Hilleberg Akto

[Nigel Crompton]

Just got one and, so far, less than impressed!

Had it up in the garden this evening and couldn't get the outer
uniformly taut. I don't think this is helped by the end guys which
use one piece of cord looped to form two guys. I may split these. Has
anyone else felt the need ?

Which is the best way around to pitch it in a wind - back into wind or
the "foot" end into wind. It seems awfully "flappy" after my Saunders
Mountain Trek.

[Andy P]

Post by Nigel Crompton
Just got one and, so far, less than impressed!
Had it up in the garden this evening and couldn't get the outer
uniformly taut. I don't think this is helped by the end guys which
use one piece of cord looped to form two guys. I may split these. Has
anyone else felt the need ?
Which is the best way around to pitch it in a wind - back into wind or
the "foot" end into wind. It seems awfully "flappy" after my Saunders
Mountain Trek.

Wow, someone else who doesn't think the Akto to be the dog's whotsits.

[John Myers]

Can this be true!!, im saving up for the aforementioned item only now to be
told its
not the top marque.
Shall i not bother, or shall i stick with my Mk2 Argos.
A dilemma will now prevail !

John


--
Does living in Lincs make me a flatlander :-( ??

Remove the flatlands to reply by email.

Post by Nigel Crompton
Just got one and, so far, less than impressed!
Had it up in the garden this evening and couldn't get the outer
uniformly taut. I don't think this is helped by the end guys which
use one piece of cord looped to form two guys. I may split these. Has
anyone else felt the need ?
Which is the best way around to pitch it in a wind - back into wind or
the "foot" end into wind. It seems awfully "flappy" after my Saunders
Mountain Trek.

[Anthony Dyer]

Post by Nigel Crompton
Which is the best way around to pitch it in a wind - back into wind or
the "foot" end into wind. It seems awfully "flappy" after my Saunders
Mountain Trek.

I've found it most stable lengthways into the wind. Sideways is survivable
in a gale but the wind tends to be noisier - and the wind can make the porch
boom inwards too much for cooking.

Practice makes perfect. At first I suffered from flappy fabrics but I
managed to master the technique. You have to get the tensions in the end
guys properly balanced. Look at the central pole, if it's leaning one way
or another then slacken one end and tighten the other end up to get the hoop
as upright as possible. I haven't felt any need to split the guy lines at
all, at any rate it will just add to the entanglement.

Keep the faith, you'll find it to be a superb tent!

Anthony Dyer
www.mountain-walking.org.uk

[Peter Clinch]

Post by Nigel Crompton
Had it up in the garden this evening and couldn't get the outer
uniformly taut.

Never been a problem with my Spacepacker... mind you, I'd been using it
for years before I got the inner to pitch optimally. As everyone says,
practice will improve things, but I'd very much doubt you need
everything uniform to get useful shelter from it.

Post by Nigel Crompton
It seems awfully "flappy" after my Saunders Mountain Trek.

Somewhat inevitable given it's well under half weight and has a quarter
the number of poles! You can't have something for nothing :-( If
you're not carrying your tent far, have the space for it and/or it'll be
windy, take the M-T. I only use my Spacepacker when weight and bulk are
really at a premium, which is also when you'll appreciate the Akto a lot.

Pete.

[Ken Catchpole]

Practice makes perfect. It has taken me years to figure out the best way

to

pitch my Trisar with respect to tension in the inner and outer.
Either way you want the door downwind to cook in it, a luxury not

available with

my Trisar which has to be pitched door into the wind for maximum

stability.

I presume you mean the Terra-Nova Trisar - I've had mine for years (it's the
pre-convertible model) and am now worried that I've not been pitching it in
the best way. It would certainly explain the bent poles I received on the
side of Cadair Idris a few Decembers ago....though I think the wind was
coming from all directions that nasty night.

I'd be interested in any tips.....

[Phil Cook]

Post by Ken Catchpole

Either way you want the door downwind to cook in it, a luxury not

available with

my Trisar which has to be pitched door into the wind for maximum

stability.
I presume you mean the Terra-Nova Trisar - I've had mine for years (it's the
pre-convertible model) and am now worried that I've not been pitching it in
the best way. It would certainly explain the bent poles I received on the
side of Cadair Idris a few Decembers ago....though I think the wind was
coming from all directions that nasty night.

