Black Diamond Bombshelter Tent

2024-08-05T20:00:00

I loved the size of the tent but I didnt like the difficulty of setup, especially in the rain. After setting up, lots of water was inside the tent and that made for an uncomfortable night. The great thing about the tent is that its light, its easy to pack up, and its strong. We had tropical storm winds of 60MPH and higher and the tent held up to the wind. The tent is also strong, its tough enough to handle a high wind and small debris hitting it. This is helpful when high in the mountains.

Jason M.

Originally posted at

2022-11-11T19:00:00

Bought this tent for a Denali expedition and have also used it backpacking & for summer alpine adventures (above 9,000ft). For Denali, I was glad to have brought this tent & would bring it again. I put seem-sealer on all the seams for extra strength, brought lots of guy-lines (only ended up using about half of them), and practiced setting up the tent on some backpacking trips to get a feel for it. On Denali, I really appreciated how fast it was to setup (about 5 minutes) so we could get out of the cold faster. It had lots of strong & reinforced tie-down points (appreciated their toughness as pulling/chipping frozen guy lines out of the ice wasn't always easy). The tent poles/structure is pretty rigid when setup & the tent fabric is also pretty taught when setup so it didn't need much guying out and it didn't move/shake as much in wind (ear plugs were still nice for high wind). The bright yellow tent material was great for team moral on stormy days (always feels bright & sunny inside the tent). The yellow Todd-Tex fabric felt pretty tough and waterproof (the yellow Todd-Tex fabric over the main body seems more waterproof than the grey vestibule material which feels like it maybe has a urethane coating on the inside). The yellow Todd-Tex fabric did get a lot of frost/condensation by morning (mostly just by our heads). I brought a spong to soak it up, and that worked perfect. The tent fit 2 very comfortably with all our winter-camping gear inside along the perimeter of the tent. Fits 3 with some winter camping gear in both vestibules. We fit 5 with no gear in the tent while playing cards during storm days. For non-snowy summer alpine adventures (above 9,000ft), it fits 3 very comfortably with summer gear in one vestibule. Can get a little hot inside in the middle of the day, but it's nice to be a little warmer at night. The large vestibule has a U-shaped zipper that is a little harder to enter/exit in the summer (b/c you can't dig a snow pit in front of the door), so I usually have guests use the other vestibule (with the straight zipper) to enter/exit.

Tg

Originally posted at

2022-09-28T20:00:00

Works perfectly with my F-250. Easy to set up and break down

Russell E.

Originally posted at

2021-10-27T20:00:00

The BD Bomb Shelter is just that: A bombproof expedition or 4 season shelter. It's too big for higher angle camps, but lower, on a glacier or a snow field, it's a very good size for a party of 3, and it's luxuriously sized for a party of 2. This tent has a taught, single wall design, a solid front vestibule for cooking and stowage of snow for melting for water, and for overnight stash of boot shells. Its yellow color produces cheerful light in even the foulest weather. I do recommend buying a mesh loft for it, to create space off the floor and away from the tent walls for drying of gloves.

Paul C.

Originally posted at

2021-01-26T19:00:00

A true 4-man 4-season expedition tent. The pole design is rugged and the materials are tough. The weight is very competitive for a 4-man 4-season, in part because of the single wall design. Condensation is always a risk with a single wall design, but so far none of my expeditions in the North Cascades have suffered from any significant amount. As far as the size goes, this tent does accommodate four medium-size climbers without gear. I prefer to limit the party to three, which leaves a little room inside the tent for essential and eliminates the need to climb over your partner when entering/exiting the tent. The only reason I don't give this five stars is that the pole pockets are slightly undersized for proper pole retention, and the design of the pole cross-over ties could be improved for better retention.

John T.

Originally posted at

2020-11-08T19:00:00

I bought this a few weeks ago and am very impressed with it so far it was well worth the price.

Jason

Originally posted at

2020-01-08T19:00:00

I've had this tent for over 5 years. Been to Everest base, was my base tent; been on various Alaska routes, been to various Himal exps above 6KMs (great ABC tent. I've read all the comments and keep in mind, this is more of a high alt fast alpine tent for multi people. All single walls are pretty poor in high humidity and you can vent the BS to assuage this, but hands down, there is no better three person (with gear) single wall/lightweight tent out there. Didn't deform (much) in 40-60mph winds, small footprint and low profile, I think it's easy to set up (do the two cross, everyone gets inside and you do the other two and tie down the poles). Vesti could be bigger, but c'mon, that's really nit picking - besides it has two. Ja, there are wear points and you should rinse it out every summer and never pack it wet (for long), but the BS is legit. Alas, all single walls must come to an end and hence mine has too. I've used it at least 400 days, so time marches on and it's time to get a new one, which is absolutely what I'm going to do. I might cut off the front and back and make it a tube for the beach or something like that, but my BS has earned a rest and all the praise I can give.

