Anyone use a bivy? I'm considering this as a way to cut about 5 lbs from my kit. Do you ever pitch it under a tarp? I need one big enough for my dog and me. Any recommendations? What are the downsides of this sleeping arrangement?
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Bivy Sacks
- Thread starter Black_Fly
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I was going to make one a couple years ago when I was on a sewing kick but didn't get it done. I didn't want it for sleeping out in the open and was going to use a lightweight breathable fabric. I was hoping it would add a few degrees to my sleeping bag on those cold (and especially windy) nights. I've been using a Lean1 from CCS which isn't completely enclosed and can get a little drafty at times. It would be nice to have the bivy to intercept condensation drips as well.
I don't like sleeping when I'm sticky and that's my concern with using a more standard water-proof bivy.
Alan
I don't like sleeping when I'm sticky and that's my concern with using a more standard water-proof bivy.
Alan
I too have thought about them. And I'm still thinking. I love a tent and tarp for tripping. They feel like luxury hunkering down facing inclement weather. The tent is not just for sleeping in, it also provides shelter from the elements during those wind/rain bound days for napping, reading and ...more napping. Ha. I'm not sure how appealing crawling into a cocoon chamber would be, especially if they might trigger any latent claustrophobia I don't know about. My wife refuses to consider hammocks and won't even face my happy face sales pitch for lightweight bivying. The real reason I'm considering them is we're taking a long hard look at backpacking. Not the long distance summer long type, more like short overnighters or two. Kinda like day hiking with a little camping thrown in between the shortened travel days. It stands to reason some of the gear we already have for tripping can do double duty for the "leisurely hiking". Except perhaps the tent and tarp. Even at 4 pounds it seems kinda heavy. Still lots to think about.
Doug Outside's bivy sack performance during rain and snow in cold weather... comments at about 44:30. Near the middle of the vid, the expectations were high.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTgXwUQ_ISM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTgXwUQ_ISM
Ticks ! Years and years ago, I used to run my Bluetick Coon Hounds in Night Hunts. On a couple occasions, while sleeping in the same old station wagon. I woke up the next morning with a bunch of ticks on me ! It was a massive number ! Probably the only reason I wouldn't sleep that close to my dog !
As far as a Bivy ? Personal comfort ! If I need to get up in the night (which I often do) a Bivy would not be my choice ! I'd rather cut weight by taking lighter clothes or in my case LESS clothes. I recently bought a pack online, that must weigh 6 to 8 # I don't plan to portage that one !
My $.02 worth
Jim
Bivis are nice when you can't use a tent (tight areas), or when you really don't need a tent (good weather). With modern tents nowadays, there is little weight advantage. My Black Diamond bivi weighs 26 oz., and my Big Agnes solo tent weighs 32 oz., so I save 6 oz. with the bivi. A dog and a bivi I can't see working (although as a kid my pointer crawled into my sleeping bag one cold night while I was cooking dinner--couldn't get her out, so spooned around her!). Bivis are not fun to hang out in. Truly waterproof bivis commonly have condensation problems (no air movement between sleeping bag and bivi to manage moisture), and if it's not waterproof, what's the point? They are nice for snowcaves, but I haven't used a snowcave on a canoe trip yet.
I usually hang out under a tarp on drizzley days. I guess the options would decline for really bad weather days.
My lightweight tent is over 6lbs (double wall) so I'd be saving far more than 6 oz. More like 5 lbs.
My lightweight tent is over 6lbs (double wall) so I'd be saving far more than 6 oz. More like 5 lbs.
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I would buy a lighter tent my self... it is really hard to find the right gear all the time, I’m still looking for the right tent for 3 something that would be light but something I can get in and out w/o being on my four!! I might have to make it my self!!
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Black Fly - I do have a bivy and typically bring it during the shoulder seasons when sleeping under a tarp or in a lean-to. Mine has a Gore-Tex upper with a coated nylon lower section where it lies on the ground. It's not roomy by any means so I'd never consider trying to slide my dog in there with me. I use it so I can eliminate the weight of a tent yet have a weather/wind proof cover over me. For my purposes, it's worked well but I only use it in limited circumstances.
