<p class="copy"><span class="leadtext">WHEN WE FIRST INTRODUCED</span> the Akto over 20 years ago, we did not know that it would become as popular as it has. Although only slightly heavier than a bivybag, the Akto offers near-luxury, all-season shelter for the solo traveler –lodging that includes a vestibule and a packed size small enough to fit into a side pocket on many packs.</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent end">It’s an ideal choice any time you need the lightest weight, all season solo tent, and while it was not designed for extreme use, it has proven itself on extended polar expeditions, and so will stand up well to all conditions. Hikers, climbers, bicycle tourers and sea kayakers alike have embraced its lightweight roominess, and today it is being used in every clime, all over the world. Long distance backpackers especially appreciate having a sturdy, comfortable room of their own at the end of a long day on the trail. Trekkers find it excellent lightweight accommodation insurance for when traditional lodging in far flung places is overcrowded, overpriced, or unavailable. And tall users find it one of the few solo tents available that has enough room. This is a red label tent.</p>

 \n<p class="nameTag"><i>“Akto” means “alone” in Sami, the language of the people indigenous to northern Scandinavia.</i></p>

 \n<p style="text-align: center;">USD $595</p>

 \n<p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Features</strong></p>

 \n<p style="text-align: center;">Kerlon 1200 outer tent fabric and 9mm poles make for a very lightweight yet supremely stable tent.

 \nAll season construction: outer tent walls extend to the ground and mesh areas are backed with adjustable fabric panels.

 \nTunnel construction offers maximum space to weight ratio and is the ideal choice for mobile journeys.

 \nPlenty of room for one occupant and his or her gear.

 \nLinked but separable inner and outer tent for simultaneous pitching.

 \nBasic pitching requires only four pegs in the head and foot end guy lines, and the simple, single-opening, continuous pole sleeve and tensioner system is quick to pitch and remarkably stable. (note: pegging out the four corners provides optimal floor space, venting and overall tent function and is highly recommended.)

 \nThe single entrance/single vestibule configuration affords easy access as well as storage space.

 \nAn optional footprint covers the entire area of the outer tent, including the vestibules. It connects directly to the tent, and can be left attached during pitching.

 \nThe inner tent can be replaced with a Mesh Inner tent (sold separately; see accessories).

 \nThe outer and inner tents can be used separately. Pitching the inner tent alone requires optional pole holderes (see accessories).</p>

 \nhttps://youtu.be/yw4OMsrkenU

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 \n<strong>The story of the Atko</strong>

 \n<p class="copy"><span class="leadtext">WHEN WE INTRODUCED THE AKTO IN 1995</span>, one person tents were relatively rare. There were, of course, bivy bags, but our goal was to build a better solution. We wanted a full-featured tent – with classic Hilleberg double wall construction and commensurate quality – built for one person. We wanted it to be roomy enough for that one person to move around inside it, all season strong, with a vestibule – and still very light. “I had a feeling there was a demand for such a tent,” recalls Bo Hilleberg. “And I personally wanted one!”</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent">But others were more dubious: at that time, especially in Sweden, hiking was a very social activity, where one went out and communed with both nature and one’s friends. “I felt different,” says Bo. “I didn’t always want to sleep with someone else. Why not have your own tent? If you were to get a hotel room, you paid extra for single occupancy!”</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent">Bo began developing what would become the Akto in 1993. The tent needed to be strong enough to work well in all seasons, yet light and packable enough to compete with bivy bags. He settled on a single pole design: “With two poles,” he says, “it would have been about the same weight as the Nallo.” Creating the ideal single pole construction, however, was no small feat. Over the course of 17 different prototypes, Bo – and his wife Renate, who was doing all the sewing on the prototypes – tried innumerable combinations. They started with just the hooped center pole, but quickly discovered that such a design did not offer enough stability. In addition, the outer tent ended up laying directly on the inner tent, defeating the function of the double wall construction. In one version, they “squared off” the design by adding two lightweight rods into each end. “The two rods kept the form of the tent much better than the hoop alone, but it was a lot of work getting it right,” recalls Bo. Thus was born the iconic shape – and function – that was revolutionary in 1995.</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent">We now know that many adventurers want a room of their own in the backcountry, but in 1995 retailers were wary, as there were very few solo tents on the market. But despite retailer skepticism, consumers immediately took to the Akto, and it sold well from the beginning. Certainly hikers of all kinds embraced its simple, lightweight strength, but so too did climbers, hunters and cyclists. And while we assuredly don’t recommend such usage, the Akto has proved itself on both North and South Pole expeditions.</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent">After over 20 years, the Akto is still as innovatively functional today as it was in 1995. Indeed, we have changed the Akto very little since then, seeing no reason to fix what is not broken. It continues to garner accolades from users and outdoor magazines, and even from design groups. Such longevity of performance made it an easy choice for us to look to the Akto as the foundation for our new Yellow Label, one-person tent, the Enan, which continues the legacy of light, yet strong, single-pole solo tents in the Hilleberg line.</p>

