Bibler Ahwahnee Tent

"This tent is a piece of cake to set up. Takes less than 2 minutes. If you can't figure it out you probably shouldn't be camping... at least unsupervised. Best tent ever, but pray you don't have to deal with Black Diamonds customer service. I bought my Ahwahnee before BD acquired Bibler. After 10 years of regular use, I had some problems with the tent. I've sent it back to BD 3 times now and they have done nothing. The last "rejection" note I got from them was actually insulting. I loved this tent, but I won't buy another one because I hate Black Diamond."

"In my previous review I had lots of nice things to say about this tent. I wrote those after my first trip. My second trip with this tent was less than stellar. First off, as soon as it started raining hard, I noticed a spot about an inch by half an inch that was a different color than the rest of the interior. When I touched it, it was wet. Upon closer inspection, I found that the interior layer of material was non-existent in this area, and what I was seeing was actually the exterior of the tent. Strike two was condensation. Please don't think that this tent is as breathable as Black Diamond claims. I had to have the top of both doors open to keep condensation from forming, and no matter what, I got loads of condensate on the bathtub floor. Condensation on the bathtub floor = wet sleeping bag.The third strike against this tent was when I got home I talked to a friend who has a Fitzroy, who had a similar defect/failure of his tent - only his was the ENTIRE WALL which let a tremendous amount of water in to the tent. To be fair, it was a very bad storm (for both of us) but the fact that both tents failed in the same way scares me. [...] He was outside his warranty period and their response was, "There's nothing we can do." He wasn't asking for a new tent, and he was willing to PAY to have his tent fixed, but to no avail. Black Diamond simply refused to stand behind their product.Lucky for me, REI has a great return policy. If you buy a Black Diamond product, I would only buy it from REI - don't plan to get much support from Black Diamond.Not only would I never recommend this to a friend, I wouldn't even recommend it to someone I hate!"

"9/19/2010Before heading off on a year-long cycle trip around the world, I purchased and tested a number of tents – the Black Diamond Hilight, Black Diamond Skylight, Nemo Tenshi, MSR Elbow Room and MSR Hubba Hubba. We decided to take the Black Diamond Bibler Ahwahnee, which we found to be well designed, and possibly the only true four season tent (useable in Summer) on the market. Unfortunately for us the quality of workmanship has simply not matched up to its fantastic design.About two weeks ago, whilst cycling across Ireland, our Black Diamond Bibler Ahwahnee tent began to let in water through the fabric. Now, even under light rain, water enters directly through all external surfaces of the Todd Tex fabric. All seams were sealed correctly and no water is penetrating these areas.After a little research, I found that the problem with this tent has occurred for other people. (Read other reviews here)Prior to the leaking, we also had a major recurring problem with the state of the eyelets either side of the tent that the awning pole is meant to sit in. The first time I set the tent up in the lounge room the pole was extremely difficult to get in, but I figured that it might have been intentionally made that way so that when the fabric stretched with use, the pole would fit perfectly. Well this never happened and it is still a constant struggle to put the pole in.Now I have to use electrical tape on a recurring basis to hold in the eyelets to prevent them from completely falling out of the tabs (this has happened a few times). I tried a few different ways of making a permanent fix, like using glue, squashing the eyelets down tighter against the fabric and taking the tent to a number of different repair shops to see if they could permanently fix it, all to no avail. I have not taken the tent to Black Diamond to see if it can be fixed properly before now because I haven't been able to. We've been cycling around the world for the last eight months, so we usually need it. It is also difficult to provide an address, particularly one for long enough to have the tent sent overseas.Now that we're in the US (and it is leaking badly– which we can't live with) we've posted it with the receipt of purchase (it is still in warranty) to the Salt Lake headquarters. We are desperately hoping for a speedy resolution and return as we are due to continue our world tour through America and into South and Central America.Our first reply from Black Diamond expressed disbelief that the tent has problems, and hinted that we have misused it in some way. Here are some quotes:'Frankly I have never heard of this fabric leaking as you are describing.''I have not known the Todd-Tex fabric to leak unless it has been damaged by mildew or contaminated with some type of oil.''Please give me as much information as you can concerning the life/use of this tent that may explain why it has started leaking.' 'Please understand we just don't hear this. Something unusual has to be going on.'The problems listed were not caused by misuse. When you spend a small fortune on a tent and it is the only home you have, you look after it well. We wash, with water, the tent occasionally, and always make sure it has dried before packing it up and riding each day. And according to online reports at least two other serious cases of this kind of leaking of Todd Tex fabric have been reported to Black Diamond.For a large collection of photos of the tent in action in almost 20 countries around the world and a daily blog detailing our adventures up to this point please have a look at our website [@] We will update this review as soon as we here back from Black Diamond."

