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View Full Version : Bison Tundra 4, Review (at last)


baggins
13-01-2007, 18:20
Ok , I promised you guys a review of the Bison Tundra 4 tipi when i ordered it back in September. Well, after months of waiting patiently, i have it.
Wednesday arvo was looking clear and still, so after work i rushed home and tried to figure out how to put the tipi up (no instructions supplied). After 30 seconds i realised that the reson for this was that even a blind, one legged, golden arches emloyee could erect it, it was so simple. Peg out the tent, put up pole in middle. Done!
First impressions were, s*@t, that it a big tent. I ordered the tundra 4, with a diameter of 4 metres and a height of 2.7. I was having some doubts as to whether i should have gone for the next size up, no way. For a start, i'd never have got the tundra 8 in the garden.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a195/bagginsthedog/2007_0113kata0007.jpg

Next job was to fit all the guy lines that were in the peg bag, there are 11 of these, so it took a while. But as i moved round the tipi, i got a chance to check out the quality.
I 'd ordered the polycotton one as this thing is only going to be used out the back of a car to canoe.Ok 13 kg is a fair weight, but no worse than the old force tens i had at school.
The door is nice a big and can be opened so that there is virtually no stooping to get in. It has a verticle zip (very chunky and heavy duty looking) and a rain flap.The door takes up one whole panel, with an option to use the next panel as well. Inside the door is a good mssie net with another chunky zip on it. There is also a good valence around the base of the whole tent to stop the wind etc.
A window (with curtains) is a nice touch.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a195/bagginsthedog/2007_0113kata0005.jpg

Inside, there is enough space to swing a lion (let alone a normal cat). Plenty of room to stand up and walk about, and when sitting down there is very little wasted space, even around the edges.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a195/bagginsthedog/2007_0113kata0004.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a195/bagginsthedog/2007_0113kata0001.jpg
Two of us lying down, a dog at full stretch, two garden chairs and a large moskatelkatan firebox, take up less than half the floor space, with lots left to get up and walk about.
As to using the fire box and the adjustable hat, well, i think i need a bit of practice in setting up the hat in the right direction in relationship to the wind (it was a tad smokey).
Now, as some of you may have noticed, the weather over the last 3 days has, to be blunt, been crap. Heavy rain and gale force winds. It's still standing, the only casualty was one guy line snapping (and that could have been the dog tripping over it).
Over all, i am really impressed. Iv'e used hundreds of different tents over the years, from cheap argos ones to high fight himalayan mountain tents. This has to be the best buy i've ever made. For £200 inc postage, i really don't think you can go wrong.
Happy Camping
Baggins
fred gordon
13-01-2007, 18:34
Great Review baggins and I hope you really enjoy your new tent. The last picture with the firebox looks alarming! I hope the tent survived. Look forward to seeing pictures of it being used 'in the field' :D
Joff
13-01-2007, 18:44
That looks like just the ticket for me! Could you tell me where you got it from?

Many thanks

Joff
baggins
13-01-2007, 19:01
Hi, the websight that i used seems to have been taken off-line now. The company was taken over last year by Beaver Kano. They are in the process of puttinf up a new website here;- www.beaver.no
or you can email them at;- post@beaver.no

The fire box in the last pic, was a good 1.5 metres from the tent fabric (it is difficult to guage the space in the tent from the photos), It was one of the things that did worry me. But i had a good fire last night and the flames (and sparks), came nowhere near the fabric of the tent, however, i wouldn't leave it unattended, even for a minute.
Baggins
Joff
13-01-2007, 19:23
Many thanks for the link!

Joff
Zammo
13-01-2007, 19:32
Nice review you should put it in the Review section on this site (which sadly seems to be very light on content, espeically in the shelter section).
baggins
13-01-2007, 19:37
Good idea, how though?
Any Mods reading this, please feel free to copy over the there if you like (probalby beyond my megre computer skills)
Baggins
Zammo
13-01-2007, 19:54
Good idea, how though?



I'm not sure, looks like not many others know how to either, judging by the small amount of reviews their, compared to whats on the forum.
Too Much Kit To Carry
13-01-2007, 20:14
Thanks for posting the review baggins - look like a great piece of kit, can't wait until we get ours now :rolleyes:

Have fun with it and keep us posted with your progress!

Phil.
Mr_Rimps
13-01-2007, 20:53
Thanks for the review Baggins.
I've ordered the same size luvva was wondering if it would be the right size but after reading your review I know I've made the right choice.
Hope our Luvvas arrive soon.....I feel like a kid again, waiting for Christmas.
w00dsmoke
13-01-2007, 20:58
I love the Bison tipi's, I bought the Tinde 8 with a review on SOTP

http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=26588#post265 88

It's great to see the smaller one in polycotton.


