Trakker A-Lite Bivvy System

I have had various Trakker shelters over the years and never been disappointed by any of them, but all of these have been from the upper end of the price range, so when I was asked to run my eye over one of the lower cost shelters, I was very optimistic that I would not be let down, and the following review will hopefully give you all the information that you need on the A-Lite shelter.

The A-Lite is based on the successful and super-stable “pram-hood” frame design, and the main pole structure is of a 3 piece construction which makes for a lighter frame weight and slimmer pack down size. The 3 piece frame is not as rigid as the 5 piece pole system of the original and Specimen Armo’s, but the weight saving and quicker erection/take down time more than compensates for the minute loss of rigidity. Please do not confuse what I have written above in thinking that the A-Lite is a flimsy shelter, as it is still ultra-rigid and stable when erected.

Putting the pre-formed aluminium poles together is a breeze, and they even come apart very easily upon dismantling unlike some other similar systems. The secret to taking these types of shelters poles apart is not to pull on both sections of the pole, but to hold one section securely and pull firmly away with the other part.

Erecting the shelter is simplicity itself. Unfold the material and spread out on the ground. Assemble the poles (of which there are 3 in total). Pull the tension strap across to the opposite side of the shelter and clip into the ringlet (this forms the tension on the poles to hold the shape correctly). Peg the rear pegging points of the shelter down. Place two pegs in the front pegging points and pull the shelter towards you, and peg down.

At this point, it is best to fit the supplied groundsheet so that the Velcro points all meet together and give as flat of a surface as possible. Once the groundsheet has been fitted, it is simply a case of pegging the rest of the points out before putting the supplied Support Bars into place. The Support Bars increase the rigidity of the shelter as well as allowing you to roll the front back to give a completely open front shelter if that is what you require.

The Support Bars are best fitted starting from the back and working towards the front. This tensions the 4oz nylon cover and almost eliminates any slack material between the poles. Once the Support Bars are in place, it is a simple case of going round to the pegging points and pulling the secondary elastic straps over the top of the high quality T type pegs to take out any remaining slack in the material.

I found that I could erect the A-Lite in under 3 minutes completely, with most of the time taken in fitting the groundsheet snugly. If the groundsheet was not used, then the A-Lite could be erected in around 60 seconds with a little bit of practise!

As regular readers of UKMatchAngler will know, I am an umbrella man, and the A-Lite weighs about the same as a 60” oval umbrella with storm sides, but it has much greater stability and more room inside due to not having the internal rib structure that a traditional brolly has. With the front rolled back, the amount of view is equal to a traditional oval brolly.

One thing that may surprise some people is that Trakker have not put a door on the actual A-Lite itself, but for those that do like to have a zippable door, the optional Overwrap for the shelter is fitted with a door. The Overwrap fits snugly over the main shelter itself and totally eliminates condensation within the main capsule of the A-Lite. This turns the A-Lite into an all-year round shelter with a minimum of additional weight. The Overwrap also has window flaps in the front “wings” to allow for maximum view out of the shelter when fitted.

The footprint of the A-Lite is more than ample for all but the longest of sessions. Measuring 2.8m wide and 2.2m front to back, the largest of bedchairs will fit more than comfortably, as well as giving adequate space at the rear of the shelter for all of the anglers luggage.

During the test session that the A-Lite was put through, we were faced with all manner of weather conditions, from mild sunshine through to heavy winds and rain, and not once did either of us feel that the A-Lite was going to let us down.

What is my conclusion on the A-Lite? Well I personally cannot fault the main shelter or overwrap at all. It does everything that a higher priced shelter does, but at a fraction of the cost. The stability in the wind is unrivalled by any other 3 part pole system, and is more rigid than some 5 pole systems I have used. The supplied Support Bars make this difference, and are essential in my totally honest opinion (hence why they are supplied!).

Without the Support Bars, the A-Lite is still a very rigid structure and will stand up to the elements with no problems, but with the bars fitted, any doubt that may be lingering in the mind is completely eliminated. If I was forced to change anything with the A-Lite, it would be very little. I would have liked to see Trakker use the same groundsheet pegging system as the more expensive Armo bivvies in that the groundsheet is fitted to the shelter by elasticated pegging points that match perfectly to the ones on the main shelter. This would make erection times slightly quicker as well as the groundsheet taking its own shape and tension by the frame.

The only other changes I would make would be to change the bags that the shelter packs away into. The A-Lite is supplied with toggled stuff sacks which mean that care has to be taken to be able to pack the shelter away easily. I would like to see a full length zip bag which would make packing away much easier and quicker. Neither of these are by any means reason not to purchase an A-Lite, but as UKMatchAngler.com has the constitution of telling things exactly as they are in reviews, I would be going against it if I was not to say exactly as I found.

The A-Lite has a SSP of £119.99 and is supplied as standard with a groundsheet, heavy duty pegs and the Support Bars. An optional Winter Skin/Overwrap is available at a SSP of £99.99, making the maximum cost of a complete all year round bivvy system a highly reasonable £219.98.