Catoma Adventure Shelters IBNS (Improved BedNet System) 64581F & 64583F

I'm a humanitarian and disaster photographer and I recently bought this for a trip to Haiti. I usually carry compact mosquito nets and rig them up on walls, but I thought there might be a better solution for what I do. I wanted to give some random thoughts, in no particular order. If you want the short answer and save yourself some reading, then know I would recommend this 100%. It was a great investment, and I expect it will stand up to much travel over the years. Buy with confidence. If you're 6'3" or above, though, that changes my recommendation a tiny bit. Read below for my comments. -Tent setup takes literally seconds. Really nice to have such a quick setup. -Tent breakdown takes about fifteen to twenty seconds. The first couple times I had to carefully read the instructions to make sure I was doing it correctly. When in compact form, the tent is very light and compact. It was easy to pack it in my large duffel bag. Watch a few videos on Youtube and practice tent setup and breakdown before you travel so you get the hang of it. I figured it out on my own, but the added confidence of watching a few instructional videos would have helped. -I'm 6'5" and 225lbs. I fit in this thing, but barely in length. My head rests up against one end, and the ends of my toes touch the other end. If you sleep a little curled up (and I do), this thing will be long enough. If you sleep straight like a board and like to really stretch out all night long and not have anything touching you, and you're 6'3" or above, this may be a deal breaker. Again, I'm 6'5" and it didn't bother me. But if you don't like things touching your toes, and you're a huge person, this may be bothersome. Also, the idea of this isn't to be a huge tent around you. It's more like a casket, meant to be snug. -I was able to put my sleeping pad, sleep sack, and Thermarest pillow inside the tent. There was plenty of width in the tent, and I'm a pretty wide person. When I got back home my small dog crawled in it and I think we could almost sleep in there together if we got real snuggly. -The tent also goes on top of things, like crappy bug infested third world mattresses. I did this in Haiti too. I was worried I would wake up others around me if I moved a lot, but the floor of the tent isn't too crinkly or loud on top of mattresses. I didn't test the waterproofness of the floor but trust that it would hold up to a little water if it needed to. -This is not a true tent. If you're outside and it rains, you'll get wet. If you add a ground floor or tarp underneath and rig up a rain fly, you could get by with it as a summer tent. While the bottom does appear to be waterproof, the fabric is relatively thin. If I used this outside on rocky ground or gravel, I'd definitely want a tarp underneath it! -The zippers allow you to get in on either side of this, which was really nice depending on how my sleep setup was arranged. The zippers grabs themselves are a little loud, especially in a quiet room at night. The zipper grabs meet on a certain point of the zipper line, and when you move they bang against each other a little. They make some noise as you move around. It never bothered anyone else that slept around me, but if a roommate was a super light sleeper, it might wake them up. This was really the only negative I could find at all. And it wasn't really that bad at all. If you're mostly sleeping by yourself, or with some space between you and roommates, this isn't a concern. -The mosquito netting is really effective. I don't know technical specs, but the netting is fine mesh, and it kept out literally everything, including no-see-ums or whatever those tiny little bugs are. Not sure about fleas, but I didn't have any bites overnight of any kind when I was in this thing. I'm confident it'll keep out anything that poses a threat to me while sleeping. -It was hot in Haiti, and this tent really didn't retain heat at all. It did knock down a little bit of the fan speed overhead, but I didn't feel like it affected the warmth around me. This was really important for me as I mostly travel to developing countries closer to the equator. I did NOT want to add heat to my sleeping arrangement and was thrilled this tent did not. -This traveled well in my checked bag. It has some flexibility, even in it's most compact size. If this even makes it through a year of my travels, I'll keep replacing it. (I hate taking anti-malarial tablets). I'm headed to Sri Lanka, Togo, and Peru in the coming months, and if this tent breaks or poles snap expect me to write an update and change my review! -When I store this, I think I'll not fold it up into the most compact size. I'll probably store this in the larger, circular size. I'm worried in the most compact form long-term storage might bend the poles over time. Just a hunch. My overall recommendation is to purchase this. I travel to countries with zika, chikungunya, malaria, and other mosquito-borne illnesses. This takes up little room in my checked bag (I think it would fit in a carry on too), sets up quick, and lets me sleep with confidence. No more setting up mosquito nets at midnight in dark rooms. Or getting tore up with bites when I sleep in large rooms on concrete. When I hit purchase on Amazon I was a little concerned about price. But honestly, after using in Haiti during Hurricane Matthew response, boy am I glad I had this with me. Great piece of kit that I'll keep traveling with for a long time. Buy with confidence.

