Matt C wrote (see)

£299 sounds like a fantastic price for the SL Quasar. I've had one for a year now but I had to pay full whack (around £400) to get it when it first came out. A very quick google just now didn't obviously bring up anything under £370.

I've used mine year round and it's handled some really foul mountain weather. For the weight it's an amazing 2-person tent. I did carry it solo for one trip last Feb (the first 'Windy' meet when we camped high on Kirk Fell and then Lingmell), but in general I'd consider it too much to use for solo trips.

yes Matt, I recall it well and it was a jolly good thing you had that beast with you seeing as we had such extreme weather........

sorry edited to add the

no need to rub it in Dave.

Ceri,

Buy a small tent now, a one man/woman one, and later if you want somethng for two people go for a three man that will probably only weight .5kg more than it's 2man equivelent.  The 3 man tent will be so much more comfortable for two than say a two man is for one. 

That said I have carried my 6.5kg 3 man F10 Spindrift on a few solo trips up mountains but I can't recomend this unless you need to carry excess weight for training purposes etc or are just plain crazy.

One last thing about an akto (and other hillebergs)is speed of pitching.  Put a couple of pegs in one end, put in pole, put in rest of pegs and guylines.  The TN will take considerably longer to pitch. 

fb wrote (see)

no need to rub it in Dave.

what the complete and utter lack of wind in any shape or form you mean????

ok I wont......

I'm glad you think my SL Quasar was overkill for those conditions ID.....  but are you by implication admitting that your Hilleberg Allak wasn''t?

I do hope you haven't broken it!! 

Hayden Holloway wrote (see)

One last thing about an akto (and other hillebergs)is speed of pitching.  Put a couple of pegs in one end, put in pole, put in rest of pegs and guylines.  The TN will take considerably longer to pitch. 

Having both a Laser Comp and an Akto I'd say there's very little in it for speed of pitching.

And the SL Voyager (or Quasar)aren't exactly sluggish to go up. 

I was not trying to say that the voyager is slow to go up but it will take more time in order of minutes to pitch than say an Akto. 

It will also be harder to pitch on your own in a blow, in fact if it is very windy and you can't find a sheltered spot there is a real danger of pole breakages because you have to leave the poles unsuported by guylines whilst you attach the flysheet.