There was a time in my life when you could have looked in my closet and seen nearly every solo shelter a hunter could buy. Each one had their own particular use, but none of them were versatile enough to cover all seasons and situations.

Then I found the Hilleberg Akto.

Fully setup in four-season mode, the Akto weighs in at 3 pounds 5 ounces. Now I realize that that’s a bit heavy for some of you ounce counters, but the tent is designed to take anything Mother Nature can throw at it.

But if Rocky Mountain wind and snow isn’t your bag, you can make the Akto lighter, swapping out its inner liner with the Hilleberg bug net. This takes less than a minute and now your four-season tent is a bombproof three-season shelter.

The tent can also be setup with just its footprint and fly for summer scouting. I also use this configuration in the fall for long trips when every ounce counts. In this mode is comes in at just 2 pounds 4 ounces, but with plenty of strength and durability.

So to put things into perspective, here are some numbers to think about:

•    A common four-season bivy sack is going to weigh just under 2 pounds and cost somewhere between $180-299. You add a standard 8x10 tarp shelter to that and you add an additional pound and another $100.

•    The best ultra light three-season tents on the market come in around 2 pounds and will cost about $300. These tents will generally struggle through extreme winds and snow load.

•    As for four-seasons, the Akto is a dual-wall tent whereas most other comparable shelters are single wall. And as most of you know, a single wall shelter is going to have condensation issues. These tents will also cost you $500 or more and 5 pounds of pack weight.

With the Akto, Hilleberg cracked the code on solo shelters. In one package you get a bomber four-season shelter, an ultra light three-season shelter and a barebones summer shelter. Time to clean out my hunting closet.