Chris Townsend Outdoors: The Hilleberg Akto is Thirty

Tuesday, 29 April 2025

The Hilleberg Akto is Thirty

The Akto on Stob Coire Easain on the Munros & Tops walk, 1996

Thirty years ago I was planning my next long-distance walk, a round of all the Munros and Tops (3000 foot+ mountains in the Scottish Highlands). On previous multi-month walks I hadn’t been too concerned about the weight of my load, though it was always a consideration. They had all been end-to-end linear walks though where the route between those points could be varied. The Munros and Tops walk wasn’t like that. It meant linking 617 summits. There were hills to climb every day and no easy alternatives. So I was taking the weight I would carry more seriously than in the past.

The Akto on the Munros & Tops walk, 1996

One of the most important items of gear would be my tent. It needed to be strong enough to cope with Scottish mountain weather, roomy enough to live in night after night with a porch big enough for cooking when it was stormy, and also as light as possible. Fortuitously, the Hilleberg Akto, the first solo tent from the company, was launched that year. I’d used the Hilleberg Nallo 2 on a walk the length of Norway and Sweden in 1992 and knew that Hilleberg quality was superb. I wanted a lighter tent for the Munros and Tops though. The Akto looked ideal.

A dusty Akto in the Grand Canyon

I tested the Akto on a few overnight trips then took it on a two-week autumn walk in the Grand Canyon, where it handled thunderstorms, hailstorms, heavy rain, dust storms, and strong winds without difficulty. Impressed, I wrote a review for The Great Outdoors magazine, saying that “for the solo backpacker the Akto is the best tent I’ve yet come across”. I've reviewed it quite a few times since!

My first Akto review

I took it on the Munros and Tops walk and it performed superbly for four months of Scottish ‘summer’ weather. At the end of the trip it was still in excellent condition. It still is, as I confirmed on a trip this year.

The Akto on Ben Nevis, TGO Challenge 2008

After a few years Hilleberg brought out a new version of the Akto with a few modifications – the main one being a hood over the top of the outer door so the top could be left open for ventilation. I used this version for many trips, including several TGO Challenge coast-to-coast walks across the Scottish Highlands, on one of which I camped on snow on the summit of Ben Nevis, one of the finest camps I’ve ever had.

The Akto in the White Mountains, New Hampshire, 2003

I also took this Akto to the White Mountains in the Eastern USA for the only walk I’ve ever done in the Appalachians. It was autumn and the weather was quite wintry with frequent snow. I needed to extend the guylines to pitch the Akto on the wooden platforms found on many of the campsites on the steep-sided heavily wooded hills. It performed well even though I couldn't peg down the corners.

The Akto I used on the Munros & Tops walk in the Lairig Ghru this year

The Akto is now a classic, an iconic tent that has been much imitated. Thirty years after its launch it’s still a great solo tent that will last and last. I've used it on hundreds and hundreds of nights. I hope to do so on many more.