"I've used the Ahwahnee in the Rockies and also the Midwest in the States, and extensively in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. From the dry conditions of the East Rockies to the terribly wet climates of the S. Alps, the ToddTex fabric comprising the tent body soaks up moisture like a paper towel. To dry out the tent floor, all that is needed is a few minutes upside down with the floor facing the sun, and the body dries out quickly in a light breeze with the doors open. Double full-sided doors are a godsend when two people need to sort out gear, and come in equal handiness when the scenery is amazing or the bugs come out and ventilation is still required. This tent is extremely stable under high winds. Also, the body material has a light reflective sheen, equating to excellent visibility at night. While floor-plan provides ample space for two sleepers, it gets quite cramped if weather requires bags to be brought inside. Note: seams on outside of body around the door awnings are not sealed (does not affect interior water seepage, but could affect optional vestibule attachment seam). Also, doors zip down and roll towards floor, meaning that if time is not taken to roll up and secure the mesh and body fabrics when completely unzipped, the excess material is loose and thus can fall outside tent and get dirty. Leave doors unzipped slightly in ALL weather conditions (does not affect condensation), because death by suffocation is more than possible with its airtight construction. Have not used vestibule, so unsure of attachment quality or performance. Quick setup requires practice with twistlock pole system, and care must be taken to cap the end of the pole with finger and guide it into interior grommet. Otherwise, puncturing the floor seems to be possible."

"As an Alaskan backpacker I can count on rain, wind, and setting up in many different geographic places. This tent has never disappointed us. There is a nice rubbery bottom on the outside on the floor and we have used our tent for 5 years without using anything under it.



My husband brought the tent home, then told me how much he spent, I had sticker shock. We set the tent up in the backyard and I still wasn't sure what was so special about it. We went on a weekend trip with our dog, a 15# shih tzu, to Seward for the inaugural trip. The space inside with the three of us was comfortable once we realized that storage and dog sleeping area is at your head and feet. We always bring boots and clothing from our packs inside lest porcupines or other critters haul them off. Our subsequent trip for two weeks in the Talkeetna Mountains backpacking a 70 mile loop. My dear husband says this tent is half the weight of our previous tent, a Eureka two person. We experienced rain on a daily basis and found we could still hang our wet duds inside since the poles are interior. When it rained we had no water build up nor leakage, and we have plenty of experience with wet on this trip. This is when I realized this is a special tent. Setup from the inside on a rainy can feel like a lifesaver. Our dog had a habit of hopping in as soon as my husband took the tent from the bag. The three of us slept comfortably enough within the space, and could sit inside and journal comfortably and look at maps. We are not small people, but we're not tall. We are under 5' 10". Since this is a single wall tent the wind does not whip through it like the other tents, so you are very protected from the cold alpine winds at elevation. We do still open the top an inch or two to vent moisture. On some alpine evenings with a breeze coming off the glacier it is nice to use the tent as a wind break and sit and enjoy the view. The nice big doors do provide great views of your location when open with the bug netting up or down. We often use the vestibule for backpack and gear storage rather than coming in and out. I have a bad knee and find the tent easier to get out of than most if we don't use the vestibule. We think the vestibule would be great for winter camping, but are not inclined to try it.



We have also used the tent in Florida in the Everglades and on the beach. We found that the netting was wonderful to keep the no-seeums out and leave the door open to enjoy the stars.



The only thing that we don't enjoy is the pockets on the inside loosened at the edges pretty soon after purchase, but I haven't had to tape them back on yet. Bacause the doors roll down to the bottom they get a little dirty climbing in and out.



All in all, we will never go back to double wall tents. We are impressed with this tents versatility and grit against the weather Alaska throws at us."

"My two companions and I took three of these tents in our climb of Mount Kilimanjaro in February 2008. Except for the dirt, they came back as good as new and shrugged off the abuse of the trip. Set up was immediately mastered by our porters( although I had found my set up at home to be initially challenging.) This tent proved to be absolutely waterproof and with the two door/vents slightly open, condensation was a non event. The cons are offset by the advantages , but do include the following. 1) The tent is too heavy for me to carry other than in winter conditions. 2)The length is marginally acceptable for anyone over 6 feet in a "long" sleeping bag. 3) Use by two people would leave no room for any equipment in the tent."

