West Coast Bivy

very intuitive. seems to work well.

This shelter goes up in two minutes if you take your time and nap in between staking it down and inserting the single pole. The stakes are the wire style but thick and pre-pointed for easy insertion. If you bend one of these stakes then you need to leave your sledgehammer at home. It has plenty of room for one person and gear and you can sit up with plenty of room for elbows and getting dressed. The entry door is easy to get in and out of. I'm six feet 170 pounds so not much of a challenge for space. If you are a Leviathan, you might want something bigger but at 87 inches in length, tall people should not be fearful of this shelter. The three sided bug net offers lots of ventilation. This tent will not offer protection for rain, snow, and cold. It is best in hot arid climates. If you need protection from rain, snow, and wind you will need to buy a tarp. The recommended tarp was 10 feet by 13 feet. When you add a footprint, large tarp, and the shelter - it all will fit in the stuff sack the tent comes with - the weight will go to 4.5 pounds or more depending on the material used for the footprint and tarp. The bath tub is nice and deep to keep out moisture and sand or dirt. The workmanship was very good on seems. I found it easiest to set the pole by inserting one end in the pole keeper, stabilizing the pole on the other side with one hand and setting the free end in the keeper by holding it at the very end.

I don't know if I would classify this as a bivy but it's not really a tent either. One thing is for sure though it is fantastic. I had my self and two little kids in it comfortably but would still consider it a one man two if your married shelter. The large mesh area provides fantastic ventilation even when the tarp is staked down on top of it. The way it is itemized you have limitless options on how to set it up. I have just slept through a thunder storm in it without a drop of water coming in and even my gear out side the shelter under the tarp was dry. There wasn't any trees around so I just had the tarp staked to the ground. Getting in and out was no problem because the straps help give the tarp lift and maneuverability while keeping it secure. It is very light weight and holds up well even in storms. The large amount of ventilation makes this ideal for warm weather camping and when you stake down the tarp it adds insulation but is still well ventilated. It packs down to a good size making it ideal for backpacking and with all the options you have for setting it up it is very versatile in where you can place it. I had received this and other shelters to test them out for our scouts to possibly order more. The two I have come to enjoy were the single pole bivy and this west coast shelter. Between the two if you are not counting every gram in your pack I would suggest this one but the single pole bivy also is a fantastic shelter with more room than other bivies I own.I would highly recommend this shelter and I plan on buying more of them.

I used it for five weeks in Hawaii beneath a tarp roof, it's a tremendous product at a fair price, but it needs a roll down tie down flap on the outside of course for the head end.

Better than traditional tent set up and excellent for backpacking. My girlfriend and I used this set up for the first time last weekend for an overnight hike/camping trip and it was great. Of course it started raining before we got to the camp site but the tarp was easy to set up, and huge! There is plenty of room under this thing to navigate and cook outside of the tent but out of the rain. It was big enough for the two of us to snuggle and sleep as well without discomfort. Set up is super easy and is very light compared to other tents in this price range is a definite must. Can't wait to take it on longer hiking/camping trips.