Hilleberg - Unna or Soulo

[photohiker]

Photohiker - the third pole is also part of the cross design (ie. 3-way pole configuration), whcih also forms the vestibule. The poles sit in half-sleeves at the base of the tent (maybe a foot long) then the rest of the tent gets clipped up onto the poles / exo-frame. This makes for very quick setup time.

So there is some sort of joiner up on the ridge there?

I'm liking the tent more than the Atko (apart from the weight). It's got some features from the Atko, but with the poles and tall sides it picks up snow loading and self-supporting capabilities. The dome shape gives it a greater enclosed volume which would be appreciated if you get stuck in one spot.

[dee_legg]

Hey Stu,
Just wondering if you bought the tent off the Hillberg website or from another supplier? Looks like it could be an option for our next 4 season tent

[Franco]

Brett
Rest at ease. The Soulo has a bit more sitting up headroom but is considerably shorter lengthwise (usable length)
Franco

[ollster]

Hey Stu,
Just wondering if you bought the tent off the Hillberg website or from another supplier? Looks like it could be an option for our next 4 season tent

He got it from Moontrail.

[photohiker]

Is there much in it?

soulo-atko.jpg (18.79 KiB) Viewed 9148 times

[Franco]

Michael
This is how I see those drawings :



I consider minimum headroom (from floor to fly/inner) about 15" , that is 38cm.
In fact if you lay on top of a thick mat (7cm) that is (for me...) pretty tight already.
The box inside the Soulo is ,in my very rough drawing, 35cm high and 175cm long. In reality it is a bit longer than that.
As you can see the Akto starts at around 30cm at the end so most of the space inside is usable. About 15- 20cm total more than the Soulo.
Franco
BTW, I have been inside both.

[stu]

Photohiker - No connector or hub type system, certainly not a fan of that sort of design as they would be a nightmare to fix in the field.
More photos of Soulo here, incl. pole system photos:

http://www.moontrail.com/hilleberg/soul ... lstup.html

Dee, yes, got mine from http://www.moontrail.com.
They have a system where you earn 'points' with your purchases which can either be redeemed for goods or for a discount on the purchase price.
I think I earned 55 points with the Soulo which I just redeemed for a U$55 discount on the full price of the tent;
with the strong dollar at the time I think it cost around AU$600 incl. shipping (which only took 4 days!).
I'd stagger to guess how much I'd pay for one if available from a Tas retailer - probably $1000+ (given how much a MSR Hubba retails for down here, for example).

The Allak which I have mentioned would be a great 2 person version if that's what you are looking for:

http://www.moontrail.com/hilleberg-allak.php

Cheers.
Stu.

[Ent]

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[ninjapuppet]

thanks for the review stu!

i like the picture with the trees blowing away while the tent looks rock solid.
your review & moontrail's pictures has inspired me to seriously consider a hilleberg freestanding tent.
but i've always got this image of some possum taking my backpack away in the middle of the night after a bad experience with possums so i'm only considering a 2 person tent.

the 2 that come to mind are your 2 person version the soulo - the allak and the jannu. both have similar costs, weights with a few differences in interior space which dont worry me because i'm a hobbit aswell.

did you find any water/ condensation dripping down in your tent? and do you have any pictures of the tent packed up away?

[stu]

Hi ninjapuppet,

I haven't had any condensation issues yet, will wait to see what the colder months bring I guess.
Thus far I have usually slept with the inner door opened to the mesh section, as seen in my photo at Cavern Camp; ie. the inner solid door rolled down to reveal the mesh outer door. It hasn't been cold enough for this to be an issue yet & creates plenty of ventillation, thus far.

I'll try to get a photo of the packed up tent up next week; I'm off to the Western Arthurs for 3 days this weekend to do my last peak in that area so I'll try to get a few more photos when I'm set up at Haven lake on the platforms there.

Cheers.
Stuart.

[Son of a Beach]

Hey, stu...