"I have owned the Ahwahnee II for 7 or 8 years now. I've used it in a wide variety of conditions, although it now sees use mainly in the winter, and on trips where I expect to be in exposed, high-wind situations.



The tent is weather-worthy, and I have never had any issues whatsoever with condensation, even with two guys in cold, humid conditions. In winter I'll get some frost on the poles themselves, but that's it. No problems.



It's also very stable. I feel totally confident in it. Of course, it's not as light as many of the newer ultralight tents/tarptents that I've gravitated to for general 3-season use. But I have no hesitation using the Ahwahnee in snow and wind conditions that might collapse an ultralight.



Mine does not have the second door, so it's a bit lighter than the current model. Also, it's not flame retardant, which made it significantly lighter than the ones with flame retardant fabric (at least at the time).



Setup takes a little bit of practice, but is easily done once you get the hang of it. A couple of tips: I find it easier if I don't install the small ridge pole until after I've set up the two main poles. Also, I've put plastic end-covers on one end of each pole so I can just shove that end into the rear corner without worrying about placing the raw pole end into the grommet. (You'll know what I mean when you see it). Makes it much easier IMO. The things I'm talking about were used as caps to cover the inlet and outlet couplings on PUR water filters when new in the box. They fit over the pole ends perfectly.



I mostly don't bother with the vestibule, although it is a nice, roomy one. Attaching it with the little hooks around the door opening is, frankly, a pain in the butt (unless they've changed it since I bought mine).



If you want a bomber tent, especially for times when you really have to be able to trust your shelter, I recommend checking these out. I haven't had to use Black Diamond's customer service, so I can't comment on the previous poster's experience in that regard."

"I have used the original Ahwahnee (not the "2", mine has only 1 door + 1 window, bright yellow) for more than 10 years in all seasons, and it has been great.



-- It is sturdy in high winds, and I've had more than a foot of wet snow on it with no issues.



-- No problems with condensation if I leave a zipper open just a couple inches.



-- I've applied seam sealer only twice since new as a precaution, but never a leak.



-- Even after 10 years I still have a mixed opinion about the door zipping all the way down. I love being able to roll it down and have a whole side of the tent open to the views during the day. But when it's zipped up all the way, it's not as convenient to go in and out a bunch of times as with a conventional tent door, and the door tends to get pretty dirty after awhile. Mixed bag, IMHO - I would give it 5 stars otherwise.



-- Must be careful putting poles into corner snaps - potential for ripping tent otherwise.



-- I don't use the vestibule very often, but it attaches OK and is roomy.



-- Not the lightest or cheapest tent out there, but with that extra handful of ounces and dollars you get stability, 4-season protection, no rain fly to mess with, and a tent that will last for decades.



The model with 2 doors would be awesome, but my original model is still in like-new condition after dozens of trips so I'm happily stuck with it."

"I got tired of drying out a tent fly every morning and decided to give this tent a try after reading reviews. I have not been disappointed. I mostly backpack in the Pacific Northwest (read rain forest). It has kept has kept me dry through incredible downpours and where it was nearly floating on a pool of water. I mostly use it as a one person plus gear tent. It is tight for two, but works as intended. Set up is easy after you practice a few times. It is actually great for bad weather. Extend the poles, climb inside and set it up in two minutes plus a couple more to tighten everything up. If you're going to spend a lot of time in really bad weather or snow conditions, get the expensive and awkward vestibule. Once up, it works great, though it will collect condensation as it is nylon. This tent is amazing for its lack of condensation, easy set up, and durability. I've had it for seven years and would buy one again in a heartbeat. I did need to spend an hour or so seam sealing it. Annoying, but if you're serious about survivability in any condition you'll do it. No leaks, ever. I dropped some metal on it in the garage one time and tore a small hole in it. I called Bibler/Black Diamond and they sent me a bunch of material to patch it (free) and said if I couldn't fix it to send it to them and they'd fix it for free. Maybe they wouldn't do it now that they're corporate, but it is the best tent I've ever used and I've used a number of very high quality 4-season tents."

"I have used this tent for 10 years and it has held up super. I mostly use it for hunting trips. The tent has been in heavy rain and snow with no leaks. Setting up is a little of a pain otherwise no complaints. I have had no problems with condesation or leaks as mentioned by one of the reviewers.



The tent would be better if it had two doors instead of one."