That's all for now. Take care and until next time....be well.
snapper
That's all for now. Take care and until next time....be well.
snapper
We use bivys when moose hunting as our tents are exposed on high ridges and the
bivy is insurance should we lose our tent in the night from high winds.
bivy is insurance should we lose our tent in the night from high winds.
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I have been thinking about buying one of these walled net tents for the Whelen lean-to that Bothwell Voyageur made for me a few years ago. It can be made with more than just netting for those wanting to get out of the breeze that eddies around tarps and open faced camps. I'd get the two person one for me and the little missus, could also fit in a dog or two if really want to be warm.
...........Birchy
...........Birchy
I have a high end breathable fabric bivy. It generally sucks. Unless I am in low humidity conditions (and then why be in a bivy?) I get condensation inside, which wets the sleeping bag or my sleeping clothes.
Good information. I don't need a condensation trap.
I started using a bivy 18 years ago, while I still use it on a regular basis the way I use it has changed dramatically.
I started out using it as a standalone thing but I found it be horrible in the rain, I could not tolerate being completely covered unless the ambient temperature was very low. I then started to use it under a tarp so that I could go with just mesh over my head for bug protection but I found even that to be unpleasant. Around that time I started to use a floorless bug/rain shelter which meant that I could keep the head area open. My bug shelter is not and never will be 100% bug free and in recent years I've been doing more tripping during peak bug season and have for the most part given up on the bivy. This past summer I started out using the bivy in the bug shelter but after a few days transitioned to setting up my tent as well as the bug shelter as I was finding the bugs, even the limited number that would get into the shelter intolerable.
In Spring or Fall when bugs are not an issue I'm still using the bivy but only as an outer bag for my sleeping bag to ensure it doesn't get wet and for the extra warmth as it will improve the temperature rating of my bag by at least 5 degrees (Celsius).
If you intent is to reduce gear weight I would go with a ultralight solo tent over a bivy but a lot of that depends on your sleeping style. If you are someone who can get to sleep in just a few minutes and get up immediately after you wake it might be ok. If you are like me who needs quite a bit of time to get to sleep and likes to lounge in the morning a bivy on it's own can be pretty miserable.
Of you do go the bivy route there are now a few models that are a blend of a solo tent and a traditional bivy style which might work better.
There is little if any money to save with a bivy over a tent, a quality bivy such as the Outdoor Research I use cost as much or more than a good solo tent.
Although I have and use tarps on occasion much of my tripping in Summer is in areas where tarps are not easy to set up (no/few trees) and I do not at all enjoy a tarp if I have to spend a full day or two under one during a weather enforced layover day.
I have never had condensation issue in my bivy except when used as a standalone sleep system in the rain where one has to totally "turtle". I also found that while the top half of Gortex has never leaked the coated nylon bottom half will develop leaks after a few years of use, If you are using a narrow sleeping pad that can go inside the bivy it's less of an issue but I prefer a large pad, gives more room inside but will accentuate any leakage through the bottom because water will collect on the pad if you are not in a shelter or under a tarp.
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I started out using it as a standalone thing but I found it be horrible in the rain, I could not tolerate being completely covered unless the ambient temperature was very low. I then started to use it under a tarp so that I could go with just mesh over my head for bug protection but I found even that to be unpleasant. Around that time I started to use a floorless bug/rain shelter which meant that I could keep the head area open. My bug shelter is not and never will be 100% bug free and in recent years I've been doing more tripping during peak bug season and have for the most part given up on the bivy. This past summer I started out using the bivy in the bug shelter but after a few days transitioned to setting up my tent as well as the bug shelter as I was finding the bugs, even the limited number that would get into the shelter intolerable.
In Spring or Fall when bugs are not an issue I'm still using the bivy but only as an outer bag for my sleeping bag to ensure it doesn't get wet and for the extra warmth as it will improve the temperature rating of my bag by at least 5 degrees (Celsius).
If you intent is to reduce gear weight I would go with a ultralight solo tent over a bivy but a lot of that depends on your sleeping style. If you are someone who can get to sleep in just a few minutes and get up immediately after you wake it might be ok. If you are like me who needs quite a bit of time to get to sleep and likes to lounge in the morning a bivy on it's own can be pretty miserable.
