5 star luxury - Well as close as you're going to get (Nash FS Titan Viper TT Bivvy)

Member Name: yackers1

Product:	Nash FS Titan Viper TT Bivvy
Date:	08/04/09 (775 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Strong, durable, sturdy, versatile, doesn't leak, the perfect size, ideal for all year round use

Disadvantages: Very expensive, gets very hot, very heavy compared to other bivvies

****Why would an angler need a bivvy?****

Unless you are a fair weather angler only, or just very lucky and manage to avoid the rain (and let's face it that is very difficult to do in the UK especially given our random weather patterns) you will need a shelter of some description. Whilst many of you are likely to think the large brollies are more than enough I can assure you that whilst these are fine if you are only on the bank for a day, they are not suitable for 'long stay' sessions (that often last for a few days). For these, something a bit more durable and bigger is required.

Some may argue that all you need is a standard camping tent, and whilst this solution is a lot cheaper, tents just aren't designed for residing on the river or lake bank for many reasons, the main ones being;

i) In order to blend in with their surroundings, and not to frighten the fish, anglers like green. Most tents are bright (almost garish colours), which is fine for the campsite but not much good if you are trying to 'keep on the low'. Most bivvies are green.

ii) Unless you have a huge tent (and most of these will not fit in a swim, i.e. the fishing spot you are in) most tents are very low and you have to crouch to get in to them. Bivvies are generally taller so you can rush out without having to crouch down when you get a bite.

****Types of bivvy****

There are loads of bivvies on the market and all manufacturers of fishing accessories (Fox, Kevin Nash, Badger, Armadillo, Shakespeare, Daiwa etc.) make many different models of bivvy and you will find one to suit all tastes and all budgets.

The range of bivvies is huge and they are available in different materials (nylon and canvass amongst others), different sizes and with different features etc. however, essentially all bivvies are dome shaped.

****The Nash Viper TT ("Viper")****

The Viper is like the traditional umbrella with panels that can be zipped on to make it in to a full shelter. As well as being bigger than a traditional brolly, the Viper is made out of much tougher and more durable materials than normal brollies hence it is more useful to the long stay angler.

The manufacturers rate the Viper as a 1.5 man, i.e. bigger than a one-man but smaller than a two man. To my knowledge the Viper is the only bivvy of this size, which makes it unique, a great selling point. Staying on the riverbank for a few days requires a lot of stuff (tackle, bait, clothing, camping/cooking stuff etc.) therefore you do need quite a bit of space. One-man bivvies are not quite big enough to be comfortable, whereas the two men are huge and often too big to fit in the swim, so the Viper is a great and much needed halfway house.

The manufacturers claim that it is possible to fit two bed chairs (effectively camp beds that are used during long stay fishing trips) in a Titan, allowing oyu and a fishing buddy to stay in the same shelter, although I wouldn't recommend doing this. Whilst two chairs will fit there will be no room left to actually move so it is a pointless exercise. The Viper definitely can't deal with multiple anglers.

The Viper has super-strong rigid pre-formed aluminium frame. This removes the need for pole threading (unlike many other bivvies) and makes it very quick to erect. The Viper can be put up in under 5 minutes, whereas traditional bivvies can take up to twenty minutes to set up. I appreciate the non anglers among you may wonder what the difference is whether it takes 5 minutes or 20 minutes to set up and it is a valid question. There are times when you will arrive at the lake and it is already raining. It is not nice getting wet before you even start fishing therefore the less time in the wet the better. In addition, anglers always try to maximise their fishing time and if it takes ages to set up then this is wasted fishing time.

The Viper has a cover made out of Rain Master material, which is effectively thick and durable canvass that is treated with a water repellent that is guaranteed for a minimum of five years. Apparently it is highly technical stuff but it does work and I can confirm that my Viper has never leaked, unlike other bivvies I have owned.

The Viper's cover also uses TT, which is tension technology. The cover on many bivvies and tents tends to sag over time, which allows small puddles to occur when it rains which ultimately leads to leaks and damage. The TT ensures that the cover is always pulled taut allowing rainwater to run off the Viper, hence eliminating leaks and water damage. I have had my Viper for over three years and the cover is still as tight now as it was when I first bought it. There is no sag whatsoever.

The Viper is available in olive green or chameleon print (which is like the 'real tree' pattern). Whilst the chameleon print looks dull in pictures, in real life it is very garish and bright and why anglers choose this is beyond me. I think it looks awful and rather than blending in to the background you will be sticking out like a sore thumb.

****What comes with the Viper****

The Viper comes with everything you need for the perfect shelter, including:

i) The 'main' shelter
ii) Zip in front and side panels
iii) Zip in door
iv) 2 storm poles plus caps
v) Clip in ground sheet
vi) Heavy duty pegs
vii) Heavy duty carry bag

The infill front panel and side panels are zipped on and can be removed. In addition there are zip up blinds that reveal fully transparent plastic windows. This is a great feature since it allows you to be almost alfresco and enjoy the sunshine when the weather is nice or you can 'hide' in it if the weather is nasty or you want a bit of privacy and to get out of sight of other anglers.

The storm poles are screwed it to the front of the Viper to prevent the front coming forward, which increases the stability and sturdiness of the shelter.

The clip in ground sheet is very heavy duty and is a necessity to provide a 'floor' for the shelter. Due to the way the Viper is erected it is not possible to have a sewn in groundsheet like tents, and other bivvies, have so the clip in sheet is the only way. Whilst it does make the shelter better I find the ground sheet is ill fitting and clips in at inappropriate places, which often leaves areas of bank exposed, which is not good.

