Description Bibler Tripod Bivy Todd Bibler's latest creation. The Tripod Bivy is a larger, more spacious (and more civilized) incarnation of the bivy sack for solo adventures, lightweight trips, or anytime you do...
Summary: I'm an avid canoeist and go for 5+ day trips into the back-country of local Ontario (Canada)Provincial parks. I used to pack a two man Mountain Hardwear "Room With a View Tent) which is also a GREAT product (discontinued now) but found I wanted something lighter and more compact due to the extreme portaging that I do. I bought my buddy the OR advanced Bivy as a birthday gift a year prior to purchasing my Bibler tripod and I'm VERY happy I didn't get the OR for myself as well. Not that its a bad product, i just find the Tripod to be the perfect Bivy/Tent crossover, bare bones single person shelter out there. I also got a great deal which included the footprint for the price mentioned above. I haven't seam sealed it yet but you can tell this thing is water tight! The Todd Tex materials are VERY tough and effective. You can tell this is a higher end pcs. of equipment. I love the design and there was much more room in this little guy then I anticipated. I'm 6'1 & 195 Lbs. and I found the room to be quite adequate. Lets remember this is NOT a tent! If you require a lot of room you should be looking at Single man TENTS. I had no issues getting in or out of this as some have suggested. Slide your feet in first all the way down and duck your head under the canopy. Simple as that. I had room at the head to put my 10L dry bag and extra clothes. Set up was a bit tricky at first but once you do it a couple of times its a no-brainer. Head room is great and i can even hang a mini flashlight inside allowing me to read. The bug mesh is great and sleep with it open at night allowing a breeze and a great view of the stars, AWESOME! My only gripes with this Bivy is that it is a 4 SEASON pcs. of equipment and thus due to the tough water tight materials can get pretty warm inside. Not recommended to sleep in on extreme humid hot nights. I did this with the window open and there was some condensation on the polls inside the bivy, felt like i was in an oven! I would recommend adding foot vents and maybe side hidden vents near the head. People say they can't set it up in rain. I don't know about most people but I always bring a tarp in case bad weather. I use a lean-to set up allowing me to keep equipment and part of the Bivy dry. I also use a Sea Line pro pack which keeps all my gear dry regardless. I keep it right near the door in case i need to access it. All in all AWESOME! I would have given it a 5 star rating but after being roasted one night and lack of foot vent(at the least) i had to remove a star. It is a bit pricey, same cost as a descent 2 man tent. For people looking to lighten the load and conserve space, while being able to have a bombproof sleeping system this is the way to go! This is my first Bibler (distributed by Black Diamond) product and I don't think I'll buy a tent from any other manufacturer for quite some time. Their quality and attention to detail as seen on this product is unmatched!
Customer Service: Never had to use
Similar Products Used: OR Advanced Bivy
Would you like to Comment? Join OutDoorReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Reviewed by: ZiyaDikman(Unregistered User)
,
Backpacker
, from Mountain View, CA, USA
Price Paid:
$285.00
at Northern Mountain Su
Summary: I've been quite satisfied with my Bibler Bivy and highly recommend it. I'd strongly encourage anybody considering buying a bivy to try this one out as I've never been dissatisfied with my purchase.
Pros: Very lightweight, roomy (for a bivy), incredibly well built (a brick S#!^house), small footprint, well ventilated (for a bivy), nice color, did I mention light weight, bug screen, inner gear pocket?
Cons: (only two, relatively minor ones) Getting into the thing can be a pain. I'm 6'3" and have the X-long model and need to go through a bit of bending and folding to work my way in to the sack. As noted in other reviews 12 inches more on the zipper would be just right. Setup... the fit of the poles is rather tight. I find it a bit disconcerting to be stretching the poles and fabric so much, but on the other hand once I get them in the thing feels ultra-stable. While I haven't needed it, I get the feeling that Bibler/Black Diamond will stand behind their products and would take care of things if a seam blew out which I find very difficult to believe.
Recommendation to Bibler if they ever read this kinda stuff: I'd love to see a couple of clear, vinyl pannels on the sides of the bivy in future models... it feels a bit claustrophobic only being able to look out in one direction. Oh yeah... and a longer zipper.
