Metro to Mountain Journal

This summer we carried a Marmot Swallow tent as a campground tent and a Bibler Eldorado as our backcountry tent. We were headed to the Tetons toward the end of our trip and knew from previous experiences of the heavy weather we might encounter. We left our little TarpTent in the closet.

After a little over a week into the trip the Marmot tent blew out one of the plastic windows that was welded to the fly. I thought that was supposed to be the strongest part of tent; but apparetly not. We stored the Swallow for the rest of the trip at our friend, Mark's house.

Never fear, Eldorado is here.

We put the four season, mountain tent into service. The Bibler is small for a campground tent. It does not have an extra rooms, a doggy door, built in lighting, or a screened porch. We did use the vestibule.

The tent was so small we wondered if our Therma-Rest Dream Time pads were going to fit in the narrow compartment. The pads not only fit; but perfectly.

We decided to use the Eldorado temporarily and then have our friends who were going to join us - stop by the house, find another tent, and bring it out to us. We could manage for a week or so in the small abode.

As the time approached for us to decide on which tent for our friends to find; we had changed our mind. We were enjoying the Eldorado so much that we didn't need a substitute.

By the end of the trip we were still raving about the Bibler's performance. It was small; but not necessarily cramped. There was enough headroom to sit up and read. Our tent has the custom two doors, so the ventilation was adequate.

The set-up was simple after finding a basic workable technique. One person can set the tent up. The trick is: the poles bend more than you think is possible. You are afraid you are going to break them. Gently bow the poles into the shape of the cross seams.

It is a self standing tent; but I would always (if possible) stake the tent down. The side pulls are very important to give the tent more livable space.

We pitched the tent a couple of times for stays of at least a week each time. The tent never needed adjusting. The material does not stretch like nylon.

In the mountains, the Bibler hums in the wind. It does not leak and condensation is not a problem. Using it in the Southeastern States is not quite as successful. The high humidity does not agree with the single layer fabric.

The Bibler Eldorado is a great mountain tent. There are few tents, if any, that might be considered as better. It allows you to sleep with confidence in the mountains every changing weather.

A few notes...

• Our Eldorado with the extra door weighs just less than five pounds.
• The vestibule (with extra pole) adds two pounds.
• The tent has a pocket in all four corners.
• We have a loft; but did not use it.
• The manufacturer's dimensions seemed accurate. 43 inches high, 51 inches wide, 87 inches long, 30.8 square feet.
• The bright yellow color is cheerful inside and is easy to spot from a distance.
• The only con is the cost, the MSRP is $599.00. Black Diamond makes Bibler Tents.

Happy Eldorado trails.