Catoma Adventure Shelters Badger Tent, Coyote Brown

I own Catoma EBNS so it is interesting to compare. It is almost the same as EBNS except extra layer that protects from rain. The only one drawback that I noticed is tent pole. It has slightly different geometry and does not fold compactly. It does not fit with bag so I am using tent pole from EBNS.

I've had two of these shelters from Catoma now and on both the fiberglass poles splintered and broke within the first few uses. I took good care of them both and made sure to pack them carefully and they still broke. It cost $40.00 to send it back to Catoma and have them fixed. Secondly, every time it rained water would always build up inside the tent somehow. I was at a field training exercise recently and all day it rained. Came back to get some sleep at night and the tent had standing water in it. It was not user error either. Just a poorly built shelter. Save yourself the time and money and go get a Snugpak Ionosphere.

I couldn't find any reviews on this tent but I took the plunge anyway. Glad I did. This is a unique tent. It is similar in design to the MMI Outdoor / Catoma IBNS/EBNS Tactical Shelter in that it deploys instantly using a long thin tension rod that is weaved around the base and gives the tent it's shape. It folds down into a disk (once you learn how to fold the tent) about 12 inches in diameter and 3 inches thick. The pole which is the spine provides a bit more support and creates more space internally by lifting the roof but it is not needed to deploy the tent technically. What makes this tent different from the EBNS/IBNS is the doubke skin / single skin hybrid design. The IBNS is essentially a bug net with a floor. There is an upgrade kit which adds the waterproof fly thus making it an EBNS; which also creates a small vestibule. However that comes at the expense of a bit of extra weight and complexity/time in setting up the tent. The Badger on the other hand deploys instantly; simply add the spine pole and you're done. It is more spacious inside than I expected. Much more internal room than the MMI/Catoma Raider coffin or other bivy style. I am 5'8" and fit very comfortably in the Badger. 6' or greater might feel confinded. I can fit a fully opened large Thermarest Z-Lite just fine inside to give you a sense of length. I cannot however sit up inside without crowching over. In a pinch you can do tasks sitting up I suppose but it's not comfortable that way. Quality seems very good and all seams are seam taped for waterproofing. There is a small mesh pocket inside near the head and internal door ties at the internal roof line can act as a hook for mounting an internal light. The doors can be opened on either side and you can open just the external doors leaving the mesh doors closed to provide airflow while keeping the bugs away. One negative depending in your needs. The pictures on Amazon show the ability to open the head of the tent to reveal a mesh window. Mine does not have that feature. It is just a single skin at the head of mine. Not a big deal but is different than the pictures. Overall I really like this tent for single person light backpacking/hiking/biking. If you think it might rain consider bringing a tarp to deploy over the tent to creat a vestibule for gear and entering and exiting without getting the inside of the tent wet. Happy camping.

Convenient and easy for those short camp trips. Water seeps through the zippers. Need something over it if you anticipate rain. The fiber glass pokes can break. Mine have twice.