Why am I Obsesed with a Bivy Sack

“For some reason I can't stop looking at bivy sacks. Are they worth while? I currently use a tarp and OR Bug bivy for Warmer weather hiking and have no problem sleeping in it. Of Course it is all mesh on top. I am thinking about adding a regular bivy sack to the tarp for cold weather and winter hiking.
I keep reading reviews about them and the one thing I keep hearing is condensation. Am a fool to think that this would not be a problem for me? I use and prefer down bags because of their wieght, some of the reviews talk about down bags becoming worthless mush in a bivy.
It also seems to me that some of the reviews might not be using them in the same conditions I would be. One even talked about using one for extra warmth in a hammock? and one was using it in Florida!
I would mainly use it for colder weather, and serious rain. In most cases I will have a siltarp with me for a cooking shelter.
Why am I so fascinated by them? I have looked at (online) the OR Advanced, the Bibler Tripod(too heavy 3lbs), and the Integral designs Unishelter EXP. I would like to keep it under 2lbs.”

“Why don't you try borrowing one?”

“Hi, Im LT and Im obsessed with Bivys...






Hi LT (the crowed yelled)”

“Maple what drugs are you taking for your seasickness?”

“big poppa, I would love to. Are you offering?”

“Maple what drugs are you taking for your seasickness?"
LtHiker
11:19:48 AM
11/12/03

seems to be ok today. a little yukking this morning after I got of the boat, but got better fast. thanks for asking.”

“I have to standard OR bivy. I've used it mostly in Michigan for 2 years. I have not seen any condensation, but I only use it spring, fall, winter. I've been in several hard rains without a leak.
Previous to this I was not a big fan of Gore-Tex.”

“le Subtil doesn't the fabric lay on your face in the standard? What kind of sleeping bag do you have? down or Syn?”

“Gremlin will only use a bivy in the winter, hopefully he'll see this thread and chime in.”

“there is just something that i really like about the versitility of a bivy and tarp combo. Also you can't get much more simple than a bivy.
I really enjoy sleeping in my bug bivy and the feeling of being out in nature. If your lying there awake you can look out all around you and watch the night. Of course you also get to see everyones nighttime nature call.”

“I thought the fabric might bother me on my face, but it dosen't. I can wear a baseball cap or sleep on my side if the skeeters are trying to bite me through the netting.
My bag is down.

Have you looked at the Epic/Silnylon bivies at backpackinglight.com? I believe they are the lightest avail.”

“I DON'T have a problem....I could quit my 2 bivys anytime I wanted to...I choose not to.

That being said, I used mine almost all this year, never took the tent. I'm using a Mtn Hardwear bivy. I don't really recommend it, it works for me but there are better ones out there. I got mine at cost so I have learned to deal with its idiosyncrasies.

OR and Integral Designs have models that are hard to beat, but finding one under 2 lbs usually means no poles and personally I like my poles, but others here seem to do fine without them.

There are tricks you need to know if you use one. Packing a tarp if it looks like rain is a good idea.

On our Grizzly Lake trip I slept outside (no tarp) while Kelli slept in the Kiva...it started pouring about midnight and rained hard all night, when it didn't clear by morning I had to find a way out of the bivy and into the Kiva without soaking my down bag and myself so we could pack to leave, heres how ya do it....push your sleeping bag down to the very bottom of the bivy, remove anything your sleeping in and shove it to the bottom as well, position the zipper so it's under you (one good point about the MH bivy and its full length zipper) then as fast as you can, unzip, and run like hell to a shelter, dragging your bivy behind you.

There are variations to this, I have been known to stand up in mine, and hop to shelter...works if shelter is close and a clear path is offered, kinda rough on the bivy though...you also have to put up with the ridicule and jokes for awhile.”

“Thanks,
Yeah I looked at those but I think I want water proof instead of water resistant”

“Lt I've used an OR Advanced Bivy for about 4 years now, probably spent 150+ nights in it. Both my 3 season and my winter bags are down, and I've never had a condensation problem. Most of my camping is in the Sierra, but some along the coast as well, I've been rained on, snowed on, hailed on, you name it. I LOVE my Bivy for a couple reasons. First, it only weighs 33 oz., second, if it's nice I just leave it open so I can star-gaze, but if the skeeters are out i can zip up the bug-net. Also, there's absolutely no set-up, just unroll it & climb in.

