Well I thought I'd load up some pics of the new tent for those of you that might be considering one of these. Its absolutely sweet guys! It comes in a pretty compact sized stuff sack and the poles fold down t less than 12" long. For storage you can either roll it up and insert it in the stuff sack or just stuff it in it, its up to you. With the inner and outer tent being connected theres nothing to organize. Once you pull it out of the stuff sack, you just lay it out and begin to insert the poles into the sleeve pockets. These sleeve pockets are genius, really no way to screw up the tent or concerns of poles popping out. It looks like this






All 3 poles are the same size so theres no thinking that through. One the poles are inserted into each of their pole sleeves , which by the way is easy as pie they bend just perfectly for this task you start clipping the clips onto the poles like this





Once you are done attaching the clips to the poles which takes about 45 seconds the tent is taught




The little cap that goes over the vents stays attached at two points with a little toggle strap and you never need to remove the cap, it stuffs right into the bag with the rest of the tent. To attach it over the top you just flip it over to the sides that arent attached and clip into a ring on each corner and they are reinforced into teh the seam line for the clips that attach to the poles.Finished product looks like this



After this is done the SOB is rock solid. You'd obviously stake it down and it has some really nifty guy line tensioners that work real well. The guy lines are permanently attached and are reinfoced once again into the heavy band that supports the clips that attach to the poles.This whole setup by myself takes less than a couple minutes.

Now on to the interior... The vestibules though I wish they were a little bigger are plenty big enough. I easily can slide my pack in there boots and whatever else, there is even plenty of room to cook with a pocket rocket or something similar inside the vestibule without going outside. Here some pics of the vestibule with some gear stowed.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/DallSheep4me/009-4.jpg[/img]

With inside door open

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/DallSheep4me/010-1.jpg[/img]

Had to throw my BA Insulated Air Core in their and lay on it to really get a feel for the tent. Just because of all the love for Wiggys here on the Campfire Backpack Hunting forum (he he) I threw the bohemith Wiggys Superlight 0 degree bag in there to show how much room is in the tent....grin

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/DallSheep4me/013-2.jpg[/img]

For all the Wiggys Lovers....

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/DallSheep4me/014-3.jpg[/img]


Heres a pic of my Barneys Carnivore with the Hunter Bag and my boots in the vestibule to show that there is good storage space

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/DallSheep4me/017-1.jpg[/img]

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/DallSheep4me/018-1.jpg[/img]

These last few pics are of the venting capability from inside the tent, all in all theres excellent ventilation options to keep from building up condensation in the tent, better than most tents I have looked at that are a true Mountaineering grade 4 season tent.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/DallSheep4me/021.jpg[/img]

From the inside


[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/DallSheep4me/019-2.jpg[/img]

Under the Cap

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/DallSheep4me/023-1.jpg[/img]



In closing, I obviously havent had this baby in the mountains yet as I have only had it a few days but it appears that my search for the ultimate backpacking tent is over.Way to go Hilleberg!

Thanks for the review. Awesome looking setup.

Dang it, Alaska!
Now I got to find the phone number of Vigilguy and order a Hilleberg...

It is very much like a Unna on steroids! Nice tent!

LC

That looks like a great setup indeed! Really like the color.

Thanks for sharing.

Mike.

Phone number of Vigilguy, 435-764-1111, he called me twice this week to chat and I buy all my Hilleberg and a lot of other gear from him. I really like to deaal with the type of dealer who USES the same gear he sells and will give you an honest appraisal of what you might be interested in based on that.

Charlie does this and will NOT try to sell you a tent that is not right for you; he is a gentleman and I am very sure that anyone doing business with him will be most pleased by his service.

Nobody equals Hillebergs as tent makers, Bo is simply a genius, no other word really fits. I wish I had these many years ago, they just work SO well.

Great review 'Cub. A guy can never go wrong taking lots of photos of a beautiful new tent. A Hilleberg catalog landed in my box last week and I've been drooling ever since. Your photos just raised my blood pressure another click!

"On paper" the Soulo looks about perfect for size and weight, but after seeing your photos I'm thinking the extra floor space and double vestibules is worth the weight penalty. What an awesome tent!

Great pics. Hillebergs are certainly genius. I wish I could see similar pics of the Soulo. I'm struggling hard between the 2.

I'm not a big tent guy, but man that is one sweet looking rig...

Is that mostly a one person deal or could you squeeze two in?

You could get 2 in the Allak. The soulo is the one-person variant of that. Basically, my Akto with a dome design.

The Soulo looks sweet!

If I had decided on the Allak for 2 person potential, I'd likely switch and get the Jannu, as it's lighter. The Soulo, otoh, is a damn strong 1 person design.

I went through that thought process Chawn, but the 2 doors,and two individual equal sized vestibules made the Allak an easy choice over the Jannu. This is a 2 man tent and has plenty of room for 2 guys.

AC,

Thanks for another great review and pictures. Your posts are always informative and helpful.

Very nice setup, hope you bag a big one this sheep season.

MtnHtr

According to the catalog, the minimum weights are the same, and the packed weights are only 3oz different. Doesn't seem like a bad tradeoff for two doors/vestibules unless I missed something. Obviously no truly wrong answers with these tents though.

Are you still happy with your Akto, or do you wish you'd chosen the Soulo? It looks like over a pound heavier, and a tradeoff of vestibule space for bed space (and a little more money). Along with handling snow better, it also looks like the Soulo might vent moisture better. How's the condensation in your Akto? Is the floor length really 87" or is that the "cut length"? I'm 6'03" and wouldn't want my sleeping bag touching either end of the tent.

A-Cub, if you get around to it, could you toss the rig on a scale and report the actual packed weight?

Dont have a scale in the house Chawn but am interested in knowing exactly what it weighs too. VigilGuy has an Allak and I am sure he has a scale, maybe he could weigh his and let us know.

Roger that.

Hey Chawn, I wasn't trying to get a rise out of you. I hope you didn't take it that way.

I AM seriously considering the Akto, but am wondering if it's the "best" choice for solo trips.