Have you ever tried pushing on the tent at the front? It is very stable there
but at the back it is a bit floppy. It's those long unsupported lengths of pole
at the back that led me to pitch it head into the wind. I had an interesting
night at the Red Squirrel in Glen Coe once. You could hear the wind screaming in
the trees and then it would hit the tent and it seemed to jump a few inches with
each gust. Mine has a slight kink in the middle pole where I once shifted camp
by about 50 yards and couldn't be bothered taking everything out of the tent, so
if you must shift it around fully pitched make sure it is empty and get hold of
it where the poles cross.

Post by Ken Catchpole
I'd be interested in any tips.....

I always put the poles in the innermost holes on the inner. Sometimes it is a
bit of a struggle to get them in. Make sure you have the inner square, peg out
the rear and then look inside as you peg out the front of the inner to check the
floor is nice and flat. The centre pole never seems to want to sit on the ground
on mine but that doesn't seem to matter as long as i have the four corners right
the tension seems to even out.

If you need shelter for cooking unzip the centre door from the top and use a
clothes-peg to hold the rolled up fabric out of harm's way. I always find myself
tripping over the door pegs if I open the side and front door together (which I
normally do) so I have a couple of 12" canes I use to make them more noticeable.
I'm also thinking about stiffening the hood over the door with something like
the newer Terra Nova tents.

[Ken Catchpole]

Post by Phil Cook
Have you ever tried pushing on the tent at the front? It is very stable there
but at the back it is a bit floppy. It's those long unsupported lengths of pole
at the back that led me to pitch it head into the wind. I had an interesting
night at the Red Squirrel in Glen Coe once. You could hear the wind screaming in
the trees and then it would hit the tent and it seemed to jump a few inches with

Makes sense. The later "Convertible" models had an optional additional pole
to arc around the back. Not sure whether I'd prefer to to stick with the
back flopping around, or let I like the the wind scream through the front
door and inflate the whole tent.... Though bearing in mind the beatings the
rear has taken before, perhaps it's time to try pitching head-to-wind.

[John, Pauline & Hannah.]

Hello,
I also have a Hilleberg Akto and a Terra Nova Ultra Trisar.
The Akto is just brilliant-I have absolutely no complaints!
The Ultra Trisar I have has a minor/major problem which I will endevour to
describe and then maybe someone can suggest a solution?
The front of the tent each side where the front cross pole meets EACH of the
poles running from front to rear is the area in question.
On the outer sides of the tent in the area described, the outer flysheets
touches the tent inner. At one point it actually allowed a small leak into
the inner.
I hope this description is good enough.
Best regards,
John.


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Post by Phil Cook

Post by Ken Catchpole

Either way you want the door downwind to cook in it, a luxury not

available with

my Trisar which has to be pitched door into the wind for maximum

stability.
I presume you mean the Terra-Nova Trisar - I've had mine for years (it's the
pre-convertible model) and am now worried that I've not been pitching it in
the best way. It would certainly explain the bent poles I received on the
side of Cadair Idris a few Decembers ago....though I think the wind was
coming from all directions that nasty night.

Have you ever tried pushing on the tent at the front? It is very stable there
but at the back it is a bit floppy. It's those long unsupported lengths of pole
at the back that led me to pitch it head into the wind. I had an interesting
night at the Red Squirrel in Glen Coe once. You could hear the wind screaming in
the trees and then it would hit the tent and it seemed to jump a few inches with
each gust. Mine has a slight kink in the middle pole where I once shifted camp
by about 50 yards and couldn't be bothered taking everything out of the tent, so
if you must shift it around fully pitched make sure it is empty and get hold of
it where the poles cross.

Post by Ken Catchpole
I'd be interested in any tips.....

I always put the poles in the innermost holes on the inner. Sometimes it is a
bit of a struggle to get them in. Make sure you have the inner square, peg out
the rear and then look inside as you peg out the front of the inner to check the
floor is nice and flat. The centre pole never seems to want to sit on the ground
on mine but that doesn't seem to matter as long as i have the four corners right
the tension seems to even out.
If you need shelter for cooking unzip the centre door from the top and use a
clothes-peg to hold the rolled up fabric out of harm's way. I always find myself
tripping over the door pegs if I open the side and front door together (which I
normally do) so I have a couple of 12" canes I use to make them more noticeable.
I'm also thinking about stiffening the hood over the door with something like
the newer Terra Nova tents.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"

[Phil Cook]

Post by John, Pauline & Hannah.
Hello,
I also have a Hilleberg Akto and a Terra Nova Ultra Trisar.
The Akto is just brilliant-I have absolutely no complaints!
The Ultra Trisar I have has a minor/major problem which I will endevour to
describe and then maybe someone can suggest a solution?
The front of the tent each side where the front cross pole meets EACH of the
poles running from front to rear is the area in question.
On the outer sides of the tent in the area described, the outer flysheets
touches the tent inner. At one point it actually allowed a small leak into
the inner.
I hope this description is good enough.

