Nash Titan 2011

The Resurrection of a Legend

We have struggled for nearly a year to get our hands on one of these but at last we have cracked it.

The initial demand for the all new Nash Titan Bivvy simply outweighed the supply. So with stock now readily available UKMA have taken advantage and now have in our possession what is claimed to be the best all weather shelter Nash Tackle has ever made.

In the words of Kevin Nash himself “tough, aggressive and ready to front Mother Nature to the end still lives on” but would this resurrection of the classic design live up to the expectations and tick all the right boxes??

Introduction

The Nash Titan is one of the most iconic carp angling products over the past two decades and is instantly recognisable by the vast majority of anglers. The original Titan bivvy was the first dedicated angling bivvy system to be launched way back in the early 1990's when anglers were cowering under 50" umbrella's and canvas overwraps for them. The only actual bivvy's on the market back then were essentially tents which had been manufactured in green material to fit in with what anglers wanted on the bank. Through the evolution of the Titan family which over the years went through some minor changes to materials and dimensions with products such as the Titan Viper and Titan Viper Hi-Top, the frame and mechanism principle remained the same. When the production of the Titan family ceased a few years ago, a lot of anglers were very disappointed as they wanted to renew the shelter that they had been using for over a decade with the up to date one, only to find that they could not obtain one for love nor money. That was until mid-2009, when the angling grapevine went mad again with chatter of a new Titan coming from the Nash stable which had been bought completely up to date. Enter the New Nash Titan!

Specifications

The new Nash Titan has gone through more than just a few cosmetic changes with the new incarnation, and Kevin Nash and his team of consultants have really gone to town with bringing the shelter up to date to suit the modern angler's requirements. The famous block mechanism where the legs and front poles connect to has remained the same design and those that have owned previous versions of the Titan will be able to erect the shelter in the exact same manner as they are used to, and even first time owners of a Titan will be able to erect the bivvy in a very fast time. The ends of the legs and arms where they attach to the block have been changed from the ABS plastic on previous versions to a much tougher material which even the clumsiest of anglers will struggle to break. One major change is the legs. The legs on the new Titan have been redesigned so that when erected give more room in the rear of the bivvy as well as allowing the angler to get their bedchair right back to give protection should they prefer to fish with the front removed. One of the problems with the older versions was the rear leg spike that unscrewed from the shelter when packing down, and anglers were forever leaving them on the bank to find that they couldn't use their bivvy the next time they were out. I have lost count of the amount of these spikes I found on the banks of various venues over the years, but if I had sold them all on auction or angling sites, I could have been driving a nice car from the proceeds alone! With this in mind, Nash have made the rear leg like the rest of the legs in that it is now a fixed part of the shelter, and instead of having a spiked end, terminates in a mudfoot. This serves two purposes; the first is that it is impossible to leave behind after a session, and secondly stops the leg from sinking into soft ground and not allowing the tension on the cover to be obtained because the pegging point cannot pull the material tight due to several inches of leg pulled into the ground. The remaining four legs have been constructed so that they are higher than previous versions giving more headroom inside the shelter and also terminate again in a mudfoot.

The front bars that pull round to hold the cover out at the front of the shelter have not really changed from previous Titans and serve the same purposes as before in giving a stable point to attach the storm sticks to and to keep the cover tensioned. The classic Swan Neck stormpole attachments are now supplied with the Titan (on previous versions they had to be purchased separately) as well as 2 x 36" storm sticks (which were also supplied separately on previous versions). The Swan Necks attach in the same way as the older versions by slipping over the ends of the front bars (after the cover has been tensioned) and tightening the thumbscrew to lock it in place. The storm sticks themselves are finished in a "carpy green" and adjust by a dual thumbscrew system. The use of two thumbscrews allows for the extended section to be held in place without slippage under less pressure from the screws than it would with a single screw. The thumbscrews use a small bar for additional grip to tighten or loosen in cold or wet conditions.

The material used in the cover is surprisingly enough not one of the new auto-tensioning breathable super materials such as Aqua-Sense like what was used on the S7 range. At first we thought that was a bit strange but after speaking to several of the Nash team at the various shows we have attended, we found out that because of the way the frame works, there would be no benefits in using these expensive materials compared to more standard ones. With that in mind, Nash Tackle decided on a very heavy duty armoured Nylon material that is resistant to thorns and has a 15000mm Hydrostatic Head (the height of a column of water that the material would hold before any signs of moisture seaping through is seen). Also using Aqua-Sense in the production of the Titan would have increased the cost of the shelter to beyond the pockets of all but the richest of anglers. The material is quite weighty in itself but you know as soon as you feel it that you are going to get the maximum protection from the elements, combined with the tried and tested frame structure, and is not going to have you hanging from the bivvy in the strongest winds to stop it from blowing away or collapsing around you. The pegging points placed around the base of the material are constructed from flattened rings that allow for easy placement of the heay duty bivvy pegs (supplied) and next to no chance of them failing in the elements. Nash have also included secondary pegging points to completely tension the cover on uneven ground or if you prefer the shelter to sit lower when the groundsheet is not used. On the front of the cover, above the front panels, Nash have also included two velcro straps which retain rods during rebaiting or changing rigs without worrying about them slipping around.

The front of the bivvy has also been bought up to date in that the new Titan is supplied with two complete zip in/off front sections that can be used either together, separately or not at all. The first is the traditional front that has clear windows in the sides and a central door panel (which also has a clear window panel). The sides and door can be rolled up out of the way if required and quickly unrolled and pegged down should the weather change quickly (which it has a tendency to do in this country). The traditional front is made from the same armoured nylon material as the rest of the cover. The windows on the sides and door panel have a panel to cover them so you have the choice of having them open or closed. The second panel is made completely from mosquito mesh, that will keep biting insects out of the bivvy on those summer evenings yet still give a superb view from the bivvy (as well helping to hide movement from the bivvy from the fish). As both these panels zip on or off the main cover, you can leave the panel or panels at home that you do not need for the session saving on weight. To further protect the angler from the elements, a baffle section has been placed over the zip area to stop any driving rain or wind from entering the bivvy through them.

