This bivy is one of the best I have tried and used. I own an older Bibler tent made of Toddex which for a single walled tent is fantastic, first class and the best. The moto "You get what you pay for" is true here. You will never need to spend any more money than your initial investment. I needed to reduce packing weight and this does it. I use a thermarest minimalist pad, Marmot parka, Mountain Hardware insulated pants and Northface 700 booties all for my sleeping bag. I have previously taken these items climbing anyway in addition to a tent and sleeping bag. Now I use the bivy, insulated outfit and have dropped about 8lbs altogether and stay just a warm, dry, not to mention the weight savings.
I recommend this bivy without reservation

Customer Service

Previously used for my tent and they are great. No problems with supplies or help with information.

As an avid backpacker, primarily hiking in the American Southwest in terrain that varies from the Grand Canyon to the 14ers in Colorado, I consider the Tripod one of my "must have" items for it's light weight, excellent constuction and ease of use. It's done well in all conditions that have been thrown it's way. While I've used it in winter and in the snow I have not been extreme cold conditions- but based on my current experiences I would not hesitate to do so.

It took a couple of times setting it up to get the sequence down but since then it is a snap. My other shelters are tents (mostly Mtn Hardwear) and I had an old (really old) Slumberjack biv that gave out many years ago. The important thing to understand is that this is a bivy, not a tent. Given that it is a bivy it is quite spacious- enough head room to read and roll over easily. I love the mesh and have found that when I wake to the feel of raindrops through the mesh I am able to zip up the outer layer quickly. The Tripod is bombproof in bad weather- there is nothing like being warm and dry in a down bag at 11,000 ft in the midst of a all night series of thunderstorms.

As a shorter person (5'4")there are some advantages in getting in and out of the bivy but I don't have any complaints with getting into or out of the bivy.

The only other reality is that it is such a bomber bivy that when the temps are warmer I make sure to downsize the sleeping bag to make sure I don't get too hot.

Overall- it is a light weight, well made biv shelter that delivers.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Slumberjack

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tripod Bivy: I had high expectations for this shelter but its design flaw was very aggravating. A bivy should set up almost instantly. The Tripod's head, however, is very difficult to erect. The head's 2 poles are ill-designed and too-tight-fitting.
Also, the zipper could be longer.
I wish the zipper were on the other side, too.
I lost my Tripod in the ravenous brush of the upper, trailless South Fork Kings River canyon this month. So I am looking for a new shelter of comparable weight but better design. [Note though that I love the Bibler Ahwanee and the El Dorado. I just hope that Bibler will improve the design of the head poles in the Tripod.]

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As I said, I like Bibler's Ahwanee and the El Dorado, both of which I've owned.

The first bivy I have used and although I have to admit it was a bit confining it is just right for a solo hiker looking to shed some serious weight. It props up in less then 60 seconds and the construction is impeccable. It is a bit pricey and you start wondering why you plunked down $300 for a piece of nylon and 3 poles but you stop thinking that when it is 3:00am cold and raining outside and you are inside nice and dry. Breathability is very good especially since it is designed so that even during rain you can keep it partially open. I'm not sure how it will be in the summer but did I mention that it's light? It packs down very well and together with the arroyo you have a very light package. My only warning is for you to bring some garbage bags because there is no room for you to put anything inside. Your bag will definitely not fit. All your gear will have to stay outside. There is some room above your head but not much.

Customer Service

never needed one

Similar Products Used:

None