Hunting-Blinds Catoma Adventure Shelters EBNS (Enhanced BedNet System)

I purchased the Catoma IBNS in 2014. It's an excellent pop-up tent that has saved me from mosquitoes and served me well for many years. While I didn't use it extensively, I did use it regularly. Throughout all these years, I never encountered any issues, but recently, one of the carbon fiber pole snapped. I'm not exactly sure why it happened. I remembered that the company offers a lifetime warranty, so I reached out to them through the contact form on their official website. They responded very quickly and offered to have me send the broken tent to them, and then they would send me the repaired one back.Since I live outside the US, this option wasn't entirely feasible for me, but the company then offered to send me a new tent to my address in Eastern Europe. This was unexpected, and I gladly accepted. However, after some time, I was informed that the shipping cost would be quite high (around $100). I then suggested sending the tent to my mail forwarding company's address in the US instead. In the end, I received a brand-new tent in the US and forwarded it to my home at a reasonable cost. I am very grateful to the company for such outstanding service.

How to approach this item? How, indeed.To be sure, it's not really intended for the lightweight minimalist hiker or backpacker. Trail weight is 4.5 lbs, which you can lessen slightly by ditching the carry bag, but not by that much. There is a more compelling reason to forego the carry bag, which I'll get into in a moment.So no, you don't carry this for weight savings. And frankly, there are some very nice 2-person tents at this price point that, weigh about the same and are, well, 2-person and thus have more room in them.No, mainly this is a purchase of convenience and ease of use. Because I'll tell you, after doing 15 miles or whatever, it sure is nice to just effortlessly pop open your shelter, take 30 seconds to do up the fly, and you're finished in about a minute. That's what the dollars and weight are buying you. So approach this item on those terms, and you'll be OK.Now then - I have also used the Iguana BedNet, though that one does not come with a fly. The Catoma version seems to be made at least as well in comparison, and the Iguana is no slouch in that department. With the entire thing set up, I used a hose to simulate a downpour and didn't have any leaks. With this design, I did not feel the need to use a footprint with it, and so far that's not proving to be a bad choice. There are three venting flaps, (one each fore and aft, and a larger one at the top), that really do help with ventilation. It's a very low profile rig, so it's really going to be wind resistant. Inside it's surprisingly roomy for one person, though sitting up is going to be out of the question for most people. There are extra ties on the BedNet to hold the mesh door panel open, as well as some on the fly to keep the main door open as well.As for carrying this thing, well...remember when I mentioned the carry bag. I do suggest you resist the urge to just throw everything in the carry bag when packing this in or out. The reason is the mosquito netting on the BedNet. You really do NOT want the stakes or pole to be rubbing against that. since there is the very real potential for punctures. For that matter, having them against the fly is bad juju too. What I do is pack the pole and stakes in a separate pocket in my ruck, with the BedNet and fly in the carry bag, I like that it all folds more or less flat, so it can be packed in my ruck flat against my back. The carry bag itself could probably be dispensed with altogether, but I do think it adds some value if only as additional protection for the fragile mesh.So where does this leave us? Well, as a no-frills shelter this is excellent...though it does have one pretty compelling frill, namely the pop-up no-effort-needed construction of the BedNet. When set up it's very unobtrusive, assuming it's in an out of the way location. There are no lengthy guy lines or anything. It's very easy to live with. However, it does suffer from being rather heavy for what it is, though at least that weight is in exchange for convenience.Plus, you get jealous looks from other people in your hiking party when you're finished with your tent ten minutes before anyone else is. And if it's raining, well, that's kind of fun.UPDATE 8-August 2016: It's been a little over a year since I reviewed this, and I wanted to come back with more impressions. I'd been using this shelter fairly regularly over that time and I'm still pretty happy with it. The last three pictures are from my latest trip, where we had thunderstorms basically open up right on top of us. No leaks at all with the EBNS - none at all, even with the three ventilation ports opened up. The key is to make sure that fly is drawn up TIGHT. In addition, the vestibule on the opposite side of the tent was plenty big enough to hold my CFP-90 pack WITH the patrol pack. You do need to remove the patrol pack though to make things lay flatter, but still...no issues at all.Another plus...I recently came into possession of the  Helinox Cot Lite - Black/Blue  which I used on this trip in lieu of a traditional sleeping pad. The Cot Lite just barely fit into the Iguana BedNet, but it fit quite well inside the Catoma EBNS. This made for an extremely comfortable camping/sleeping arrangement for me. Along with the ease of setup (once you get the hang of it, setup only takes a minute), I'm really happy with this system despite the added weight. Again, it's not a minimalist setup and you are making compromises between weight and convenience. In my case I'm OK paying the price to have a simple, low-footprint shelter when I'm done hiking for the day. It's a good product.

very nice tent for individual use.

First off, shoutout to Hank’s Surplus on Amazon, got this new-ish for $200. Excellent service, awesome pricing, very fast shipping.The question you’re likely asking yourself is “Why would I want a 4.5lb tent when I can go with a 2.5lb bivvy?”The answer is that it sets up quick, is free-standing (ie, it’s not held up by string tension like a sad-sack tube bivvy), and has a vestibule for your pack & boots so none of it has to get soaked in the rain, and if it is cold or raining, gives you space to put on your boots & gear that’s out of the rain. Also, the distance between where the water runs off the rainfly and where you sleep is greater, greatly reducing the likelihood that you would wake up in a puddle of water. Also, the roof is higher, so if you wanted to sit in it and look at your fire you could. Think of it as the difference between 4.5lbs that you will be happy using vs 2.5lbs that you will still be miserable in.My only gripe is that it takes some practice to fold up, and because you’re working against tension to do so, it’s possible to misjudge and perhaps apply enough force to break the fiberglass rods. Mine came with a repair kit, so I’m not too worried about durability from abrasion on the fabric.Overall, this is a premium upgrade if you’re looking for a 1-person backpacking shelter system.

I purchased this item and received the gopher tarp. I thought that this may have been an error so I processed for an exchange in hopes that I would receive the ebbs and rainfly cover as advertised. Again, I received the gopher rain tarp. I’d like to keep my business with carols but unfortunately this process has me looking elsewhere.

I paid more for this than the coyote thinking it was the woodland pattern as advertised and in the pictures. You can save money going with another seller for the coyote. The tent itself is fine, but I received the wrong color!

This shelter covers all the basics I was looking for; light weight, easy to assemble, and quick to dismantle and put away. Note: read the instructions well, and watch the video on how to fold the shelter. It's spring loaded and took me a few tries to get it right. With a little practice I can now set up the shelter in less than a minute. It takes me around three minutes to disassemble and put it back in its carry bag. Folding the outer shelter right, so it fits in the carry bag takes some time.As for it's performance in the field, it worked just as advertised. It withstood a medium rain storm with 10-15 mph wind. The inside remained dry and bug free. However, this is a no frills shelter. I'm 5"6 and found it to be cozy inside. The plus side to this is its low profile makes it very hard to spot in dense brush.