Scubasteve1808

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imi

I have a Soulo, and for me it's simply the optimal 1/1.5 person tent. Freestanding, big enough inside to sit up and get dressed in (I find this great if it's raining), room in the vestibule for all my gear...
Being freestanding makes it easy to turn upside down and shake for cleaning as well.

imi

The Allak is 3.3kg compared to the Soulo at 2.2kg.
Do you need all that inside space? Is it worth the extra weight?

Northwestrider

I have the Soulo which worked well for me on my tour to Inuvik last summer https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/11264 I did on occasion have a problem with condensation, which was solved with a rag when needed. It holds up very well in strong winds. No matter what tent you end up with. I recommend to not rely on any of the light weight tent pegs the tent comes with. Instead find a set of hefty steel pegs that can be hammered into just about anything when using a rock. Its size was fine for me. I'm about 6'1" or 183cm.

imi

The Hilleberg pegs are titanium and really strong,

Northwestrider

Strong they may be, they are Hilleberg after all. However they won't pound in rock strewn terrain nearly as well as what I'd picked up at a hardware store during my ride. YMMV

Northwestrider

I found this very helpful on my tour in area's where I needed to carry a lot of water .https://salsacycles.com/components/anything_cage/ Good luck

imi

Do you have a local dealer who could set the tents up for you so you see how they feel?

Will you be getting a footprint as well?

p.s I checked the åegs out again, and am not sure if they are titanium. Anyhow they have stood up to all my bashing them with rocks... yes, miles vary

imi

Yeah, my dealer set up the Soulo and the Akto up for me to crawl into, as I was debating between the two.
Hands on it was a very simple decision. I got into the Soulo, and immediately knew it was perfect for me.

Lasse

Hilleberg sells different types of pegs, one of which is titanium, the others are aluminium. According to their website, their tents are equipped with aluminium pegs by default. I have some of their older (2007) aluminium pegs that came with my Nallo 3 and I've bent several, so at least those weren't very impressive. The heavier pegs that came with the 2007 Nammatj 3 are a lot stronger.

imi

sorry, edit function not working.
However, I would suggest taking your sleeping bag and mat with you to test. Empty the interior will feel much roomier...

correct about the pegs not being titanium. I corrected this in a post above, but my iphone is playing silly b's with the forum :/

Bekologist

for 'barren desert at altitude' combined with South American touring i would have gone with a epic canopied BD like the Hilight, but the Soulo looks very nice, and a respectable weight for an all season tent.

Hilleberg tents are very nice.

Don't forget to bring a smallish siltarp for shade, cooking in rain, and to pitch over the tent in wet storms when you're hunkering down for a couple of days.

Looks great, please post some pics of the tent in use here to update how its working out.

fietsbob

when setting up in a strong wind, I found the Hoop, type, tent, [not that brand] better,
because I was able to do all the setup, hoop inserts and one end, stake setting,
Work, while the tent was flat on the ground, and then, setting the last stakes,

& crawl in right away. .. not have to cope with the rainfly and staking down, with the Gale,
wanting to blow it away from me while I'm working..

the down side of a freestanding tent is chasing it down wind.

antokelly

the nallo gt2 is an excellent tent if only i had the dosh to buy one.
i have the akto super tent, but not for me i'm afraid i find it to small .
i'm seriouslt thinking of selling my akto and mountain hardware spear gt2 and buying a good Tpee style tent.
anyway best of luck hope you get the tent thats right for you.

MichaelW

I had to work really hard to tear my Akto fly. I pitched on solid rock with some hollows filled with vegetation. I tried putting stakes into the vegetation but the wind whipped the fly between the peg and the vegetation. I pushed down hard, very hard and the peg suddenly seated itself well. The hole I made was about 6-7mm across but the fibres held up OK. The hole was quite low, close to the peg loop and I survived a few weeks of wet and story weather with the extra vent in place.
I got it repaired on my return, a 1" patch stitched expertly on both sides by a Hilleberg recommended service.

djb

I have neither experience with the tents nor the regions you will be in, but as you surely know, you will be dealing with some fierce winds at times, so that could be a factor for you when looking at the shape of various tents, imagining how they will be in 60kph to 80kph winds, not to mention ease of putting up (or speed should I say) as you are alone (again, thinking of being in wind when doing this)

for those of you with experience with these tents, are the "exposed" flap things an issue with high wind? Im only used to tents that are traditional dome style, with a clean uninterrupted fly (top waterproof covering) and so when I see styles like these with fly sections that seem to big wind catchers, I wonder how they are in really strong winds.

jwbnyc

If you are going to be setting up in high wind areas all the time you would be better served by something like the Nallo.