If you're still watching this topic, could you let me know a bit more about how that vent cover works when pitching and packing up? Ie, the poles attach to the outside of the fly, but go under the vent cover. How is this done? Do they thread through under the cover, or is the cover kept separate and only attached to the fly after the poles have been attached?

I hope I'm making sense here.

[stu]

Hey Nik,

the vent cover is (semi-permanently) attached to the tent, when the poles have been put in place the vent cover then clips on to 2 other points.
The vent cover is the last step in the setup process (excluding pegging out / guy ropes);
ie. poles go in half sleeves, tent is clipped up onto poles, vent cover is clipped on...

The photos at moontrail don't show this process exactly but show the tent with & without the vent cover on.
http://www.moontrail.com/hilleberg/soul ... lstup.html

There is also this short youtube vid which may further explain the set up...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfwyLYcL1zo

Hope this helps out.
Thinking about getting one?

Stu.

[Son of a Beach]

Yes, I'm hoping to get a new solo tent some time next year, so just doing early research for now. The Soulo is at the top of my shortlist for now, but the price is rather prohibitive, even with the current exchange rate.

So the vent cover is permanently attached at 2 points, and then after poles go on, it clips on at an additional 2 points? That sounds OK then. My main worry would be losing it somewhere if it got separated.

PS. Those photos have finally made me realise what it is that I don't like about the Soulo. The vent cover is not symetrical! I've been trying to figure out what it is about the pictures I've seen that make the tent look skewed when pitched, and I think that is it. Of course this is not problem (and is asymmetrical because the vent and doors are), but it does disturb my subconscious mind which much prefers symmetry wherever possible. I'm sure I'll get over it.

[nickL]

hi nick

i am considering a 4 season tent for next year and was about to start the research. sounds like you have done a bit and wondered if you could give us your top pics to date and why (based on your research).

cheers

[Son of a Beach]

hi nick

i am considering a 4 season tent for next year and was about to start the research. sounds like you have done a bit and wondered if you could give us your top pics to date and why (based on your research).

cheers

I've not done much research at this stage, as I won't be buying until next year some time. All I've been doing is keeping up with people's opinions and advice and experiences as reported here. My priorities are stong and durable 4 season, 1 person, light weight, capable of holding up to a lot of snow without having to knock it off frequently. Not necessarily in that order.

My previous tent (Vela I Extreme) was quite light weight (for me), but didn't handle heavy dumps of snow as well as I'd liked, so I've just sold it.

Currently the Soulo is my top pick, because it appears to be the strongest, and due to it's shape, it will clearly shed snow the best - I would think it would end up with only a small pile sitting on the very top, where there are 3 poles crossing anyhow (plus of course the piles at the bottom of the fly which every tent gets).

I think the Akto would be the worst at snow loading, but is probably very good in all other respects.

The Scarp would probably sit somewhere in the middle for me, but again I don't think it would be as good at shedding snow.

The only 2 things I have against the Soulo are that it's a little heavier than the others (but to me it's worth a little extra weight it it performs better in other areas), and the cost - it is very expensive. Even with the current exchange rates being so good, it would still cost me about $750 aussie dollars delivered.

[north-north-west]

Yeah, the Soulo's a lovely tent, but I couldn't justify the weight - it's almost the same as the Nallo 2, which has more room.

[ninjapuppet]

Check out how bombproof the soulo is here compared to the others!
http://www.youtube.com/user/FliegfixOutdoor#g/c/5FE786DF76BF468A


Though judging from the ease at which the guy is standing up, I am assuming its no where near 100kph. I had alot of trouble keeping myself upright at 100kph winds.

[ULWalkingPhil]

Check out how bombproof the soulo is here compared to the others!
http://www.youtube.com/user/FliegfixOutdoor#g/c/5FE786DF76BF468A


Though judging from the ease at which the guy is standing up, I am assuming its no where near 100kph. I had alot of trouble keeping myself upright at 100kph winds.

It says at the start of the video 70-80kph winds.

[ninjapuppet]

you're right. i just skipped to the middle part of the video and drew conclusions too early.