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

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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

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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.

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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!

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'

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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.

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None

Wasn't about to pay full price for this tent, so I waited until it went on sale at Northern Mountain. Got it cheap because of a "cosmetic blem" that I haven't found yet. Anyway, on to my review...
The tent is small, light and easy to set up. Don't bother with 2 doors, because chances are you won't be able to fit two people into this tent. I bought this tent for winter use only, and it fits myself and my gear inside. If I ever attempt to use it with a second person, I'll get the vestibule.
I agree with almost all of Bibler's advertising, but this tent really didn't breathe well, even though the top vents and the bottom of the door were unzipped. I had flakes of frost falling on my face all night, and woke up with a layer of frost covering both the tent fabric and the poles. And this was on a clear, cold, dry night.
But that really doesn't affect my opinion that this is a great tent, once you factor in strength, weight and ease of setup.

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I love the tent....I have had it for 5 years and never had a single problem. The only thing is in warm weather I get a bit of condensation. Get it with 2 doors!

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I love the tent....I have had it for 5 years and never had a single problem. The only thing is in warm weather I get a bit of condensation. Get it with 2 doors!

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None

I recently purchased the 2-door I-Tent from the Bibler website. I was in between buying a single-man tent or bivy sack for solo winter ascents when I decided to purchase the I-Tent. The factor that pushed my decision to buy a solo tent was the amount of time I actually spend in a tent during the winter. Since the weather is always worse and the days are shorter in winter, I didn't want to be trapped in a bivy sack for 12+ hours a day. This is where the I-Tent comes into play. The I-Tent provides the perfect amount of space for 1 person and all winter gear. One sidenote, this tent would be extremely tight with two people and I would not recommend using this as a two person shelter in anything other than an emergency. Here is how I review the factors I find important when using a tent:

1.) Construction/Durability: This tent is built extremely well. You can tell the durability and immaculate construction of this tent as soon as you pull it out of its stuff sack. All seams are clean and sealed and everything looks as if it were hand made.

Grade: A+

2.) Weight: This tent is very light especially when you consider the protection you are getting in extreme weather. I haven't weighed this tent yet, but I really don't notice the weight in my pack considering all of the other extra gear you have to pack for solo winter trips.

Grade: A-

3.) Interior and Features: The interior is perfect for fitting yourself and all of your gear. There are 4 pockets on each corner of the tent that provide great storage areas for headlamps and such to keep them out of the way. The yellow color of the tent is also cheery and bright in bad weather (this is nice if your stuck in your tent for any long period of time) One thing about the size of the interior is that I am 5'10" and my feet and head touch the ends of the tent. This really isn't a negative quality because I don't find it uncomfortable and the smallish size of the tent enables you to place it in very small areas.

Grade: B+

Breathabilty: I just used this tent on Mt Elbert while it snowed about 3 feet. I woke up in the morning and found frost on the inside of the tent. I was "unhappy" about this at first since Bibler swears by the breathability of their ToddTex fabric. I stepped outside of the tent and found it covered in ice and snow. When I say ice and snow, I mean about a half inch of ice covering the entire tent and several inches of snow on top of that. I really don't think any tent fabric will breathe in conditions like that. I purchase the 2 door model for better ventilation in summer. Until I use it more and can test the breathabilty, I am only giving breathabilty a mediocre grade.

Grade: B

4.) Ease of Set-up: I find this tent difficult to set up. The poles seem to be cut to long and make it VERY hard to slide them into the corner buttons that hold them. The only thing that is saving this factor from a low grade is that you can set this tent up from the inside in inclimate weather.

Grade: B-

5.) General: This category consists mostly of personal preferences and some of those factors you just can't describe. I feel safe in this tent in the roughest weather and harshest conditions. I like the space provided to read and do other things when the weather is bad. The tent is light enough to take anywhere and small enough to place anywhere.

Grade: A+

This tent is expensive and may take a while to justify a purchse this big. If you are serious into the sport and challenges of hiking, climbing, and mountaineering, then this is a great tent and will provide you years of use.
Check it out, as with any gear, and determine if this tent is for you.

Customer Service

When I purchased the tent directly from the company, the sales people gave me a status on the shipping twice a day. I also found their representatives to be friendly and helpful.

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Bought a two-door I-tent in 98. Used it for about four (out of five) months on a PCT thru-hike. Also used it quite a few nights later.
- Fabric/condensation: The fabric seem to work as advertised. Never had any real condensation problems on the fabric, but the poles get a lot of

condensation in cold/wet wheather.
- Size: The I-tent is 2 person, and two people will survive, but it's really better for one person. I'm between 5.9 and 6 and my head and feet

will touch the fabric. Not a big problem though.
- Rain (and snow): Rain is really bad for the I-tent. The fabric and the top vents work fine, but the door construction is horrible. It's

impossible to get in/out while it's raining without getting a lot of water inside. The length of the tent makes this worse as it's difficult to

get stuff away from the opening (because it's so short). I have the optional vestibule that partly fix the problem, but it's heavy (and

expensive). Another solution is using a small tarp over the opening. That works fine unless it's really windy. It's also a fairly light/cheap

solution.
Another problem in rain is the ground sheet. I use the original one from Bibler, and it's so big that rain will end up between the bottom of the

tent and the ground sheet. Better to buy a smaller non-Bibler one.
The I-tent also seem to leak in spite of the seams being taped. First time I've seen a problem like that in a tent. Using the seam sealer

(provided and reccomended by Bibler) solved the problem.
- Weight. My I-tent weigh A LOT more than Bibler states. Partly because the second door. Bibler's ads says you can remove the bug net in the

doors. You can't.
- Durabilty: The fabric and poles seem to hold up very well. I've used my tent somewhere between 75 and 100 nights. Still OK and it looks very

wellmade. There are some problems though. There are velcro strips to fix the poles in place. haven't used them that much, but they still show some

wear.
The corners get some wear when you set up the tent. They are reinforced, but there will always be a short while before you get the poles into the

metal "buttons". Mine wore thru (both corners) in less than 3 weeks even though I was very careful.
- Other complaints:
The stuff sac isn't waterproof.
The poles are made from different length sections - bad. The longest sections wont fit inside the stuff sack - VERY BAD.
There are nowhere to put the pegs (when the zip-lock they come in wears out).
Overall: Pretty good tent, but too expensive for what you get.

Customer Service

Very helpful when I got the wrong vestibule.

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