I know what you mean. It is a matter of getting the fly *just* right so the
seams sit on the pole lines. I think you need the fly set on the innermost holes
at the front (it is a while since I last had it up) and possibly at the sides as
well. You may find it a struggle to get the fly tight enough. I also set the
guys and elastics to pull a little towards the back of the tent rather than
perpendicular. I have often thought about using a sponge to space the fly just
there as TNF did with one of their tents but that may form a bridge for the
moisture.

[Mike Clark]

Post by Nigel Crompton
Just got one and, so far, less than impressed!
Had it up in the garden this evening and couldn't get the outer
uniformly taut. I don't think this is helped by the end guys which
use one piece of cord looped to form two guys. I may split these. Has
anyone else felt the need ?
Which is the best way around to pitch it in a wind - back into wind or
the "foot" end into wind. It seems awfully "flappy" after my Saunders
Mountain Trek.

My wife has an Akto which she has used for her solo trips and some of
them have been in very bad weather including high winds and she tells me it
was fine. We also have a Nallo GT which uses the same fabric and at first I
was disconcerted by how flimsy the material seemed and by how much it
flapped in wind. However it hasn't caused any problems so it seems to be
living up to the manufacturers claims for strength. It is of course very
light for its size which is the main reason for us buying it in the first
place.

Our other tent is a Quasar, very sturdy in comparison...... and we have had
lots of problems over the years with broken poles!

Mike <URL:http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/>

[Peter Clinch]

Post by Mike Clark
was fine. We also have a Nallo GT which uses the same fabric and at first I
was disconcerted by how flimsy the material seemed

Before I bought my first Saunders and was getting in brochures etc., I
was sent a sample of their fly fabric (double SE coated high tenacity
ripstop, similar to Hilleberg's fabric) and a typical tent nylon, both
with a cut in, and an invitation to try and tear them some more from the
cut. The high tenacity ripstop is *very* hard to tear, it's really
quite impressive how strong it is.

Does flap rather, but that's a side effect of the weight, I think.

Pete.

[Nigel Crompton]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 21:22:39 +0100, Nigel Crompton

Post by Nigel Crompton
Just got one and, so far, less than impressed!

I've had it up in the garden again this evening, and have decided it's
not for me.

At the end of a long day, I want the tent up and me inside it. The
Akto goes up very quickly - and I certainly like the way the inner &
outer go up together - but its too fiddly for me getting all the guy
tensions right. Even after another half hour of fiddling I still
hadn't got all the creases out - primarily on the sidewalls twixt
corners and pole.

Weight/bulk is not an issue for me, I only use a tent out of a car or
sea-kayak, never carried on my back. I bought it for it's
bombproofness. I've had 2 of my Saunders poles break and have had a
not very co-operative response from Saunders. So they're not flavour
of the month. I just don't trust my Mountain Trek any more. I'll use
it for overnighters with the car, but I'm not taking on any more
sea-kayak trips.

So, looks like it's a Solar2 for me......anyone want an unsed but
erected twice Akto in green ?

Answers please on an postcard to ***@crompton.org.uk

[Peter Clinch]

Post by Nigel Crompton
At the end of a long day, I want the tent up and me inside it. The
Akto goes up very quickly - and I certainly like the way the inner &
outer go up together - but its too fiddly for me getting all the guy
tensions right. Even after another half hour of fiddling I still
hadn't got all the creases out - primarily on the sidewalls twixt
corners and pole.

Even the picture on Hilleberg's own website, trying to sell it to you,
has creases between the corners and pole, so I think it's quite possible
your quest to remove creases is (a) unlikely to succeed and (b) is
fairly pointless, as the tent should work fine with creases or not.
Just get in, stop worrying, and brew up!

Post by Nigel Crompton
Weight/bulk is not an issue for me, I only use a tent out of a car or
sea-kayak, never carried on my back. I bought it for it's
bombproofness.

