IMPROVING THE HILLEBERG SOULO TENT - IT NEEDS IT! Modification Hack Review

You always say your perfect tent is in your head. Great to see some of them ideas put into practice.

Great tips Al, you really get to know a tent this way. It has to be said though, just buying a The Nortent Vern 1, would bypass these issues ( and spave sever £'s). Not quite as strong, but i have used mine in challenging conditions with no issues.

The soulo does not need any modifications..if people want zero condensation and loads of pockets and more space then get a 3 season 2 man cheaper tent

They must be a great tent because so many people have rated them, you can call me a cucumber but I do and have always preferred inner pich (free standing). The inner tension makes it feel bigger and so quite.

That brickwork is truly awesome, you are multitalented 🤩

Your not just a pretty face, not even 😂. Well thought out mods which I will try adapt for my Ordos 2 Alpkit tent, it get my creativity juices going. Unfortunately will need to ask someone with a sewing machine, using non cotton threads. Great humour 😂😎👍

I have the Terra and it solves all the problems you had with the Soulo. It certainly weighs a bit more but for me it's worth it. Two people fit in the two person comfortably as well. Hilleberg has a lot of different models that have pros and cons for each. It just comes down to what you are looking for. If the Soulo doesn't work for you there are other models. They have a ton of engineering involved with them and they don't need much to improve upon. However you did present some good ideas and tips. Thank you for the video.

Not remotely interested in a hilleberg but this was fun to watch.

I would have just cut off the metal zipper pulls and anded some Glo Zip - Ultra-Bright Glow-in-The-Dark Zipper pulls.

The most I've ever paid for a tent was £175 for a Lightwave Crux X2, although I did pay £65 for the some replacement 8x 9 inch carbon pegs for the main guy lines for windy days.

Adding additional ventilation will ruin the Hilliberg Soulo's internal showering faciliies though.

Good that, why is that tent so expensive? my Mountain Hardwear solitude is light as a feather and only cost me £300 brand new, albeit a few years ago.

You are quite the handyman

A good tip to avoid burning a hole in your tent when shrink wrapping the zippers is to cut a hole in a bit of cardboard (like from a cereal box or something) and then feed the zipper through it and then apply heat. Or even better if you have some kind of non flammable material you can cut a hole in

Great video, mate. To be honest, you paying £500 allows you to do those alterations. A £1000 however maybe not😂 Like you mentioned there are a lot cheaper and better equipment on the market. Anyway, there will be lovers and haters of Hillyberg. Each to their own 😊
Thanks for the entertainment, oh, and especially the details for all of your cooking equipment 😊

You didnt fix the guttering issue 🤭 Im always interested in tent modifications, because i dont believe the perfect tent exists, everyone is different. You are so good with a sewing machine! Kudos

Your such a ignorant prick!!! BLOODY GIT!!!!!!

Yes, we enjoyed spending an evening with you while you tinker with making a tent great again. It's far more enjoyable than watching the TV news Al. Hugely more interesting. You are multi skilled and actually have a brain as well, and throw in Blue. These things are rare in modern life.

“Skeleton having a wank in a biscuit” tin ffks 😂

Crazy to spend £1000 pounds or even a $1000 on a tent...

Good on you for getting a tent made outside of China 😉

Sick hilleberg dis track..Can’t wait for Petra to drop her response..😂


This is a belta tent and the one I’d choose to be stuck on a mountain with however, like all tents it has it cons..

You don't have to tje zipper pulls off. You can open the slider and take them out :)

I did it on my Allak 2 and it completely works with corded pulls instead.

Great video Al. Did the same technique with the shrink tubing on mine with the zips, made a huge difference. Just had to make a hole in the large inner fly zip, just so I could still attach it to the bottom tab to stop the wind blowing the door open.

👋🏼

Great video Al, had a soulo for a few winters, made some mods, a very good tent but tbh I prefer my fjalraven abisco lite 2

Hey Al,

What a fantastic video!
Thank you.

Would you happen to have a link to the Dynema Cord at all?

Many Thanks in advance,
Jay.

You did not make the tent any better, you just burned a whole in it.

The Soulo does seem to be a very good tent.

My preffered winter tent is the Fjällräven Abisko Dome 3. I feel like the changes you have made to the Soulo brings it closer to that tent.

I don’t have any plans or desire to get a Hilleberg but have no doubt they’re excellent tents. Most of my favorite wild campers can’t be wrong!