The groundsheet supplied is a heavy duty rubberised material that will stop any moisture rising from the ground from entering the bivvy as well as helping to keep the interior and contents of the shelter warm and clean. The groundsheet clips in at several points to allow the frame to be adjusted so the ground sheet is flat. Velcro strips have also been fitted to the underside of the groundsheet as well as at points around the main cover to keep everything tidy.

The dimensions of the new Titan are large enough to house a WideBoy bedchair with ease, as well as to contain the gear that a session angler would take with them. The new Titan measures in at 210cm (D) x 275cm (W) x 130cm (H) and has a total weight of the whole package of 16KG including the groundsheet, pegs, both front panels and storm sticks. The groundsheet on its own weighs in at 2.7KG. This may look heavy on paper, but for the protection that the shelter offers and the quality of the materials used, in reality it is a more than acceptable weight, especially as the majority of us use barrows to carry our gear to our swims.

UKMA On The Bank

We have had the new Titan now for several months to put thoroughly through its paces in some of the worst weather that the UK has experienced over Autumn and Winter. The first part of this review is how the shelter performed through the Autumn, and we will be following it up with how it performed over the Winter, and later on in the year to how it performed during the Spring and Summer as they arrive.

Part One - Autumn

During the Autumn, unless the weather becomes unseasonal, most anglers will use a bivvy without an additional Winter Skin, so this is how we carried out our testing. Erecting the new Titan was a doddle and was literally no different to erecting previous versions of the shelter. Even without the storm sticks attached or pegged down, the Titan is freestanding. Once the legs had been arranged to suit the ground that we used it on, we followed the instructions in the little booklet that Nash supply with the shelter which recommends that the storm poles are attached and the front panel pegged down first before moving around the bivvy pegging down until the back pole pegging point is the last to be placed. This procedure allows for the front to be kept as tight and straight as possible, and when it comes to the final pegging point, ensures that any slack material can be taken up with the final peg. This makes sure that the material is kept as taut as possible on even the most uneven ground. Nash have also had the foresight to include a "flying pegging point" which is a pegging ring on a length of cord that allows the angler to stop the shelter blowing away in heavy winds when erecting without affecting the tension of the material during the main pegging down process.

When the shelter was erected, it really was rigid and when pressing down hard on the centre boss, there was next to no movement. All shelters need an element of movement within them as it makes them stronger due to the movement taking the initial force of a heavy gust of wind or item striking it without the frame breaking. Typical Autumnal weather is all about high winds and occassional heavy downpour, and the new Titan held up to all that it was subjected to without any issues or worries. Not once did we worry about losing the shelter during a gale or experience any leaks from the taped seams or zips. As with all single skin shelters, if there is no air flow i.e. with the doors zipped up completely, some condensation is going to occur from the angler breathing alone, and the new Titan sufferred no more than any other single skin shelter that we have owned or tested. Even though the material is not breathable it was on par with other shelters that utilise breathable materials. Kevin Nash chose not to use a breathable fabric for a couple of reasons. Kevin Nash has mentioned on video when talking about materials used in the bivvys that a breathable fabric is only breathable if it is completely clean and dry, because as soon as it gets dirty or wet, the pores in the material that allow it to breath are blocked and it then cannot breathe. Kevin has also said that the way breathable materials work, if they are not close to a warmer air source than the actual air temperature, the materials do not work correctly and that the benefts from use of breathable materials in a bivvy are close to nil compared to a non-breathable material. I am not a scientist of fabrics and how they work, but I am sure that Kevin Nash would not go on film and say these things if they were not true for fear of potential law suits etc! All I can go on is from personal experiences with the fabric, and they have been nothing but positive.

The inside of the Titan during the Autumn sessions was comfortable and there is not masses of space left over when you have got all your gear inside and arranged to suit. Although the main canopy is higher than on previous versions, the additional headroom is not over the top, and all but the tallest of anglers will be able to sit on their bedchair without worrying about cracking their head on the centre boss or touching the material. I am 6 foot in height and could sit on my MK4 Indulgence without having to hunch over to see out of the door properly. The bedchair and sleeping bag had clearance at all sides so there was no chance of moisture coming through the material because of an item touching the inside of it. Even when in the bag, there was clearance all round and even moving around in the bag was done without the materials coming into contact with each other. The groundsheet performed very well and even putting feet down on the floor wearing just socks, it felt cold (due to being in contact with the ground), but offered protection against items underneath it such as stones or twigs. Even though the groundsheet was subjected to a fair bit of mud and wet ground during the Autumn tests, it was an easy wipe clean job when at home to bring back to as new.

Final Impressions

Overall the Titan has lived up to everything we expected from it. One thing we are still on the fence over is the use of the mudfeet on the legs. As the Titan is a rigid frame, we have found that on seriously uneven ground, we have found ourselves having to entrench a hole in the bank to allow the cover to be pegged down at the base of the legs. On almost flat ground, it is not an issue, but as a lot of anglers still fish venues where the banks are not like golf greens or have been landscaped flat by the owners, this could be a concern. This is not a reason not to buy one, nor intended to be a criticism, it is just our findings from personal experience. The zips are of a high quality as is the stitching and the tape used on the seams. Overall the quality of the new Titan is better than the older ones that were originally made in the UK and still one of the best designed shelters ever made.

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