Friday, January 24, 2025
Tents: Compare
Now comparing
Price
Report Card Grade
Pros
relatively inexpensive family tent with 160 ft² of space; vertical walls offer more interior space; interior door offers privacy and great ventilation; ability to block windows in the screen room for additional privacy/weather protection; good water resistance; E! Power port
extremely lightweight; quick/easy to set up; offers great stability and protection in inclement weather; spacious interior and vestibule; Kerlon 1200 fabric is extremely durable (4-5x stronger than most so-called "expedition grade" tent materials)
one of the most spacious 3-person tents on the market; good ceiling height and storage space for its category; easy to set up with DAC® Jake's Feet system; good ventilation; good weather/water resistance; multi-pocket organizer panel is a step up from just normal tent pockets; reflective guy lines for nighttime visibility; NEMO Equipment, Inc. makes a huge effort to be a green company
Cons
screen room doesn't have a floor and the sod cloth didn't protect a few reviewers from insects (and even a small animal) from getting into the tent; cabin style tents are very unstable in windy conditions because of their high walls; flat top means water can pool on the fly if you don't use guylines to change the slope; pretty heavy
expensive; not freestanding; some issues with condensation inside the tent
relatively expensive; it's on the heavier side for tents in this category; some reviewers thought it was really difficult to get the poles to release during takedown
Seasonality
3-season
4-season (but not designed for use in extreme weather or above the tree line)
3-season
Ideal Activities
Family, car, or base camping
Backpacking
Backpacking
Capacity
5-person
1-person
3-person
Price
$419.90
$465
$381.95 -$449.95
Warranty
Limited lifetime warranty
Varies by region/country
Limited lifetime warranty
Interior and/or Vestibule Space
It has 160 ft² of interior space that is divided equally between the sleeping room (80 ft²) and the screen room (80 ft²).
It has an 18.3 ft² sleeping room and an 8.6 ft² vestibule.
It has a 50 ft² sleeping room and two 12 ft² vestibules.
Interior Height (max.)
7'
3'
4'
Weight
35 lbs and 6 oz
3 lbs and 8 oz
6 lbs and 13 oz
Design Type
Freestanding, cabin style tent
Stake down, tunnel style tent
Freestanding, dome style tent
Frame
Nine 12.7 mm & 16 mm fiberglass and 19.5 mm steel poles
Single 9 mm DAC Featherlite NSL pole (small fiberglass rods in the bottom corners of the outer tent provide extra height around your head when lying down)
Four DAC 9/9.6 mm Featherlite Aluminum Poles
Tent Body Materials
75D 190T polyester taffeta, 1200 mm coated
Highly breathable fabric that has a durable, water-repellent finish.
30D nylon rip-stop with 1500 mm waterproof polyurethane coating
Rainfly Material
75D 190T polyester taffeta, 1200 mm coated
Kerlon 1200 (nylon fabric that has three coatings of silicone on both the inner and outer surface)
30D nylon rip-stop with 1500 mm waterproof polyurethane coating
Floor Material/Design
75D 190T polyester taffeta, 1200 mm coated (one-piece bathtub style design)
Kerlon 1200 (one-piece bathtub style design)
30D nylon rip-stop with 5000 mm waterproof polyurethane coating (one-piece bathtub style design)
Mesh Material
68D polyester no-see-um mesh
No-see-um mesh
Lightweight no-see-um mesh
Ventilation
Features 6 large mesh windows, 3 mesh doors and a full panel mesh roof, all of which can be opened/closed based on the amount of ventilation needed.
The tent has a mesh panel on the door, a triangular mesh window on the opposite wall and two opposing vents on the other walls. All are fully adjustable and make it easy to regulate internal moisture and temperature.
Fly can be opened on both ends for cross ventilation. In warm, dry conditions, you can remove the outer fly and just use the mesh inner tent.
Doors
3 doors (2 exterior and 1 interior)
1 door
2 doors (protected by vestibules)
Packed Dimensions
29" x 10" dia.
22.83" x 6.69" dia.
22" x 6.5" dia.
Vestibule/Storage
In addition to the 80 ft² screen room, the tent is designed with interior storage pockets and comes with 2 gear lofts.
Tent has one 8.6 ft² vestibule and also features an interior storage pocket.
Tent is designed with two 12 ft² vestibules and it also has a multi-pocket organizer panel ("Gear Caddy"). A Gear Loft is available and sold separately ($25).
Set Up
Two people can easily set up the tent in about 20 minutes thanks to its shockcorded steel and fiberglass frame, clip attachments, and ring and pin assembly. You won't need to use stakes or guy lines except in case of severe weather.
With its single-pole tunnel design and linked inner and outer tents, a solo traveler can easily pitch the Akto in 2-3 minutes. It comes with 10 stakes total but only requires 4 stakes for each of the guylines to pitch it. You can use the other 6 stakes if you want additional stability.
One person can quickly and easily set up the tent in under 10 minutes because it features the DAC® Jake's Feet corner anchor system. Basically, it uses ball and socket attachments that lock in the main poles and then act as levers to keep the tent corners grounded while the rainfly is pulled over the top of the tent. DAC® J-Stakes are also available if extra stability is required in windy conditions.
Extras
Designed to accommodate the Eureka! rope light if you want to purchase one ($20).
None
Tent features the LightPocket™, which holds your headlamp and has a diffusing fabric to provide even lighting in the tent.
Facebook