Sorry, you bought the wrong tent: it's reputation is for being fairly
tough, but it isn't bombproof, and with only 1 pole you shouldn't expect
that. If you want bombproofing then you want a geodesic, and for sea
kayaking I'd suggest a free standing design too, for those interludes on
skerries and pebble beaches. My personal choice for the Perfect Sea
Kayaking Tent was the Hilleberg Tarra, and I really can't see why you'd
want the Akto for that particular job.

Post by Nigel Crompton
So, looks like it's a Solar2 for me.

I'd say that's a poor choice for the job as well, if "bombproofing" is
what you're after. TN don't advertise the Solar range as storm tents
because they're not, even though (like the Akto) they should stand up to
a fair blow.

Post by Nigel Crompton
anyone want an unsed but erected twice Akto in green ?

Possibly...

Pete.

[Mike Clark]

In article <***@dundee.ac.uk>, Peter Clinch
<URL:mailto:***@dundee.ac.uk> wrote:
[snip]

Mike Clark has reported poles splitting on his TN Quasar and two of
my sea kayaking friends here have had TN Quasar poles split on them,
which were *not* replaced under warranty but required new purchases.

Yes at one stage we were getting a section split on us every few trips
out. Interestingly this seems to have settled down and we've now gone a
couple of years with no more splits and about half the original sections
of the poles replaced in total!

Some of the sections of poles were replaced under warranty but others we
were charged for. TN sent back a reply saying we must have been misusing
the poles and flicking the sections together. I know we were not and we
tried to be very careful with them. I remember one section breaking
spontaneously after the tent had been pitched for a couple of days in
good weather!

I think we were just unlucky in having a batch of poles with some
sections of a suspect quality.

Mike <URL:http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/>

[Roger Chapman]

snip

Or p'raps I should just dig out my Black's Mountain tent ( in
Ventile) outa the attic; that's never let me down.......

I don't see why not, if you can fit it through the loading hatch.

They are not very big and can't be very heavy. :-) I carried mine into
Luibeg Bridge (from Linn of Dee) at Easter 1972. That was before I had
to buy it a cotton flysheet because it wouldn't stop leaking. (Nowadays
I always use the flysheet because the Ventile has become so weak it
tears easily and would not survive more than a stiff breeze on its own.)

Incidentally those who would moan about the inadequate porches on some
modern tents should note that the Black's Mountain Tent didn't have the
slightest vestige of a porch and even the down to earth flysheet doesn't
really provide an adequate cooking space. The original Mountain Tent
(the design changed in 1970) could be fitted with a flysheet that looked
more like a wide brimmed hat than anything else and provided only
limited protection from rain (for the tent) in anything more than a dead
calm and absolutely no porch.

[Ralph]

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003 22:12:05 +0100, Nigel Crompton

Post by Nigel Crompton
Even after another half hour of fiddling I still
hadn't got all the creases out - primarily on the sidewalls twixt
corners and pole.

It takes me on average 10 minutes to have it erected and the tea on.
I don't see any advantage in getting the creases which you mentione
out. I don't bother too much about 'em. My Akto has yet leak or become
unstable even in storm conditions.

Ralph
.
.
.
Thought For The Day
-----------------------------------------------------------------
" You can always tell when a politician is lying.
Their lips move."
- Max Headroom
-----------------------------------------------------------------

[Boo]

Post by Nigel Crompton
So, looks like it's a Solar2 for me

There was a thread in this ng a short while ago about a couple of new
tents from Terra Nova that are due to be released soon. Might be worth
hanging on for a look at these if you aren't in too much of a hurry ?

[Peter Clinch]

Post by Boo
There was a thread in this ng a short while ago about a couple of new
tents from Terra Nova that are due to be released soon. Might be worth
hanging on for a look at these if you aren't in too much of a hurry ?

Bit IIRC the point of those was they were lighter than anything else,
rather than more bombproof. In Nigel's particular application I can't
see there'd be much to be gained.

Pete.

[Boo]

Post by Peter Clinch
Bit IIRC the point of those was they were lighter than anything else,
rather than more bombproof. In Nigel's particular application I can't
see there'd be much to be gained.

True, I'd picked up on the creases but not really on the requirement
for bombproofness. I agree with your assessment that a geodesic dome is
more what he needs, especially as weight is less important. Basically
you can't have everything in a tent and lightweight usually implies
compromises in other areas.