W00dsmoke
ggfh666
13-01-2007, 21:43
Thanks for all the info.

We went to look at a tentipi today, mostly to get a grip on the size we need.
It was a Nibba 7 (4.5m x 2.7m). This was only just big enough to sleep comfortably with 2 sleeping bags attached to each other. (I'm 180 cm). Plenty of room for other gear tough. But a middle pole can get in the way.

They are quite ingenious with how they manage the top hat, but I can't afford all that.

So I'm going to get me a Tundra 8.
ggfh666
13-01-2007, 21:50
sorry double post
CLEM
13-01-2007, 23:54
Wow!!! £200 now that is a bargain! :)
baggins
14-01-2007, 00:38
I'm sorry to hear that ggfh666, I'd really have a look at some of the others mate. There seems to be plenty of room for me, swmbo and two hounds, all on one side of the centre pole. In fact, there is more room than on our regular double bed. Ok, i'm not the tallest bloke in the world (at 5'10"). It could be that,although, the tentipi has a bigger floor area, it is the same height so it has steeper walls.
I will say, that if anybody wants to come over and ahave a butchers, they are more than welcome. I can stick it up in the garden and share a luke warm beer.
Pm me.
Baggins
CLEM
14-01-2007, 17:56
I'm sorry to hear that ggfh666, I'd really have a look at some of the others mate. There seems to be plenty of room for me, swmbo and two hounds, all on one side of the centre pole. In fact, there is more room than on our regular double bed. Ok, i'm not the tallest bloke in the world (at 5'10"). It could be that,although, the tentipi has a bigger floor area, it is the same height so it has steeper walls.
I will say, that if anybody wants to come over and ahave a butchers, they are more than welcome. I can stick it up in the garden and share a luke warm beer.
Pm me.
BagginsYour only down the way from me matey,may have to take you up on that offer some time soon! Looks to be a grand tent it has to be said! :)
Kees
14-01-2007, 19:40
did you pay only 200 pounds for the tipi???? i payed a lot more for my moskoselkatan, now i know were to go first
ggfh666
15-01-2007, 10:56
I did a search concerning import duties in the TARIC system (EU import duties).

For tents it is 12%. This is to be added to the VAT, which in Belgium is 21%. So 33% taxes are to be considered when importing this from Norway to Belgium.
baggins
15-01-2007, 20:03
I don't know how the uk's tax folk work, but i havn't paid anything yet. Does that mean i am to expect a big brown envelope from customs and excise?
Anytime Clem, just pm me when you fancy a trip to Malvern (it's a good day out anyway).
Baggins
CLEM
15-01-2007, 20:08
Anytime Clem, just pm me when you fancy a trip to Malvern (it's a good day out anyway).
BagginsAppreciated Baggins matey,very much appreciated. :)
billycan
15-01-2007, 21:00
Baggins

That was excellent, thankyou very much, my mind has been put at ease, i have ordered the tundra 4 on the group buy, but was worrying that it would be too small and that if i was going to get a tipi then i should have got a big one, but i think i made the right decision. Not sure about the window?!!?

cant wait for mine to arrive

Cheers again

billy
MagiKelly
15-01-2007, 23:27
I don't know how the uk's tax folk work, but i havn't paid anything yet. Does that mean i am to expect a big brown envelope from customs and excise?
Anytime Clem, just pm me when you fancy a trip to Malvern (it's a good day out anyway).
Baggins

It it arrived at your door by FedEx then you will get a tax bill in anything from a week or two to a couple of months (this is what happens with group buy hammocks). Parcelfarce usually hold the package till they get their money.
ggfh666
16-01-2007, 20:33
Decision made, order placed.
Tundra 8 plus floor it shall be.

If I feel the need I will pick up an innertent over there this summer, if they have them produced by then.
Joethefish
17-01-2007, 17:47
Hi cheers for the review im about sold now, and have been talking to the people at bison, very helpful they are too. Just one last query with the groundsheet not being attached to the tent how does it cope with wind, does it just blow straight through or has it got some clever feature i havn't thought of?
Cheers
Joe
baggins
17-01-2007, 20:54
Sorry Joe, i havn't got the ground sheet on mine, i just use a blue tarp. However, because of the valence around the bottom of the tipi, i found very little wind gets in(bearing in mind the wind we had last week, when i put it up). From what i've seen though, the ground sheet proper just sits on the ground under the bottom of the tent (there is a Y stap that supports the bottom of the fly, so if the ground sheet is under that, i guess that would hold it down).
Hope that helps
Baggins