I was in the Infantry for five years and this tent did it's job phenomenally well. It starts out small and light, with a packed profile that makes it very easy to fit it into a bag or rucksack without leaving unecessary empty space around it. Setup is as easy as you could ask for. Take it out of the case and let it fly. It snaps open and to shape on it's own. No poles to set up or sort out. It is a great size for one average sized male. Low-ish profile so it doesn't draw too mich ire from your higher-ups for looking like a comfort item. :p It has double zippers on both sides for ease of access and even has a little extra room to fit some gear in with you. Keeps those ticks and spiders out of your boots. I've been impressed with how well it has held up being placed directly on the ground with no poncho under it. I still have no holes in mine. Teardown is the real treat. Once you're ready it's just three quick folds and then back in the bag it goes. Ready to move in a few minutes, if that. The only change I would like to see is some form of removable, water resistant flap over the top for the rainy nights. I used my poncho as a cover, but would be a nice inclusion. Oh it also has five clips to attach it to a standard cot if you get a hold of one (fifth clip goes under the middle of the cot to keep the sides pulled out, a nice thought).

My product arrived with the primary frame pole broken. However, I noticed that a pole splice connector was provided in the repair kit. But when I called the distributor, MMI Outdoor Inc., and spoke to Bryan Murphy, he insisted that he send me a replacement tent. I had called to just ask for another connector. Within a week I received a non-defective tent at no charge. I was really impressed with the kindness and outstanding customer service of Mr. Murphy. Due to insect problems, I have been sleeping in this tent for a couple of weeks now. Although I am 6’-2”, I really like this tent! Be informed that either my head or foot makes contact with the tent wall. This does not bother me, though, since the contact area is minimal. In conclusion, I am very pleased with this purchase and customer service.

Good overall but it has a flaw. There is a connector near where your left shoulder would be. This is attached to the fiberglass pole. This connector is not of the greatest quality and broke off the third time I folded my Burrow. I contacted Catoma who immediately knew the part I was referencing that broke. Sounds like this is a common complaint. They are shipping me a replacement, but I had to pay for it which is a little disappointing. I would think that they would warranty replace a part that is defective and prone to fail. Other than the issue with the connector I have been very happen with my Catoma Burrow. I will be looking for a stronger connector piece to resolve this issue long term.

Very lightweight and durable. Once you get the hang of un packing it without getting smacked in the face and contorting it to get it back into it's stuff sack this this is amazing. Took a trip where we rustic cabin camped in the Upper Peninsula Michigan very last minute. Cabin had no screens as advertised, so I bought one of these to use instead of a bugnet. Ended up the only one that slept bug free the entire trip. Only regret is that I didn't get the full set with rainfly and ground cover. Packs small, setup is instantaneous, plenty of room for you and the essentials but not much else. Can't wait to use it again.

Mine just came in today so I haven’t been able to test it out seems like a well built product. It came with a few snags on the mosquito netting and one of the main fiberglass rods is split it two. Not sure if I’m going to return it or just try and get a replacement rod from the company. Can’t wait to try it out, tho. Still too hot here in Florida to sleep outside

I thought I ordered the pictured Improved Bed System. I like the product when used a couple of time in a lean to... and wanted to go from sheltered use to stand alone use with a fly. BUT I just realized after I purchased the attachable fly to make it an all weather set-up that I was sent the WRONG SHELTER on my previous order. The one I received does not have the required webbing straps at either end for staking into the ground and where the fly pole attaches. It does not have the webbing on the top of the netting that attach to the pole either. My mistake for not looking closely enough and thinking I could buy part of the system at one time and then the rest later. I like the idea of the product. It seems sturdy enough. Roomy enough. BUT it just doesn't fit together like promised. It is now 6+ months since I purchased it and I want the RIGHT product that I originally ordered!!!!! ARGHH... Seems like I purchased one thing and received another.... Double check all the parts of the base system if you think you want add the fly later. I hope someone can make this right for me.