My go-to winter tent is a Marmot Hammer (similar to Rab Latok.) It’s a single-skin with small vents so condensation is bad, but I only use it when temps are below freezing for that reason. With 8 guy lines and a low profile it handles wind well and I always bring extras to double guy if necessary. Floor length is only 84” and a 6’6” bag on an Xtherm touches at both ends. My 6’ -25F bag also touches at both ends but it has 8-9” of loft. I like the weight (<4lb without vestibule) and the internal poles, but the Velcro straps that secure the poles to the tent start coming loose from the tent body after a while (I’ve had it 7 years.) My plan is to have pole sleeves sewn to the inside. If I had your skill with a sewing machine I’d do it myself. Next winter I’ll have to use my new-to-me Lightwave G20 Mtn, it’s heavier but roomier and the double skin will help with condensation.

Omg. I burst out laught at your description of what the zippers sound like in the wind 😂😂

That little oops burn reminded me of cooking bacon too close to our first tent, and it splashed the outer tent 🫣 love your storage net. Brilliant 👏

Will we see Blue on Crufts tonight????😀

you know Allen many a good explorer create an make their own upgrades to suite their style an needs this video give good solutions to easy issues to solve oh tent need room for blue a blue spot to chill along with you I do not know it looks kind of light can it stand a a blizzard on one those windy mountains its great tent but needs tweak I guess we to see it action soon right got make room for blue ✌

😊🌻💖🙏

Hi Al, as a Soulo owner (6ft3), Iknow exactly what you are talking about. The Soulo has, as every other tent Iown, its pros and cons. I love to see what you did for improvement (beside buring a hole in it). My Tarptent has this sliding toggle for the floor and I love the idea with the additional storage. Great job, well done.👍

Never been a Yorkshire man with that much milk in tea, bet they were PG tips bags aswell

As I've said in other comments, a good tent must be able to be set up with frozen hands. I suggest adding zipper ties to make them easier to manipulate as an improvement. It's also very difficult to get the poles right without squeezing the opening to get them in. You'd have to keep the opening open so you wouldn't have to use your fingers. Please try simulating frozen hands and try setting up the Soulo. My English isn't good. I hope you understand what I meant. Thank you.

Very clever even dare I say brilliant.
Now here is the BUT.
How do you expect us less than perfect mortals follow that.

Great & honest review as always Al. Must admit Ive admired Hillebergs from afar with naive enthusiasm but seeing that tent for £1k I think Ill stick to my MSR & as you say a great tent is one that gets used & I would say makes you smile every time you get in it.

ARROGANCE IS NOT YOUR FAULT, IT'S YOUR DEMISE. IN AMERICA WE HOLD TRUE TO INTEGRITY AND CLASS. YOU HOLD NOTHING MORE THAN A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A MAN. GROW UP AND CHECK YOURSELF CUPCAKE. OH, BY THE WAY, TRY NOT TO BORE THE VIEWERS WITH THE SAME WORTHLESS CONTENT TIME AND TIME AGAIN. TOOL

$1000 that like $2000+ NZ ouch

Sorry about your tent. Some good things here. I really like the adjustable floor idea and the mesh storage. As far as the zippers go they are usually not an issue for me because I have tinnitus so I can’t hear that great anyway. I have seen people tie cordage around the end of the zipper. Use glow in the dark cordage to find the zippers at night. I live in northern Colorado and it’s so dry here I have little issue with condensation unless I’m on snow but I’m subjected to very high winds here and that makes it easier to manage.

Wow a portal. Beautifully built

Chuck norris needs no tent 😂

I own one and yeah probably doesn't get enough use - mainly health issues at moment but I agree with all those points. It's damn good but yeah I find the following items an issue: 1) price 2) weight 3) height and length inside isn't best. 4) storage pockets far too small 5) noisy in rain and wind 6) water ingress at porch ; what I will say is I do use mine with a footprint. This means the flip-flopping of the bathtub is less of an issue as it's on top of another sheet. It also helps with pitching as the base can be clearer distinguished and aid laying it out and increase internal usable space a bit. I unhook it to cook and put it back afterwards. What I do think is these really are snow and wind tents for the high country. They are designed really to be used in Sweden and the like in the tunnel format and pulled on pulks which negates the size and weight elements. Most tents in the same spec are in the same price bracket; the only way to nullify the risk would be to go up cairngorms in -20C and 60mph wind using a Vango Banshee for £60 off fleabay - and take your chances - but offset them cos you're sleeping in an Everest down body suit (like you did in a previous video) lmao

Love the mods - just ordering some dynema 😂

Now I wanna see a video with all that criticisms and how to improve your Fjallraven tents.

The Fjällräven floor-ring thing is indeed genius