The pegs are 8 inches long and very thick (much thicker than normal tent and bivvy pegs). These pegs are screwed in to the ground, enabling them to be inserted in to the hardest lake banks. Unlike other pegs that are hammered (and susceptible to bending) these pegs do not require a hammer.

The Viper and all accessories weigh a lot and in order to keep everything together, and give some protection when it is not in use, a heavy duty bag is supplied. The bag supplied with many tents and bivvies is often just big enough to get everything in and if you don't quite fold the shelter up tight enough it won't fit without ripping the bag. I'm sure you campers out there will agree that this is a very infuriating situation. I can honestly say that this situation never occurs with the Viper because the bag is absolutely massive and there is loads of room in there, even if the Viper is not tightly rolled up.

****Sturdiness****
The Viper is made out of "....a super-strong rigid pre-formed aluminium frame that is capable of withstanding hurricane force winds"
99% of bivvies available do not come with a pre-formed aluminium frame and they are erected like a normal tent, i.e. by threading poles. Being thin and of poor quality the poles will flex in windy conditions (as I am sure all you campers out there are aware of) and are easy to break. Luckily the Viper does not use this old fashioned and dated technology.
Once the Viper is erected there are pegging points all around it. Unlike conventional tents that rely on guy ropes, which can easily be tripped over (especially when you are in a rush to reach the rods in the dark when you get a bite), the Viper has numerous canvass hoops which are stretched down toward the ground and then pegged with the heavy duty twist style pegs supplied in the bag. Unlike conventional tent pegs these pegs are 'screwed' in to the ground and it takes a lot of effort to get them back out again.
Once the Viper is set up and pegged out it is very rigid. There is no flex or movement and it is very stable, much more so than other bivvies on the market. I cannot comment whether the Viper can withstand a hurricane (since I have never been fishing in one) but I can confirm that it will easily stand up to very strong winds when other bivvies are flapping about and flexing all over the place.
****Versatility****

The Viper is so versatile and it is ideal for any situation and this, in my opinion, is the primary reason why it is the undisputed king of the bivvies.

It can be used open faced, i.e. without the front zipped on, when the weather permits and allows for maximum all round visibility. If the weather takes a turn for the worse and it starts to rain, or the wind picks up then the front can be zipped on in a matter of seconds to provide a bit more protection. If the weather gets even worse the liners can be rolled up to expose the transparent window allowing you good visibility even with the door fully zipped up.

****Accessories****

There aren't many accessories available for the Viper, but then given it comes with everything you need this is hardly surprising. The accessories include;

i) Winter skin

The winter skin is an additional piece of canvas, made out of the Rain Master material that is put over the Viper to make it in to a double skin. This provides extra insulation and warmth for those cooler nights.

The winter skin is an additional £50 plus (depending upon where you source it from) so it is quite expensive.

Whilst this accessory is described as a winter skin it does not provide enough insulation to be used in sub zero temperatures, for that the extreme canopy is required, as described below.

ii) Extreme Canopy

This is another additional piece of canvas, also made out of the Rain Master material that is put over the Viper (and winter skin) to make it in to a treble skin. This provides even more insulation and warmth making it ideal for when temperatures really plummet. The extreme canopy is essential for anglers that fish all year round and I have stayed in, and remained very toasty, in my Viper in sub zero temperatures with this canopy.

At a further £100 the extreme is very pricey, as well as costing more than many complete bivvies, but it is worth every penny if you are a serious winter angler. If I had the time again then I would not bother with the winter skin in addition since the extreme canopy is just so good and a Viper with the extreme canopy is all that is needed.

****Negatives****

Despite being a brilliant piece of kit the Viper does have its negatives, most of which are the result of one of the Viper's positives. For example, the Viper is a durable and sturdy piece of kit, however because of the superior materials used in manufacture it is much heavier (it weighs in at nearly 9kg which is very weighty) than other bivvies. This is not much of an issue for me because I have a barrow to transport all my stuff, although I fear that those without a barrow may struggle a bit.

I find that the Viper gets exceptionally hot and I can only assume this is down to the Rain master material cover used. Whilst fishing at La Botte, in the South of France, it got so hot in the Viper during the midday sun that it was like a sauna and I had to strip down to just my pants (not a very nice sight for either the fish or the other anglers around the lake). My mate's bivvies were much cooler in comparison although I had the last laugh as my Viper remained warm all night whereas their bivvies got cold.

****Price and availability****

Despite coming with almost everything you need, which in my opinion represents good value for money, the Viper's biggest negative is its price. It is one of, if not the, most expensive bivvy available. I paid £469.99 for mine some three years ago and whilst it is a lot, this piece of kit is still going strong and will last several years and I see the purchase of mine as an investment.

At the time of writing the Viper can be bought from many offline and online retailers and, as with everything, I would recommend shopping around before buying to ensure you get it at the best price. A quick internet search show that the Viper can be bought for £349.99 9excluding P&P) from TackleUK.co.uk amongst many other places.

I should note that the hideous chameleon print is more expensive than the plain (and more stylish) olive green.

****Conclusion****

The Viper is without a doubt the best bivvy that money can buy. It is heavy duty and durable, it utilises the newest technology (TT), it can withstand strong winds, it is quick to erect, it is sufficiently large enough to comfortably accommodate the angler and all their kit, it is very versatile and, provided it is looked after, it should last a lifetime. It does everything a bivvy should do and some.

I agree the Viper has its faults in that it is very heavy (although this is because it is made out of superior quality materials) and it does harness the sun very well, but then nothing is perfect and these faults are easily lived with.

I admit it is very expensive but you really do get what you pay for and, in my opinion, you would be better off spending a little more in the first instance instead of buying more inferior products that will cost you more in the long run.

Summary: The Hilton for long stay anglers