Of you do go the bivy route there are now a few models that are a blend of a solo tent and a traditional bivy style which might work better.
There is little if any money to save with a bivy over a tent, a quality bivy such as the Outdoor Research I use cost as much or more than a good solo tent.
Although I have and use tarps on occasion much of my tripping in Summer is in areas where tarps are not easy to set up (no/few trees) and I do not at all enjoy a tarp if I have to spend a full day or two under one during a weather enforced layover day.
I have never had condensation issue in my bivy except when used as a standalone sleep system in the rain where one has to totally "turtle". I also found that while the top half of Gortex has never leaked the coated nylon bottom half will develop leaks after a few years of use, If you are using a narrow sleeping pad that can go inside the bivy it's less of an issue but I prefer a large pad, gives more room inside but will accentuate any leakage through the bottom because water will collect on the pad if you are not in a shelter or under a tarp.
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I made a meteor bivy a bunch of years ago and have used it on and off along with a light sil-nylon tarp. The pattern was from the Six Moon designs website and I used a really lightweight water resistant fabric that is essentially only for keeping spray or mist off the foot end of the bag. I googled the name and you can get the .pdf of the pattern, which is on a website called appalachiantrailcafe.net. The majority of the bivy is lightweight bug netting. It's a really good ultralight system for bug season and works well in rainy conditions. This of course assumes one knows how to pick a good spot to set up and knows how to properly set up a tarp. It takes practice. The tarp and the bivy weigh less than a pound. I've used this primarily in the western US where it's dry, but did do a two week trip in the Quetico where it worked well. Having said all this, I have a single wall tent that weighs in at a pound and is much more comfortable than the bivy setup.
I used to own a gore-tex bivy for winter camping because we usually sleep out under a tarp. You end up with a lot of frost on the bag because a bivy won't pass the moisture through. When I replaced my winter bag I got one with a goretex shell and got rid of the bivy. Much better!
Mark
I used to own a gore-tex bivy for winter camping because we usually sleep out under a tarp. You end up with a lot of frost on the bag because a bivy won't pass the moisture through. When I replaced my winter bag I got one with a goretex shell and got rid of the bivy. Much better!
Mark
" When I replaced my winter bag I got one with a goretex shell and got rid of the bivy. Much better!"
Amen the that. I did the same thing.
Amen the that. I did the same thing.
My Exped 2 tent weighs 6.4 lbs, including footprint. I also have a Nemo Losi 3p for tandem trips. What LW single wall tents can save appreciable weight over these without sacrificing dryness?
I just checked my tent weight and it's a very packable 3 pounds. I can't complain about that. But I was wondering if anyone had ever left the tent at home and just slept under the freestanding rain fly? A ground cloth under the sleeping arrangement and a fly above must cut the weight down to ounces. The question of bugs might complicate matters. With or without a bivy this seems a lightweight option. Anyone try this?
I've done it a couple of times, once for a ski trip, and a summer backpack (no bugs). It can work pretty well, depending on the design of the tent. With my old North Face tent, the fly comes all the way to the ground, and provides a tight, weatherproof shelter. With the Mountain Hardwear tent, there was a gap between the fly and the ground, and the footprint was pretty small, turning the small 2 man tent into a small 1 man tent. One of the nice things about using the fly only is that you substantially increase the volume/floor space, since you don't have the inner tent. Bugs would be a problem.
Single wall tents have mixed reviews for general purpose use. Most are designed for winter use, and many have reputations as not being waterproof. I have a Black Diamond HiLight (actually, the predecessor) which I like, and has shown itself to be waterproof. It is fine for two people and weighs 3 lbs 14oz. A friend also has one, and his is watertight. I bought it on sale for use when I didn't think I'd need a four season double walled tent, which has been my standard for 35 years (about 6 pounds). You can get them for around $300 (I paid less).
You can get any number of double walled, mosquito netting interior tents at around 3 pounds, which might serve your purposes. As I mentioned, my Big Agnes solo tent weighs 2 pounds even--lots of others with similar specs.
