Bibler Tents I-Tent

Review Date
June 24, 2002

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: Rudy Ortiz(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from Mancos, Colorado, USA

Price Paid:  $398.00 at REI

Summary:
This review is on the Bibler Tempest. I needed a light weight tent that had decent head room, floor space and double vestibules. In addition, I REALLY dislike condensation. Given all these criteria, a Bibler Tempest or Torre seemed the logical choice.

The good points are:
1. the tent is well made
2. Unless it is really cold there is no condensation build-up
3. the tent is reasonably light though I don't think it is as light as Bibler claims.
4. set-up, once you've tried it a couple of times, is fairly simple even for one person
5.the tent is tight as a drum
6. the interior space is very usable and the vestibule space is good

The bad things are:
1. A tent that costs this much should be seam-sealed throughout. With the slave-labor wages Bibler is paying the Chinese to make this tent, it could NOT cost them that much more to seam-seal the entire tent.
2. Seam-sealing the tent thouroughly is an incredible hassle and takes about a week to do correctly. If one doesn't seal the tent one area at a time, you'll have parts sticking to each other, creating an unsightly mess.
3. the tent doesn't come with enough stakes to stake and guy everything down correctly. This is probably one way Bibler gets the "packed weight" figure down as low as it does.
4. the tent entry ways are hard to get in and out of due to the vestibule "door" design

All-in all, one pays a very high price, figuratively and actually speaking, to get some neat features not found anywhere else.

Customer Service:
Have not had to use them

Similar Products Used:
Kelty and Walrus tents.

Review Date
April 29, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2 votes

Reviewed by: Cosmo4all(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $700.00 at Desert Rock Sports,

Summary:
Price includes some extras - ground cloth, gear hang, veste
Two weeks in the high country of Red Rock Park west of Las Vegas NV ... Enjoyed the quick setup and dry insides for several harsh thunder storms - wind was no problem as the tent comes with a full array of tie down points.
Six months in the White Mountains of NH ... a bit cramped for extended living but kept me alive and in good shelter on Mt. Madison mid December with gusts above 70 mph. It was a piece of cake to set up ... well as much as it can be when you have a steady 50 mph wind blowing on you... tie it down (every line avail) crawl inside and get the poles set.
Had a leaking problem that came to notice during a two week period of storms that flooded the area. (new coating of seam sealer fixd it)
Interior tabs that hold poles in place came off in extreme cold when heavy condensation formed on inside of tent then froze during night.
Overall its my best tent by far - light, small package, dries off quickly/freeze off and shake, lock it down tight and it gives almost no flutter in high wind...

Customer Service:
Bibler fixed pole stays inside tent, but International Mountain Equipment - North Conway would not give me any assistance in the use of a tent while Bibler Fixed the tent (for no charge) so I slept op

Similar Products Used:
North Face Bivy Bag, Walrus 4 Season Dome, Serria Design 4 Season Dome

Review Date
February 28, 2002

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Reviewed by: Joe McCauley(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker , from Ehrwald,Austria& Houston,Texas

Price Paid:  $700.00 at Bibler (direct from

Summary:
We bought the 2-person Bibler in '94 to use in the Alps, leaked like a sieve even with twice sealing it. Sent it back to bibler, they repaired and pressure tested it. worked fine in downpours in the Dolomites in summer '95. Had a second son, didn't use it again til 6/01, leaked worse than ever. Meanwhile, with a 'lifetime guarantee', Bibler sold out to a fly-by-night company who wanted $200 to repair it. We said no thanks, will throw it in the trash and buy a VauDe or Northface. We originally bought the Bibler because of weight (my wife and I sometimes carry up to 20 kilos each for weeks at a time), and because of the price the 'lifetime guarantee' was very important. Advice: don't buy from a US company, they're too likely to become 'successful' and sell out. We also have Dana Alpine backpacks that we bought in '94, better backpacks don't exist, certainly not to compare with what's put out by the company that bought our Dana. Again, ..., well, use your own judgement.

Similar Products Used:
VauDe 3-man tent. Paid $200 for it in 7/96, used it with our 2 boys in downpours in the Alps and cartrips to and through Norway, never leaked a drop!

Review Date
January 29, 2002

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: Mongoose(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer

Price Paid:  $545.00 at Some online store

Summary:
The tent is easy to setup and lightweight, the main reasons I bought it.

One time I had to make an emergency campsite on the side of Mt. Washington, above treeline. The wind was blowing at 45mph with 65mph wind gusts. I staked the Bibler tent out in all four corners and setup the poles. The tent held together well for about 5 hours. After that the pole ends worked loose from the metal grommets. Then a pole punched through the reinforced fabric in the corners and came loose from the twist ties that hold the pole to the side. The whole tent collapsed on me. I tried to get the pole ends back in the grommets but they wouldn't stay. I ended up holding the whole tent down in my sleeping bag all night. Another problem is that the fabric is very fragile. When it flaps in the heavy wind the fabric can tear apart and the W/B laminate will come off.

I sent the tent in and Bibler repaired it. If you get this tent I would suggest putting something on the ends of the poles, like rubber balls or something, to prevent the pole ends from punching through the corners in a high wind. Also make sure it is anchored down ROCK SOLID. I would suggest asking Bibler to put a loop on the top of the tent to pass a rope through in order to put force down on the poles and keep them in place.

This tent may be lightweight and have very breathable fabric, but it is a very delicate tent. If you want some rugged and durable look elsewhere, but if you want something lightweight and you are very carefull with your tent, this tent would be a good choice.

Customer Service:
Had to send the tent in to be repaired. They had to put patches in the corners and the floor. It took two months but they didn''t charge me anything, so I guess it can''t complain too much? They didn'

Similar Products Used:
Mostly 3 season tents

Review Date
August 2, 2001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Reviewed by: alexander schwarzkopf(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from Kazakhstan

Summary:
Great tent, no condensation even with two people, but get two-door version and vestibule since the tent is quite small. Pitching is definately an advantage over double-wall tents.

If you are buying Bibler for weight advantage you may look for cheaper ways on cutting down the weight of your pack.

Similar Products Used:
None