Hilleberg
Hilleberg Soulo
Where it fits
- Also works for
- Backpacking and wild camping, Winter mountain
Why these labels
- Backpacking and wild camping: Light to carry: 2.0 kg
- Winter mountain: 4-season rating
From the maker's stated use and the published specs.
- Summer wild camp: 7/10 UK, roughly May to September, nights above about 8 °C, sheltered pitches.
- Three-season hills: 7/10 UK hills in spring and autumn. Wind, rain, and nights near freezing.
- Winter camp: 8/10 UK winter or high ground. Below freezing, strong wind, possibly snow.
- Weight: 4/10 How much it adds to your pack, compared with the whole market.
Solo trips in autumn, winter and spring on exposed UK hills, where strength matters more than weight
- Sleeps
- 1
- Seasons
- 4-season
- Min. weight
- 2.0 kg
- Flysheet
- 5,000 mm
- Inner length
- 225 cm
Packed size 9.76 L, 43 cm long and 17 cm across Compare with a 2-litre bottle
About one and a half 2-litre bottles long and about one and a half times as wide. Drawn to scale.
Where to buy
Alpinetrek £1,114.95 In stock. Free delivery.
View at shop: AlpinetrekUltralight Outdoor Gear £1,114.99 In stock. Free delivery.
View at shop: Ultralight Outdoor GearEllis Brigham £1,115 In stock. Free delivery.
View at shop: Ellis BrighamPrices checked 2 Nov 2026 to 8 Nov 2026 on each shop's own page; shops can change them. We earn no commission on these links; shops are listed by price. More
Our ratings (out of 10)
1 to 10, compared with the whole market. Each says what it's based on. How we score
Weight
From maker's figures 4/10How much it adds to your pack. This is the whole tent: two people sharing can split it. 4: A bit below average.
Hilleberg's minimum weight (fly, inner and poles) is 2.0 kg, in the 2.0–2.69 kg band; 2.4 kg packed with pegs and bags. The Great Outdoors weighed its sample at 2,423 g.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 8/10How well it keeps out heavy, long rain. 8: Clearly better than most.
Kerlon 1200 fly is 5,000 mm, in the 3,000 mm+ band, and the 15,000 mm floor is far over 2,000 mm so there is no deduction. The printed figure alone gives 8 at most: a 9 or 10 needs 3 reviews that say it stays dry in real storms.
Wind
From reviews 9/10How steady it stays in strong wind on open ground. 9: Among the best you can buy for this.
Five outlets, average 4.6 out of 5, so 9 out of 10: The Great Outdoors 5 (secure in all weather), Photo Hikes 4 (stable and silent in strong wind), The Weston Front 5 (very strong winds, driving rain and poor ground, "in a league of its own"), Lars Ericsson 4 ("bombproof" when pegged, though he wanted the thicker 10 mm poles) and WildBeare 5 (the tent "didn't budge" in 60 km/h winds). The Weston Front and Lars Ericsson used earlier builds of the Soulo, which we count for wind only.
Space
From maker's figures 10/10Room to lie, sit up and keep kit inside. 10: The best you can buy for this.
Hilleberg's 1.9 m² inner for one person is 1.9 m² each, in the 1.6 m²+ band. The inner is 225 cm long (Hilleberg's handbook drawing; The Great Outdoors measured 226 cm) and 95 cm high.
Packed size
From maker's figures 5/10How much room it takes in your rucksack. 5: Does the job. Average for wild-camping gear.
Packs to 43 x 17 cm with poles and pegs rolled in: 3.1416 x 8.5 x 8.5 x 43 = 9,760 cm³, so 9.76 L, in the 7–9.9 L band. It packs smaller if the poles are carried separately.
What reviewers say (out of 10)
Ratings marked * are from reviews and are not part of the trip score. They are reviewers' scores, not our own measurements. How we score
Pitching*
Reviewers' average 9/10How quickly and easily one person can pitch it, including in wind and rain.
7 reviews on pitching, e.g. "It pitches easily, provides plenty of sleeping and storage space and sheds weather like a champ.".
Condensation*
Estimate: only 2 reviews about condensation (fewer than the 3 we need, so never above 8) 5/10How dry it stays inside on still, damp nights; higher is drier.
2 reviews on condensation, e.g. "it’s impossible to completely eradicate condensation in really cold weather".
Durability*
Reviewers' average 8/10How well the fabric, poles, zips and seams hold up over seasons of use.
6 reviews on durability, e.g. "Yes, it’s expensive, and it’s not lightweight, but it’s built to last.".
In short
Good for
- Solo trips in autumn, winter and spring on exposed UK hills, where strength matters more than weight
- Pitching on rock, narrow ledges or hard ground, because it stands up without pegs
- People who want one tent to last for many years and don't mind carrying 2.0 kg
Strengths
- Fully freestanding three-pole dome with 12 guy points, so it can be pitched almost anywhere and then guyed out for storms
- Tall walls give a lot of sitting room for a solo tent, and the one vestibule is big enough for a rucksack and boots
- Flysheet 5,000 mm and floor 15,000 mm, with thick silicone-coated fabric rated by Hilleberg at 12 kg tear strength
- Quick: about 3 to 10 minutes depending on how many guy lines you use
- Reviewers report years of hard use without failures (about 100 nights over 6 years in one long-term review)
Weaknesses
- Heavy for one person: 2.0 kg minimum and 2.4 kg packed, against about 1 kg for the lightest solo tents
- Bulky pack: 9.8 L with the poles rolled inside
- Condensation and little ventilation in mild, calm weather; it also gets hot quickly in sun
- Footprint and the mesh inner (for inner-only pitching) are extras
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (9)
- Hilleberg: The Tent Handbook 2026/2027 (Soulo page 32, fabric specifications page 13)
- The Great Outdoors: Hilleberg Soulo review (David Lintern)
- Photo Hikes: Hilleberg Soulo (Red Label) long-term review (about 100 nights over 6 years)
- Adventure Motorcycle: Hilleberg Soulo tent review (Uwe Krauss)
- The Weston Front: Hilleberg Soulo (Red Label) long-term review, two winter seasons (earlier build; counts for wind and pitching only)
- Lars Ericsson: Review Hilleberg Soulo (Red Label), eight years' use (earlier build; counts for wind and pitching only)
- WildBeare: Hilleberg Soulo bad weather test (60 km/h wind and heavy rain; blog and video)
- T3: Hilleberg Soulo Red Label review
- Chris Townsend Outdoors (blog): Hilleberg Soulo, a good solo tent for snow and storm