akto/Akto.php
We've added our backcountry gear shop to provide you with products that we have field tested and trust on our hunts. The Hilleberg Akto and lightweight Enan are our top choices for lightwieght solo tent shelters for hunting! Buy from us!
[products ids=2981,2752]
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