Bibler Tents Eldorado

Review Date
October 10, 2007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: Tim Eihausen(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer

Price Paid:  $575.00 at Ouray Mtn Sports

Summary:
I have no clue what people are talking about concerning condensation. I have used my Eldo in many temps and humidity levels and have never experienced any condensation whatsoever, even with two people. We just got back from the Weminuche, where my "Yellow Submarine" stood tall in level 1 hurricane force wind that destroyed trees,caused rockslides and flattened the megamid next to me. With earplugs I slept through the whole thing.I have owned many tents in the last 30 years, nothing comes close. I would highly recommend the Eldo to anyone who sleeps outside.

Customer Service:
Black Diamond recently purchased Bibler, and B.D. rocks

Similar Products Used:
Too many to count.

Review Date
February 2, 2004

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Reviewed by: DangerousDave(Unregistered User) ,  Paddler , from Arlington, VA, USA

Price Paid:  $550.00 at pro-deal

Summary:
I used this thing last weekend in the Dolly Sods Wilderness in WV. It performed quite well in temperatures that dropped to -10F and winds up to 30mph. We were reasonably warm and sheltered from the wind. Okay, you get a little condensation - it beats freezing. It stood up to blowing snow and held two people with a bit of gear. One recommendation that I'd make is to use snow stakes the stake down the vestibule. The loop pulled off of standard stake that Bibler included. I doubt that I would have attempted this trip with many other tents and I'm willing to pay the extra cash to not be a popsicle.

Customer Service:
n/a

Similar Products Used:
Nothing else has come close.

Review Date
May 6, 2003

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1 votes

Reviewed by: blanchjoe(Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer , from Portland Or

Price Paid:  $500.00 at eBay

Summary:
Good tent yes, but not for everyone. I am somewhat of a tent-o-phile and have used several different tents over the years.
I Went from a NorthFace 25 ( very heavy but a true bomb shelter though the fly portal is too small for easy access without digging an entrance way into the tent ) but I’ve wanted a Bibler for some time, and finally found a good used one on eBay.

I have used the Bibler snow packing on Hood, and have used it on Adams and the Trinity Alps within early and late season snow, electrical storms and cold snaps

While it is easy to use, and light ( the good aspects of the single wall ) and it does hold up quite well, condensation is a REAL problem once you have more than one person inside the tent in harsh conditions ( and can be a minor problem with even one person ).

All of our gear, and exposed clothing, and bags were full of small puddles that collect water that falls from above via the internal rods and rain down upon you irregardless of venting ( we were forced to leave the door cover open significantly to compensate ).

However this problem disappears once the temperature drops to 10 degrees centigrade and below as the cold becomes extreme enough that the moisture freezes directly to the upper section of the tent and flakes off when the tent is broken down, though once warmer elevations are reached the tent MUST be aired out completely.

I have since changed religions and gone back to the double walled realm and I currently use a MoutainHardware Trango 2 and I have been very, very happy with it. Good Luck!

Review Date
March 17, 2003

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Visitors rate this review
2.33 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by: Richard (Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $600.00 at Paddy Pallin

Summary:
Warning:
The single purpose tent as a shelter for lighweight mountaineering in very cold dry conditions. Do not be fooled into the hype that this tent will perform in any other conditions.

This tent will not handle rain or humidity at all. In fact this tent only performed adequately in conditions where the weather was so good that a tent wasn't required at all. I guess that defeats any lightweight claims as I would have been better off leaving it behind. I have used the tent in a variety of conditions: wetsnow, light/heavy rain, even heavy dew and all were enough to cause extreme condensation and wetness through the floor. Basically any gear in contact with the floor will be soaked.

Yes as you can tell I'm bitter and twisted and do feel ripped off but I hope this review will make people think twice and not make the same mistake I did. Buy a $5 plastic emergency survival bag instead and you will be doing yourself a favour as the performance is remarkably similar.

The bottom line is that it's not a good feeling to have gear you can't rely on and this tent has considerably detracted from my enjoyment of remote hiking and skiing.

Customer Service:
Have had the tent checked for defective manufacture and evidently it is fine -in effect this means it's designed to be wet inside.

Similar Products Used:
Sierra Designs, Macpac, Wild Country

Review Date
November 12, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Mickey (Unregistered User) ,  Mountaineer

Price Paid:  $600.00 at Pro-deal

Summary:
The Bibler Eldorado is a phenominal tent. The simple fact that there is no fly makes it easier to set up than any double walled tent. While I have experience slight condensation in the tent, the light weight and bombproof performance easily outweighs this minute drawback. It sets up very easily and fits two climbers and gear comfortably. The tent has seen an easy trip to Rainier and much worse experiences in Colorado. Each time is has held up beautifully and provided the security of a vault when zipped. Even when fully zipped to prevent the introduction of serious spindrift through the vents, condensation was minimal at most. I would replace the Eldo with the exact same tent should that ever be required. The second door seems pointless on a lightweight tent so I opted to do without it.