ANATOLY IVANOV / PROSE / SPORT / REVIEWS / 2008-09-12
OUTDOOR 2008: RAB SUMMIT SUPERLITE BIVI & SUMMIT MOUNTAIN BIVI PREVIEW
Bivy? Does that look like a bivy? No way.
Photo: Rab Summit Mountain Bivi / With permission from Rab / Author unknown
WHY NOT CALL IT WHAT IT IS: A TENT?
Because of the Common Law system in the US and Canada. Because of the Anglo-Saxon culture of suing anything that moves. Remember that McDonald’s coffee case? Well, same here.
Rab’s new Summit Superlite Bivi and Summit Mountain Bivi tents use the very breathable eVENT fabric. The same waterproof / breathable material used in rain jackets. Better than Gore-Tex. The best available today.
What happens when you use the eVENT as a tent fabric? You get a very light, simple, almost condensation-free shelter! I have an Integral Designs MK1 Lite eVENT tent and it’s simply amazing.
Problem is, eVENT does not comply with the CPAI-84 flame retardancy standard developed in 1980. Yep. That’s 30 years ago.
That standard does not mean a compliant tent will not burn when exposed to open fire. It will. Only seconds later, compared to a non-compliant tent. Retardant. Slow-mo. You’ll probably die anyway.
OK, why should we give a damn about CPAI-84?! We shouldn’t.
But a US-based company open to potential lawsuits does give a damn. What would you do if you knew some weirdoes burning up their tents could sue you anytime? With charges like facilitating serious injuries and even death?
Does this sound crazy? This is crazy. It is the US!
And BHA Technologies, the original inventors of eVENT, bought in 2005 by General Electric, is an American company. So 3 years ago, they initiated a detailed analysis of the situation:
// Is there a way to make eVENT fire-resistant?
Maybe. But as of today, the technical solutions tried by the BHA guys lead to either lower breathability (similar or worse than the competition), or to a very expensive fabric (2 000 USD per tent).
// How non-fire-resistant is eVENT compared to other single-wall tent fabrics?
BHA / GE and even external tent manufacturers still compare and evaluate the fire-retardancy of the current eVENT.
// What exactly would happen if BHA / GE was sued?
The GE legal team is warping their minds over this problem.
// Is the single-wall tent market viable?
Cost-benefit analysis.
The current market for single-wall tents is small. On one side: a horde of burned backpackers crawling to the courts. On the other side: a dozen hardcore users ready to buy high-performance tents.
However, the market size could change with intensive communication (advertising, press relations, etc.) Have you noticed the new REI eVENT rainwear?
CURRENT STATE OF AFFAIRS
While BHA / GE evaluate the fire-retardancy situation, they keep the eVENT tent use in a stand-by mode. In other words, since 2005, tent manufacturers can no longer purchase and use eVENT for their tent projects.
In the end, who’s suffering?
- The eVENT design team caught in a tricky crossfire situation.
- The bleeding edge tent manufacturers like Integral Designs and Rab.
- The knowledgeable backpacker like you and me.
ANY WORKAROUNDS?
Well, a few.
// Renaming
A bivy is not a tent. A bivy is, by legal definition, too small to cook inside with a stove. No flame inside, no need to fire retard.
// Reshaping
Reduce the tent height to the absolute minimum. Again, discourage fireplaces inside. At least, in the eyes of the lawyers.
// Relocating
Produce and sell the tent some place else. Not in the US. Not in Canada.
THE FUTURE
It seems to me the durable solution would be to either change:
- the US and Canadian legislation
- the eVENT legal implementation
For 3 years, there’s been movement in the background that may result in a definite “no” or a definite “yes” to eVENT tents.
Meanwhile, we’ll have to live with artificial scarcity and legal workarounds.
WHAT’S NEW AND INTERESTING?
A couple of super rare, single-wall, eVENT, bombproof tents.
Photo: Rab Summit Superlite Bivi / With permission from Rab / Author unknown
Designed with alpine climbing in mind:
- light weight
- compact size
- ease of setup
- wind resistance
- great breathability
Both tents share the same fabrics, floor size and basic design. The difference is in the ceiling height and features.
- the Rab Summit Superlite Bivi is the uber compact version
- the Rab Summit Mountain Bivi is the roomier version
SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES
// Common
- Manufacturer: Rab (rab.uk.com)
- Year: 2009
- Materials: 3 layer eVENT fabric for the main body, 10 000 mm laminated waterproof nylon for the floor
- Capacity: 2 persons at a squeeze
- Floor size: 222 x 120 cm (874 in x 472 in)
- Bathtub floor: yes
- Poles: 2 internally pitched DAC 8,84 mm (3.5 in) aluminum
- Tie-outs: 12 (great!)
- Zippers: heavy-duty, traditional (non-water-resistant) zippers with glow in the dark pullers (cool!)
// Model-specific
Photo: Rab Summit Superlite Bivi / With permission from Rab / Author unknown
- Model: Summit Superlite Bivi
- Ceiling height: 70 cm (28 in)
- Mosquito mesh door: no
- Optional vestibule: no
- Internal pockets: 1
- Climbing-specific features: 2 sealed “macaroni” tie-in points (at the top and on the side)
- Weight: 1 500 g (53 oz) including poles and aluminum pegs
Photo: Rab Summit Mountain Bivi / With permission from Rab / Author unknown
- Model: Summit Mountain Bivi
- Ceiling height: 100 cm (40 in)
- Mosquito mesh door: yes
- Optional vestibule: yes, 140 cm (55 in) length, 1 000 g (35 oz) weight
- Internal pockets: 4
- Climbing-specific features: 1 sealed “macaroni” tie-in point on the side
- Weight: 2 000 g (71 oz) including poles and aluminum pegs
Photo: Rab Summit Mountain Bivi with optional vestibule / With permission from Rab / Author unknown
AVAILABILITY
Both tents should be available in spring 2009.
Most probably, the roomier Summit Mountain Bivi will not be available in California, New York, Michigan, Minnesota, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Jersey and maybe elsewhere for reasons explained above.
MY QUESTIONS AND DOUBTS
I have no doubts about the tents’ construction. I’ve closely inspected the Summit Mountain Bivy at the Rab’s booth during the Outdoor 2008 show in Friedrichshafen. Top notch quality, precise stitching, great attention to detail.
However, although I do have a similar eVENT tent, I rarely use it:
- in summer, a tent is almost always overkill, even above tree-line
- in winter, a tent is simply too cold: a snow cave is much more comfortable
If you climb a super exposed route, then a no-brainer, bombproof tent might make sense. However, digging a tent platform is still a lot of work. Pulling a kilo per climber adds to fatigue as well.
Luxury lightweightish camping and polar backpacking is a different story though…
ALTERNATIVES
Unfortunately, to my knowledge, there’s none.
Integral Designs, Marmot and Mountain Hardware do make single-wall, bombproof tents, but they all use less breathable fabrics.
CHANGE LOG
| 2008-09-12 | Improved historical accuracy and details. |
| 2008-09-06 | First publication. |
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