I carry a Bibler single-wall tent for hard winter camping, though. I like having the room in case I get snowed in for an extended time.

Also started carrying a sil tarp when it looks like rain, very lightweight insurance that I'll have somewhere to cook or change clothes if I get caught. Still weighs less than 3 lbs for everything.”

“just get one and get it over with”

“Answers to this post..


TT 15
the other site..
0


who loves ya baby”

“Where do you hike? A bivy in the Sierra's may be fine, but in the Southeast not be as cozy.”

“I think any serious wilderness nut needs a good bivy sack as another shelter in their quiver. My personal favorite is the OR Advanced Bivy. OR is very proud of this bivy and prices it accordingly. I use an OR Bug Bivy if I'm backpacking in the summer and using a tarp. I use my OR Advanced Bivy for more hardcore stuff, like mountaineering or extreme backpacking. I throw it in my pack when I expect the weather to be good and I don't bring a tent (usually in the winter months when unexpected bad weather could be very serious).

Waiting out a storm in a bivy sack is not a fun experience, as they are, uhhh, rather confining. At least the Advanced Bivy has a couple poles that keeps the sack off your face.

My buddy used an Integral Designs tarp and his OR Advanced Bivy on our JMT trek. He was using a sleeping bag already coated with DWR, and he never complained of condensation inside his bivy.

Here's a photo of his setup while at Marie Lake. And boy did it rain hard that night... for most of the night!

”

“LOL at Mtn Steve! That's what I love about this site! Once you wade through all the OB/GYN type posts you get to some good stuff.
Bacpac 99% of the time I will be backpacking in the NE. I say 99% of the time becauese I really want to travel out west sometime.
Buck, that is the set up that I would probably use except in snow.
I assume that the ground cloth he is using is for wear rather than moisture.”

“REI has a nice bivy for~ $100 that you should check out. I use a Bibler Tripod at 2-6oz and do not have a condensation problem here in the Ozarks regardless of the weather. I don't use it in the summer because it is just darn hot.

Moz”

“Ozark, they have changed the fabic and the weight has gone up to 3lbs. for that much weight I could carry a 1 man tent.”

“I like the siltarp/bivy combo in cold weather.

I can use niether.
I can use the tarp & no bivy.
I can use the bivy & no tarp.
I can use both.

I have the standard OR bivy and ID silshelter. Together with ground cloth, stakes, etc...I'm looking at less than 2.5lbs for both.

I have experienced condensation in the bivy and my down bag got a little damp. I try not to sweat the small stuff. The next time I get the chance to hang them up, I let them dry for about an hour and they're ok. I've also used the bivy without any condensation. Usually, for me, it depends on the weather and how warm I get in the sleeping bag.

I personally recommend bivys because I like them. Then again, I'm a gear slut like everyone else and probably have one of everything. :O”

“I just bought the Bibler tri-pod (Toodtex), and haven't used it yet. I'm mainly going to use it on weekend trips in the winter, fall and spring, or long trips with shelters on the route. I plan on buying a siltarp from binks to go along with it during rainy spring or fall.

Maily, I bought the darn thing to keep weight down in the winter. It's roomy for a bivy, and I needed that being 6'4". Anyhow, I researhed the bivys for about a year, and found the OR Advanced and Bibler ones to be the best. I bough the Bibler because of the price, it was made in the USA, and I liked the design. 7 extra ounces is no biggie, if you really think about it!”

“I had the answer for you, but now I'm not going to post it.

phfffft.

You go on back to that "other" site!

lol!”

“GEAR SLUT!”

“Buddha, how much does yours weigh? The bibler website says they weigh 3lbs? Everyone that sells them still says it weighs 2.6lbs”

“Hey Bobo I just put the post in both sites to show how great this on is!

: )”

“Bibler also has a BiPod and a model without poles but I don't recall the weights.

Moz”

“I think Buck just called somebody a nutsack, lol.”

“It was touted as 2 lbs, 7 oz. I haven't weighed it, and am taking the seller's word for it.”

“Might want to check that. I called Bibler awhile ago about the Tripod with some questions and they told me that they hadn't updated the website yet(it is now) with the weight change. It was something about the flame retardent.”