Tunnel tents excel in high winds. They are designed for them. Three or more hoops would be better though.

Get some Ten penny nails and carry a hammer so you can be sure to get a solid pitch.

The downside is setup is a *****. You really need to use all the guy points to be sure your set up is solid. Which means you need quite a few guylines as well to do it right adding more weight.

The Anjan 2 GT looks good at around 5lb.

imi

I've used my Soulo in high winds. Memorably one night at Kirk Creek, CA. In the middle of the night I peeked out and saw all the other tents leaning sideways and flapping around in the storm.
My tent was vibrating a bit...

Hillebergs are built to withstand pretty extreme conditions. The flap is not an issue. Pitching the rear of the tent into the wind is recommended.

Scubasteve: Glad to see you're getting it sorted. Have a fantastic tour!

djb

Imi, As I was curious about Hilleberg tents, I do some quick online searches and quickly saw how respected they are amongst mountaineering folks, so my first glance view was obviously influenced by cheaper tent designs we see around here, very inexpensive tents used by occasional campers that have flaps and such.

re tent size, Ive never spent more than 3 weeks or so in tents, but completely agree on the advantage of having more living space vs a bit more weight, especially for such a long trip.

Cyclesafe

I used an Allak for the GDMBR during the summer of '10. It's definitely on the comfort edge of the comfort / weight continuum; it's high price rationalized by the reduced need for motels and an active re-sales market; no issues from an extra long bag and a restless side-sleeper; and generous vestibules, one for four panniers, the other for sheltered egress. Four months of use and it still looks new.

BohicaX

Scubasteve1808 no matter what brand of tent you go for a 100% free standing tent is extremely useful giving you many options for pitching when things get tough on the landscape. If I can give some advice with the Hilleberg before using just to make sure that all environments are covered make sure you seal the corners of the bathtub floor up the stitching to make a 100% waterproof both inside and outside. This is one area that Hilleberg can't do during manufacture and isn't done after it isn't a deal breaker but if you want the total protection just spend the small amount of time to do it and have yourself protected for all conditions.

I have always tour in a 2 man tent I just like that little extra room it offers as I can't be bothered counting grams it's all about comfort so don't be too obsessed about downsizing get that 2 man tent and enjoy the extra room.

One other thing if your getting a Hilleberg just get the footprint as well there well worth it and I leave mine clipped to the tent so when pulling down or erecting it's all there ready to go in any condition very simple and stops condensation in the vestibule as well.

rifraf

I'm personally happy with my Macpac gear but definitely like the look of the Hilleberg tents.
Of the two you've mentioned, for me it would probably be the Soulo but I'd encourage you to consider the
Staika for extra room and the fact that the Staika is one of their top (black) rated tents and the materials look second to none. Depends whether you equate extra room with comfort I guess but for me the $200 price difference wouldn't hold me back although the weight might.
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digibud

Today's free standing lightweight tents tend to have similar designs with poles that meet above the ground using some form of clip and they are invariably poor in high wind but you can toss them on concrete or in a baseball dugout for stealth camping. Hoop tents require staking out and often have less ventilation but their design ensures they will work better in bad weather. I'm looking for a small 2 person tent with poles that go all the way over the tent that has good summer ventilation and is free standing. It would not be as light as the lightest tents but could hold up to high winds. Any recommendations?

BohicaX

I have a Hilleberg Staika and I know that in high wind if you have all the openings done up it remains in place even without being pegged down the wind goes over and around it without shifting the tent. It makes for easy putting up in windy conditions as well but like anything if your in strong winds it will start to blow away on you but in my case I have been in some pretty windy conditions and it stays put. Just don't think that because it can handle winds that it won't blow away on you it still will if you don't take precautions to secure it.The Staika is two person but the weight might not be to your liking however for ventilation it has a great deal if you want to open up all the doors plus roof vents. If you purchase the add-on kit you can then remove the fly and the inner is also free standing which offerers even more ventilation should you need it. Don't get a tent that the inner is made up of just see through mesh if you get in a dust storm the mesh doesn't keep the fine grit out so look at one that has a second door that can be zipped up to cover the see through mesh.

ekibayno

I have a Soulo. It's a better tent than the the Nallo because it is freestanding. In fact it is a better tent than most freestanding tents for the conditions you will face because it has three poles, and the vestibules are supported by the poles, not just pegged out. The Staika and the Allak share this design but have two vestibules to only one for the Soulo. So they are better ventilated, more convenient and roomier. The price you pay for this comes in a little extra weight.

However, if you are going to spend a lot of nights in the tent a little more room would be good to have. The Staika is bigger and heavier than you need. I think the best choice would be the Allak.