Tanzania doesn’t have a high incidence rate of malaria compare to other sub-Saharan countries, but I was taking my parents (65+) on safari and wanted to be cautious. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if anything happened to them! Enter this bug bivy. I had been to Tanzania before and knew that not all locations provided mosquito nets, and those that did, sometimes had holes in them. Not just for the mosquitos, but random bugs. Don’t freak out, Tanzania is beautiful. But you ARE probably staying in the middle of wilderness and a remote location. Bugs are to be expected! We used carry-on only for our trip and the bivy took up ~ 1/4 to 1/3 our carry-on. It was well worth it though. We were staying at mid-end places and in the middle of Tarangire, Ndutu, Ngronogoro (Karatu), and Serengeti. Some of the places we stayed at had a “turn-down” service where they spray the room with permethrin and let down the mosquito nets. Almost always there were still mosquitos inside the nets that would have bitten me if not for the bivy. This bivy was a little complicated to put away at first. For me, 5’4 and 120lbs, I needed to use my knees to hold the spring of the bivy while putting it away (see video for my technique). After the second time, it became second nature. Remember that you need to make bunny loops and fold in each ear, then make a figure 8 and fold over so that you get a single loop. Use your knees at this point. Again, see video. I have had several wrist surgeries and the spring of the bivy was concerning, both for putting it away and opening it up. For opening, it’s like a champagne bottle. Kind of throw it away from you and let it pop open on its own. If you open this once, you’ll know what I mean! One note — I read some reviews about a small opening of the zippers. Never saw that. See photos. Perhaps they received a defective version or didn’t know how to zip??? Tip 1: Before you get out of the bivy, hit the top a few times to make sure there are no bugs that might drop in when you open it. Quickly zip it behind you, even when going to the bathroom at night. I had an unfortunate issue of trapping a mosquito inside with me. . . User error lol Tip 2: Before we left, I screen recorded the video of how to put it away. It came in handy and I suggest you do the same!! Especially because internet and streaming might be spotty. But like I said, do it a few times and it’ll be easy. Tip 3: One side is slightly taller than the other. This taller side is where your head goes. Look for a black tag / flap on the inside of the tent and that’s where your pillow goes. In addition to a pillow or two, I would read with a giant book every night and had more than enough room. Inside the bivy I usually had my phone, a book, my glasses, and a tiny but very loud 1” speaker (White Noise Machine Babelio). My dad is 6’ and 185lbs and he fit comfortably in it, but says it will start feeling tight quickly if you’re much more than those dimensions. Sometimes it got hot inside the bivy at night. For blankets, I used a large bathroom towel or robe, since the bed blankets were far too thick and you just gotta make what you have work. I will take this with me on safari again and will require my companions to do the same. My parents were very glad we brought them. That and our own fly swatters for the drives. And flip flops for the showers. And foaming wipes for face wash. But I digress. . . I HIGHLY recommend this bug bivy for any travel where bugs might be an issue. I suppose that’s it for now. Happy travels!!

Providing a quick review as I was a bit hesitant to purchase the Catoma IBNS due to some reviewers reporting broken or cracked fibreglass poles. I received the IBNS today and first gave it a thorough once over to look for any issues with poles broken or cracking. Happy to report that all poles look in perfect condition as is the rest of the "tent" . I have decided to store the IBNS in semi folded state to reduce strain on the poles while being stored (which is 95% of the time for most casual outdoor people). I will update the review once I have a chance to try it out.

Must have to barrier yourself from the bugs and bite flies.

Hatte vorher die Version mit "Regenschutz" und war vom Prinzip des Artikels überzeugt leider ist die Version nicht mehr zu bekommen so nutze ich nun ein Tarp als Regenschutz. Klein, funktional, transportabel auch vom Gewicht völlig ok. Einziger Nachteil: Dadurch das, dass Gestänge im lagernden Zustand unter Dauerdruckbelastung steht, kann es brechen :( ging mir zumindest bei meiner Version mit Regenschutz so. (Besser einfach gefaltet lagern)

Have used these for a number of years. Just came up on a longer duration trip to Africa for work and knew I needed a bug safe system so specifically looked for this model and was quite thrilled they had them here in UAE for same day delivery. Ordered 2 as I knew my partner would want one as well once they saw my setup. Will probably order the Wolverine tent cover here and complete the systems in the future or ship the armadillo cover I have from the US. Haven’t looked at the rest of the offerings but the Wolverine with the ground sheet is also an awesome fly/footprint combo in bug free areas. 100% recommend.

Es un producto muy bien pensado para su aplicación, mido 1.83 mts y me va perfecta, calculo que alguien de 1.90 sería el máximo que entra en ella, al ser muy compacta, la movilidad al intetior esta limitada, hay que cambiarse la ropa afuera o con una de las "puertas" abierta, es sumamente ligera y en conjunto con el "fly kit wolverine" que compré aparte, son una maravilla, en caso de lluvia o viento, recomiendo mucho este sistema de Catoma.