Tidewe VisTall 360 See-Through Ground Blind Review

Take a walk on the World Wide Web after doing a GOOGLE search for ‘Pop-Up Blinds,’ and it quickly becomes obvious there’s no shortage of options. What there is a shortage of, however, is innovation; those features that make Blind A different – Or dare we say better? – than Blind B.

And it’s this innovation component at which the designers at TideWe excell. Case in point, the company’s latest addition to their already popular line of blinds, the BL020. Recently, I was asked to do a review of the BL020, and here’s what I came up with after putting the unit through its paces in the field just prior to Washington state’s annual modern firearm deer season in mid-October.

• Capacity – Up to three hunters; two 24-inch-wide chairs fit comfortably in my test
• Footprint / Base – 58” by 58”
• Height at center – 75”
• Design – 9.5mm fiberglass poles with reinforced metal hubs
• Weight – Approximately 17 pounds
• Door – 22” wide by 62” tall; bottom open design; single tie back; included door frame
• Windows – Upper drop height – 10”; Lower drop height – 24”
• Blackout Curtain – 83” (diagonal measurement)
• Included – 600D PVC carry bag; upper/lower stubble straps; stakes and cord tie-downs

At first glance, the BL020 doesn’t look at that different from TideWe’s already existing blinds; e.g their 270 Degree See-Through 1-2 Person Hunting Blind (BL015). Camouflage. Four walls. Roof. Windows. Door. The footprint is only slightly larger, but the BL020 stands 10 inches taller, providing substantially more standing room; however, once you look a little closer, the differences – or rather, the improvements – become quite apparent.

First, the door. The door on the BL020 opens from the bottom and has no fabric threshold, per se. This eliminates any tripping hazard when entering or exiting the blind. Excellent design, TideWe! The opening itself measures 22” wide by 62” tall, a little tight for big burly hunters or for those wearing a pack; however, it’s a small price to pay in an effort to keep the interior of the blind as dark as possible.

Interestingly, TideWe has opted to build and include a lightweight collapsible door support to prevent, I’m assuming, the entrance from folding in on itself, thus complicating ingress/egress. The support itself is reminiscent of the multi-portion shock corded tent poles so popular today. Personally, I find the support unnecessary, as I’ve not had any problems with the entrance; however, for those setting the blind and leaving it in place for any length of time, the resulting added stability might be worth the additional time needed to install the support. 

Also intriguing is the included ‘blackout curtain.’ Measuring a full 83” on the diagonal, the curtain is meant to be attached directly behind the hunter, thus increasing the effect and/or what I’ll call the ‘Dark Element’ in the interior of the blind. The curtain can be quickly hung via a simple system of elastic loops and small wooden pegs, one in each corner of the curtain. It’s a nice addition to the overall effectiveness of the blind itself. 

One of the ‘negatives’ of many pop-up blinds are the windows; rather, the method by which the windows are opened, closed, and adjusted. Some use zippers, which can be quite noisy. Others use hook-and-loop style closures, which also can be quite noisy, even when one unlocks or unzips the closure slowly. We’ve all tried that while watching a whitetail buck approach the blind, and it’s often ended in disaster! TideWe solves the noise problem, thanks to what they call a ‘Noise-free Sliding Window’ design, and which I call the ‘Silent Glide System.’ The windows, both upper and lower, are adjusted by using a C-shaped clip that slides vertically along a rounded track located at either side of the opening. This method is secure – No more drooping windows! – quick, simple, and, best of all, totally silent.

These, I feel, are the most significant improvements TideWe introduced when creating the BL020 blind; however, there are many more reasons why this particular model gets the proverbial Gold Star. Some of these, it’s true, might seem neither here nor there in the Grand Scheme of Things, but when totaled, these minor details help transform the BL020 into something above and beyond blinds of the past.

• Reinforcing fabric behind the upper support rods adds to durability and long field life
• Likewise, reinforced corners and heavy nylon rod sockets equal durability
• Traditional center hub design is rigid and strong; rods are easy to replace, if necessary
• Storage bag doubles as a backpack making transportation convenient and comfortable
• Double-stitched top helps prevents leaks and provides additional strength, e.g. snow
• Stubble (brush) straps top and bottom allow for addition of natural vegetation
• Set up time, once practiced, is well under 30 seconds
• Provided small drawstring bag keeps ground stakes (9) and tie-down cords (4) organized
• Excellent 360 degree visibility

Two points of order here. One, all pop-up blinds are, when it’s warm, equally warm, if not hot inside. It’s just the nature of a big fabric ‘box’ sitting in the sun. I’d love to see TideWe develop some type of ventilation system that could be opened and closed, as needed. Open, it would allow some of the trapped rising heat to escape through the roof; closed, and it would keep out precipitation. A sliding panel, perhaps? Or maybe a small quiet battery-powered fan that operates on a thermostat-ruled ON/OFF switch that twist-locks into a socket in the roof, yet is easily removeable when it’s time to store the blind? Here, just thinking out loud.

Second, the camouflage pattern. I like the leaves in green and brown. The branches. The trees. The overall ‘Oak Concept.’ However, to me, it seems like there’s a little too much openness. Too much empty space in between the visual disruptions, i.e. the leaves and trees, so as to create an almost unnatural appearance. True, the blind can be blended into any environment with the addition of native vegetation; still, I’d prefer a tighter pattern, one that fits into more geographic locations. An Old School ‘tiger stripe,’ perhaps. Or blotchy ‘Woodland’ pattern? 

Overall, the BL020 offers many more positives than it does otherwise. And the innovation – the no-threshold entry; blackout curtain; Silent Glide windows – along with the traditional concepts of comfort, adequate room to maneuver inside, high 360 degree visibility, ease of ingress/egress, additional concealment, and limited shelter in changing conditions, make the BL020 a definite frontrunner in the pop-up blind category. And at $159.99 at the time of this review, the BL020 remains a sub-$200 option. You really can’t ask for more than that.