shinpet

Originally posted at

2019-03-26T20:00:00

Bought the tent in 2001, overall camped in it over 1000 days. Fantastic tent that works well for winter camping or Beach camping. Could not been happier and now we are replacing it with a brand new shiny Bombshelter ;

Mikhail

Originally posted at

2018-05-23T20:00:00

This is an expedition-worthy tent in all respects, but definitely not for four people and gear. Just took it out on its maiden voyage to the St. Elias mountains at high altitude and cold temperatures and am very happy with how it performed. Several days of high winds and heavy snow loading didn't phase this tent at all; it has a lower profile design compared to other premier tent makers, which gives it a distinct advantage. Again, there is no way I would ever want to put four people in this tent if it weren't completely necessary, but with two you're loving life and with three 6' dudes it's manageable but getting pretty tight. BD provides several extra plastic clips (the clips are used to secure the tent poles from the inside) and my sense is that this will continue to be the one weak point in the design. I expect to order or request more of these clips to keep in the repair kit, as two have already cracked and broke.

Ben 6.

Originally posted at

2017-11-16T19:00:00

After a miserable wet weekend with my wife camping, she said I could get whatever tent I wanted so long as it would keep us dry. So I did my research and bought this tent. So quiet, dry, durable, I loved this tent. While camping recently in the mountains of ID a bear decided he needed to know what was in the tent. (one tube of toothpaste later) it totally destroyed the tent and contents. I contacted the folks at BD and they took great care of me and offered a significant discount to replace the tent. Love doing business with my friends at BD. The name says it all, Great Tent...

Patrick

Originally posted at

2016-01-13T19:00:00

I bought this tent for an expedition to Alaska because i liked its smaller sibling, the Fitzroy, so much. The Bomb Shelter is bombproof in bad weather, it's big enough to comfortably sleep a team of 3, its design is minimalist enough for hauling around on a long trip, and its yellow wall color is cheerful even on bad weather or rest days. I suggest buying an "attic" so that you have an off-the-floor platform for drying gloves etc.

Paul

Originally posted at

2013-06-05T20:00:00

I've had my Bombshelter for about 10 years. I feel a bit like a dork writing this review, as I don't really use it for mountaineering, but I have done a ton of winter car camping in it. Sure the desert in the winter isn't that cold, or the snowy, but damm the wind can blow (every been in J-Tree when it's on? I've been pulled sideways on handjams on a poorly selected route during a wind storm). That's where this tent excels for me (as it also keep dust out of my stuff during the day while I am climbing. I can think of a handful of times we took my wife's three season that I wish I had this tent to keep all the dirt out from the wind). You want to buy a tent and be done for a lifetime? This is a great tent, but it ain't light, it doesn't pack small, and it is pricey (maybe you can find it on the cheap like I did used). Also, like Gor-Tex this stuff doesn't breath in a humid environment and there aren't a ton of vents, just FYI.

PaulT

Originally posted at

2013-05-19T20:00:00

If you're looking for a tent for extreme winter camping then look no further. The main reason this single walled tent kick's so much butt, is the (Bibler) material is perfectly waterproof, amazingly durable and ridiculously breathable. The interior poles stretch the tent as tight as a drum, meaning wind and snow load have very little effect. But, the beauty is the almost total absence of condensation after even very cold nights. During the day, what little moisture that has crystallized on the roof of the tent, is evaporated through the material instead of melting and dripping on your sleeping bag. I've used mine for weeks at a time in windy Patagonia, rainy North Cascades, frigged interior British Columbia, as well as snowy Alaskan Glacier's and have been totally satisfied in every weather condition. The single walled design means you have less material and more interior space, without sacrificing a thing! If I was to alter anything about this tent, it would be to add a bit more space in the vestibule and to get them for all my friends, so they can stop being jealous.

ZackG

Originally posted at

2010-06-07T20:00:00

I've only had the opportunity to use this tent twice now, but so far so good! Had it on the West Coast of Vancouver Island; mostly good weather, but a squall came through and we ducked for cover into the Bombshelter. Steady as a rock even with only the 4 corner pegs and 2 vestibule pegs in! My only negative comment is in regards to the 'requirement' for seam-sealing when you get the tent new. It's a bit of a pain to do it right, and I'm not sure why the manufacturer couldn't have taken care of this on their end if I'm spending this much money on a tent. That's my only beef - otherwise, Viva La Bombshelter!

Daggers