“i have an integral designs unishelter. it worked great in a pouring rain with pretty stiff winds. it definitely helped keep we warm. no condensation. i have a siltarp to use with it. it weighs 2 lbs, 6 oz.

the advantage i see of the integral/biblers over the OR is the ease of entry.”

“My Bible Bipod Bivy is the BOMB BABY!!!!!


8)”

“I have given this some thought.

You are obsessed with a bomb proof shelter that is the same size and weight as a trashbag.

A tarp tent like the Black Diamond megamid is a much better option. Weighs about the same, is almost bomb proof and you have room for all your gear and a friend.”

“But I already have one of those!”

“for someone who has never looked at a bivy why would I get one?”

“To me, a bivy may be like some of gear I own...I think I want and could use it, until I have it then only to find out I rarely use and didn't realy need it.”

“I never understood the bivie thing either. It's twice as heavy as a sil tarp, normally over twice as costly but only good for 1/2 the year. I do envy the simplicity factor though in just throwing it down and crawling in.”

“I used a Goretex bivy sack for one night in the winter with my down bag a few years after Goretex was invented. So much condensation accumulated on the top of my bag it started losing its loft. I sent it back, got a refund and gave up on the idea. Maybe things have changed now, but I've never been thrilled about bivy's since.”

“i should add, i had a synthetic bag in the storm. it did not feel damp to the touch the next morning but that could have been relative to the weather (it was still raining and heavy fog). i will be using a down bag in it this weekend. i will try and remember to give an update.”

“Ok,
Ewker, I want one to work in combination with my siltarp for weather that is too much just for a tarp ie cold or heavy rain. I also like the simplicity of it.
Buddur, yes I think I would use one. this past season I have really started to enjoy using tarps. In the summer I like my siltarp and a bug bivy, but in the colder weather a bug bivy just doesn't cut it.
Nigal, yes it is heavier than a siltarp but there are some weather conditions that a siltarp isn't enough protection. I want to use this in combined with my tarps to give me more versitlity.”

“Isn't is just plain fun to say the word "bivy"? I enjoy it. Bivy bivy bivy bivy. bIvY BiVy bIVy. WeeeEEEeeeeEEeee! Okay, I'm done.




Bivy bivy bivy (there I go again).”

“yeah, sure, try that saying bivouac!”

“Even though I have the REI Minimalist Bivy, I'm most of the way toward convincing myself I need a larger, lighter bivy for winter use under my MSR TwinPeaks tarp-tent or for dayhikes-turned-overnights. I don't think I need fully waterproof in the winter under the TwinPeaks, but I do need something that can hold a winter bag.

Any thoughts on these:

Black Diamond: heavier but perhaps a better option?

http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/gear/winter_bivy.php

Titanium Goat (anyone buy from them?) Long: DWR, cheaper, lighter, but who knows...

http://www.titaniumgoat.com/Bivy.html

Equinox bivy: Maybe too small across the shoulers for a winter bag?

http://www.equinoxltd.com/Cart/description.php?II=8101


Anything else in the $100 range I should over-analyze?”

“learn to build a snow cave”

“I like the OR Basic Bivy”

“UM how big a bag you talking, I use the minimalist Bivy and have had a Snowshoe 0F bag in it and been comfy.”

“I have a BlackDiamond Lightsabre I like pretty well. I live in the southwest so very practical. I've had one instance of condensation on a very rainy trip in the Gila Wilderness with a down bag, but the down did fine although the bags outer was damp to the touch. I take a section of sil tarp to cook under if it looks like inclement weather.
I've even heated up water in it ( not recommended, I'm not a big person so scooted
down in it) when it was raining and I forgot my tarp cover. Not nice having a flame a few inches from your face.

Overall I like it if space and weight is a consideration on a trip, such as if I have to carry a lot of water.”

“XL - Do you have the long version of the REI bivy? I use a long sleeping bag in winter and it doesn't seem to fit well in the REI.

Edit: Also, the condensation in it sometimes is bad, which is why I'm thinking of going to a DWR or Epic shell instead of waterproof...
last edited: 10/02/06 9:11:24 PM”

“AH T...I use a regular bivy and bag...at 5'8" no need for the long stuff. I am a fan of the bivy and tarp system. I even handed a bivy down to my son so we can share a tarp.”