Customer Service: None needed
Similar Products Used: None
Would you like to Comment? Join OutDoorReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Reviewed by: Pete (Unregistered User)
,
Backpacker
, from Corner Brook, NL
Price Paid:
$200.00
at Off the Internet
Summary: I bought the Bibler off the Internet to use as a light weight piece of camping equipment for solo excursions. I have a Moss Superdome which is too heavy for solo treking. I'll break it down in Pros and Cons!
Pro: VERY light weight and very well constructed! I find the Todd-Tex fabric super and have used it in all conditions, from sun, rain and snow. Never leaked and I stayed dry. The headroom is great for a bivy, and the mesh "window" makes it quite breathable to cut down condensation. Good for reading, removing contacts etc., and the side pocket is handy too!
Cons: As other people stated, I think there is a small design flaw when it comes to setting the bivy up. The two head poles are VERY tight, and difficult to fit in grommets. Easier getting in the grommets than taking them out though. Feels like the seams may tear at any moment, or may break a pole! In the cold Newfoundland weather this can be a miserable task! I think this situation really needs to be looked at. Also, this is NOT a tent! I'm 6'1" (195 pounds) and it's pretty cramped. No room for anything else but a fleece or two for a pillow. Bit tricky to move around in also. This is fine when the weather is nice, but in foul weather, you have to undress outside and then crawl in. This means getting wet! Pretty hard to crawl into also if you are tall! Zipper should be extended more.
Conclusion: If you are a weight freak looking for a very light, very well constructed piece of equipment, this bivy is for you. I think if you camp in a area where you have 4 seasons (like Canada!) a small light weight solo tent (Moss Outland, MSR 1.5, Walrus 1.5) might be a little better. Durability might be down a little in bad weather, but much more room and you can dress, undress in one.
That said, I will keep the Bibler (excellent bivy for drier days), but look for a solo tent for more "nastier" days!
Customer Service: Never needed to use it!
Similar Products Used: NF and OR bivys
Would you like to Comment? Join OutDoorReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Reviewed by: Pete (Unregistered User)
,
Backpacker
, from Colorado
Price Paid:
$0.00
Summary: Hmmmm, I have mixed feelings about this bivy.
I love the fact that I was able to shave off over 2lbs. from my pack weight and the construction of the bivy is the best I've ever seen. Set-up is easy enough and, well, it does do everything it is supposed to. It is a quality one-man shelter. I've had no problems with condensation or claustrophobia.
But, here are my gripes, written from the viewpoint of someone who is used to slightly larger one and two-man tents. So, this is not the opinion of a die-hard bivy fan, but this is what I found.
The zipper does need to be at least 6-12 inches longer to facillitate entry and exit.
I still haven't figured out how I would set this tent up in a downpour and not get EVERYTHING wet. As one puts the sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and wet self into the bivy you cannot avoid getting a ton of water inside unless you set up a tarp first under which you can set up the bivy. But then, I might as well take my TNF Slickrock.
In dry weather country this bivy performs well, in snowy conditions this bivy performs well, when rain is threatening...set the thing up before the rain gets to you.
Be aware that almost no gear will fit inside. This is important to me because I carry photo equipment.
My conclusion is that before buying you should see one set up, get in/out, imagine yourself in various weather situations, etc. and see if it fits your style.
Customer Service: Not needed
Similar Products Used: TNF, Walrus, SD, Jansport, one and two-man tents
Would you like to Comment? Join OutDoorReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
Reviewed by: Evan W(Unregistered User)
,
Backpacker
, from Chicago, IL USA
Price Paid:
$298.00
at Bibler.com
Summary: This is easily the best bivy I have ever used, Todd Bibler has found the happy lightweight medium between the claustrophobic bivy bag and the 1 person tent. The breathable Todd-Tex fabric is amazing especially with the amount of light it lets in (nice when you're stuck in your bivy during a storm) and it's moisture management. Also, once you use it a few times setup is a snap. The quality construction of this tent is worth every penny of the $300 I paid for it. This bivy outperforms my TNF Soloist bivy which I used for a number of years before purchasing this, it felt like a waterproof sleeping bag cover with a hood, very claustrophobic. My Bibler Tripod bivy is my most trusted piece of equipmentt
Similar Products Used: TNF Soloist Bivy
Would you like to Comment? Join OutDoorReview for a free account, or Login if you are already a member.
4 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5
3 of 5
3 of 5
5 of 5