 \n<strong>The story of red label tents</strong>

 \n<p class="copy"><span class="leadtext">OUR RED LABEL MODELS</span> are true all-season tents, yet are still easily light enough for any backpacking trip. They are well-suited for nearly all users, and, unsurprisingly, they have become our most popular tents.</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent">Before we organized our tents into the Label system – introduced in 2012 to make it easier for people to choose the right Hilleberg tent – our now-named “Red Label” models were simply called “Kerlon 1200 tents.” According to Bo Hilleberg, “The Kerlon 1200 tents were made at first for experienced backpackers who were out year ’round.” These tents were distinguished then – as Red Label tents are today – by their lighter weight, Kerlon 1200 outer tent fabric and 9 mm poles, in contrast to our Black Label models, which use stronger Kerlon 1800 in their outer tents and sturdier 10 mm poles.</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent">Quite quickly, however, we discovered that these light yet remarkably strong Red Label tents were ideal for quite a large group of users. “Those just beginning to go into the backcountry get a tent that is reliable and offers great security for bad weather in the summer,” says Bo. “Experienced users often find them a lighter option for some of their trips. And they are quite good for families who are out in more challenging conditions.”</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent">The first “Red Label” tent was the <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/nallo/>">Nallo</a>, introduced in 1987 as a response to those who wanted a 2-person tent similar to our <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/black-label-tents/>">Black Label</a> <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/black-label-tents/nammatj/>">Nammatj</a>, only lighter. This led us on a quest both for new designs and a new fabric that would save even more weight without compromising our rigorous strength standards. That first Nallo spawned a collection – the <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/nallo-2/>">Nallo 2</a>, <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/nallo-3/>">3</a>, and <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/nallo-4/>">4</a> and corresponding <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/nallo-gt/>">extended vestibule GT models</a> – which then led to the newer design we use today. All of the subsequent Red Label tents evolved from that template: lighter fabrics, 9 mm poles, one vent up high, and often using different length poles – all to save weight without compromising true all-season strength.</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent">Since the Nammatj to Nallo concept worked so well, we did the same with <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/black-label-tents/staika/>">Staika</a> to <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/allak-2/>">Allak</a>, and then took it one step further and created a solo version, the <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/soulo/>">Soulo</a>. The <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/black-label-tents/keron/>">Keron</a> collection gave rise to the <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/kaitum/>">Kaitum</a> models. The <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/black-label-tents/saivo/>">Saivo</a> and <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/black-label-tents/tarra/>">Tarra</a> were the inspiration for the <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/jannu/>">Jannu</a>. Both <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/akto/>">Akto</a> and <a class="ui-link" href="<https://hilleberg.com/eng/tent/red-label-tents/unna/>">Unna</a>, however, are “native” Red Label tents in that they were designed not to be Black Label counterparts, but to be exactly what they are: outstanding solo tents for those who go out in all seasons.</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent">We know that the smaller Red Label tents – especially the Jannu and Soulo – are tremendously strong, and that leads some very experienced people to use them, quite successfully, for things which we don’t necessarily recommend Red Label tents. Eric Larsen took an Akto on his attempt to bicycle to the South Pole. Lonnie Dupre used a Soulo in the first winter solo ascent of Denali. And Alexander Barber continues to use the Soulo and Jannu in his solo climbs of the Himalayan 8000 m peaks. We do, however, advise against using Red Label tents for those doing sustained, multi-month journeys – round-the-world bicycle, motorcycle or trekking tours, for example. For these kinds of demanding adventures, we still recommend taking a stronger, more durable Black Label tent.</p>

 \n<p class="copy indent">Such extreme usage aside, Red Label tents are ideal for those who find themselves out in all seasons and all weather, and who want an outstanding balance of light weight, strength, and overall comfort.</p>

IN 1971, BO HILLEBERG, a professional forester, founded his own company, Hilleberg AB. That same year, while on a ski vacation in the Austrian Tyrol, Bo met Renate Neuner. After a couple of years, the two had fallen in love, married, and she had moved with him to Stockholm, Sweden. Their marriage was the final, necessary ingredient in the mix that has become Hilleberg the Tentmaker.

Before Renate, Bo’s fledgling company was primarily a forestry equipment concern, with tent making as a hoped-for sideline. An avid, lifelong outdoorsman, Bo was terminally frustrated with tents that required pitching the inner tent first and then covering it with a loose rain fly that usually displayed the same properties as a kite in the wind. He envisioned a tent that had an outer and inner tent that pitched together, simultaneously – but he didn’t have the necessary sewing skills. With Bo and Renate’s marriage, conjugal and commercial became one: Renate took charge of the sewing while Bo handled design and sales, and with their combined efforts, the company flourished.

Today, family and business are still inextricably linked. Bo is Chairman, and is senior advisor to the product development team; daughter Petra is CEO of the Hilleberg Group, President of both Hilleberg AB in Sweden and Hilleberg Inc in the US; and Bo, Renate, Petra and her brother Rolf make up the governing board of directors – clearly, family synergy continues to beget success.